Ham Swiss and Dijon Sandwiches

I cant remember where I got this recipe but its been around forever. Ive seen several variations of it around the web. You can use leftover ham or your favorite lunchmeat. Both give fantastic results. My recipe makes 16 sandwiches. That is enough for a tailgate party or dinner for several nights. They freeze very well and can be tossed in the oven right from the freezer. Every time we run out of these my husband begs me to make more.

16 hamburger buns
16 slices of swiss cheese
1lb of sliced ham
2t poppy seeds
1 cup of margarine (2 sticks)
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
2t worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup honey dijon mustard

1. In a small saucepan heat margarine, poppy seeds, worcestershire sauce, onion and mustard on medium high heat until melted.
2. Lay out your buns open. Spread a sauce on both sides of the open bun
3. Cut your swiss cheese to fit the bun without hanging over. Place cut slice on lower bun. Place any leftover cheese on upper bun. Add 1oz ham to each sandwich
4. Wrap each sandwich in foil

To eat now: Preheat oven to 350. Place wrapped sandwiches on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes

To freeze: Place wrapped sandwiches in a freezer bag and freeze. To re-heat bake frozen sandwiches at 325 for 30 minutes

Pizza Bagels

These turned out better that I could have hoped and are a really easy thing to have in the freezer ready for lunches or an afternoon snack. The best thing is you can use up leftovers and customize the pizzas for your family. I didnt really use a recipe as I just used a little of what I had on hand.

You will need:
*Bagels (I went to Nickels thrift and bought day old bagged bagels on the cheap)
*Sauce (pizza sauce, leftover spaghetti sauce... whatever)
*Shredded Cheese (mozzerella, cheddar, provolone... whatever)
*Pepperoni pillow pack
*Oregano
*Various other pizza toppings

1. Open bagels on a ookie sheet and place under the broiler until toasted
2. Spread a little sauce on your toasted bagel
3. Cover the hole in the bagel with a slice or 2 of pepperoni
4. Cover bagel with shredded cheese.. just a pinch or 2. You dont want to over do it (even though there is no such thing as too much cheese)
5. Sprinkle with oregano (optional)
6. Top with your favorite pizza toppings **
7. Place bagels in cookie sheet and flash freeze (just slide cookie sheet in freezer until bagels are solid and toppings are secure)
8. Remove from cookie sheet and place in a freezer bag. Store up to 3 months

** Pizza toppings! This is the time to use up little bits of veggies/meats leftover or from other recipes. I have used pepperoni green/red peppers, chopped onions, olives and sausage (chopped patties when I made my breakfast sandwiches) with great success. I wanted to try mushrooms, but I only had fresh. If you want shrooms use the canned kind. I always put pepperoni on top because it helps everything stay on better when frozen.

To bake:
Preheat oven to 350. Place frozen bagels on cookie sheet. Bake 25-30 minutes

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli casserole

This is another quick and easy recipe. I actually adapted it from a recipe I found on the back of a box of Stove top stuffing Its one of those less than 10 minute prep throw everything in a pyrex pan and bake recipes.

You need:
1 pkg Stuffing mix (prepared)
1.5 lbs chicken breast cut into chunks*
1 bag frozen broccoli florets (thaw and squish the water out)
1 can (10oz) cream of chicken soup
1/2 c milk
2 cups shredded cheddar

Preheat to 400

1.Throw broccoli and chunked raw chicken to a 13x9 glass pan.
2.Stir together soup, milk and cheese. Dump over chicken broccoli mixture.
3.Cover with pre-cooked stuffing. (i microwave mine)

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

*(I have substituted leftover shredded chicken or turkey with great results)

Chicken & Asparagus Risotto

Hey hey Im back! My little Aubrey was born on October 12th happy and healthy. Between that and moving for the 2nd time in a month I havent been able to get on an actual computer (just my iphone) Now Im back and will be able to actually post some recipes on a regular basis. Im actually able to cook again too. Yay!

This recipe is both good for you and quick! It takes less than 30 minutes prep and cook time.

6 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1t olive oil
1/3 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic pressed
1/2 cup shredded parmeasan cheese (not grated... shredded)
1T lemon zest
2 cups milk
1 can (10 3/4) cream chicken soup
1/2lb fresh asparagus
2 cups instant long grain white rice

1. Season chicken with s&p and cook in the olive oil on med high until chicken is no longer pink (5-7 minutes) Remove from pan
2 Add milk, soup, asparagus, onion, garlic, cheese. and lemon zest to the pan. Bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes
3. Stir in rice and then top with chicken. Cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes covered.

**I chop my chicken up instead of cooking it whole... you can do it either way. This makes 6 servings.