Ham, Potato and Cheddar Cheese Quiche

If you were like us at Easter, you serve a pretty large ham for Easter dinner.  Considering there are only 3 of us which means I had leftover ham!  Of course, my husband and son will be eating ham sandwiches everyday for lunch!  But, I also wanted to find another way to use up all the ham, so off to the Internet I went.  I found this recipe on the website "The Farmer's Wife Cooks".  I did have to improvise a bit as the recipe called for half-and-half and onion powder which I didn't have.  So I used regular milk and just skipped the onion powder.  Can't say that made too much of a difference.

Ham, Potato and Cheddar Quiche by The Farmer's Wife Cooks

Ingredients:

1 9 inch pie crust (either store bought or  your own favorite recipe
1 cup potato, boiled and diced (I did not remove the skin)
1 cup cooked ham, diced
2 t vegetable oil
5 medium size eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half (**I used regular milk because I didn't have half-and-half)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder (**I omitted because I didn't have it)
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/4 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Prepare your pie dough and place in pie pan.  Pierce the sides and bottom of crust with a fork.
Bake the crust for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven, set aside and lower the temperature of the oven to 350.
In a skillet, cook the potato and ham in the vegetable oil for about 10 minutes.

Spoon the potato mixture into the pie crust.

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, half-and-half (or milk) and the seasonings.  Pour over the potato mixture in the pie crust.

Sprinkle the top of the pie with the cheese.
Bake uncovered for about 45 to 50 minutes.
Serve warm.


Entire Recipe:

Ham, Potato and Cheddar Quiche by The Farmer's Wife Cooks

Ingredients:

1 9 inch pie crust (either store bought or  your own favorite recipe
1 cup potato, boiled and diced (I did not remove the skin)
1 cup cooked ham, diced
2 t vegetable oil
5 medium size eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half (**I used regular milk because I didn't have half-and-half)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder (**I omitted because I didn't have it)
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/4 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Prepare your pie dough and place in pie pan.  Pierce the sides and bottom of crust with a fork.
Bake the crust for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven, set aside and lower the temperature of the oven to 350.
In a skillet, cook the potato and ham in the vegetable oil for about 10 minutes.
Spoon the potato mixture into the pie crust.
In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, half-and-half (or milk) and the seasonings.  Pour over the potato mixture in the pie crust.
Sprinkle the top of the pie with the cheese.
Bake uncovered for about 45 to 50 minutes.
Serve warm.

Enjoy!!

Comments:

My two resident experts loved it!!  Personally, I thought it was OK, sort of bland - maybe I did need the onion powder!  But, both of them went back for seconds, so it looks like this one is a keeper! 

Easter Morning Coffee Cake

Doesn't that look good!!  It was!!  My family loved it!!  Once again, I stumbled upon this recipe surfing the 'net.  I think I found this on Facebook.  Anyway, the title of the recipe caught my eye "Cinnamon Flop Bread."  You have to admit that is an interesting title for a recipe and you know I had to give it a try!!

Reading through the ingredients, I saw it required no quick run to the grocery - WHEW!!  So a new adventure was born.  Word of warning . . . this will make your kitchen smell wonderful!!  The recipe comes from the website "A Farmish Kind of Life."  I did improvise by putting the icing on top of the cakes.

Cinnamon Flop Bread by A Farmish Kind of Life

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp melted butter (I used unsalted)
1 cup milk
brown sugar, cinnamon and butter for topping

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Sift the sugar, flour and baking powder together in a mixing bowl.
Add melted butter and milk. Mix together until well blended.
Divide mixture between two 9″ well greased cake pans.
The batter will be thick and when you spread it out, it looks very thin in the two cake pans - that is OK.
Sprinkle the tops with brown sugar, then the cinnamon.  Using about a half stick of butter, slice into small pieces and push the pieces of butter into the dough.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Serve warm.

(Note:  I mixed 1/2 cup of powdered sugar with  1 1/2 T of milk and drizzled that over the warm cakes - this is optional).

You can remove the cakes from the pan or leave them in the pan - your choice.

Enjoy!!! 

Comments:

My family loved it!!  One of the cakes was gone after breakfast!  I have no idea why it is call "flop" bread because it is definitely not a flop!!  Another keeper recipe!! 

Impromptu Dinner - Eggplant Mini Pizzas

I had planned on making Eggplant Parmesan for dinner but the eggplants I bought from Krogers were . . . . hmmm, let's just say not that good (sort of brown in the middle - UGH!!).  I was able to salvage several slices but not enough to make the meal I had planned.  So off I ran to the Internet - what can you do with only a few slices of eggplant???  And the Internet Gods responded . . . Eggplant Mini Pizzas!!  And dinner was once again saved!

I found this recipe on the"Eat Good 4 Life" website.  Even though, I didn't have all their ingredients except the eggplant, I used their recipe as a guide.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425. 

Slice the eggplants into 1/2 inch slices and arrange on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with Sea Salt.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Now use your imagination.  I spread each slice with tomato sauce, sprinkle each slice with chopped basil, added sliced mushrooms and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese (because this is all I had on hand) - the recipe called for pasta sauce, Provolone cheese, fresh spinach leaves and slice cherry tomatoes.

Turn on the broiler on your oven.  Broil for only a few minutes as these can burn FAST!!

ENJOY!!

Comments:

Much to my surprise, these were pretty darn good!!  My husband loved them.  So I think this will be a keeper recipe just as I made them.   

Baked Chocolate Glazed Donuts

Is there anything better than homemade donuts??  I found this recipe on the website "Buns in My Oven."  It was another one of those typical dreary Ohio days, so it seemed like a perfect day to make donuts.  And, luckily, I had all the ingredients so no mad dash to the grocery store!!

Baked Chocolate Glazed Donuts by Buns in My Oven

Ingredients:

For the donuts:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
6 Tsp sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

For the glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
6 Tsp whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

To make the donuts:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease a donut pan
In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, combine the vanilla, egg, sour cream, milk, and oil and mix together until well blended.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (do not over stir!!)

Spoon in a greased donut pan.

Bake for 8 minutes or until the tops spring back when you touch them.
Remove the donuts from the pan and let cool on a rack before glazing.


To make the glaze:
In a small bowl, add the sugar, milk, and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
Dunk the donuts in the glaze to fully coat and place on a wire rack to set.

Entire Recipe:

Baked Chocolate Glazed Donuts by Buns in My Oven

Ingredients:

For the donuts:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
6 Tsp sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

For the glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
6 Tsp whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

To make the donuts:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease a donut pan
In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, combine the vanilla, egg, sour cream, milk, and oil and mix together until well blended.
 Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (do not over stir!!)
Spoon in a greased donut pan.
Bake for 8 minutes or until the tops spring back when you touch them.
Remove the donuts from the pan and let cool on a rack before glazing.

To make the glaze:
In a small bowl, add the sugar, milk, and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
Dunk the donuts in the glaze to fully coat and place on a wire rack to set.

Enjoy!!!

Comments:

Well, these didn't last long in our house.  So, yes, we have a winner!! 

 

The "World's" Best Cinnamon Rolls

Now that is a lofty statement!!  Of course, I was intrigued!!  And, as you probably can guess, a new adventure was started to see if these, were in fact, the "world's" best cinnamon rolls.

I found this recipe on the web page "Josh loves it."  Not exactly sure how I ended up here as I was looking for videos on how to make donuts (yes, you will probably see that appearing in this blog soon!).  A word of warning, this recipe is something you should start early in the day because it will take about 4 to 5 hours to make with all the risings, but trust me, it is worth it!!!

World's Best Cinnamon Rolls by Josh Loves It

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
1 egg (beaten)
4 T softened unsalted butter)
4 T water
2 1/2 t yeast
1/2 box instant vanilla pudding
4 cups all purpose flour
1 T sugar
1/2 t salt (omit if you use salted butter) **

Directions for the Dough:

Mix the egg and milk and stir for about 15 seconds in the bowl of large mixer.

Add the softened butter and mix for another 15 to 30 seconds.

Add the water and yeast and mix on low speed for another 15 second.  Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl with a spatula to make sure all the ingredients are mixed in.

Add the 1/2 package of vanilla pudding and mix.

Add 1 cup of flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing in between.  Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl each time.

While the flour is mixing, add the sugar and salt.

Mix until the dough forms a ball.

The directions say to just cover and let rise for 2 hours. I put the dough in a separate bowl greased with olive oil.  I covered the bowl with saran wrap and a dish towel.  I turned the oven light on my stove and let the dough rise for 2 to 3 hours. 

Once the dough has doubled in size, roll it out into a 17 x 10 rectangle on a floured surface.

Ingredients for the filling:

1 stick of softened unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 t cinnamon

Directions:

Add all 3 ingredients into a small saucepan.  Stir and simmer over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved (your house will smell WONDERFUL!!!).


Remove the pan from the heat and spread the filling over the dough.

Roll the dough in a long roll.

Using a knife, cut the log into 12 equal size rolls.

Place the rolls on a greased 9" x 13" pan and allow to rise for another 2 hours (I have found the glass or ceramic baking dishes work well with cinnamon rolls - better than the metal baking pans).

Bake at 350 for approximately 20 minutes.  Check with a fork to see if the dough has fully baked.  If the rolls are still slightly "doughly", return the pan to the oven for 2 minute increments, until the dough is fully baked. 

Allow to cool only slightly before frosting the rolls.

Frosting ingredients:

3 T softened unsalted butter
2 1/2 c confectioners sugar
1/2 t vanilla
4 T milk

Mix all the ingredients together and frost the buns will still in the pan.

 
Entire Recipe:

World's Best Cinnamon Rolls by Josh Loves It

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
1 egg (beaten)
4 T softened unsalted butter)
4 T water
2 1/2 t yeast
1/2 box instant vanilla pudding
4 cups all purpose flour
1 T sugar
1/2 t salt (omit if you use salted butter) **

Directions for the Dough:

Mix the egg and milk and stir for about 15 seconds in the bowl of large mixer.

Add the softened butter and mix for another 15 to 30 seconds.

Add the water and yeast and mix on low speed for another 15 second.  Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl with a spatula to make sure all the ingredients are mixed in.

Add the 1/2 package of vanilla pudding and mix.

Add 1 cup of flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing in between.  Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl each time.

While the flour is mixing, add the sugar and salt.

Mix until the dough forms a ball.

The directions say to just cover and let rise for 2 hours. I put the dough in a separate bowl greased with olive oil.  I covered the bowl with saran wrap and a dish towel.  I turned the oven light on my stove and let the dough rise for 2 to 3 hours. 

Once the dough has doubled in size, roll it out into a 17 x 10 rectangle on a floured surface.

Ingredients for the filling:

1 stick of softened unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 t cinnamon

Directions:

Add all 3 ingredients into a small saucepan.  Stir and simmer over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved (your house will smell WONDERFUL!!!).

Remove the pan from the heat and spread the filling over the dough.

Roll the dough in a long roll.

Using a knife, cut the log into 12 equal size rolls.

Place the rolls on a greased 9" x 13" pan and allow to rise for another 2 hours (I have found the glass or ceramic baking dishes work well with cinnamon rolls - better than the metal baking pans).

Bake at 350 for approximately 20 minutes.  Check with a fork to see if the dough has fully baked.  If the rolls are still slightly "doughly", return the pan to the oven for 2 minute increments, until the dough is fully baked.  Allow to cool only slightly before frosting the rolls.

Frosting ingredients:

3 T softened unsalted butter
2 1/2 c confectioners sugar
1/2 t vanilla
4 T milk

Mix all the ingredients together and frost the buns will still in the pan.

Enjoy!

Comments:

So were these the "World's Best" cinnamon rolls???  Well, my husband ate 3 of them in about an hour.  I am not saying they are the "World's Best" but they are the best I have ever made!  They are good!!  This is a relatively easy recipe to make except you have a lot of rising time.  A couple of things I would change in the recipe:  first, I would omit the salt in the dough ingredients (salt can slow down the dough rising).  Second, this was my husband's suggestion, add raisins to the filling.  I think that would make an outstanding cinnamon roll.   Definitely a keeper recipe!!

 

The BEST Homemade Hamburger Buns!!!

Now that is what I call a hamburger bun!!!  It is not those wimpy things you find in the grocery store that are flat as a pancake.  And these were good!!!!  AND easy to make with ingredients you probably have on hand, so no mad dash to the grocery store!! 

I have been looking for a really good hamburger bun recipe.  I know I posted a recipe for buns several years ago, but my husband wasn't exactly thrilled with them.  So, yesterday I wanted to have hamburgers for dinner.  But, alas, no buns!! And I really didn't want to run to the grocery again.  So off to the Internet I went.  After searching and searching, I came upon this recipe which had glowing reviews.  

This recipe comes from the website www.allrecipes.com and the author is "Chef John".

Homemade Hamburger Buns by Chef John

 Ingredients:

1 packet of active dry yeast like Fleischmann's

3 1/2 to 4 cups of all purpose flour (as needed)

1 cup warm water (105 degrees)

1 large egg

3 T butter, melted (I always use unsalted)

3 T white sugar

1 1/4 t salt

olive oil

1 egg, beaten

1 T milk

sesame seeds

Directions:

Add the yeast into a large stand mixer bowl and whisk in 1/2 cup of flour with the warm water.  Let it stand for about 10 to 15 minutes until the mixture is foamy.

In a separate bowl, add the 1 egg, melted butter, sugar and salt stirring until completely mixed.  Stir into the yeast mixture.

Add the remaining flour, about 3 cups.  Using a dough hook, "knead" the dough on low speed for about 5 or 6 minutes.  The dough will be soft and sticky, but should not stick to your fingers.  If it does, add a little bit of flour at a time.

Dump the dough onto a floured surface, and form it into a smooth, rough shape.  Using a large bowl or the mixer bowl, drizzle olive oil into the bowl and turn the dough in the bowl so that all sides of the dough are covered.


Cover the bowl with saran wrap and set in a warm place to let the dough rise for about 2 hours.  I always put mine in the oven with the oven light on.  The dough should double in size.

After two hours, move the dough to a floured surface and pat it down to form a rectangle.  Cut it into about 8 equal pieces.  Form each piece into a round shape.

Using a parchment line baking sheet, place the buns about 1/2 inches apart.  Lay a piece of saran wrap lightly over the buns and let rise for another hour until they have doubled.  Again I use my oven with the oven light on to do my risings.

Remove the buns from the oven (if this is where you do your risings) and preheat the oven to 375.

Beat the egg with milk in a small bowl.  Lightly brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle each with sesame seeds (optional).

Bake for about 15 to 17 minutes until the tops are lightly brown.  Let cool completely.  Tear apart any buns that stick together.  Slice the buns in half crosswise to serve.

Entire Recipe:

Homemade Hamburger Buns by Chef John

 Ingredients:

1 packet of active dry yeast like Fleischmann's

3 1/2 to 4 cups of all purpose flour (as needed)

1 cup warm water (105 degrees)

1 large egg

3 T butter, melted (I always use unsalted)

3 T white sugar

1 1/4 t salt

olive oil

1 egg, beaten

1 T milk

sesame seeds

Directions:

Add the yeast into a large stand mixer bowl and whisk in 1/2 cup of flour with the warm water.  Let it stand for about 10 to 15 minutes until the mixture is foamy.

In a separate bowl, add the 1 egg, melted butter, sugar and salt stirring until completely mixed.  Stir into the yeast mixture.

Add the remaining flour, about 3 cups.  Using a dough hook, "knead" the dough on low speed for about 5 or 6 minutes.  The dough will be soft and sticky, but should not stick to your fingers.  If it does, add a little bit of flour at a time.

Dump the dough onto a floured surface, and form it into a smooth, rough shape.  Using a large bowl or the mixer bowl, drizzle olive oil into the bowl and turn the dough in the bowl so that all sides of the dough are covered.


Cover the bowl with saran wrap and set in a warm place to let the dough rise for about 2 hours.  I always put mine in the oven with the oven light on.  The dough should double in size.

After two hours, move the dough to a floured surface and pat it down to form a rectangle.  Cut it into about 8 equal pieces.  Form each piece into a round shape.

Using a parchment line baking sheet, place the buns about 1/2 inches apart.  Lay a piece of saran wrap lightly over the buns and let rise for another hour until they have doubled.  Again I use my oven with the oven light on to do my risings.

Remove the buns from the oven (if this is where you do your risings) and preheat the oven to 375.

Beat the egg with milk in a small bowl.  Lightly brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle each with sesame seeds (optional).

Bake for about 15 to 17 minutes until the tops are lightly brown.  Let cool completely.  Tear apart any buns that stick together.  Slice the buns in half crosswise to serve.

Enjoy!!!

Verdict:

Oh yes, these were good.  I could tell just from the feel of the dough.  Yes, they do take a little bit of time with all the risings, but they are worth it.  The only thing I might change is making the buns just a tad bit smaller.  Otherwise, we have a winner on our hands!!
 

Washington Pie

Since it is President's Day, what a better pie to make than Washington Pie.  According to the recipe, George Washington was the inspiration for this "pie."  In a cookbook dated back in 1850, it was noted that this recipe was also referred to as Lafayette Pie, Jelly Cake, but the most common name is Washington Pie.  A Boston Magazine in 1912, they published the recipe as George Washington Birthday Cake.

I have no idea how I came across this recipe on the Internet.  But, according to the recipe is very close to the original recipe (except for the use of the canned pie filling).  The pie is very similar to Boston Cream pie with the exception that the layer is usually jam or jelly and the pie is dusted with powdered sugar and not iced with frosting. 

Washington Pie
Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 t vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 T margarine (I used unsalted butter)
1 1/2 cup flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 can cherry pie filling
confectioner's sugar (for topping)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Beat the eggs until well blended.

Add in the sugar very gradually and beat until sugar is completely mixed with eggs.

Add vanilla, continue to mix until all is blended.
In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter to boiling point.  Pour into creamed mixture a little bit at time and blend.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.
Add to egg mixture a little bit at a time until fully blended.
Pour into 2 greased and floured 8 inch cake pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Cool in cake pans for 10 minutes.

Finish cooling on cake racks.

Spread the cherry pie filling on the bottom layer, place the other cake on top.  Dust with confectioner's sugar.

Entire Recipe:

Washington Pie

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 t vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 T margarine (I used unsalted butter)
1 1/2 cup flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 can cherry pie filling
confectioner's sugar (for topping)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Beat the eggs until well blended.
Add in the sugar very gradually and beat until sugar is completely mixed with eggs.
Add vanilla, continue to mix until all is blended.
In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter to boiling point.  Pour into creamed mixture a little bit at time and blend.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.
Add to egg mixture a little bit at a time until fully blended.
Pour into 2 greased and floured 8 inch cake pans.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Cool in cake pans for 10 minutes.
Finish cooling on cake racks.
Spread the cherry pie filling on the bottom layer, place the other cake on top.  Dust with confectioner's sugar.

Enjoy!

Verdict:

This is really good!  My resident expert loved it!!  It is a nice light dessert and it is very easy to make.  There is also a Martha Washington Custard Pie - look for that in the next couple of days!!