Ham and Broccoli Cheese Soup

With all this left over ham from Christmas it's hard to find ways to use it all! Getting creative is never an issue in this house though, soup, casseroles, breakfast, dinner, there are a million and one easy ways to use up that yummy ham and not let it go to waste.

Anyway, the snows finally came today and I am less than pleased. It looks as if it's going to dump on us forever, ruining our plans to go out tonight for a movie I was excited about. Damn snow. Instead I am stuck inside, with a beer, pinterest and itunes. Sighhhh. I guess that's fine too. This folky genius list my itunes made me is just what I needed, everybody's here Paul, Carole, Nico and Cat. Let's start this party.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 1 can condensed cheddar soup (10 3/4 oz)
• 2 cups diced ham
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cup broccoli florets
• pepper to taste
• 3 tsp celery seed
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 medium to large russet potato diced and cooked

Since Winter is here and all the nostalgia feelings come with it. I get in my folk bubble, my cozy, pensive bubble coated with it's lyrical wallpaper and acoustic paintings. Hmm maybe I'll watch Almost Famous (RIP P.S.H) later... Here you are, a little piece of my winter bubble:

Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan, add all liquid ingredients.
2. Bring to a slow boil and add the rest of your ingredients. Stir well.
3. Place lid over the top and turn down the heat to low for about 20 minutes.
4. Serve!

Happy Eating Everyone! Have fun warming your bellies!

Easy Blue Cheese Bacon Dip

I'll always make things twice if the first time I ever make it it's gone in two seconds. What can I say? I'm a people pleaser. Dip dip dip, it isn't a party without one or two or THREE! I'm addicted to dips! So here we are, a dip to beat them all unless you know, you're vegan or vegetarian, then this is not the dip for you. It was a big hit in the Ash/William household this year so I'll quit talking about how great the melted cheese, crunchy bacon and freshness of the chives was and get straight to the recipe:

Dippin' time

Ingredients:

• 7 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 8 ounces of cream cheese, warmed to soften
• 1/4 milk
• 1 tsp evaporated milk
• 4 ounces of crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

The perfect winter time movie and one of my top favorites of all time, the impeccable Jane Powell everyone: 

Directions:

1. In a skillet fry bacon pieces, then drain half the fat.
2. Next add garlic to your bacon keep frying until bacon is crispy. Place aside on a paper towel to absorb remaining fat.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
4. Mix warm cream cheese with blue cheese and both milk products. Stir until creamy and blue cheese is melted. Then add your chives.
5. Place mixture in a small oven safe bowl and bake for 30 minutes.
6. Serve warm with bread or crackers!

So delicious! Happy Eatings Everyone!

White Chocolate and Cranberry Fudge

Can you believe it!? Christmas is this week! It has come too fast, and I do not look forward to taking down my pretty christmas tree but alas that's how it goes. But let's not think about that now, let's think about fudge and rum and loved ones. That's better. This weekend I thought I would get in my last bit of Christmas treat making in, if my Mom or myself make anymore I think I might explode. Fudge recipes are a dime a dozen, so when I was looking for a new one this year I knew that I would find the one I wanted when I saw it. Well, I saw it. Not only did it sound delicious it also looked like it belonged in the holiday season. So here we are:

Happy Christmas Tree!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 c sour cream 
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 7 oz jar marshmallow creme
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 oz craisins

Every year I sit down on Christmas Eve and watch Meet Me In St. Louis just for this scene:

Hope you all have a merry little Christmas!

Directions:

1. In a large pot mix together sugar, sour cream and butter. Heat until boiling and stir frequently so it does not burn.
2. Once it reaches boiling temperature, remove from heat and add your chocolate chips. Mix until completely melted.
3. Then add salt, creme and vanilla and stir until creme is smooth.
4. Then add your craisins.
5. In a lined and greased 9 x 13 baking dish, pour your mixture evenly, then chill until hardened.
6. Serve!

I had to cut the squares into little morsels because these babies were so sweet! Merry Christmas and happy eatings everyone!

Chicken Fried Steak Tacos

Yeah you read correctly it said 'Chicken Fried Steak Tacos', TACOS.  I was figuratively drooling all over these bad boys throughout the process of making them and you will be too. Anyway, on another note, anyone else think the holiday season goes by too quickly? There's never enough time to watch all of the movies, listen to all the albums and bake every recipe you want to during this time of year. We are so busy with all the hustle and bustle but let's sit down and find an easy recipe together, an easy, bragging rights, recipe. Here's one that took probably two seconds (not literally of course).

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken steak
• 1 cup flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tbsps olive oil
• 2 egg whites, yolks removed
• tortilla
• taco toppings of your choice (shown: sour cream, tomato, lettuce, sriracha.)

Saw this lady and her gentlemen this week, they kicked every ass:

Directions:

1. Mix together flour and salt and pepper.(you'll want a bit of salt)
2. Dip steaks in egg whites and then coat in flour.
3. Fry in olive oil until brown on each side.
4. Place on tortillas and add toppings.
5. Serve.

Seriously look at how easy that was, now enjoy your delicious taco! Happy Eatings Everyone!

Stuffed Waffles

The possibilities with stuffing waffles are endless, you can go sweet, savory or both! I kept yelling out other things I could put in them for next time to my husband, each suggestions got an 'That would be good too.' but just thinking about the different combinations gives me the itch to keep making these. Today I went a classic route of stuffing them with mozzarella and ham for a kind of pizza feel due to the fact that I was making dinner instead of breakfast. Really though, these were as easy as 1 2 3 and do re mi. Get your waffle irons out, it's time for extreme waffle making!

Ingredients:

• 1 can biscuits
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 pieces of bacon cut into fourth and cooked

(Other combos I thought of : Apple, onion and brie for the morning topped with syrup. Sausage and country gravy too! Ham and cheddar for a grilled cheese classic taste. Mozzarella, tomato and mushroom. You get the idea.)

Usually I whip out The Mamas and The Papas once the winter passes but I can't wait until Spring, I need my Cass now!

Directions:

• Take each biscuit and peel in half.
• Place a large pinch of mozzarella and 2-3 pieces bacon in the center and then pinch the two halves back together.
• Oil your waffle iron and bake each biscuit until desired color, I like mine golden and brown.
• Serve!

I topped mine with sriracha and the husband used ketchup. Super om nom. Happy Eatings Everyone!

Crescent Egg Bake

It's been a great holiday season thus far, wrapping presents, James Stewart, fire going, and good food. Siiiigghh, I could live this way all year round. One of my favorite things to make this time of year is breakfast for dinner, why?, because it's the best meal of the day and why not have it all day? So sit back and make this because it was effortless, but you don't have to tell that to the people you serve it too ;) Hope you enjoy some breakfast for dinner or some breakfast for whenever!

Ingredients:

• 1 can pillsbury crescents
• 4 eggs
• 4 pieces of bacon cut in half
• mozzarella or parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

This song and this scene and this movie gets me feeling sentimental, strange yes but I love it and you should too :) :

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grease a cookie sheet.
3. Take the roll of crescents and lay out flat, pinching two together at a time (makes 4 ).
4. Fold over the edges of your crescent so it creates almost a basket for your eggs.
5. Crack one egg into each basket, trying to keep egg white and yolk on the crescent. 
6. Place 2 pieces (1 whole piece) on each basket and sprinkle with cheese.
7. Bake 10-15 minutes depending on how well you want your eggs done. 
8. Salt and pepper to taste.
9. Serve!

Oh dear these were delicious! Bodda bing bodda boom and DONE! Happy eatings everyone!

Turtle Clusters

It's weird, the whole year round I never make sweets. I try to dabble in baking or candy making maybe like twice a year? Very rarely do I ever crave sugar so I usually ignore my baking station unless it's for garlic bread. Something about the holidays though that make me want to bring out the powdered sugar, the marshmallow fluff and the chocolate chips. I never keep what I make for myself, I usually save a bit of my baking for the husband to eat but give the rest away, so I hope the girls at work enjoy these little morsels! 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pecans halves
• 2 squares melting chocolate
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cups condensed sweetened milk

When I take to country, it's authentic and beautiful stories being told by talented humans. Not people yelping about their truck and the girl that got away (rolls eyes). So here's a wonderful country musician by the name of Iris Dement, learn to love her Appalachian inspired vocals NOW:

Directions:

1. In a skillet, warm your pecans until fragrant. Set aside.
2. Place parchment paper onto two large cookie sheets, spray non stick then place pecans in clusters of 3 about 1 inch apart from each other.
3. In a sauce pan place butter, sugar, syrup and milk and stir on high until 245 degrees hot, stirring constantly so as not to burn. Then moving quickly smother clusters in caramel sauce before it hardens.
4. Melt your easy melting chocolate in the microwave one square at a time so it doesn't harden too fast on you and then dollop it onto each cluster. 
5. Let your clusters harden and cool. 
6. Serve!

Happy Holidays Everyone! And happy eatings!

Bourbon Apple Cider Punch

Welcome to the holiday season, full of joy and beauty and as the song goes 'the world falling in love'. The concoctions and sweets we all share every year come out and we are happy working night and day in our kitchens to give them out. Who doesn't love this time year? Even Scrooge and the Grinch changed their hearts for this season. So let's fill our cups with cheer and share in the time we have together now.

Ingredients:

• 2 bottles ginger beer
• 2 bottles hard apple cider
• 8 cups apple cider
• 1 1/2 cups bourbon
• 2 small meyer lemons sliced
• 5 sticks of cinnamon 
• Maraschino cherries for garnish
• Few dashes of orange bitters
• Ice

I don't care what people say about Zooey Deschanel, haters gonna hate and her and M.Ward's version of this song is gorgeous:

Directions:

• Mix it up!
• Serve!

Happy Drinking Everyone!