Ham and Swiss Sticky Buns

Ham and Swiss Sticky Buns

I think I must have the messiest family on the planet. Women on-line are always showing and talking about their chore charts. How they break down everything into days so that they can get everything done. While I like the idea, it wouldn't work in my household. Doing one load of laundry a day would end in a huge pile by the end of the week. Only wiping down my bathroom counters and deep cleaning once a week doesn't work with three males in my house. My kitchen has to be cleaned daily, I cook and bake everyday. If it wasn't cleaned everyday it would be disgusting in a short amount of time. Maybe if I had less animals and the males in my house were a little cleaner that I could try the 15 minute a day cleaning charts. As it is I spend half of my day cleaning up from the day before and the other half cleaning up from the messes my kids made while I was cleaning up the first time. It's a vicious cycle.

On Christmas day I made one breakfast that I could eat and one recipe that everyone else could enjoy. My family loves ham, so the recipe I chose incorporated it. I tried a new recipe for Ham and Swiss Sticky Buns from the December 2013 issue of Southern Living magazine.

Spring Hill Cemetery Huntington, WV

This recipe has 6 ingredients. It takes 1 hour and 10 minutes of total time, 20 minutes of which is active and makes 16 rolls. I did make a few changes to the original recipe. For the biscuits I used buttermilk country style biscuits. These are the type of biscuits that my family likes, plus they aren't too flaky or crumbly. I ended up with 20 buns, I made my buns a little on the smaller side. I found that they took approximately 35 minutes to cook, the extra 5 minutes would have made the buns overly browned.

Downtown Huntington, WV from Spring Hill Cemetery

My kids really liked this recipe. They thought the sweet and savory combination was delicious. My husband thought that the amount of ham should be doubled. He would have liked the recipe better if there was less biscuit and more ham and cheese. That being said he ate 3 for breakfast, so they were good either way. I liked that this recipe was very easy to prep and make. They also freeze well for quick re-heated weekday breakfasts.

For the recipe go to Ham and Swiss Sticky Buns.

Csulkos Bableves - Hungarian Bean and Ham Soup from Saveur Magazine

Hungarian Bean and Ham Soup from Saveur Magazine

I have a talent for breaking appliances. While most people have the same vacuum, washer, garbage disposal for years, I don't. This week reminded me of my ability to have appliances wither and die when around me. I have gone through two washers and dryers in the last 10 years. This week my washer stopped working. When I break my appliances they break, break. The last time I called to have my dryer fixed the repairman tried fixing it and told me that it was beyond repair. This happens all the time to me. I use my appliances a lot. While most people use their vacuums a couple of times a week, I use mine 2-3 times a day. The same goes for my washer and dryer. They seem to always be in use. So this week my washer, dryer and vacuum all decided to break. It has been one of those weeks. Since events in my house have been busy I haven't been cooking as much as normal. I'm also playing a bit of blog post catch up. Last week I tried a new recipe for Hungarian Bean and Ham Soup from Saveur Magazine.

Downtown Huntington, WV from Harris Riverfront Park

This recipe has 14 ingredients. It takes 3 hours of total time, 30 minutes of which is active and makes 8 to 10 servings. I only made a few changes to the original recipe. I used canola oil and an extra parsnip. My kids love parsnips, so I try to add extra in recipes that use them. I found that I had to also add extra water to the beans. They ended up a little drier than I prefer so I added an additional cup and a half of water. When I served the beans I added additional paprika to the individual servings.

Rotary Park Lookout Huntington, WV

My boys really loved this recipe. It was a nice blend of beans and soup, with lots of flavor. I was surprised that it only lasted a little over a day due to my two boys going back and eating more and more bowls. It was a nice way to use pinto beans, which are a favorite in my household.

For the recipe go to Hungarian Bean and Ham Soup (Saveur does not have the recipe online, so this is a link to a site with a very similar recipe).

Hungarian Bean and Ham Soup

Recipe Type: Soup

Summary:

A recipe for Hungarian Bean and Ham Soup. A filling dish for fall and winter.

Preparation Time: 0h, 30m

Total Time: 3h, 0m

Yield: Serves 8 to 10

Recipe for Hawaiian Burgers

Hawaiian Burger with Gluten Free Bun

My kids love burgers. It doesn't matter what type, they will eat them. My husband and I are also burger fans and I make them at least once every couple of weeks. I try to change up the type of meat I use since I make them so frequently. Some weeks I use pork, some chicken and occasionally beef. I try to make sure that the beef burgers that I make have something special since beef burgers can be a little boring and often dry. Pineapple is an add-in that my family loves in burgers and it is great with beef. This week I tried a new recipe for Hawaiian Burgers from the August 2012 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 30 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 8 servings. I did make a few changes. First I made my own buns. I ate gluten free buns and the rest of my family regular hamburger buns. Lettuce isn't a popular burger topping in my household, so I left it off. I used leftover ham that I had from a recipe a few weeks back and had then frozen.. Finally I grilled the burgers on my indoor electric grill. They took slightly longer than the recipe suggested, but that is normal when using an indoor grill.

My kids really loved these burgers. They can be hit or miss on what they will eat, but they really liked this recipe. The burgers turned out very juicy from the pineapple and blue cheese, without being overpowering. I was worried that since the recipe had so many ingredients in the burger that it would taste too busy, but the flavors ended up working perfectly together.

For the recipe go to Hawaiian Burgers.

Easy Slow Cooker Smoky Navy Bean Soup

While some people will only eat beans if they are forced, I love them. When I was growing-up my dad was a meat and potatoes kind of guy so beans rarely made an appearance. Then when I turned 15 I decided to become  a vegetarian. I quickly had to learn to make beans. My first dozen attempts were less than stellar, the flavor wasn't great and beans weren't a favorite food of mine. Then I discovered that when made the right way, beans can be delicious. My kids have grown-up eating beans. To them they are just another food and they don't think twice about eating them. My oldest in particular loves pinto and chickpeas and will pick them out of dishes. This week I have made a number of bean dishes since my schedule has been hectic and they are hearty and create a ton of leftovers. Today I tried a new recipe for Smoky Navy Bean Soup from the March 2013 issue of Family Circle magazine.

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes 10 hours of cooking on low, 15 minutes of prep and makes 8 servings. This was a recipe that I followed pretty closely with only a few modifications. Instead of adding 6 cups of water, I added 3 cups of homemade chicken stock and 3 cups of water. For the carrots I used pre-peeled baby carrots, approximately 15. I chose to skip the step of pureeing the soup. My kids were hungry and I like my bean soup to have more texture. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I was surprised by how many leftovers I had of this soup. The recipe states that it makes 8 servings, but I had enough leftovers for at least two more meals. Make sure to adequately salt the soup before serving, it will need it. I did find that the ham steak that I used ended up a little tougher than I like, next time I would use a fatter cut of ham. Overall, an easy bean soup recipe that is great for fall and winter.

For the recipe go to Smoky Navy Bean Soup.

West Virginia Pinto Beans Revisted

Pinto beans are a staple in my household. They are quick and easy to prepare and cost literally dollars to make. They also freeze well for later use and are popular with my two boys. While a lot of people make their pinto beans on the stove or in a pressure cooker I make mine a little differently. When my husband and I first got married I had no idea how to make any type of beans other than kidney and garbanzo. I had moved to a state where pinto beans were everywhere and I felt like a fish out of water. I tried making them a few times on the stove and they never turned out as well as my mother-in-laws. Hers were always slightly smokey from the ham she cooked them with and delicious. So I decided that I needed to figure out a way of cooking pinto beans that worked better for me. I took my mother-in-laws idea of using a ham hock and turned to the crock-pot. It turned out perfectly and I haven't looked back. A while back I posted my crock-pot pinto bean recipe, but I decided that it needed to be re-visited and updated. So here is my recipe for pinto beans one more time.

• 1 pound dried pinto beans
• 1 ham hock, meaty ham bone or ham pieces
• crock-pot
• salt to taste
• chow-chow for topping

Rinse dried pinto beans and cover with 8 cups of water in a pot. Let sit overnight for approximately 12 hours. Rinse beans and add to slow-cooker. Nestle ham hock (or whatever form of ham you are using) into the center of the beans. Cover with water. I normally use 6-8 cups of water. Cook on low for 8-12 hours or high for 6-8. Do not salt the pinto beans until they are finished cooking. If you salt the beans before they are finished they will take longer to cook and not turn out as soft. After the beans are done I top the servings with chow-chow.

The last time I printed this recipe I had a lot of questions about what chow-chow was. It's basically a sweet pickled cabbage relish. So here is a pic:



It is great on pinto beans and creates a nice sweet vinegar taste.

That's it, very easy and delicious. It is a very inexpensive meal and cornbread makes a great side since it can be used to soak up the pinto bean liquid. 

Slow Cooker Ham and Navy Bean Soup

My freezer is currently full of soup. In the last couple of months I have made numerous soup recipes and frozen a great deal of them. I freeze in single serving containers in order that all I have to do for a great lunch is pull one out and reheat. It's a great time saver and so much better than canned. I'm also lucky that both of my kids are huge fans of soup and stew. They actually get excited when they discover soup on the stove for dinner. It might be genetic since I seem to always reach for soup when I need some good old fashioned comfort food. There are few things better than a great bowl of soup, a warm blanket and a great book on a cold fall/winter afternoon. Since I also love my slow cooker this time of year I am always looking for new soup recipes that utilize the crock-pot. Recently, I tried a new recipe for Slow Cooker Ham and Navy Bean Soup from the holiday recipes magazine from Better Homes and Gardens, which looked easy and perfect for a cold winter afternoon.

This recipe has 14 ingredients. It takes 5 1/2 hours of cooking, 40 minutes of prep and makes 6 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. I chose to use navy beans instead of Lima beans for this recipe. I would love to say that I love Lima beans, but I don't. They are the one bean that I just can't learn to love. My husband loves kale, so that is what I used in this recipe. As I've stated numerous times before I make my own chicken broth and this recipe was no exception. Instead of quick soaking my beans I chose to let the beans soak overnight. I find overnight soaking much easier and less time consuming. Make sure to adequately salt this soup once it's done. I found that I had to add a substantial amount of salt. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

If your looking for an easy slow cooker soup recipe, this dish fits the bill. It is very easy to put together and the flavor was perfect. My whole family really liked the flavor and I love that it uses kale which is very healthy. This recipe would also work well with a variety of dried beans, so don't be afraid to experiment.

For the recipe go to Slow Cooker Ham and Lima Soup.

Senate Bean Soup

We eat a lot of beans in our house. My oldest son absolutely loves any type of bean and will pick them out of dishes. He is the only child I know that loves beans more than basically any other type of food. Luckily for him we live in a state that also loves beans and dried beans are available everywhere. My husband is on a diet where he eats beans at every meal, so I prepare beans very frequently. Of all the members of my family I am the one that gets bored with food the easiest. I like to change up my menu plans and recipes as frequently as possible. A few weeks back I tried a new recipe for Senate Bean Soup from Savuer magazine, which looked different than my usual bean routine and perfect for my bean loving family.

This recipe has 6 ingredients. It takes a total of an hour and twenty minutes and makes 4-6 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and I made no ingredient modifications. The ham hocks that I ended up purchasing were slim on meat, so my soup had less meat than it would if I had used meatier ham hock. I let my beans cook for an additional ten minutes after mashing a portion of them in order for them to fully thicken. Make sure to adequately salt, it takes a lot to taste fully flavorful. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

My two sons really enjoyed this recipe. It was very easy to follow and took little effort to prepare. The leftovers re-heated well the next day and it made more than enough for two meals. Bean soup is a great way to save money and takes only a few dollars to make. I love making large batches of bean soup and freezing the leftovers for future meals. This recipe would be perfect for this purpose.

For the recipe go to Senate Bean Soup.

Lentil Soup with Peas and Ham

My husband and two boys have an obsession with meat. I have talked many times about the endless amounts of bacon and bacon flavored products that they seem to be able to consume. Luckily, I have slowly begun to have them realize that there are other foods in the universe which can be healthy and delicious. Beans and lentils have been a pleasant surprise. I thought that when I started adding more beans and lentils into our diets that I would be meet with a lot of resistance and complaining. Instead I was pleased when my oldest son explained to me that he loved beans and ever since gets excited when he learns that beans will be included with dinner. My husband was a little more resistant, but after his stomach accustomed to the increase in legumes, he now likes them to the point that he prefers my lentil burgers to many meat equivalents. Of course he still adds bacon to his veggie burgers, but he's a work in progress. Soup is a major way that I have learned to add more legumes into my family's diet. Both of my sons absolutely love soup and lentil soup is one of my favorite soup varieties. Therefore, I was excited when the May issue of the Food Network Magazine had a recipe for Lentil Soup with Peas and Ham, which looked delicious and full of protein.

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 40 minutes of total time, 30 minutes of which is active and makes 4 servings. Luckily I already had red lentils from a previous recipe. For whatever reason the only store in my area that feels the need to have any type of lentils other than brown is the Lebanese market near my house. That market is great and I have found many hard to find items, plus it's always great to support neighborhood stores! For the onion I used a vidalia sweet onion. I love vidalia onions and I was excited to see that the first shipment was available at my local grocery store. They are great to cook with when they are in season. I was very pleased to find that all the cooking times in this recipe were very accurate. Oftentimes I find that recipes can be off by a very large margin, but I followed this recipe as written and had no problems.

My family really enjoyed this soup. The only thing that I would change would be the peas. I have never actually seen fresh peas in my area, so I had to use frozen. I'm not a big fan of frozen peas, especially in cooking and this soup would be great without them. With the peas the soup almost felt off, so I would suggest omitting them completely. The dill taste is delicious and creates a nice fresh taste to the soup. The best part is that the recipe has 28 grams of protein and only 7 grams of fat per serving. A great way to provide a low-fat flavorful soup recipe to your diet.

For the recipe go to Lentil Soup with Peas and Ham.

Family Circle White Bean and Ham Soup

I hope you like slow-cooker recipes because I have a lot of them this week! This month has been more hectic than most so my crockpot has been getting a lot of use. I love using my slow-cooker, it's a great way to take less than stellar cuts of meat and make them into something spectacular. Additionally, it's the best way I have found to make beans, even my two boys will devour pinto beans when prepared in the crockpot. As I've talked about previously I am trying to make my family eat more beans. My husband has always been great about eating pinto beans, but every other type of bean has been more of a struggle. The best way that I have found to entice my family to eat beans is to include them in soup recipes. I was interested when the April issue of Family Circle magazine had a recipe for White Bean and Ham Soup, which used the crockpot and promised 21 grams of protein per serving.

This recipe has 9 ingredients (plus two optional). It takes 15 minutes of prep and 6 hours on high in the crockpot and makes 6 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients, with the exception of one (the dried beans) at my local grocery store and I made no additional ingredient modifications. However, I did not use low sodium ham, I just used the regular ham steaks that I always buy since we would be much more likely to use the extra ham. As you can see from the photo, I was unable to find dried white cannellini beans, so I substituted dried regular white beans. For the crusty bread I made Irish Soda Bread, which worked perfectly as a side. Finally, I didn't slightly mas the beans, I liked the consistency of the soup as it was and I felt it unnecessary to add the chopped fresh parsley. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

Soups are the best way that I have found to make my family eat beans. They turn up their nose at plain cooked beans, but love them in soups. This recipe had a nice smoky flavor from the ham and made more than enough for my family of four for dinner, plus leftovers for lunch the next day. With 21 grams of protein this recipe is very healthy and only has 5 grams of fat so great for anyone watching their fat intake. Overall, another easy slow-cooker recipe with lots of flavor and a great way to add more beans to your family's diet.

For the recipe go to White Bean and Ham Soup.

Pinto Beans

We eat a lot of pinto beans in our house. In West Virginia there are a few foods that everyone seems to make including pinto beans, pepperoni rolls, and ramps. My five-year-old already has preferences as to the the proper chow chow to put on his pinto beans. There are various ways to prepare a great bowl of pinto beans. My mother-in-law makes great beans with her pressure cooker. I really only use my pressure cooker for canning and haven't branched out to anything more. My favorite way to make pinto beans is in my slow-cooker. The beans come out tasting great and take very little effort to make. Here's my recipe:

• 1 smoked ham hock
• 1 lb of dried of pinto beans
• water to cover
• chow chow or sweet onion for garnish

Rinse and then cover dried pinto beans with water and soak overnight. Dump water and then add beans to slow-cooker. Place ham hock in the center of the beans and cover with water (at least six cups, normally I add a little more). Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Salt to taste (it may take a large amount of salt to adequately season the beans). Don't add salt to the beans while they are cooking or the beans will not fully cook. After serving the beans top with chow chow and enjoy!

Pinto beans are very easy to make and are great with a big slice of cornbread slathered in butter. Even my two boys love these beans and will eat bowls full. Using the slow-cooker makes for an easy dinner that takes only minutes to prep.

Mustard Greens

I learned to cook from my mother who came from a very large family of twelve kids, so I learned to cook in bulk from a very young age. I thought it was perfectly normal to have 20 people over for a 'small' Christmas Eve gathering, which my mom would go all out preparing food for. As I got older I feel in love with cookbooks and prepared menus for my parents, complete with appetizers, a main course, and a dessert. Soon after that my mother decided to stop cooking and let me take over. I somewhat walked into that one. After moving 2500 hundred miles away and meeting my husband, I quickly learned that food is cultural. The foods that we all grow up on are greatly influenced by the area in which we live. While I thought salmon, apples, and cherries were common ingredients, I had no idea how to prepare biscuits and gravy or pinto beans. After living in West Virginia almost nine years now I make all the typical comfort foods and am raising two very definite West Virginians (just ask the youngest to say milk). One of my husband's favorite foods that I have taught myself to make are Mustard Greens, here's my easy recipe.

The main thing to remember with mustard greens is to wash them thoroughly. There are large amounts of dirt and sand on greens and if you don't soak them well enough the greens will have bits of grit, which are less than pleasant to eat. I normally make about 2 bunches of mustard greens for a typical meal. While this might sound like a lot, they break down significantly and shrink a great deal.

• 2 bunches Mustard Greens
• Tony Chachere’s seasoning or any Seasoning Salt to taste, normally 1-1 1/2 tsp.
• Ham Hock, Smoked Turkey Leg, or Slab Bacon. I have even used sliced ham when I had nothing else.
• Enough water to cover about 1/4 of a stock pot

Cut the stems out of the mustard greens. The greens can either be kept as is without the stems or chopped depending on your preference. Add the greens, water, meat, and seasoning salt. Let cook on low for approximately 4-6 hours, adding water as needed. Don't throw away the cooking liquid! The potlikker is delicious to dip biscuits or bread into and is my husband's favorite part. If you don't want to use the stove most of the day I have also made greens on low in my crockpot for 8-10 hours and they have turned out just as well.

Mustard greens have become a stable in my house and are very easy to prepare. A great way to get vegetables into your family's diet and are yummy with cheddar biscuits or homemade bread to dip the potlikker. A great homemade, comfort food!

Martha Stewart Living Campanelle with Zucchini, Ham, Yogurt, and Scallions

 Mondays in our house tend to be hectic. Between finishing up the laundry and cleaning from the weekend (and normal weekday chaos), my dinner prep time becomes minimal at best. I try to have at least one recipe planned a week that takes less than twenty minutes, from prep to table. This also allows me time to have my four-year-old help me and learn cooking and math skills, (it is a great learning experience). Recently Martha Stewart Living magazine had a recipe for campanelle with zucchini, ham, yogurt and scallions that promised a total of 20 minutes cooking time and looked perfect for a busy weeknight meal.

With only 7 ingredients and twenty minutes from prep to table, this recipe is extremely easy. I actually had a hard time finding fresh mint, because apparently my local grocery store chain is having problems with its supplier. I was able to find the herb after going at another store, but it confirmed that I need to start growing my own herbs. Since the recipe only called for 4 ounce of ham, I used packaged lunch meat (which was almost gone before I had time to make the recipe thanks to my two growing sons). The only other changes I made were to the slicing of the zucchini. The recipe calls for slicing the vegetable on the bias (45 degree angle), my knives haven't been sharpened recently and I could not get a thin enough slice, so I sliced in order to make my slices thin enough.

This recipe goes together very easily and requires few ingredients. I like that it uses yogurt in the sauce, which is healthy and easily available. The mint gives a nice fresh flavor and the zucchini is a great way to get more veggies into my recipes. Overall a great, quick meal.

For the recipe go to Martha Stewart Living Campanelle with Zucchini, Ham, Yogurt, and Scallions.

Bon Appetit Tagiatelle Prosciutto and Orange

My two boys love pasta; I can guarantee that it will almost always be eaten in our house with no complaints. Recently, I have been trying to make a larger variety of pasta dishes, instead of the same old red or alfredo sauces. The May issue of Bon Appetit had a full spread of Italian dishes, and the tagliatelle with prosciutto and orange caught my attention.

This is a great quick weeknight dinner. With only 8 ingredients, this recipe is beyond simple. The prep work is next to nothing; easily under 5 minutes. The one problem that I did encounter was finding fresh fettuccine in my area. I looked at three different grocery stores to no avail. I think it's the universes way of telling me to finally use the pasta attachment that I have for my KitchenAid. Next time I make this recipe I will make the fettuccine from scratch, instead of using dried pasta, which was the only type available. The other modification that I made was the prosciutto. The type of prosciutto available in my area was finely diced, not thinly sliced like the recipe suggested. However, my husband and I actually liked the texture and taste of the chopped prosciutto and I would made this modification again.

This recipe turned out great and was very simple to make. My two boys loved it and my husband liked the orange taste. One suggestion if anyone wants to use locally sourced (or leftover) country ham, it would be a great substitution. All-in-all a great recipe.

For the recipe go to Bon Appetit Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Orange

Apricot-Peach and Gingersnap-Crusted Baked Ham

Every Easter we purchase the same spiral ham from Sam's and pretty much prepare it the same way. Last year we tried a county ham, which I thought was too salty, my husband on the other hand liked it, This year we decided to try something different to see if we could come to a compromise. Using a recipe from the April 10, Charleston (WV) Sunday Gazette-Mail, I prepared Apricot-Peach and Gingersnap-Crusted Baked Ham.

This recipe was fairly simple to make. I did have to substitute the apricot-peach jam, to half apricot and half peach jam respectively, Additionally, the 8 pound boneless ham that I was able to find was not a traditional spiral cut.

This recipe turned out okay; not great, not bad. The pan sauce was the best part of the dish and compensated for the ham that was less than stellar in terms of quality. My husband thought the skin was tough and I thought the ham was salty. This was a fun recipe to try for a change, but I think next time I would make the pan sauce and use something else to bast the ham.

I was unable to find a link to the recipe on the Charleston Sunday Gazette-Mail's website, but it can be found here Apricot-Peach and Gingersnap-Crusted Baked Ham.