Cheesy Ham Bubble Bakes

I've found a refrigerated buttermilk biscuit that I enjoy and that I prefer to use since it has no trans-fats. It's made by the Immaculate Baking Co. and they also make really great crescent rolls. They cost quite a bit more than your typical Pillsbury brand, but I feel its worth it.

I had some organic thick-cut ham in the refrigerator that I needed to use so I decided to try out Kraft's Cheesy Ham Bubble Bakes recipe. Three easy ingredients mixed together and placed in a muffin pan. Prep time was next to nil and the bake time of 20 minutes was worth it.

My husband really liked them. He couldn't speak highly enough of the actual biscuits. Thank goodness because this will be my justification for splurging on them from now on! He enjoyed the additional hardiness of simply adding ham and cheddar cheese. Since the biscuits are cut up, the cheese melts all over them and gets the diced ham to stick inside and on top. I made one without the ham and the cheesy biscuit was yummy - to put it simply.

Fast prep for a busy morning breakfast and a nice snack to grab and go. I'll definitely be baking these again, with no changes to the recipe.

Ingredients:

6 oz. Smoked Ham

3/4 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Directions:

HEAT oven to 350°F

1. CHOP ham; mix with cheese in large bowl.

2. CUT each biscuit into 4 pieces. Add to ham mixture; mix lightly. Spoon into 8-10 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray.

3. BAKE 20 min. or until puffed and golden brown. Cool 10 min. before removing from pan. Serve warm.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/cheesy-ham-bubble-bakes-112588.aspx

Chocolate Chip & Toffee Cookie Dough Truffles

Being in my third trimester of pregnancy I find that I am often lacking energy. Two days ago I started to come down with a head cold, or is it a sinus infection, or maybe its just allergies. Whatever I have has got me zapped. But tonight I had a tiny bit of energy and instead of taking care of things that need to be taken care of (ie - sweeping, laundry, etc), I decided to use this burst of energy to try a new recipe. This one comes courteous of allrecipes.com. I stuck closely to the recipe and I was impressed with how this one turned out - visually. In terms of taste, you'd better be in the mood for sugar and have a tall glass of milk close by. I'm not really a "cookie dough" fan but this tastes like the real thing. Unlike real cookie dough, there are no eggs in this recipe. I can't imagine that my family will be able to eat the 46 pieces that I got out of this batch, so like me know if I have any takers!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup toffee baking bits
• 1 pound chocolate confectioners' coating

Directions

1. Beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add flour, alternately with sweetened condensed milk, beating well after each addition. Fold in the chocolate chips and toffee bits; mixing just enough to evenly combine.
2. Using a small cookie scoop, make 1-inch balls and place them on waxed paper lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Melt the chocolate coating in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting, for 1 to 3 minutes (depending on your microwave). Do not overheat or coating will scorch. Dip the dough balls in the chocolate coating, allowing any excess to drip off. Place on waxed-paper lined baking sheets and sprinkle the truffles with additional toffee pieces. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-truffles/detail.aspx

Homemade Meatballs

One day I was shopping at Wegmans and frozen meatballs caught my eye. Being a vegetarian I was obviously looking for something to feed the meat-eaters in my life. I work two nights a week and I'm always thinking about fast, easy meals that my husband can prepare for himself and our son. I grabbed a small bag and decided to see if my son would even eat meatballs. He tends to only eat my mini-meatloaves and no other red meat. In fact, as he approaches his fourth birthday, he had finally had his first hamburger. It was a slider and he only ate half of it, and he didn't use a bun, but I considered it progress - in terms of him eating like a more 'normal' child.

The night I bought the meatballs I served it with whole grain pasta, another food my child turns his nose up at (not normal). He kept asking for more meatballs! I prefer to feed him only organic meat, but before I would commit the time and energy to making my own meatballs I had to see if he'd at least try them. He was so excited about them that I managed to get him to eat all of the pasta on his plate (a "happy plate" as the daycare calls it when they finish all of their food) in exchange for another meatball.

So tonight I decided to make my own meatballs. The idea in the back of my head is, if he eats them, then I'll get a grinder attachment for my stand mixer and buy my organic meat and grind it to make into meatballs and hamburgers. Doesn't this seem like a lot of effort for a vegetarian to go through? I must love my family! ;)

I prepared the meatballs and it was one of the easiest things I've made! And, to top off the ease, they only took 10 minutes in the oven! I drained them and tossed them into simmering marinara sauce and served over pasta. The guys ate them up and gave motivating compliments. I'll definitely get that grinder (hint, hint: would make a great Christmas gift) and I'll prepare these in bulk and freeze.


Ingredients:

1 lb. organic ground beef
1/4 cup stuffing mix or breadcrumbs
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs organic ketchup
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together
2. Form into 1" balls - will make approx. 20-24 each
3. Place into ungreased 15x10 pans
4. Bake uncovered at 400F for 10 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165F.