Ranch Ham 'n' Cheese Pasta ~ Lowfat Version

We have so much ham leftover from Christmas. I can't stand to see it go to waste, yet all of us have already had our fair share of ham sandwiches and the platter hardly had a dent in it. Taste of Home came to my rescue with this pasta recipe that our whole family just loved. I found it in the December/January 2011 issue. I have yet to make a Taste of Home recipe that wasn't just short of amazing. All from scratch from cooks, moms, grandmother's and bakers who really know how to put together flavors with everyday ingredients. 


My best friend got me a subscription a few years ago for a Christmas gift and it's one of the best gifts ever! Perfect for me and I plan on returning the favor to her...ssshhhh.


My picky eater ate 2 platefuls in record time. He continues to surprise me and I love it. 


This is a lighter version in not only calories, but fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. 


Ingredients:
1 pkg. (16 oz) penne pasta
1 Tbls. butter
1 Tbls. all-purpose flour
1 cup fat-free milk
2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. salt-free lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried minced onion
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 cup (8 oz) reduced fat sour cream
2 cups cubed fully cooked lean ham
1-1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese blend
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese


Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. In a Dutch Oven (large kettle), melt butter, whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk and seasonings. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.


Reduce heat; fold in sour cream until blended. Add ham and pasta; cook until heated through. Remove from heat; stir in Mexican cheese blend until melted. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.


Take a bite, savor and repeat!

Pumpkin Spice Pudding Torte ~ My New Pumpkin Pie!

Remember this Chocolate Pudding Torte recipe I posted a while back? A family recipe from my mom with different versions of pudding. Now this recipe is always received well whenever I have made it. I really didn't think it could get any better, but I was so very wrong!


When I took suggestions for our Christmas meal, a friend said he would like something pumpkin for dessert. I had seen photos on Pinterest of what pinners were calling Pumpkin Lust that looked very similar to my torte recipe and decided to replace chocolate pudding with Pumpkin Spice pudding. I really have him to thank for this new absolute favorite pumpkin recipe. I seriously may never make pumpkin pie again! Easier than pumpkin pie too. I , of course, taste tested this first before serving as I do with any  new recipe and had the urge after just one single bite, to run and hide in the closet with it and not even share. This will be the start of a new Thanksgiving tradition at our house, sorry Pumpkin pie...


I made only a couple of changes from my original pudding torte recipe. I added more Cool Whip on the top layer to closer resemble Pumpkin Pie and sprinkled the top with nutmeg. Perfection.


Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
2 Tbls. sugar


Mix like pie crust and spread into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Pat down. Bake for 15 minutes at 350. Cool completely.
First filling layer:


8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip, divided


Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Fold in 2 cups Cool Whip. Spread on cooled crust.
Second filling layer:


2 small packages of instant Pumpkin Spice pudding


Mix with 2 1/2 cups of milk. (do not follow package instructions) Pour over cream cheese mixture. Let set in refrigerator and cover with remaining Cool Whip, plus another 8 oz container. Sprinkle top with nutmeg.

Pumpkin Spice pudding is seasonal and starts to show itself in stores a few weeks before Thanksgiving. I found some in the clearance aisle at our grocery store and picked up a few extras as it has a shelf life of a couple of years. 

Try this! You just have to!

Easy, Delicious Homemade Honey Glaze (for ham)

I have missed you, blogging friends! We had a really laid back, wonderful Christmas here at our house. Lots of good food, good friends and really good gifts! I couldn't have asked for a better day. I hope you all can say the same. Thank you so much for the Christmas cheer given here, on Twitter and facebook too. The smiles all of you brought to my face with each greeting! Thank you.


Even though our store-bought ham came with it's own packet of glaze, I am always the food rebel and had to make my own. There is something rewarding about putting your own touches on a Christmas meal and then watching your family and friends eat to their heart's delight, isn't there? For me, that is a Christmas gift in and of itself.


This is so easy to mix up and the flavor soaks through the whole ham. The only tricky part is rotating the oven bag if you have a bigger ham. But that's what big strong men are for, right? I like big strong men in my kitchen, what can I say.


Ingredients:
1 ready to eat spiral ham
1/4 cup whole cloves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup honey


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with foil.


Mix brown sugar, butter and honey in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.


Stud ham with cloves. Place ham in oven bag and put in foil lined dish. Pour sugar/butter/honey mixture over ham. (Don't worry about how evenly distributed the mixture is. As you warm the ham, you will have multiple opportunities to coat it better.) Seal bag and put in oven.


Turn the whole bag (and ham) every 15- 20 minutes. Cook ham until warmed through using the guide of 15 minutes per pound. 


When warmed through, remove ham from oven and unseal the bag. Carefully remove ham and transfer to cutting platter. Remove cloves as cutting. Before serving sliced  ham, coat one more time with glaze from bottom of oven bag.


So moist and delicious!!!! An overnight in the refrigerator just seals in the glaze flavor further too. 

Merry Christmas, My Friends!

Red Lobster Cheese Garlic Biscuits

I have been making these biscuits regularly for at least 10 years now. My grandma gave me a cookbook, a fair cookbook, that has this recipe and since I loved Red Lobster back then, I decided to try these. I now see they are all the rage on food blogs and Pinterest. There are many varied versions of them, however. I have tried a lot of them, in fact we tried another last night, but this one is still my favorite. The others call for extra steps or lesser or greater amounts of ingredients and I find them either overkill or lacking in flavor, so I decided to share my version. They are SO simple to make and are a huge hit with everyone! I have yet to find a person who doesn't like them.


These go great with any meal. If you have room for them on your Christmas menu, I highly recommend them!


One of my favorite things to do is to have them for breakfast the morning after I have made them. Pop them in the microwave for about 15 seconds. YUM! I am having one right now...


Ingredients:
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use medium cheddar)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. dried parsley flakes


Mix Bisquick, milk and cheese until soft dough forms. Beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 450 degrees (until tops are golden brown). 


Melt butter in microwave. Add garlic powder and parsley flakes and mix. Brush butter mixture over warm biscuits (right out of the oven). 


Makes 12 biscuits. 

Easy Sloppy Joe Pot Pie

Here is another recipe to add to my quick and easy category. For those busy weekdays when you want to put a warm delicious meal on the table but have had a hectic or busy day. Super easy, yummy and a great recipe for those who like sloppy joes.


Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 can (15.5 oz) original sloppy joe mix (I used Manwich)
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup original Bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg


Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until browned. Drain and stir in sloppy joe mix and BBQ sauce. Remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese. Pour into smaller baking dish. I used a round cake pan but a 10.5 inch rectangular or square one would work fine too. 


In a separate bowl, mix Bisquick, milk and egg. Pour over beef mixture.


Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.


See?! How easy is that! 


NOTE: To use a standard size baking dish or rectangular cake pan, just double all ingredients. This easily fed our family of three as is. 

Macro Monday ~ What Makes a Good Photograph

“A lot of photographers think that if they buy a better camera they’ll be able to take better photographs. A better camera won’t do a thing for you if you don’t have anything in your head or in your heart.” -Arnold Newman

Good morning, friends! As I pull my camera strap over my head and head out my door (front or back), I can guarantee that the direction I head off into would be different from many of you, or maybe even most of you for that matter. Some of you may look at this photo and wonder what ever possessed me to take it. Others will appreciate my eye for detail, the way the light and dark compliment each other, the blur and vignette of my camera lens and the gentle fade and focus. 

If you get a chance, click on the link below to the other contributors of Macro Monday/Lisa's Chaos and you will see the strong differences on what we, the person behind the lens, capture with our eyes, imagination and hearts. All of these things go into every photo I take along with the hundreds I discard (sometimes daily). It takes work, perseverance and a lot of trial and error for many of us. We are always learning, always hoping for that next great capture.

So even if you don't necessarily care for the subject matter of a photo, I hope you at least try to appreciate the thought, detail and heart that go into all photography. It's not just the click of a button or an expensive camera...honest!

On a side note, we rescued the most adorable, beautiful 7 month old puppy this weekend. I can't wait to share my sweet Remy with you! He is the sweetest boy!

Hope you all have a great day. I promise to catch up on blog visiting this week. Thank you all for stopping by and I appreciate your comments more than I can say. 

I linked up with Lisa's Chaos.