Cheesy Hot Ham and Turkey

A little while ago, Progresso sent me these Recipe Starters  to try out.  One immediately caught my eye,  Creamy Three Cheese.  Right away I thought of this awesome recipe (that I will probably post as well) that my mother-in-law makes, Ham and Turkey Supremes.  They are absolutely amazing and this recipe while close, is much easier.  It is perfect for a quick weeknight meal. Let's get this party started.

Start by cutting some sliced ham and turkey from the deli counter in half.  It would be totally okay if you did one or the other and not both too.

Break out the creamy three cheese sauce.  Photo bombed by the dog.

Okay, better.

Layer in a few slices of the meat

Pour on the sauce

Add more meat

And more sauce.

Using a pair of tongs, move the meat around a bit to ensure it is completely covered.  Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.

It will come out all bubbly and delicious.

Serve on soft bread with a few veggies and you are good to go.

Deeelish.

Cheesy Hot Ham and Turkey 

1/2 pound sliced deli turkey
1/2 pound sliced deli ham
1 can Cheesy Three Cheese Recipe Starter
Soft rolls for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the deli meat in half and place a layer in a baking dish.  Pour half of the sauce over the meat.  Layer the remaining ham and turkey in the dish and pour over remaining sauce.  Using a tongs flip the meat around so that it is fully coated.

Place in the oven, covered, for about 30 minutes or a until hot and bubbly.  If you would like, you can let it bake longer and the flavors develop even more.  I wouldn't bake for more than an hour.

Remove from the oven and serve on rolls.

Enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz

Grilled Breakfast Burritos

I'm a planner.  I plan everything from meals to weekly schedules far in advance.  It makes me feel less anxious knowing what is going to happen, even if that is a Taco Salad for lunch.  I also really enjoy thinking about what I'm going to have for a meal before I have it.  

Today I am doing you a little favor for planning if you are like me--this is your breakfast tomorrow.  It is absolute heavenly Saturday morning perfection.  You can thank me after you try it.  

Musical Selection: The Show by: Lenka

Let's get started shall we? Crack a few eggs into a bowl

Season with salt and pepper

Stir together with a fork

And pour into a skillet on medium heat

Scramble, scramble, scramble.

Dice up some ham and cheese

Lay your tortillas out on a large plate and line with some of those scrambled eggs

Add some ham

And cheese.  This one was for Mr. Schwartz, he has a thing for American cheese

Fold up the top and bottom like so

Then fold in the sides.  Not easy to do while taking a picture

It should look something like this.  I'm sure yours will be neater.

Pop it in a panini press

And grill away.  If you don't have a panini press, you can use a large skillet and place another large skillet on top of it.  You just want the pressed/grilledness that a panini press delivers.

That's what I'm talking about.

Serve with salsa for dipping. 

Happy weekend.


Grilled Breakfast Burritos
(makes four smaller burritos)

4 eggs
Salt and pepper
4 tortillas (we use whole wheat)
4 slices of ham, diced
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, diced
1/4 cup American cheese tore into pieces
Salsa for serving

Preheat your panini press (or skillet if you are using this instead) to medium high heat.

Preheat a different skillet on medium heat.  Crack eggs into a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Stir together with a fork.  Pour into the skillet on medium heat and scramble the eggs.

Place the tortillas on a large plate and line with eggs.  Top with ham and cheese and fold into a burrito (see above for step-by-step).

Place burritos on panini press and press until the cheese has melted and the outside is grilled/crunchy.  This takes about 2-3 minutes for me.  If you are using a skillet place burritos in skillet and top with another large heavy skillet to press them.

Serve with salsa and enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz

Ranch Pasta Salad

It's grilling season again! YAY!   You know what that means, trying to figure out what to serve with all that grilled food.  I am a lover of all things grilled but I do like a bit of freshness to go along side of it.  That freshness typically comes in the form of a salad and more often than not, pasta salad.  

I whipped up this easy pasta salad after work one night.  It was the perfect accompaniment to the grilled chicken breast Mr. Schwartz grilled that evening.  It also made a boatload so I enjoyed it for lunch for the rest of the week.  

You can easily adapt the vegetables in this recipe to clean our your fridge.  I also think turkey, salami or chicken would be a great substitution for the ham.  Let me know how if you try and modify it!  I'm always looking for new ideas.  

Musical Selection: Have You Seen the Rain by: Creedence Clearwater Revival.  When I was trying to figure out what song to use today my mom said "Can't go wrong with a Creedence song."  She is clever like that.

Start by hauling the dog bed into the kitchen, hand the dog a bone and get to work.

Okay, but for real, start by combining 1 cup of fat free Greek Yogurt and 1/4 cup of Miracle Whip (I used reduced fat/fat free) and a packet of ranch dressing mix.  I think you could probably use regular mayonnaise if that is what you have on hand.

Either way, mix it up.

Give it a taste to make sure it is seasoned enough for your liking.  If not, add a little additional ranch seasoning mix.  This is fantastic ranch dip too by the way, you can use it for a vegetable platter instead of dressing on the pasta salad if you wish.

Cook up a pound of pasta, drain and let it cool.  When I need cool pasta I typically run cold water over it and drizzle it with a little canola oil so it doesn't get sticky.

Pour the pasta into a large bowl and chop up some veggies, ham and cheese into tini-tiny cubes.  I love all of the colors in this pasta salad.

Add a good amount of the dressing to start.

Mix it up and add additional dressing if needed.  Remember that the pasta will soak up the dressing as it sits.  Refrigerate the pasta salad for at least an hour before serving.

There it is.

Like a fiesta of colors and flavors in a bowl.  I think I'll make more today! 

Ranch Pasta Salad

1 cup Greek yogurt (fat free is great!)

1/4 cup Miracle Whip (fat free/reduced fat is great!) 

1 packet (+ additional depending on your taste) ranch dressing mix

1 lb pasta, cooked

2 large carrots

1 1/2 cups broccoli

1 cup ham

1 cup cheese 

1/2 yellow bell pepper

1/2 red bell pepper 

Combine the Greek yogurt, miracle whip and ranch dressing mix.  Set aside. 

Cook the pasta until al dente.  Drain and rinse with cold water, drizzle with a bit of canola oil so it doesn't stick.  

Chop the veggies, ham and cheese into bite sized pieces.  Combine with the pasta and 3/4 of the dressing mix.  Stir well, add additional dressing if it is too dry.  

Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Enjoy! 

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz 

Ham and Cheese Sliders

Are you looking for a quick, tasty and especially easy appetizer for New Years Eve!?  Well, lucky you, here it is.  Ham and Cheese Sliders.  Like most recipes I have used lately, this one comes from Pinterest.  However, I had them a few years ago when our buddy Alex's girlfriend (now lovely wife), Meghan, brought them to a party.  They are simply tasty.  

Mr. Schwartz and I will be celebrating Meghan's birthday and ringing in the new year at the same time.  We are so blessed to have had an amazing year.  Celebrating our marriage along with many of our friends and family, health, great jobs and tons of fun.  Thank you to all who have made this year one for the record books.  Let's see if 2012 can top it.  

Have a safe and fun-filled New Years Celebration!!!  Cheers! 

Musical Selection: Normandie by: the Shout Out Louds 

Start by combining the Miracle Whip and Mayo.  If you only have one or the other, that is fine.  Just use whatever while salad dressing you have on hand.

Prepare the meat and cheese.

Okay, this is where Mr. Schwartz and I disagreed.  I wanted to prepare each slider individually and being a guy, Mr. Schwartz thought that was ludicrous.  Ultimately, Mr. Schwartz won and we made them all at one time...follow along.  First, he cut all of the rolls at one time.

Spread them generously with the mayo/Miracle Whip.

Then broke them apart.

Place them in a baking dish to assemble.  As you can see I did one piece of cheese...

Then the ham...

And another piece of cheese.  Top with the top of the bun.  Assemble all of the sliders in the baking dish.

Then work on the sauce.  Start with melted butter.

Yellow mustard.

Poppy seeds.  I didn't measure.

Grate some onion.  You could also finely chop this but I didn't want any chunks of onion.

Add some Worcestershire sauce

Give it a good stir.  I made this the day before and put it in the fridge along with the sliders that I covered with Press and Seal.

There they are in their assembled beauty.

When its time to make the sliders, I heated up the sauce until it was pourable.  Maybe a minute on high.  Then drizzle over the top of the sandwiches.  I didn't end up using all of the sauce and it was more than enough on the sliders.  Pop these in the oven, covered in tin foil, for 10 minutes at 375. After 10 minutes take off the tin foil and bake for an additional 2 minutes.  (Yes, I made two pans and this is the other pan).

After 12 minutes of baking these golden sliders will be all yours.  Seriously, they are fantastic.  

Ham and Cheese Sliders: 

1/4 cup Mayo

1/4 cup Miracle Whip

24 Hawaiian Rolls (these are essential and I find mine in the deli area in a bright orange package)

1/4 lb deli ham (or 12 slices cut in half) 

1/4 lb swiss cheese (or 6 slices cut in fourths) 

1 stick of butter

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

1/4 small onion, grated (or 1 tablespoon finely minced)

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Start by mixing the mayo and Miracle Whip together.  Spread on the inside of each bun.  Layer with cheese, then ham, then another piece of cheese.  Place sliders in a 9x13 baking dish.  Set aside.

Mix together the melted butter, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion and poppy seeds.  Pour over the top of the sliders.  

Bake in a 400 degree oven, covered with tin foil for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, remove the tin foil and bake for an additional 2 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Recipe from Meghan but found and slightly adapted from: here