Hot Ham & Cheese Sliders

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Ham & Cheese Sliders

These sliders. They’re one of the easiest things to put together, and also one of the most delicious – two things that usually don’t go hand in hand. I first made them for Andrew’s birthday party the year before last – the Dr. Seuss party. Everyone gobbled them up, and raved about them…so I knew I was onto something very good.

We’ve been making them since. Sometimes I make homemade dinner rolls, and sometimes I pick up a package of King’s Hawaiian rolls at the store and call it a night. Then it’s just a matter of assembling the deli ham and cheese on the buns, then drizzling them in this delicious sauce…that’s hard not to site there and eat with a spoon. Bake in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese, and voila! I usually pair with a simple side like potato salad or sweet potato fries for an easy meal.

For lunch, dinner, or even as a munchie for game day – these sliders are always a winner that is sure to please everyone! 

Ham and Cheese Sliders

12 dinner rolls
18 slices deli ham
6 slices Swiss cheese

For the sauce:
5 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp onion, finely minced
1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
3 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp kosher salt
poppy seeds

Slice dinner rolls in half. Pile 1 1/2 pieces of ham onto the bottom of each bun, along with 1/2 piece of Swiss cheese and then top with the other half of the bun. Place in 2 quart baking dish. Repeat with remaining rolls.

To prepare the sauce, heat the butter, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire, onion, and salt in a small sauce pan, whisking until smooth and melted.

Drizzle glaze over sandwiches and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted.

Serve warm.

Source: adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Black Bean & Cheese Nachos

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Easy Black Bean & Cheese Nacos

Well, things are well under way in the back to school front here at our house. Andrew started kindergarten this year, and is gone all day long – not returning home until 3 in the afternoon. Which, is a long day for a kindergartner if you ask me…it was just a half day when I went to school!

At any rate, my little man gets home and is hungry for a snack. And to buy myself some time to get dinner started, I’m always happy to oblige. I usually always have the ingredients for these quick and easy nachos on hand, and the boys always love them. Cheese is something our family can never get enough of – so I use two varieties in these nachos. A cheddar for that cheesy flavor, paired with a Monterey Jack for a nice cheesy gooeyness.  And with the addition of black beans and a good veggie-hearty salsa, it’s a choice you can feel good about. Calcium, protein – two things my little ones need plenty of!

Supporting local dairy farmers is something I’m passionate about. Whether it’s the little independent dairy in my small town, or by looking for the Real Seal logo on dairy products when I’m shopping at the supermarket – I know that I’m supporting American cows, and that makes me smile. I can’t help but love those California cow commercials, can you? Get, get on the floor…

Black Bean & Cheese Nachos

4 cups tortilla chips
2/3 cup salsa
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup).

Place tortilla chips onto baking pan in a single even layer. Using a spoon, evenly distribute salsa over tortilla chips. Sprinkle evenly with black beans and cheese.

Bake for about 3 minutes, until cheese melts and is bubbly. Serve immediately.

Source: inspired by my friend Lynn

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by the good folks at Real Seal, and as always all thoughts are my own.

Shrimp Saltimbocca

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Shrimp Saltimbocca

A couple of weeks ago we took Jon’s brother, who was in town visiting, to the airport up in Baltimore. I never miss an opportunity to visit a fancy grocery store, so we all went along for the ride. Had a nice dinner, hit up the sale racks at Antrho, and dragged Uncle Trevor through every aisle at Whole Foods before dropping him off at the airport. Then we stopped by the new Wegmans location in Crofton on the way home. I always love visiting their delicatessen, and I couldn’t resist having a few slices of the most gorgeous proscuitto I’ve ever seen sliced off to take home with me. And come home with me they did…along with some awesome peppered salami and sliced chorizo. I had to fend off Jon from eating all the “gabagool” in the fridge.

What he didn’t eat, I decided to use to do a fresh spin on one of my very favorite classic Italian dishes. Traditionally, this is made with a chicken breast. Which is awesome. But our local seafood joint happened to have some gorgeous, large shrimp in this weekend and the wheels in my head started turning.

It was a little bit more time consuming than chicken breasts, just because of wrapping shrimp individually in the prosciutto. But, your efforts are well rewarded. The salty richness of the proscuitto permeates the shrimp, rendering some of it’s fat and getting nice and crispy. Then a pan sauce is made from the browned bits, garlic, white wine, lemon juice, and butter. I served it over pasta, but I think it would be a wonderful appetizer or first course on it’s own. I’m so glad I remixed this one, because I think I like it better than the original!

Shrimp Saltimbocca

1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, peeled with tails left on
6 whole fresh sage leaves
6 thin slices of prosciutto, cut into 1×3 inch strips (4 strips per piece)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup dry vermouth or white wine
juice from 1/2 lemon
3 Tbsp. cold butter
1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper

Wrap each shrimp with a piece of proscuitto and secure using a toothpick, or by placing 3 or 4 shrimp on a skewer at a time.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add sage leaves and the smashed clove of garlic. Cook until sage leaves begin to change color and are fragrant, about30 seconds. Remove the sage with a slotted spoon.

Add the shrimp to the pan, and cook until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook on other side until golden brown, about 3 more minutes. Remove the garlic clove and discard. Remove the shrimp and keep warm. Repeat with remaining shrimp.

If there is any excess fat in the skillet, pour it off. Add the chopped garlic, stir in the vermouth, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer until it’s reduced to about 3-4 Tbsp. Stir in lemon juice.

Turn heat down to low, and whisk in the butter. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over shrimp, and crumble (or serve whole) the fried sage leaves on top before serving.

Source: adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, May 2008 via Elly Says Opa

Crab and Corn Chowder

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Crab and Corn Chowder

A couple of weeks ago we played tourist on our little island of Chincoteague, left the boys with my mom and dad, and walked down to Main Street…which, is just literally at the end of my parent’s street. There aren’t many shops – a small bakery, a little wine and cheese shop, some tacky beach t-shirt shops, and a few really fun and funky boutiques. We ventured in The Flying Fish Gallery, and amongst all the fun things they had in the store – my ceramics honing sense immediately zeroed in on these gorgeous oversized mugs. I thought how pretty would these be with a cream of crab soup or chowder in them? I couldn’t wait to get them home and fill them up with something!

Seems like everything is in season right now here on our beautiful Eastern Shore. Crabs are running great, thought they got a late start. Dad got a bushel in his 2 pots he has off the dock in just 4 days last week. That’s a lot of crabs for very little work, folks! We went and had steamed crabs for lunch, and he sent me home with the leftovers to pick.

Corn is in season everywhere right now, and this chowder really showcases the sweet, fresh flavor it lends. Let me just say that this soup was nothing short of phenomenal. All the flavors married so well, and I loved that you could taste the individual ingredients. The crab, the corn, the onion, the garlic, the potatoes…all off them working together in perfect harmony, but one not overpowering the other. Will be making this one again and again! The epitome of a Maryland Eastern Shore summer.

Crab and Fresh Corn Chowder

2 Tbsp butter
olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
2 starchy potatoes (like Russet), peeled and diced
6 fresh ears corn, shucked and rinsed
1 lb crabmeat, picked clean of shells
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 Tbsp butter

Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until the vegetables are good and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and stir to coat everything well, cook for 2 additional minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the heavy cream and the potatoes, return to a boil, cover, and cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes until potatoes are tender.

Cut the corn kernels off the cob and add to the soup, along with the crab meat. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the corn is soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the parsley, and stir in the butter until melted. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Source: adapted from Tyler Florence