Hot Ham and Cheese Croissant Sandwiches

On busy nights I tend to plan crockpot or sandwich meals. And if we have kids going all different directions and I know they're going to eat at different times I definitely do sandwiches. They are easy to fix for 1 or 2 kids at a time and everyone is still happy because it's not cereal. (Sometimes it is cereal night and they just deal.) These hot ham and cheese croissants are perfect! You can make them ahead of time, wrap them in foil, and pop as many in the oven at a time as you need (or have your kids pop them in the oven when they want to eat). Did I mention they are absolutely delicious too?!

Hot Ham and Cheese Croissants

1 1/2 lbs deli ham
sliced deli cheese (we like Colby Jack, Cheddar, and Swiss)
honey mustard, sweet hot mustard, or pineapple mustard (whatever fancy mustard you like)
split croissants

Spread mustard on each size of split croissants. Place a slice of cheese, then some ham, then another slice of cheese on each bottom croissant. Top with tops of croissants and wrap each sandwich in foil. Place in fridge for later bake right away. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through.

Perfect Dinner Rolls

This is another fantastic recipe from Your Homebased Mom. They really are the perfect white dinner roll. I have another dinner roll recipe that I really love - it's half wheat flour half white flour - but I know this will be my go-to for white dinner rolls. The dough is very easy to work. These tasted amazing with butter and jam.

Perfect Dinner Rolls

1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
2 cups warm milk
3 tablespoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon sugar plus 2 tablespoons, divided
1 tablespoon salt
6-7 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
melted butter

1. In a heavy duty stand mixer combine water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes, until foamy.
2. Add milk, butter, remaining sugar, and salt.
3. Add in 5 cups of flour and mix until dough forms. Continue adding flour, 1/2 cup at a time until the dough becomes smooth and pulls away from the sides of the mixer. Knead on high speed for 3 minutes. Dough should be slightly tacky.
4. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise until double in size (30 minutes or so depending on room temperature).
5. Press dough down and roll into a 8 x 12 rectangle. Cut the dough into 4 strips the long way and then each strip into 6 pieces for a total of 24 pieces.
6. Roll each piece of dough into a ball and place on a greased or silpat lined baking sheet.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise a room temperature for 20-25 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
9. Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Brush the baked rolls with melted butter if desired.

Navajo Tacos with Quick Fry Bread

Have you ever had a Navajo taco?? They are truly delicious! I have another recipe for Navajo tacos on this blog, but it uses yeast risen bread dough and this recipe is the quick bread version which uses baking powder. Both are extremely tasty. Fried bread and taco fillings. How can you go wrong really? I probably only make this about once a year, because it involves deep frying and I just don't do that all the time, but whenever I do make these my kids are so happy. And any leftover fry bread can be slathered with butter and honey, which is also amazingly delicious!

Navajo Tacos with Quick Fry Bread

Fry Bread:
4 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups milk
vegetable or peanut oil for deep frying

Toppings:
1-2 lbs seasoned taco meat
large can refried beans
1 small can El Pato tomato sauce
shredded cheese
guacamole
shredded lettuce
chopped tomato
chopped green onion or red onion
sour cream

Directions for Fry Bread:
In a stand mixer  (or by hand) combine flour, baking powder, salt, and milk. Knead until dough comes together. You may need to add a little more flour so the dough isn't too sticky. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth add flour as needed. Cover with a towel and let rest for 5 minutes.

Pour enough oil into a heavy deep skillet so that the oil is 1 1/2 inches deep. Heat the oil to 375 degrees.

Divide the dough into 12- 20 pieces depending on how big you want your fry bread (I ended up making about 18). Roll out dough with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thickness ovals.

Fry the bread, about 2-3 at a time, until golden, then flip until the other side is golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Top fry bread with refried beans (how to prepare them below), then taco meat and any other toppings. Eat right away. We like to have the leftover fry bread for dessert with butter and honey - yum!

Directions for Refried Beans:
In a saucepan combine refried beans from the can with about 1/2 a can of the El Pato. Stir and heat until it loosens. You might add a little more El Pato until you get the desired consistency. Add a handful of shredded cheese (maybe 1/2 - 1 cup) and heat through until the cheese melts. Serve this spread on the fry bread before topping with other toppings.

Amber's Breadsticks

These breadsticks are absolutely fantastic and really easy to make. They are baked in melted butter and wow does that make them delicious!! I have been making these for a number of years, but realized I never wrote the recipe down with pictures. I usually serve them with Italian dinners or soups. Please do give this recipe a try - it's pretty much fail proof!

Amber's Breadsticks

1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups very warm water
1 teaspoon salt
3 - 3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
garlic salt
grated Parmesan cheese

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine yeast, sugar, and very warm water. Let sit for about 5 minutes until it starts to foam.

Add 2 cups of flour and salt and mix with dough hook for a minute. Add enough additional flour, a little at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixer (I added 1 1/4  cups of additional flour). Knead with the dough hook on medium high speed for 5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl with non-stick sprayed plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Place 1/2 cup butter on a rimmed cookie sheet. Place in the oven as it preheats to 400 degrees, being sure to watch it so the butter doesn't brown. As soon as the butter is melted remove from oven and tip the pan back and forth to spread butter evenly over the bottom of the pan.

Punch down the dough and roll into a long rectangle on a floured surface. Cut dough into strips with a pizza cutter. Take a strip, fold in the middle and twist, pinching together the ends of the dough. Place the twisted dough pieces evenly onto the butter covered cookie sheet. Sprinkle with garlic salt and Parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.

Pumpkin Crescent Rolls

I think this is my favorite new recipe this year! These rolls are just fantastic. They are soft and moist in texture and taste slightly sweet, pumpkin-spiced, and pumpkiny, but still bready. If that makes any sense. They are perfect for Fall and would go so well with a soup and would be great for Thanksgiving! I served the rolls with honey-butter and it was a delicious combination! The original recipe was from Cooking Classy, but I modified it just slightly.

Pumpkin Crescent Rolls with Honey Butter

1 rounded tablespoon instant yeast (SAF or another like brand)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon very warm water, divided
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup softened butter, plus more for brushing tops of finished rolls
4 - 4 1/2 cups bread flour

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine yeast, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and 1/4 cup very warm water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until foamy.

Add brown sugar, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon very warm water, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, egg and egg yolk, pumpkin, softened butter, and 2 cups of the bread flour. Mix this with the dough hook until smooth. Add remaining flour, half of a cup at a time, until you have a slightly sticky dough that clears the sides of the mixer bowl, but still sticks to the bottom of the bowl a little - for me I added an additional 2 cups of flour. Knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. Transfer to a large non-stick sprayed or oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down dough and divide into 3 equal portions. Roll each portion out on a non-stick sprayed surface (also spray rolling pin and your hands) to about a 10 inch circle, the size of a dinner plate. Cut into 8 equal triangles like a pizza, then starting at long end roll each piece to form a crescent roll. Pinch the pointy ends of triangle into the dough so the roll doesn't unravel and place pinched side down onto a greased baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with a silpat. Cover rolls with non-stick sprayed plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Preheat oven to 375 during last 20 minutes of rising time. Remove plastic wrap and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown on top and bottom. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. Let cool or serve warm with honey butter (recipe below).

Honey Butter

1/4 cup softened butter
3 tablespoons honey

Mix together with a spatula until smooth. Yum!

My Favorite 100% Whole Wheat Bread

This is a fantastic whole wheat bread recipe! I was so happy with the texture and how light it turned out - whole wheat bread has such a tendency to be too dense. The secret it using white whole wheat flour (though you can use regular whole wheat flour too!) and vital wheat gluten - both help the texture to be lighter. And the flavor is delicious! There really is nothing better than a slice of fresh, warm bread with butter and jam. SO good! 

My Favorite 100% Whole Wheat Bread (3 Loaves)

3 cups very warm water

1 ½ tablespoons yeast (I use SAF instant yeast)

¼ cup shortening

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten

6-7 cups whole wheat flour (I use white whole wheat flour)

In the bowl of a heavy duty mixer combine water and yeast, swirl the water and yeast together a little by mixing with the dough hook. Stop and wait for yeast to dissolve and froth a little. Add shortening, honey, salt, vital wheat gluten, and 3 cups of the ww flour and mix with dough hook until smooth. While mixing, add flour a cup at a time until you have a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead with dough hook on high speed for 5 minutes.

Remove dough and place in a large non-stick sprayed bowl. Cover with non-stick sprayed plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 40 minutes. Knead again with hands on a non-stick sprayed (or floured) surface. Cut into 3 equal pieces and shape into loaves. Place in 3 greased 9x5 loaf pans. Cover loosely with non-stick sprayed plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in pans, about 40 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until browned on top and bottom. Remove from oven and brush tops with melted butter. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool on a wire rack at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Blender Hootenannies (German Pancakes)

German pancakes go by many names and in my family we call them Hootenannies, because that's just fun. They are one of my husband's favorite childhood foods and he's usually the one who makes them for our family. This recipe is super easy because it's mixed in the blender. It only takes a few minutes to make the batter so it's great for busy nights. This recipe makes one 9x13 pan of hootenannies, but you can easily double it. I got this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. So far every recipe of hers I've tried has turned out great!

Blender Hootenannies

4 tablespoons butter
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place 4 tablespoons of butter in a glass 9x13 baking dish and place in the oven as it preheats to melt the butter and get the pan hot.

In a blender combine eggs, milk, and vanilla. Blend on low for 10 seconds. Add in flour and salt and blend on low for 20 seconds.

Take preheated pan out of the oven and swirl the butter around to coat the bottom of the pan. Pour batter into the pan and return to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pancake is puffy and lightly golden on bottom, top, and edges. Serve immediately with butter and syrup or other toppings of choice. (Butter, sliced strawberries, and syrup is delicious.)

Ham and Cheese Braid

I posted this recipe quite a while ago and since then I've modified it slightly and taken new pictures. I love the combination of flavors. I originally got the recipe from my friend Laurel when we were in a freezer meal group together. With my modifications it now makes 2 large sandwich braids which feeds my family of 6 with plenty of left overs.

Ham and Cheese Braid

2 loaves frozen Rhodes bread dough
1/2 cup or 1 stick butter, softened
1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 lb. thinly sliced deli ham
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 teaspoon poppy seeds

Thaw bread dough by placing on a greased platter and covering with non-stick sprayed plastic wrap. Set out at room temperature for 4-5 hours or until thawed.

Take one loaf of bread dough and roll it out into a large rectangle about 1/2" thick. Using a pizza cutter, cut strips about 2 1/2 inches long into each side of the dough rectangle - make sure to cut the same number of strips on each side. In a bowl combine softened butter and dry ranch dressing mix. 1/4 of the butter mixture down the middle of the dough. Place half of the ham down the center of the dough over the butter. Sprinkle about 1 cup of shredded cheese over the ham. Starting on one side of the rectangle criss-cross the strips of dough to create a sandwich braid. Tuck and pinch the ends of the loaf together well so it doesn't unravel when baked. Brush 1/4 of the butter over the top. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of poppy seeds. Place on a greased or silpat lined baking sheet.

Repeat this process with remaining loaf of bread dough and place on the same baking sheet. Cover sandwich braids with non-stick sprayed plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30-40 minutes. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until top and bottom of sandwich braid is golden brown. Cut into pieces and serve.

Easy 2 Loaves Banana Bread

When I make quick breads I like to double the recipe and make two loaves. One for now and one to freeze and have later. Lots of times I unfreeze banana bread to put in my kids lunches. Banana bread smeared with peanut butter is a favorite lunch around here. So this recipe is for two loaves and it's a great, easy, traditional, banana bread. It's moist and yummy and bakes perfectly every time without the wet part in the middle that some banana breads tend to have.

Easy 2 Loaves Banana Bread

1 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
6 very ripe bananas, mashed
5 tablespoons milk (that's 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Preheat oven to 350 and spray 2 loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray (I use non-stick loaf pans as well for this recipe to ensure the loaves will release easily.)

In the bowl of a mixer combine oil and sugar and beat until combines. Add mashed bananas, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt; add this dry mixture to the wet mixture in the mixer and beat until completely combined, but don't over mix. Pour mixture evenly into the 2 prepared loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaves comes out clean. Remove from pans and let cool on a wire rack. Enjoy one loaf now and, if desired, wrap up the other in plastic wrap and then foil and freeze.

Pumpkin Gingerbread

This is a fun twist to pumpkin bread. It has a little stronger spice taste, like ginger bread, but is still oh so yummy and pumpkiny. I think pumpkin bread is a wonderful treat all winter long, not just during the Fall and holiday season. I got this wonderful recipe from my friend Lynette. Lynette is a wonderful baker who loves to use healthy ingredients when she can. I've included some of her notes if you want to make this bread a little healthier or you can go for the delicious original recipe.

Pumpkin Gingerbread

3 cups sugar (or 1 cup coconut sugar and 2 cups regular sugar)
1 cup vegetable oil (or 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup coconut oil)
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (or 2 cups whole white wheat flour, 1 1/2 cup reg flour)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup ground pecans (optional and I left this out, but I'm told this gives the bread wonderful flavor)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil. and eggs; beat until smooth. Add water and beat until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, ginger, allspice, and cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend until just all ingredients are mixed. Divide batter between the two loaf pans.

Bake at 350 for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

My Very Favorite Wheat Bread

I have a new favorite bread recipe. I just love this bread!! It rises so well (a bonus at the high elevation I live at) and it is soft and delicious. This recipe uses half whole wheat and half white bread flour, but I find that is the right combination for my family to really love it. Of course you can adjust the ratio of whole wheat to white bread flour to find out what is right for you and your family. Honestly, my family can't get enough of this bread and whenever I make it I have to freeze 2 of the loaves or they would all be gone the first day. There is nothing better than this bread fresh out of the oven with butter and jam. Oh so good. A great bonus is that this is a great food storage recipe as all the ingredients have long shelf lives. I bet this dough would make great rolls too, I just haven't tried that yet. I got the original recipe from Favorite Family Recipes and modified it to my tastes.

My Very Favorite Wheat Bread
-makes 3 loaves

3 cups really warm water
1 1/2 heaping tablespoons yeast (I use SAF)
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
2 tablespoons dough enhancer
3-4 cups white bread flour


In a heavy duty stand mixer, fitted with dough hook attachment, (I have a Bosch) combine the warm water and yeast and let stand until frothy. Add shortening, honey, salt, 3 cups whole wheat flour, and dough enhancer. Mix until combined. Add white bread flour a cup at a time until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, for me I used just shy of 4 cups of white bread flour. Knead with dough hook on high speed for 5 minutes.

Place dough into large greased bowl and cover with non-stick sprayed plastic wrap. Allow to rise for about 40 minutes or until it has doubled in size.

Punch down dough and turn out onto a greased or floured surface (I often use non-stick spray rather than flour to roll out doughs). Knead a couple of times and then divide into 3 equal pieces. Form each piece into a loaf and place in a greased bread pan. Cover with non-stick sprayed plastic wrap. Allow to rise in pans for about 25 minutes or until the dough has doubled and reaches a little over the tops of the pans, be sure not to let them over raise.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 23-25 minutes or until the loaves are golden on top and bottom. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes. Brush loaves with butter at this point if you desire. Turn out onto racks to cool at least for another 10 minutes to make slicing easier.