It’s Secret Recipe Club time again!! I can hardly believe I’ve left you with a QUIET month here. I certainly didn’t plan it that way….but do you ever draw in closer to your family, and completely try to drown out the “noise” of the world? As much as I love blogging (and will never give it up), I’ve really enjoyed this break and the solitude from the “blog” world. Can you relate?
I’m excited that the holdays are around the corner….excited that the temperature in South Florida is finally dropping a bit…..excited about spending time with family and friends. This month I was assigned Mommy’s Menu. Toni loves to cook and is a stay at home mom to 7 children! Wow!! There were so many tasty recipes to choose from, but I finally settled on these easy ham sliders. I’m sure we’ve all had a variation on these before, but the onion butter completely puts them over the top……you have to try these! These cheesy sliders are a perfect addition to any holiday party you may attend this year.
Cheesy ham sliders with onion butter {Secret Recipe Club}
Author: Toni of Mommy's Menu
Recipe type: Snack, Appetizer
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Ingredients
16 dinner or potato rolls
½ pound ham, any (sliced thin or chopped)
½ pound cheese, any variety that melts well (I used cheddar and monterrey jack)
ONION BUTTER:
1 stick butter, salted
½ cup finely minced onion
3 Tbsp prepared mustard (I used dijon)
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
To make the onion butter, combine ingrediens in a small sauce pan and heat gently just until the butter is melted and all the ingredients are well combined.
Preheat oven to 300.
To prepare the sliders, cut open all the dinner rolls and place them on a baking sheet.
Spread onion butter on all the bottoms of the rolls (this will use about half of the onion butter).
Place thin slices of monterrey jack cheese on roll bottoms.
Add ham. Then top with thin slices of cheddar cheese.
Use the rest of the onion butter on the insides of all the tops of the rolls.
Cover all the rolls with the top of the buns.
Cover sliders with foil, and bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese melts and the sliders are heated through.
I’m in total shock that it’s already Secret Recipe Club time again! I’m embarrassed that it’s been almost a month since my last post. I know we’ve been extremely busy between serving at Marriage Encounter weekend and getting sick for almost 2 weeks out of this month. Wow…..I fought like crazy to stay well, but this sickness really took a lot out of me. I’m feeling better now, thank goodness! Time slipped away, and while I certainly wanted to be here….well time didn’t permit. I hope this recipe makes it up to you though. This dip is INCREDIBLE!! I just know you’ll love it.
How many of you have heard of Muhammara? It’s a middle eastern dip made with roasted red peppers, and it is out of this world good! Last spring, hubby and I went to the downtown area of West Palm Beach to visit the green market. It was at the height of our Daniel Fast while we were eating healthy and cutting out sugar. I was enjoying the beautiful morning weather, and being up and out so early on a Saturday morning together. My hubby was impressed with the abundance of fresh green veggies and great prices of them. At one of the booths, a greek restaurant was giving out samples of different dips on pita toasts. Muhammara was one of them, and I was blown away. I was hoping one day to recreate it, but never thought it’d happen.
Imagine my surprise when I was cruising through the wonderful recipes on Manuela’s blog “Manu’s Menu” and stumbled onto the recipe. Yay! I’m thrilled to now make this dip whenever I want to. I was excited to see how easy it is, and the one unique ingredient….pomegranate molasses….was easy to find at Whole Foods. I loved pouring over Manuela’s blog. She’s from Italy, but lives in Australia. She loves cooking, and shares many authentic and diverse recipes from all over. I hope you’ll check out Manuela’s blog….and definitely make this easy dip. It’s such an impressive recipe.
Add all ingredients to food processor and mix until well combined.
Refrigerate until cold and serve with pita chips or other toasted bread or flatbread
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If you enjoyed this post or recipe, please pass it along! There are many ways you can SHARE. One of the most popular options is to PIN it on Pinterest or to LIKE it on Facebook. It really makes my day! To make sure you don’t miss a post or recipe you can either follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook or Pinterest. Or subscribe by RSS subscription or Email in the sidebar. It’s FREE! Thanks for reading….I love having company in the kitchen!
We just got back from another wonderful weekend camping with friends! I just love camping, and have been dying to share it with you guys….just haven’t had a chance yet. We did 3 camping trips last year (our season here in Florida is October to May), and just kicked off this year a little early camping at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground with many of our homeschool family friends.
We always have so much fun, and the kids of course have a blast! They roam and roam all weekend, completely “unplugged” from all their electronics…out in nature playing together. These weekends remind me of my childhood. I can’t wait to do a series of posts on camping….from where we camp to tips for smooth camping to camping foods and meals. Is that something you’d like to see? Are any of you avid campers or outdoor enthusiasts?
This month for Secret Recipe Club I was assigned the blog Cook with Sara. Sara loves to cook & bake and started at a young age. Sara had many recipes I couldn’t wait to try, and I had a lot of fun reading through her blog. I almost chose the Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas, but these Chicken Taquitos won out when I realized it would be the perfect meal to bring camping with us.
These chicken taquitos are super easy to make. I even made the chicken and cheese filling ahead of time, and rolled and baked the chicken taquitos the next day. And because they’re baked, they’re healthier too. They were a hit with my family, and were perfect dipped in sour cream and salsa. They also traveled well, and were easy to heat up at the campsite.
In large bowl, mix softened cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Combine well, and add in cilantro and green onions if using. A mixer would make this step go quickly.
Add chicken and cheese and mix thoroughly.
Preheat oven to 425 (or use a toaster oven like I did).
To soften tortillas, heat 10 seconds on each side in a skillet.
In assembly line fashion, spoon 2-3 tablespoons of mixture into the front third of the tortilla in a straight line, and roll each taquito tightly.
Place tortillas in seam side down on a baking sheet lightly coated with olive oil spray. Continue rolling until all tortillas have been filled.
Spray taquitos with more olive oil spray, and sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp.
Serve with salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole.
Makes 24 taquitos.
Can freeze these in a single layer on a baking sheet, and then placed into quart size freezer bags. If cooking frozen, 425 for 20-25 minutes without thawing.
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If you enjoyed this post or recipe, please pass it along! There are many ways you can SHARE. One of the most popular options is to PIN it on Pinterest or to LIKE it on Facebook. It really makes my day! To make sure you don’t miss a post or recipe you can either follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook or Pinterest. Or subscribe by RSS subscription or Email in the sidebar. It’s FREE! Thanks for reading….I love having company in the kitchen!
A large box appeared on my doorstep last week from Walkers Shortbread! Excited to see what surprises lay in store, my girls and I carried the box into the house. When we finally got the box open we were stunned at the vast quantity of goodies Walkers had sent our way.
My mind started reeling with thoughts……I wanted to create a fall recipe this time using some of the Walkers Shortbread cookies. But there are so many possibilities…..cranberries, apples, cinnamon, pumpkin, hmm……
My girls love cheesecake, and I was eyeing these stem ginger shortbread cookies………..
And lately I’ve been obsessed with pumpkin….that’s when it came to me. Pumpkin cheesecake mini trifles. There are several steps to this recipe, but let me say upfront the result is WORTH IT!! And these stem ginger shortbread cookies are incredible! I love the taste of ginger, and not only is that flavor abundant with each bite, but there are little bits of dried ginger sprinkled throughout. Mmm….love ginger!
Walkers wants to share an exclusive promotion with you to use on their website. If you purchase any of Walkers cookies between September 16 – September 23 you will receive 25% off your total purchase (excluding sale items). The promo code is: CKFRUIT. To keep up with Walkers, be sure to follow them on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Pumpkin cheesecake mini trifles {Walkers Shortbread}
Author: Denise @ Creative Kitchen
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Rich and creamy, these trifles are an incredible taste of fall. There are several steps to this recipe, but let me say upfront the result is WORTH IT!!
Ingredients
CRUMB TOPPING:
1 cup pecans
¾ cup oats
¾ cup brown sugar + 1 Tbsp
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp ginger
1 stick soft butter
1 cup flour
FILLING:
2 8 oz soft cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cloves
WHIPPED CREAM:
1 half pint heavy whipping cream
1-2 tsp vanilla
4 Tbsp sugar
CRUST:
2 Tbsp soft butter
1 package Walkers Stem Ginger Shortbread Cookies
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To make CRUMB TOPPING:
place pecans in food processor and pulse to finely chopped. Add in oats and pulse to finely chopped.
Put brown sugar, salt, ginger, soft butter and flour into food processor.
Pulse until all ingredients are well combined.
Spread this mixture out onto a greased cookie sheet about ½ inch thick.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, and then cool on cooling rack.
Crumble should harden and be able to break into pieces to form a crumb topping.
To make FILLING:
In mixer bowl, add softened cream cheese, sugar, and pumpkin and mix for a minute or two until creamy and well combined.
Add in cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Mix well and refrigerate until needed.
To make WHIPPED CREAM:
In mixer bowl, add cold whipping cream and using whisk attachment start whipping at highest speed you can go without splattering it everywhere.
After liquid begins to thicken a bit, add in vanilla and sugar.
Whip about 3-5 more minutes until you have thick whipped cream. Don't go too far or you will have butter.
Refrigerate until needed.
To make CRUST:
Add the package of Walkers Stem Ginger Shortbread Cookies and pulse until you have all crumbs.
Add in softened butter and mix until well combined.
TO ASSEMBLE TRIFLES:
In one large dish or several small dishes, layer the trifle with all components.
Crust first, then pumpkin filling, then whipped cream and top with crumb topping with a little bit of the crushed walkers cookies sprinkled on top for extra ginger taste.
This recipe made 5-6 small trifles with leftovers of everything. You can spread the leftovers into a small pyrex dish in layers and cut into bars, eat straight out of the containters, or freeze in layers. You can use leftover crumb topping for yogurt parfaits or other ice cream desserts.
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Disclaimer: Though Walkers Shortbread sent me these cookies to sample, I did not receive any compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.
If you enjoyed this post or recipe, please pass it along! There are many ways you can SHARE. One of the most popular options is to PIN it on Pinterest or to LIKE it on Facebook. It really makes my day! To make sure you don’t miss a post or recipe you can either follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook or Pinterest. Or subscribe by RSS subscription or Email in the sidebar. It’s FREE! Thanks for reading….I love having company in the kitchen!
We’ve had some BIG news in our house this past month….BIG changes for this “only ever homeschooled” family. Our oldest daughter started high school. As in at THE local high school, and not the “co-op” classes she was taking last year with all her homeschool friends. And she’s definitely not at home anymore. It’s been a huge transition for our family, but one that I’ve had complete peace about since God brought this all about. These plans have been in the works since last January, and I’ve felt His leading every step of the way. Did I mention this is completely new territory for us? Her first day
So when I say she’s definitely not at home anymore, I mean she’s gone 10 hours a day…..EVERYDAY!! The first couple weeks the house seemed so quiet, so different and very bizarre. I mean she’s 14 1/2….that’s A LOT of years of togetherness. Thankfully we started out slowly. The first week she was only there 7 1/2 hours….the typical school day. But she was excited to start running with the cross country team, and now with practice everyday…..we pick her up at 5pm instead of 2:40pm. That seemed to make a big difference to me….and to her. It makes for a VERY long day, but she really likes cross country and comes home refreshed and energized and ready to tackle her homework instead of dragging and tired. Exercise is always a good thing, right?
In other BIG news, we have our last Kindergartener coming up through the ranks. My “baby” is now 5 1/2, and she was SUPER EXCITED to start school. If you look closely you’ll see that I’ve used that banner for my other two…just changing the numbers of the year lol. My middle girl is now in 5th grade, and is excited to “not” be taking any local “co-op” classes this year (last year she took art and english/writing with homeschool friends). She enjoyed it, but she told me she was really looking forward to being home with me and the little one. 😉 Talk about making my heart feel good!!
So on their first day of school (which was 1 week after my oldest started so we could get used to the transition), I took them to a local hot spot known for amazing doughnuts. It was our first time, and the girls were in heaven. We ended up with a dozen to take home so we had plenty to share with my teen. I didn’t want her feeling left out. She’s mentioned how tired she is, and it’s so strange to see her headed for bed at 8:30 or 8:45 when she can’t keep her eyes open anymore while attempting working ahead in her classes. She’s definitely amazed at how busy and full her life is with academics.
She mentioned there is a lot less “socializing” at the high school compared to last year (at the co-op)….she only has 5 minutes between classes and all they do there is work, work, work. And then she brings home homework and works some more. Most of her evenings and weekends are filled with homework, projects, essays and studying. Though “homeschooling” high schoolers spend a good portion of their day doing school work, they don’t have any “homework” for the nights and weekends. Unless they are dual-enrolled, which is a great way to knock out some college credits for free.
Kindergarten and 5th grade are going well….we’ve gotten into a nice routine, and I love how their excitement for learning feeds into each other! I’m sure having them both at home has helped me ease into being a “school” mom. That role is a bit strange for me…I used to be a teacher in the public schools before coming home when pregnant with my middle daughter (2002), and since then I’ve always been a homeschool mom. Now I have a new role to learn. It’s been fun for me, my teen, really the whole family. I’m interested to hear from other homeschool families that have gone this route. How did it change your family dynamic? For the better or worse? Pros/cons? Was it all your homeschool child expected? My daughter came home her first day and was like, “that was school?” She was underwhelmed as I think she’d built it up in her mind over the course of her lifetime. Not that school is a bad thing, but just different than she expected it to be. She is however enjoying the challenge.
I wasn’t quite sure I was going to share this here, but it’s a huge part of our life and I really can’t imagine keeping it all to myself. I love sharing recipes with you guys, but I miss more of my personal posts and pictures. That’s what keeps me visiting so many interesting blogs….I love reading about your life! So thoughts on that? Would you like to see more of these types of posts? They wouldn’t be instead of my weekly recipes….it would be “extra.” Please share with me. I want to hear from you. 😉
If you enjoyed this post or recipe, please pass it along! There are many ways you can SHARE. One of the most popular options is to PIN it on Pinterest or to LIKE it on Facebook. It really makes my day! To make sure you don’t miss a post or recipe you can either follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook or Pinterest. Or subscribe by RSS subscription or Email in the sidebar. It’s FREE! Thanks for reading….I love having company in the kitchen!
I'm so happy you've dropped by. Creative Kitchen is a food blog, a place to inspire myself & hopefully others. Creating in the kitchen is a passion of mine! I love cooking meals from scratch for my hubby & 3 girls using wholesome, REAL foods. I hope you'll find that cooking from scratch can be easy & fun!
