Baked Ham and Cheese Croissants

August 27, 2020

Today’s recipe was inspired by all the croissants we devoured on our trip to Paris two summers ago. Dustin was addicted to the chocolate croissants, the almond were my favorite, and for a slightly healthier breakfast or lunch we’d pick up a hot ham and cheese croissant sandwich. While I’m not about to make my own croissant dough or almond paste, the ham and cheese version is simple to make at home!

This time around (because there have been many times- though we save these for special occasions!) I bought mini croissants at Whole Foods. I like to make a spread of mayonnaise and stoneground mustard (with a few fresh snipped chives if I have them) to spread on one half of the croissant and then layer the ham and cheese before baking them until melty in the middle and crisp on top. That’s it! A little bite of France in your own kitchen.

Baked Ham and Cheese Croissants

INGREDIENTS

croissants, sliced in half
deli ham, thinly sliced (black forest ham is our favorite)
Muenster cheese, thinly sliced (or Havarti, Cheddar, Swiss, etc.)
mayonnaise
stoneground mustard, to taste
fresh chives, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. In a small bowl, stir to combine mayonnaise, a squeeze of stoneground mustard, and a few chopped fresh chives. Spread a bit of the mayonnaise mixture on the bottom side of each croissant. Top with a slice of cheese, some deli ham, and another slice of cheese, and the top of the croissant. Place prepared croissants on a baking sheet.
  3. Cover the croissants with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and they are warmed throughout, removing the foil for the last few minutes to crisp the tops. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

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Cranberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Chicken and Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

August 25, 2020

I’ve made this salad more than any other on my site. It’s silly it has taken me this long to take a picture of it and share the recipe here! It’s one of my favorite salads to make for a lunch with friends. (But my kids and husband enjoy it too.) The grilled chicken, almonds, and avocado make it hearty. The creamy goat cheese and sweet-tart cranberries make it more interesting. But the dressing is the star. It’s soooo delicious! One of- maybe THE- best salad dressing I’ve ever made/eaten.

Cranberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Chicken and Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

INGREDIENTS

Orange Poppy Seeding Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil (I’ve also used grape-seed oil)
2 tsp. orange zest
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Salad:
grilled chicken, sliced
baby spinach (I used a mixture of spinach, mixed greens, and romaine)
avocado, pitted and diced
crumbled goat cheese (or feta)
sliced almonds , toasted
sweetened dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS

  1. Add olive oil, canola oil, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, honey, dijon mustard and salt to a blender. Pulse until well emulsified. (Or you can whisk to combine all the ingredients in a bowl.) Pour into a jar and stir in poppy seeds. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  2. Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl. Pour dressing over top and toss to evenly coat. Serve immediately.

Dressing serves 4.

Adapted from Cooking Classy

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Blackberry Cobbler

August 21, 2020

It’s that time of year when we find blackberries growing all over the wild here. My kids love summer walks when we can scavenge for and snack on summer berries. Most of us don’t have to leave our backyards to find a few! This past weekend Dustin’s parents were visiting and we picked up a few box-fulls of berries at the farmers market and so we made cobbler.

This blackberry cobbler is super simple. You whisk together some melted butter, flour (+ baking powder + salt if like me you’ve never bought self-rising flour in your life!) , sugar, and milk, then pour it in a buttered pan and sprinkle the blackberries on top. Then you dust it with more sugar which will create an irresistible crunchy crust as it bakes. You can add even more sugar to caramelize during the last few minutes in the oven. (I did, because Paula Dean told me to. Though this last bit probably isn’t necessary because there was already A LOT of sugar.) Serve slightly warm with a scoop or vanilla ice cream (or homemade whipped cream)!

Blackberry Cobbler

INGREDIENTS

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, melted + extra for greasing pan
1 1/4 cups + 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1 cup self-rising flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder + 1/4 tsp. salt)
1 cup whole milk
2 cups fresh (or frozen) blackberries (I added a few extra ~2 1/2 cups total)
whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream, for serving

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 3-quart (9×13) baking dish with butter.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup sugar with the flour and milk. Whisk in the melted butter.
  3. Rinse the blackberries and pat them dry. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle the blackberries evenly over the top of the batter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the blackberries. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 1 hour. When 10 minutes of the cooking time remains, sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream or ice cream . . . or both!

Makes a 9×13 pan.

Adapted from Food Network

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Salsa Verde Chicken Tostadas

August 19, 2020

I’ve been making salsa verde chicken (throw some chicken breast or thighs in the slow cooker with a few spices and jar of salsa verde and a few hours later it’s done!) for years now and using it in burritos/tacos/quesadillas but this is the first time I’ve made tostadas and it was a big hit! And I love the simple refried bean recipe I found to top the tostadas. We can’t unanimously agree on a brand of canned refried beans but we all liked these! (This recipe uses canned pinto beans cooked with some garlic, olive oil, and a few spices to make your own and it’s quick and easy.) I bought the tostada shells but you can certainly make your own- I provided a link to a recipe below.

Salsa Verde Chicken Tostadas

INGREDIENTS

Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken:
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast (or thighs)
1 12 oz. jar salsa verde (I use Trader Joe’s brand)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. Mexican oregano
pinch cayenne
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tostadas:
tostada shells (I used Guerrero brand, here is a recipe to make your own)
refried beans (canned or see recipe below)
grated cheese (Cheddar, Pepper/Colby Jack, Mexican blend, etc.)
shredded lettuce
guacamole or sliced avocado
diced tomatoes or pico de gallo
sliced green onion
sour cream
chopped cilantro (optional)
pickled jalapeno (optional)
lime wedges, for serving

Refried Beans:
2 (16 oz.) cans pinto beans
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper (~1/2 tsp. each or to taste)
pinch cayenne pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

Slow-Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken:

  1. Season chicken with garlic powder, cumin, oregano, a pinch of cayenne and salt and pepper and place in the bottom of the slow cooker. Cover with salsa verde, cover and cook HIGH 2 hours.
  2. Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred with 2 forks. Remove 2/3 cup of liquid from the slow cooker, and discard. Place shredded chicken back into the crock pot with remaining salsa, adjust seasoning to taste if needed and keep warm.

Refried Beans:

  1. While chicken is cooking, make the refried beans. Place two tablespoons of olive oil into a saucepan over medium low heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, be careful to not burn garlic. Add two cans of pinto beans, undrained (I drained and rinsed my beans and then added about 1/2 cup water back in), to the garlic mixture. Add chili powder, coriander, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper to the beans. Mix well. Cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat. Adjust seasonings to taste.
  2. Using a potato masher, smash the beans until fairly smooth. (I used an immersion blender and blended until smooth, adding some more water to thin them.) The beans will continue to thicken as they cool. Remove beans from heat, place in a bowl or keep warm until ready to serve.

Tostadas:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Place tostada shells on a baking sheet. When the oven is hot, spread some refried beans on top of each tostada shell, top with salsa verde chicken and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the shells are crisp, about 4 minutes.
  3. Remove tostadas from the oven and top with lettuce, guacamole/avocado, tomatoes/pico, green onion, sour cream, cilantro, pickled jalapeno, etc. and serve with a squeeze of lime.

Serves 6.

Adapted from Skinnytaste and A Bountiful Kitchen

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Avocado, Arugula, and Goat Cheese Panini

August 17, 2020

Today’s recipe is inspired by the same cafe as this turkey havarti panini. They had an avocado goat cheese sandwich on the menu that also become a part of my regular order. My girls loved it too. And it is so simple to make at home! Sliced white or multigrain bread (I recommend sourdough) is spread with creamy goat cheese, ripe avocado (don’t skip seasoning it with some sea salt and pepper flakes), topped with roasted red pepper and arugula, and grilled until melty and crisp. You can add sliced turkey or bacon. Or replace the roasted red pepper with sliced tomato or sun-dried tomato. All would be delicious!

Avocado Goat Cheese Panini

INGREDIENTS

crusty white or multigrain bread, sliced (I use sourdough)
avocado, sliced
goat cheese (I love the creamy goat cheese spread from Trader Joes)
baby arugula
roasted red pepper, sliced (I have also used spicy Mama Lil’s peppers, or use sliced tomato or sun-dried tomatoes)
salt and freshly ground black pepper/crushed red pepper flakes
olive oil, for grilling

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat a pan on the stove or panini press to medium heat. Coat with some olive oil or nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Spread avocado on a slice of bread. (I like to mash it a bit with a fork so it doesn’t slide around.) Season with salt and pepper and/or crushed red pepper flakes. Top with roasted red pepper and arugula.
  3. Spread goat cheese on a second slide of bread and place on top of the sandwich.
  4. Grill on the preheated pan or panini press, flipping halfway through if necessary, until the bread is crisp and golden brown and the goat cheese has melted. (If you’re using a regular pan you can use a lid or second pan to press the sandwich down while grilling and achieve the panini effect.) Slice and serve.
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