Sunday, October 9, 2016

Baked Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwiches

Baked Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwiches are the perfect make ahead breakfast for three or a crowd of 20. Assemble the night before and bake them up hot and fresh when your guests wake up.



I must confess that my go-to breakfasts for a crowd are usually pancakes, waffles or muffins. I make my life easy in the morning by getting organized the evening before, measuring out the dry ingredients into a big bowl and whisking together the wet ingredients in another bowl. I pop the wet ingredients in the refrigerator.

All that’s left to do in the morning is to combine the two and cook the batter, a process so simple that even I can do it while simultaneously sipping on my first cup of coffee. To measure ingredients in the morning, I’d have to be on my second cup to ensure any degree of accuracy. I’m sure many of you can relate.

This week my Sunday Supper group is sharing great recipes to serve when you are hosting a sleepover or slumber party.  I doubt my make-ahead batter tips are news to most of you so I decided to branch out a little. Baked Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwiches take a little more time but you save that on clean up!

Ingredients per person
1 bread roll
1 slice ham
1 medium egg
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely grated sharp cheese
Sprinkle chopped green onions or chives

Extra equipment: aluminum foil cut in squares large enough to wrap your bread rolls individually

Method
(If baking immediately, preheat your oven to preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.)

If baking the next morning, start here:
Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the top of your bread roll at a slight angle, like you would the top of a pumpkin for carving. Set aside.

Use the knife to cut around the hole so that you can remove the soft inside of the roll. Save it for another use like breadcrumbs or stuffing. You want to get the walls of the roll quite thin so that the heat can reach the egg quickly when we bake this.





Dry the ham slice with a paper towel and fit it into the roll, pressing down on the bottom to create more space for your egg. Don’t tear the ham or your egg will leak through to the bread roll, which we do not want.

If your eggs are very fresh, you might be able to skip this step: Crack the egg into a slotted spoon with tiny holes to let the very liquidy part of the egg drain away, leaving behind the rest of the white and the intact yolk.

Put the egg in the ham “bowl” in the roll.



Grind on some freshly ground black pepper then add the cheese on top. Sprinkle with some chopped green onion or chives.

Put the top back on the bread roll.

Wrap the whole roll completely with a piece of foil and set on a baking tray. Repeat as many times as necessary to feed all of your guests.



The baked ham, egg and cheese sandwiches can then be refrigerated overnight to be baked fresh and hot the next morning.

When you get up the next morning, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and remove the baking pan from the refrigerator.

Once the oven is hot enough, put the pan with the sandwiches in and bake for about 15 minutes. Pull one out to check how cooked the egg yolk is. Pop it back in for a little longer if the egg is still a little too runny for your liking. You are starting with cold ham, eggs and cheese so the time will vary by how cold they were and how soft you like your egg yolks.

N.B. If you make these and bake right away without refrigerating, they will take a shorter time to cook. I tested it both ways, baking one immediately and baking the other three the next morning. I was very happy with the results either way.

Once done to your liking, remove from the oven and leave to cool enough to handle. Hand out foil-wrapped baked ham, egg and cheese sandwiches and napkins to your hungry crowd. No plates to wash! Or put them on plates and get fancy.



I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m thinking these could even be baked over a campfire in a Dutch oven or in a covered barbecue pit, away from the direct heat. Wouldn’t they be great for a Scout campout?

What's your favorite dish to bring or make for a slumber party? If you are looking for some great new ideas, Sunday Supper is here to help. Many thanks to our event manager, Cricket of Cricket's Confections and our host, Marion of Life Tastes Good.

Breakfast

Snacks

Desserts


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Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Marshmallow Turtle Bars #FoodieExtravaganza

Caramel, chocolate and pecans are the key ingredients of those delicious little candies known as turtles. Add a crust and throw a few mini marshmallows in the mix and what you’ve got is marshmallow turtle bars. They are sticky, gooey and more-ish!



This month my Foodie Extravaganza group is bringing you loads of chocolate recipes, both sweet and savory, in celebration of National Chocolate Day at the end of October. I’m not a big sweet eater but I am fond of chocolate when it is either dark, semi-sweet or paired with caramel. A dark or semi-sweet chocolate caramel combination would be ideal, especially with pecans. Which brings us to my recipe.

These guys are sooooo good.

Ingredients
2 cups or 250g flour
1/2 cup or 63g confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup or 85g unsalted butter, chilled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce or 397g can sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup or 115g pecans, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup or 150g semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup or 165g toffee-and-chocolate candy (such as chopped up Heath bars)
1 cup or 50g mini marshmallows

Method
Heat oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 9 x 13 inch or 23 x 33cm pan by greasing it or lining it with baking parchment. Personally, I'm a fan of the parchment.

Cut the chilled butter into cubes and put it in a food processor with the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt. Pulse until the dough just starts to hang together.


Use your clean hands to press the dough firmly into your prepared pan.



Bake until golden around the edges, about 12-15 minutes.


In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour the filling over the baked crust.

Sprinkle on the marshmallows first, then the chopped pecans, chocolate chips, and toffee pieces putting some of each until you’ve used up all of them.



Bake until the filling is set, the edges are golden brown, and the marshmallows are melted, about 25 minutes.



Cool completely and cut into bars. If you live in a warm climate, you might want to keep these in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

How will you celebrate National Chocolate Day? I’d like to recommend making a few of these. Many thanks to our host this month, Kathleen from Fearlessly Creative Mammas.


Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays or shares recipes with the same ingredient or theme every month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook group Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

If you're a reader looking for delicious recipes, check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out here.

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Sunday, October 2, 2016

Spicy Beer Mustard

Spicy beer mustard is a traditional German condiment with a delightful kick, essential for serving with sausages and pretzels. It’s super easy to make and keeps for months in your refrigerator.


I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for a very long time. In fact, I have several recipes calling for yellow mustard seeds in my “to make someday” files because I haven’t been able to find them. I don’t know why the yellow seeds are such a challenge. The brown ones are everywhere and I always have them on hand because they are a common ingredient in curries. But, once again, the heavens aligned for me when the Sunday Supper Oktoberfest theme was announced and I spied yellow mustard seeds in my local supermarket for the very first time.

After all, what could be better than a spicy beer mustard that goes together nicely with all types of German würste or sausages? It’s also great to dip your pretzels in as you sip a cold beer.

Adapted from the recipe on Food and Wine.

Yield: Makes about 485g or 2 cups of spicy beer mustard

Ingredients
1/3 cup or 60g yellow mustard seeds
1/4 cup or 80g brown mustard seeds
1/2 cup or 120ml apple cider vinegar
1 cup or 240ml dark beer, divided
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons dry mustard powder

Method
Put your mustard seeds in a small bowl or a clean jar, then pour in a 1/2 cup or 120ml of the dark beer and all of the vinegar. Cover the bowl with cling film or put the lid on the jar loosely and put the mixture in the refrigerator. Leave to soak overnight. I used a clean jar because I thought it would give us a better picture of what happens to the mustard seeds after soaking. Boy, was I right!



In a small saucepan, whisk together the other 1/2 cup or 120ml dark beer, sugar, honey, salt, turmeric, and allspice.




Warm over a medium flame and keep stirring until it comes to a slow boil and the sugar has dissolved.



Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Scrape the soaked mustard seeds into your blender with any liquid that wasn't absorbed. Add in the dry mustard powder and then pour in the warm liquid mixture.



Blend on high until the mustard seeds start to break down and the mustard thickens into, well, mustard. Stop and start the blender again if it begins to cavitate or form a air pocket around the blender blades, and you can see that the mustard is not moving.


Store in a clean jar with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator. It’ll be even better if you can wait a day to use it.



Serve with sausage, soft pretzels, hot dogs, hamburgers or wherever you might enjoy some spicy beer mustard.



Now pour yourself a cold beer and check out all the other great Oktoberfest recipes we have for you today! Many thanks to our event manager, Marion of Life Tastes Good and today’s host, Cricket of Cricket’s Confections for all of their hard work!

Appetizers (die Vorspeisen)

Breakfast (das Frühstück)

Condiments (die Gewürze)

Main Dishes (die Hauptgerichte)

Side Dishes (die Beilagen)

Dessert (der Nachtisch)

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