Deluxe Grilled Ham & Cheese with Jam

Okay, I know this isn't a real "recipe," but this quick and easy version of the grilled cheese sandwich has changed my view on the American staple. I don't think I can ever eat a grilled cheese sandwich without jam, ever again.

Ingredients:
2 slices of sour dough bread (or more if you're making this for multiple people)
Slices of cheddar cheese (or whichever kind of cheese you prefer)
Several slices of thin cut deli ham
Raspberry or strawberry jam
butter for spreading on bread

We all know how to make a grilled cheese sandwich, so I won't elaborate on the instructions, but before you grill the sandwich, add a big slab of jam to the side of bread that touches the ham. It sort of makes this taste like a Monte Cristo sandwich, which is one of my all time favorites, but this takes 1/10 of the time and is still incredibly tasty. The added grilled fruit burst is delicious!

I discovered this gem when trying to figure out easy things to make after we both got off work. Isaac is one of the most impatient eaters I know. "If you can't make it in 30 seconds, it's not worth waiting for," kind of mentality. So, I've had to learn how to whip up some really quick, easy things, otherwise he makes his own creations (which aren't good). I actually made this for myself one night, after I came home from work and Isaac had been home for a while and had already made himself "cheesy bread"... microwaved bread with slices of cheese on it. Boring. So, I came up with this for myself, and ooohed and ahhed over it the whole time I was eating it. I let him have a bite, being the nice wife that I am, and he wanted his own.  It's just good. That is all. Try it some time if you're not in the mood to make something elaborate, but are in the mood to eat something delicious!

Crescent Cristo Sandwiches

I was asking mom for this recipe today. I haven't really thought about these in awhile, but I LOVE them. I think they make a good summer dinner, too.

Recipe from Pillsbury Best of the Bakeoff

Total time: 45 minutes
Serves: 8

Loaf:
2 (8-oz) cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons honey
6 oz. thinly sliced smoked cooked turkey breast
6 oz. medium sliced Muenster cheese
6 oz. thinly sliced cooked ham
1/3 to ½ cup red raspberry preserves

Topping:
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Heat oven to 375°F. Separate or cut dough into 4 long rectangles. Place rectangles crosswise on 1 large or 2 small ungreased cookie sheets (rectangles should not touch); if using crescent dough, firmly press perforations to seal. In small bowl, mix butter and 2 tablespoons honey. Brush over dough.

Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown; cool 15 minutes.

Grease 15x10x1-inch pan. Carefully place 1 crust on pan. Top evenly with turkey. Place second crust over turkey; top with cheese and ham. Place third crust over ham; spread evenly with preserves. Top with fourth crust; brush top with 2 tablespoons honey. Sprinkle honey with sesame seed.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown and loaf is hot. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 slices.

Ham and Cheese Cannelloni

I saw this in a magazine on Sunday and I knew right away I wanted to make it for dinner this week. It did not disappoint! It was probably one of the best things I've made in months! One thing I liked about it was how light it was. You use egg roll wrappers instead of pasta, so it's not as heavy. You could totally play around with it and substitute some of the ingredients, like thinly sliced chicken for the ham. I also think it would be delicious with spinach added.

Ham and Cheese Cannelloni

Servings: 4

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients

1 jar (15 oz.) Light Creamy Alfredo Pasta Sauce

1 cup(s) whole-milk ricotta cheese

1 cup(s) shredded mozzarella cheese (I used Italian cheese blend)

1 large egg 8 egg-roll wrappers (available in refrigerated section)

8 slices deli ham (We used regular, chopped ham instead)

1 cup(s) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (I used Italian cheese blend)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta and mozzarella and the egg.

3. Reserve ¾ cup of the alfredo and spread the remaining sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange an egg-roll wrapper on a work surface. Spread 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture over the wrapper, cover with a slice of ham, then roll up to form a log, jelly-roll style. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and place the cannelloni, seam side down, in a single layer in the baking dish.

4. Spoon the reserved cream sauce over the cannelloni, top with the Parmigiano-Reggiano and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.

Savory Spiral Stuffed Rolls

I know you all think I'm a pessimist sometimes, and I guess I am. But I can't remember the last time I made something that totally lived up to my expectations. I browse food blogs, watch cooking shows on TV from time to time, pour over cookbooks, and find recipes that look so good that I can't wait to try them. I have a fairly long list of recipes that fall into this category (sometime next week I am going to attempt homemade french onion soup which I have always wanted to make but never tried). Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that a couple weeks ago I found these rolls on this food blog: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/ and have been anxiously waiting to try them. This is partly because the author's description makes them sound so irresistable. Don't get me wrong, they were still good (Brian really liked them, sans broccoli), but just not as good as I was expecting with the way she wrote about them. With my leftover pumpkin from the pumpkin cinnamon buns, I even made the pumpkin bars "Mel" has in her "Best" category. I'm not even going to post that recipe here because they were so disappointing. I am glad I made these though and I recommend them if you have all the ingredients here, a little bit of time, and want something slightly different for dinner. If you want it really healthy, you could probably use fat-free cream cheese, or they might even be good without the cream cheese at all.

Makes 12-16 rolls

1 recipe roll dough (that yields about 12 rolls), I used the recipe Mel recommended (the french bread roll recipe)

12 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

2 cups chopped ham (leftover ham or deli ham works great here)

1 1/2 cups finely chopped broccoli (I only used broccoli on half the rolls b/c Brian hates it)

2 cups shredded cheese (Swiss, Cheddar..options are limitless)

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup finely chopped green onions

Follow the recipe for your roll dough until the dough has risen. Punch down the dough and roll the dough out into a large rectangle about 1/2-inch thick.

In a small bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Spread the rolled out dough with the butter/cream cheese mixture. Top with the ham, broccoli, cheese, Parmesan cheese, and green onions (see the pictures below). Roll the dough up, pinching the seam to seal.

Slice the roll into about 1-inch segments. Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise until nearly doubled and then bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly.

*Personally, I think the rolls tasted better cool rather than right from the oven. The cream cheese mixture was too gooey and almost made the rolls taste doughy, but after they cooled it didn't have that effect.

Croque Monsieur

For some reason, I've been really into the Barefoot Contessa lately. If you don't know who she is, I guess you don't watch the Food Network like I do. I found a couple of her cookbooks at the library a few weeks ago and have been hooked ever since. The woman is obsessed with Paris and has a recipe book devoted entirely to easy French food you can make at home. As soon as I saw this sandwich, I knew Brian would like it. He loves grilled cheese and this is a gourmet/French version of it--kind of like an inside out grilled cheese. I made these last night (but I cut the recipe in half and it was plenty for the both of us) and it was easy and delicious!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (5 cups)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
16 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed (I used Pepperidge Farm sour dough)
Dijon mustard
8 ounces baked Virginia ham, sliced but not paper thin

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter–flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside.

To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.

Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard, add a slice of ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

Spinach Twist

I think this looks heavenly. And maybe it really doesn't. Maybe it just looks like a big blog of dough with spinach spewing out of it. But I think it looks delicious.

Compliments of Sister's Cafe


Spinach Twist (this link has a more detailed and even step by step photo, yum)
submitted by Erin ~ sisterscafe.blogspot.com
printable recipe

8 Rhodes Texas rolls, thawed and risen (or 12 regular dinner rolls)
1 8-oz pkg cream cheese
3 c chopped fresh spinach
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 egg
1/4 c parmesan cheese
2 c chopped ham
1 c sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 c chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 egg, beaten
parmesan cheese, if desired

Press rolls together and roll out to a 10x13 inch rectangle. Mix cream cheese, spinach, basil, rosemary, egg, parmesan cheese and ham in bowl. Spread mixture over dough. Saute mushrooms, onion, garlic, butter, salt and pepper. Spread over cream cheese mixture. Starting with the longest side, roll dough up tightly and place seam side down. Tuck ends under. With a long, serrated knife, cut roll lengthwise in half. Carefully, roll each half so the cut side is facing out. Twist halves together 3 times and then pinch ends together and tuck under. This will form a long twist. Place on baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Brush with egg and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise until double. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes. Do not underbake. Cove with foil the last 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.