Ham and Cheese Pretzel Pinwheels

This recipe is SO easy and super tasty- the perfect thing for a quick snack, low effort meal, or impressive appetizer when your friends stop by.  I got the recipe from Tablespoon, and my only change was in the dipping sauce.  Rather than use the cheese sauce, I mixed up some honey dijon mustard with mayo for a milder flavor for me, and my husband doused his in yellow mustard.  I say mustard is 100% the way to go with these!

Make them.  Now.  :)

 

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

• 1 can Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough (I like the classic one; Tablespoon used the thin crust)
• 8 slices of cheddar cheese
• 8 slices deli ham
• 1 egg, beaten
• Coarse sea salt
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/3 cup honey dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup mayonaise

Directions

(Pictures follow)

1. Preheat oven to 425°.  Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray.
2. Unroll pizza dough onto a cutting board.  Top evenly with cheese slices and then with ham slices.
3. Tightly roll up dough length-wise.  Pinch seams to seal.  This is important!
4. Slice log into 16 equal slices.  Be careful to cut with a sawing motion, not just by squishing.  Set each slice on the prepared baking sheet.
5. Brush slices with beaten egg, then sprinkle sides and tops with coarse sea salt.
6. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbly.  Note: My cheese always browns.  I'm not sure if a lower temp over a longer time would alleviate that.  I just peel away the darker bits, so no sweat there.  Just a warning/idea.
7. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter.  Sprinkle with more salt.
8. Mix mustard and mayo until well combined and serve in prep cups with the pinwheels, or in a bowl in the middle of your pretzel platter.

Dough rolled out and topped with cheese.  I know I said to do this on a cutting board, and here I am showing you that step on the baking sheet.  Trust me, I was happier when I did this on a cutting board.  My bites also turned out better when I didn't jam cheese onto every square inch, and instead used just 8 slices.

Top with ham.  Overlapping is good in my opinion!

Log all rolled up and seam pinched.

Cut into even slices, each about 1-2" thick.

All baked.  See what I mean about some of the cheese getting really dark?  I just used a fork to grab the darker bits and peel off before serving.

Ham and Cheese Sliders

YUM.  A friend made these for our last Pinterest party, and I knew immediately that my husband would love them.  The warm gooey cheesy ham middle with the mustard sauce is just awesome.  This is the recipe she used, and I adapted it just by halving everything because I was making it as a quick dinner to use some of our Easter ham, not as an appetizer for a party.  Easy, quick, and super tasty, this recipe is all around win.

Ingredients (makes 12 sliders; enough to serve 3-4)

• 12 dinner rolls (I used mini kaiser rolls)
• 12 pieces honey ham
• 12 small slices Swiss cheese
• Mayonnaise (about 1/3 cup will be enough for all 12 sandwiches)

Poppy seed sauce

• 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 3/4 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, melted
• 1/2 tablespoon minced onion
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spread mayonnaise onto the inside of both halves of each roll.  Assemble sandwiches with a slice of ham and cheese on each roll.  Place snugly in a baking dish or rimmed cookie sheet (I used a 9x13 baking dish).
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the poppy seed sauce ingredients.  Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches.  Set aside 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350° 12-15 minutes until cheese is melted.  Uncover and cook 2 additional minutes until tops are slightly brown and crispy.  Serve warm.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I have Pinterest to thank for yet another recipe my husband told me I could definitely make any time I wanted to.  I am way jealous of the picture they used!  My only modification was to use thicker slices of Swiss cheese because we liked the casserole extra cheesy.

Ingredients

• 6 oz package chicken flavored stuffing mix
• 10 3/4 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces (I baked mine with salt and pepper)
• 3 cups fresh broccoli florets, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups cooked ham, cut into cubes (1 inch or smaller)
• 8 slices Swiss cheese (thick cut for a cheesy casserole; thin for lighter casserole)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and bake the chicken (10 minutes for thin chicken breasts, up to 30 minutes for thick).
2. While the chicken is cooking, do your prep work cutting up the broccoli and ham.
3. When the chicken is done, take it out of the oven and start to prepare the stuffing mix as directed on the package.  Let the stuffing cook while you cut up the chicken.
4. In a large bowl, mix the soup and mustard.  Stir in the chicken, broccoli, and ham.
5. Spray a 3-quart or 2-quart casserole dish* with cooking spray.  Spoon in the casserole mixture, top with the cheese slices, and then top with the stuffing.
6. Bake 35-40 minutes or until heated through.

*The original recipe said to use a 2-quart casserole dish, but I've been using a 3-quart casserole dish.  I'd say the smaller dish will probably give you a more saucy casserole, that will take longer to cook, than the 3-quart dish would.  Choose whichever method gives you the kind of food you prefer!

Mini Frittatas

I came across this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, one of my favorite Food Network people.  It was an instant hit with both my husband and 2-year-old son: the magic sweet spot of culinary pleasure.  As usual, though, I can't make it exactly as the recipe says.  One, I don't have mini muffin tins, and two, I don't always have fresh parsley.  So here are my modifications:

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray

8 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or until you feel like "meh, that's enough")

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup thinly sliced ham, chopped

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (or 1 tablespoon dried parsley)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray 1 muffin tin (with 12 muffin cups) with nonstick spray.  Whisk the eggs, milk, pepper, and salt in a large bowl to blend well.  Stir in the ham, cheese, and parsley.  Fill prepared muffin cups with about 1/4 cup egg mixture each.  I like to use a measuring cup to scoop up the mixture, scraping against the bottom so I get a good bit of egg, ham, and parsley in each scoop.

Bake until the egg mixture puffs and is just set in the center, about 10-12 minutes for the regular-size muffin cups.  Using a rubber spatula or spoon, loosen the frittatas from the muffin cups and slide onto a platter.  Serve immediately.

3-4 servings

I like to use a spoon to loosen and scoop things like this because it can actually curve under the frittata, unlike the spatula.

These are a great breakfast for dinner meal, served with toast and honey like I did tonight.  I've also had them with hash browns, sausage, or bacon.  It's the perfect amount for the three of us on a weeknight, and only takes about 15 minutes to make.