Make-Ahead Ham Bites

I love any kind of sweet bread so this recipe is one of my favorites. My only suggestion is getting out of the fridge about 30 minutes prior to baking to help the cheese melt more. Even your finickiest eater will have thirds.
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Recipe from Gooseberry Patch Meals in Minutes 10th Anniversary Edition.
Ingredients
12 Hawaiian rolls, split
1 lb deli ham, slices
1/2 lb Swiss cheese, sliced
3/4 cup butter, melted
1-1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1-1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 tsp dried, minced onion
Directions
Arrange bottoms of rolls in an ungreased 13”x9” baking pan; layer ham and cheese on top. Replace tops of rolls. Whisk remaining ingredients together; drizzle evenly over the rolls. cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake, uncovered at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes. Makes 12 servings.
 

Macaroni & Cheese Chowder

Rainy dreary day. Snow coming later today. Defiantly a chowder and corn bread kind of day. Even my finicky eater likes homemade mac & cheese making this meal a hit. Warning! After reading the ingredients I felt like it wouldn’t be enough so I doubled the recipe. Don’t do that unless you are feeding an army. We we be eating this all weekend long.
If you haven’t done it yet make sure you enter the giveaway for this cookbook. –>Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Giveaway<--

Recipe from Gooseberry Patch 101 Soups, Salads & Sandwiches.
Ingredients
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 cup milk
1 (8 oz) package pasteurized process cheese spread
1 cup cooked ham, diced
1 cup corn
Directions
Over medium heat, bring broth and water to a boil in a saucepan. Add macaroni and cook until tender, about 12 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add milk, cheese, ham and corn. Simmer and stir until cheese is melted. Serves 4 to 6.

Veggie Cheese Soup

Yesterday’s beautiful weather was such a tease. We slept with the windows open and the breeze was so peaceful and fresh. It was a tad brisk when we woke up but I still loved it. Today not so much. Rain, rain, more rain, sunshine for a moment followed by dreary cold weather. Boo. Even with the lack of sunshine I still managed to clean bedrooms, change sheets and flip mattresses. Does anyone else flip their mattress or is that a thing of the past? My kiddos look at me like I’m nuts when I do it. I love climbing into a bed with fresh sheets but add that flipped mattress and *OMG* I’m in sleep heaven. I can’t wait for bedtime tonight. Before that can happen I had to take Haillie shopping for her birthday. We lucked out and she found four new shirts. It was a fun and stressful trip. Once home again I finished up dinner, which was delicious. Three out of four of us loved it. Abby of course was the exception. She just needs to give veggies a chance. Christopher then surprised Haillie with a few more gifts. We are so bad at waiting, her birthday isn’t till Thursday. She was excited to get the book she requested, Doctor Zhivago plus a book on Irish Fairy & Folk Tales and a Pink CD. What 15 year old reads Doctor Zhivago? Tomorrow night is her birthday dinner out. Reservations have been made and I’m hoping at least on photo will be taken. Fingers crossed.

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Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
2 small red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2-3/4 cups water
2 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 can (10-3/4 oa) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3 cups frozen California-blend vegetables, thawed
1/2 cup chopped fully cooked lean ham
8 oz Velveeta, cubed
Directions
In a large nonstick saucepan coated with a cooking spray, cook onion and celery over medium heat until onion is tender. Stir in the potatoes, water and bouillon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Return to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in condensed soup until blended. Reduce heat; add vegetables and ham. Cook and stir until vegetables are tender. Stir in cheese until melted.

Chicken Ham Casserole

As much as I love long weekends it sure does throw a monkey wrench into the following day. My errand list was long plus a much needed grocery trip. There was a quick stop to drop off a resume for a secretarial position. Which by the way I'm hoping I don't get. It ended up in the office of a coal company. My hand had black smudges on it just from holding a pen. *ick* Dogs needed bathed and the whole house was crying for the vacuum. Thank God for casseroles. I assembled dinner in the early afternoon and had the kitchen cleaned up before the girls returned home from school.
Dinner was delish! I'm a fan of chicken and ham mixtures to begin with so I knew I would like tonight's meal. There is the matter of my finicky family who of lately have been down right rude with their comments. This recipe however was a winner. Whew! They are lucky for I was about to trade them in for a family with some taste. Just kidding.

Recipe found in Quick Cooking 2004.
Ingredients
1 package (6 oz) long grain and wild rice mix
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Colby cheese
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 ⁰F. Cook rice mix according to package directions. Transfer to a greased 2 quart baking dish. Top with chicken and ham. In a bowl, combine the soup, milk, Colby cheese and pepper; pour over chicken mixture. Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Bake, uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.