Egg Drop Soup At Home!!!!

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes egg drop soup sounds so good! Maybe I've been sick or it's just really cold and some hot soup sounds yummy, but I don't feel like going out just to get it or paying a ridiculous amount by time you add in delivery charges for delivery. Plus, I try not to make Chris run out too often to get my random cravings! LOL However, the beauty of egg drop soup is it's really simple and made with things you should have on hand in your pantry and fridge :)

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp parsley
1/3 medium onion, sliced thinly
1/3 cup carrot slices
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs
1 tbsp cornstarch

Alright, now prepare to be amazed at just how simple it is to make this..

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pour chicken brother into medium size pot
2. Add parsley, onion, carrot, salt and pepper
3. Bring to a boil and cook til veggies are tender (onions will look translucent)

*Broth Starting to Simmer*

4. Once soup is boiling and veggies tender, whisk eggs in a small seperate bowl (like you're scrambling them)

*Eggs Ready To Go In*

5. Slowly pour the eggs in a thin stream in circles around the pot (Squee with delight as you see the eggs cook up like I did the first time)
**if you would like to do just egg whites, its healthier and more traditional***

*Putting the Drop in Egg-Drop :)*

6. Put cornstarch in small glass and add some hot soup broth to it to desolve, then pour it into soup
7. Simmer for a few minutes til the soup start to thicken
8. Serve!!!

*Yummy!!!*


I made the soup this weekend to go with homemade sushi rolls I made :) If you want to know where my sushi inspiration came from, it's from my best friend Jessie <3 you can see her recipe here Mama Creedon's Kitchen!!! If you have a rice cooker you can use it to prep your rice, then add the rice vinegar. For my variation I tried it with rice on the outside and I loved it! Simply spread rice completely and evenly on rough side of seaweed sheet, then flip over and put your fillings about 1 inch from bottom edge on smooth side of seaweed and continue as the recipe suggests :) These two go great together! Of course this soup would compliment many dishes or even great just on its own (but I'd double the recipe for a stand alone meal) Give it a try!

*My Sushi :)*

Until next time...

Lizzy <3

Breakfast Pile-Up

I'm back! With the holidays behind me it's time to get back to my food blogging...

Finally, a recipe of my own to share! While laying in bed struggling between rolling back over, and getting up and embracing my extra day off for the New Year, I came up with this breakfast idea to use ingredients I had handy. What I created, I refer to as Breakfast Pile-Up. It may be that the idea already exist somewhere, but if it does I haven't seen the official recipe so don't tell me! LOL It is very simple and very yummy so how much better can it get on a lazy morning, right? Hope you'll try it!

INGREDIENTS: (serves 2)
-3 to 4 medium potatoes, scrubbed
-canola oil
-1 tbsp minced garlic
-1 tbsp onion powder
-salt and pepper to taste
-shredded cheddar cheese, at least 1/2 cup but it's however much you prefer
-cubed ham (I used deli sliced I had, but you can use chunkier)
-2 to 4 eggs

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a thin layer of canola oil in bottom of frying pan
2. Slice potatoes EXTREMELY thin, try for around 1/8 inch and stay consistent so they will cook evenly and add to hot oil
3. Add in garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper, and cook til potatoes become tender and start to crisp up

*Potatoes Cooking*

4. Add cubed/sliced ham and continue to cook for 2 minutes til ham is hot and slightly seared
5. Split mixture between two plates

*Layer 1 of the Pile-Up*

6. Add desired amount of shredded cheddar cheese on top

*Layer 2 of the Pile-Up*

7. Fry 1 to 2 eggs to desired level of cooked (I prefer hard)

*Layer 3 of the Pile-Up*

8. Sprinkle eggs with salt and pepper and serve with toast!

*Ready to Serve!*

And there you have it! It's really just a different take on your breakfast basics, but I like the way this came together, especially the very thin crispy flavorful potatoes! Chris was depressed there were no seconds so guess this is a good sign :) Let me know what you think!

Til next time...

Lizzy <3

Cook-A-Palooza: Freeze Ahead Meal Marathon (*deep breath* this is gonna be a long one...)

One of the biggest crazes of recent times is the concept of preparing homemade meals ahead of time and freezing for later use. At first I was skeptical because I am definitely not a fan of most frozen dinners you buy in the grocery store because you can tell by the taste they are a frozen meal; I worried that even homemade meals that were frozen would taste the same but I was pleasantly surprised on my first round of freeze-ahead meals that that was not the case at all!!! They taste homemade and fresh due to the process in which they are prepared and frozen (with the exception of an occasional recipe that just doesn't turn out well) :) The purpose of this blog is to share my method of tackling what seems like the daunting task of preparing multiple meals to be stored for later use all in one day! Let the cooking begin...

The Preparation Process

Before you can even begin to tackle the actual cooking, you have to take time and careful steps to be fully prepared so that when you get to the big day, you don't realize you have forgotten 1 or more things and end up throwing the whole day off with an extra run to the grocery store. Here is my method that I have created for myself...

(1)Pick out your meals: This round I picked 5 meals and a side to make, you can pick more or less depending on how much you feel like tackling, but these 6 items took me about 8 hours in total from start to finish including a little down time here and there. Also, try to pick a variety of meals that will appeal to you and your family. I wouldn't recommend doing all pasta dishes or all chicken dishes unless your family just really loves it! Variety is best because that means generally no matter what you are feeling like for dinner that day, you'll have something that will satisfy you. For my meals I picked Vegetarian Lasagna, Chicken Chimichangas, Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf, Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken, Healthy Mama Chicken Curry, and Twice Baked Potatoes.

(2)Prepare Your List of Ingredients: Now that you've selected your meals you are making, look at each recipe and write down the ingredients needed to make it. If you're like me and like to double recipes often make sure you double ALL ingredients as you write them down. The idea is to group all the recipes together so they are easily seen.

(3)Combine Like Items Onto A Single List: Chances are you may need onion or potatoes or some other common ingredient in multiple recipes. Combine all ingredients into a single list, marking them off as your write them down. Ex:If one recipe calls for 2 sweet potatoes and another for 1, then combine them and write 3 sweet potatoes on a shopping list. Also, I try to group like items such as spices needed, pasta needed, veggies needed etc so that the daunting shopping list doesn't take as much time.

(4)Check Your Pantry/Fridge: Now take the organized list of all the things you need to make the meals and start looking through your pantry and fridge, chances are you may have some of the stuff already which will cut back on the cost of your shopping trip; however, if you wish to not use what you already have because you have it stocked to make other things, then you can simply purchase everything needed and skip this step.

(5)Take your revised shopping list with you and visit your local grocery store-- don't forget you can use coupons, price matching etc to get good deals and cut down on the total cost of your freeze-ahead session.

**I realize this seems like a time-consuming process, but it really is worth it, and I learned after the first round when I did this without a process that it creates more stress on the cooking day when you realize you have no bread crumbs, and therefore, cannot proceed to make the double batch of meatballs you planned that day without yet ANOTHER trip to the grocery store**

The BIG Day

So you've made your lists and done your shopping and now you just have to follow-thru and make it all... or if you are like me the first time, you just stand there scratching your head, wondering where to start and starting to wonder why you decided to do this, BUT I promise, it's really not that bad :) This was my process for my recent freezer pleaser session:

I decided I would start with my most involved and complicated recipe to get it out of the way. I figured I'd feel accomplished and not have to worry about doing it at the end, when I started to run out of energy and motivation.

Vegetarian Lasagna

If you wish to view the recipe so you can also make this, you can find it in this article I originally found at About.com (yeah I was shocked I found something useful from this site also...)I doubled this recipe to make two lasagnas.

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (12 ounce) carton ricotta OR crumbled drained tofu
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cup grated provolone cheese
12 ounces lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1 (16 ounce) jar four cheese Alfredo Sauce
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparing the Tomato Sauce

Tomato Sauce Ready To Go!

Cookin' The Veggies (you can use any type of veggies that you want, but I think the California style veggies are best for this!)

Lasagna Fully Assembled :)

Now comes a few more important tips about prepping your meals for freezing...

There are a few options for prepping your meals for freezing... you can purchase the disposable aluminum pans for casseroles etc, which is what I usually do because it's easier overall...
BUT if you don't want to do that, you can line your actual pans with aluminum foil making sure you have enough foil to cover top of dish, spray it with nonstick spray and leave the dish in the pan. Once the dish is fully frozen remove the dish from the pan and store in freezer bag. I just find this takes too much time, and if, like me you are making two lasagnas but only have one lasagna pan (because I never make more than one lasagna at a time when I'm cooking on a normal basis), then that method doesn't really work. My opinion-- go with disposable aluminum pans, they don't cost much at all and make life a lot easier when you are doing a lot of cooking!

Lasagna Prepped for Freezing

I always put everything I make in a freezer bag, even if it's already been sealed in another way because it's extra protection against freezer burn, and it also give me an opportunity to write the cooking instructions or extra information needed about the dish directly on the bag with a black sharpie. That way when I take it out of the oven I can read the cooking instructions straight off the bag without tracking the recipe back down. Makes it so easy-- definitely try it!

That concluded my first recipe...


Then I moved on to the crockpot freeze ahead meals and made them together because they have a lot of the same ingredients. These recipes are choked full of veggies, which makes them super healthy, and they look fantastic. I found it over at a cute blog, check out these recipes and more at her blog Mama and Baby Love. Each recipe makes two meals :)

Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:
3 medium unpeeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 large green pepper, cut into strips
1 large red pepper, cut into strips
1 zucchini, chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tablespoon quick cooking tapioca
2 pounds chicken thighs or drumsticks (I used chicken breasts)
1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard (I wasn't sure if this meant actual mustard or the spice so I did a little of both)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt

Healthy Mama Chicken Curry

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons curry powder
1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
1.5 pounds chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used chicken breasts)
2 cups chopped peeled sweet potatoes
2.5 cups baby carrots
2 cup coarsely chopped mango
1 cup chopped onion
1 zucchini chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 chicken bouillon
.5 cup raisins (for garnish)
.5 cup peanuts or cashews (for garnish)

**I excluded a few of the ingredients, if there is something you don't like about the recipe, simply exclude it**

All you do is chop up all the ingredients and separate each recipe into 2-1 gallon freezer bags. I just divided it between two bags as I chopped each item because it seemed easier to make sure the right amount of everything went in each meal worth of the recipe. Can't wait to try them- not only were they easy to assemble, they are crockpot meals meaning my crockpot will be doing all the work when I try them! Simply defrost for 30 mins then cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours!!!

Crockpot Meals All Ready For The Freezer :)

At this point I started my recipe that would end up being the last one finished, but it had quite a bit of prep time so I started it now...


Twice Baked Potatoes

I washed up 8 potatoes (2-1 for each of us for a 4 meals) and put them on an old cookie sheet, then baked them in the oven preheated to 350 for an hour and a half... at this point, I forgot about them and worked on my other two remaining recipes :)

Potatoes Getting Ready To Go Oven


Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf

This was an intriguing recipe that Chris wanted to try, it's a different take on normal beef meatloaf. I can't wait to try it :) The only recipe can be found at the blog What's Up Chicago? I doubled this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground chicken (ground turkey can be substituted)
1 egg
1/4 breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 small onion, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup pasta sauce (homemade or store bought)
1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
minced parsley for garnish

Ingredients All Ready To Be Mixed

Meatloaf Mixed And Ready For Pan

For this recipe, I actually did use the pan lining idea just to try it out and see how I felt about it. It wasn't bad for something small like a meatloaf, but I don't like it for most things.


Chicken Chimichangas

I was so excited to find a recipe for these to freeze ahead! I love Mexican :) Find it here at Food.com

Ingredients:
1 lb cooked beef or 1 lb pork or 1 lb chicken
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chili peppers
1 (1 1/2 ounce) envelopeburrito seasoning mix or 1 (1 1/2 ounce) envelope taco seasoning mix
16 flour tortillas , 7 or 8 inch
16 ounces monterey jack cheese or 16 ounces cheddar cheese , cut into sixteen 5 x 1/2 inch sticks

The Sauce

Sauce Is Ready & And The First Tortilla Is Warming :)

I am including pictures of the steps of making the chimichangas because I feel the original recipe fails to make it illustrate it

Place Filling Near Bottom Edge of Tortilla

Place Stick of Cheese on Filling

Fold sides In

Roll Tortilla From Bottom To Top To Form Chimichanga :)

Wrapped Each Chimichanga Individually in Foil Before Storing In Freezer Bags


Twice Baked Potatoes (revisited)

After the potatoes baked, I pulled them out and let them sit and cool while I finished my other stuff up and did a little clean up. Once they were cooled, I slit them down the middle and scooped out all the insides...

Scooped Out Potatoes

Potato Filling

Next I just added all the goodies I wanted to make loaded potatoes. I chose sour cream, butter, bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, ranch dressing, chives, salt and pepper... yeah I had a little of everything, just how I love it :D You just choose what you want and add it in til it taste the way you want it! If you want a recipe to follow below is approximately what I added for 8 potatoes:

Ingredients:
8 oz sour cream
1 stick (8 tbsp) butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 tbsp ranch
3 tbsp chives
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper

Potatoes All Stuffed

Potatoes Ready for the freezer :)

And yes... that FINALLY concluded my cooking marathon!!!

I ended up with 14 meals and 4 meals worth of twice baked potato sides!!! I ended up spending around $90 on all the groceries I had to buy which included all the meat, cheeses and veggies, which are the most expensive items (I only had the basic spices and some of the basic cooking ingredients for all these recipes) That works out to around $5-$6 per meal for things like homemade lasagna and chicken curry, which is insane! I may even end up with more meals then this out of it; that was just my guess based on the intended amount of meals, but sometimes one meal stretches into dinner and then a lunch for us too so I guess I will see :) This method of cooking is so worth it! It gives you wholesome meals much cheaper than going out when you don't feel like cooking, and you know what's in your food. If you plan your meal plan right and catch sales, you can make things even cheaper than I did. It takes a couple rounds to adjust to a process that works for you, but in the end you feel so accomplished. If I can do it, you can do it too! Hope you try it, and if you need any help, then I am more than willing to help!


Lizzy <3

Jello Shots.... Made from... Gummi Bears?!?!?!?!

So, my birthday was last weekend, and even though I didn't really do anything major, I did have fun trying out some fun party recipes! I thought it would be fun to share this with New Year's Eve around the corner because it would definitely be a hit for your party, and it is SO simple!!! Someone mentioned jello shots in passing recently, and I thought to myself- wonder how hard they are to make??? I hadn't really intended on making them, but when I stumbled onto this idea, I had to do it! It's very simply... all you need is vodka and gummi bears.

Directions:

1. Simply put however many gummi bears you want to make into shots and place them in a 9x13 baking pan (you don't have to worry if they touch or are stacked on one another-- they will not stick to each other and it won't affect the process)
2. Pour vodka over gummi bears making sure you cover them so they are completely submerged
3. Place cover or plastic wrap over the 9x13 pan and place in fridge
4. Let set for three days (I actually only manage to let them set for 2 and they turned out fine, but the longer the better according to what I have read on various forums and pinterest pins) gummi bears will swell up to two and a half times their normal size!
5. Once you've let gummi bears set, strain all gummi bears with a slotted spoon and lay out on paper towels to dry
6. After about 30 minutes move gummi bears onto more paper towels to dry again
7. Serve gummi bears in a fun/quirky way. I decided to use leftover cupcake wrappers with a fun print on them I'd bought to make cupcakes. I put about 10-15 gummi bears per wrapper, and people loved the idea!

**Gummi Bears after soaking in fridge for 2 days**

**This is how much the gummi bears size increased in 2 days**

**gummi bears drying out**

**my last minute idea on how to make individual servings for guests :)**

Ok, overall I thought this was a really fun idea, and it worked better than I expected! However, a word of warning from someone who tried this, the more you chew them THE STRONGER THE TASTE. I found if I kept chewing them the vodka flavor over-powered the fruit flavor from the gummi bears, but some people may like that... it's like a fruit flavor then WHAM alcohol. If you just chew a couple time then swallow you get to enjoy more of the fruit flavor with a less potent vodka taste. Also, it was weird but the leftover ones that didn't get eaten for my birthday, we tried the next day after sitting out and the vodka flavor was almost gone. Even if we chewed and chewed you could barely taste the vodka so perhaps after so long the vodka evaporates out of them so probably best to serve them fresh, and make sure you don't take them out til a few hours before your party! Hope you try and enjoy them at your next adult get together :)

FUTURE BLOG TEASER: up next-- freeze ahead marathon weekend: 6 different make ahead meals/recipes for the freezer, plus step by step instructions on how to best execute a freezer meal marathon. plus, a special surprise food idea that's great for fall/winter :)

Lizzy <3

Expensive Cafe Coffees: Who Knew They Could Be Made At Home For Cheap And With Such Little Effort???

So if you are like me at all, you have a weakness for those $5 a pop coffees from Starbucks or other similar places. After a long day at work or even as a cap off to a fun-filled girls night, I get giddy when I see that frozen or steaming concoction coming from the drive-thru window into my anxiously awaiting hand, but later I feel a little guilty at spending $5 on one drink that disappears in 30 minutes or less. Do you ever feel that way? Well, *drum roll* feel guilty no more because you can create ice coffee that tastes just as good as what you spend gobs of money on, but you can do it for a small fraction of the cost and keep it in your refrigerator for enjoyment for up to a month! Drinking indulgent coffee is now guilt free... as long as you don't think about the calories involved :) To see where I got the original concept go check out Craving Comfort

Let's start with what you'll be needing to create this decadent coffee:

INGREDIENTS:
-1 lb of coffee (if you want a more realistic version of what you usually buy, you'll want to buck up and spend the money on the expensive coffee from the company, but I believe you'll be able to get similar results even with cheaper store bought coffees.. plus you'll save even more!)
-1 gallon of water (straight from the faucet works, but you can also buy drinking water in a gallon jug, then reuse the jug for the process which you'll understand more in a little bit)
-1-12 oz can evaporated milk
-1-14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

OTHER MATERIALS NEEDED:
-large bowl, has to hold at least a gallon of liquid
-large pitcher to store coffee, or if you've got an empty gallon jug or purchased a gallon of drinking water for the recipe it will work too :)
-small container (preferred one that's easily poured from even something like a salad dresser bottle would work as long as it can hold 26 oz) to hold sweetener
-coffee filters
-kitchen funnel

This is so exciting to share! Let's get started!!!

1. Pour your gallon of water into the bowl you've chosen to use
2. Add the pound of coffee straight into the water (yes you are cold brewing the coffee- you don't even need a coffee machine!!!), let sit for 12 hours or overnight

** This is what it will look like after setting**

Now comes the only time consuming part, but believe me its worth it!

3. Place funnel into gallon jug (or if you are like me and planned to put the coffee in a pitcher with no gallon jug available, you'll need something with a small neck that a funnel will fit into, I chose a 2 liter bottle I had just emptied and it worked great!)

4. Place a coffee filter in the funnel and slowly start to pour the coffee through the filter (I used a measuring cup to scoop it from the bowl and transfer it). You will end up going through several coffee filters as they start clogging up with all the grounds. Like I said this is time consuming, but worth it!

5. Once you've strained all the coffee put it into the fridge, whether in your gallon jug or transferred to a gallon pitcher

Now it's time to make the sweet stuff!

6. Combine the sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk into your designated container, mix together-- that's it, just store it in the fridge too!

Now for the creation...

When you are ready to enjoy your coffee simply fill glass 2/3rd full of coffee and fill the other 1/3rd with sweetener (I even enjoy it slightly sweeter than that, but it's a good start to see what you like), and that's it ENJOY!!! AND You can store the coffee for up to a month in your fridge :)

You can add ice first if you want, but I find it kinda waters it down if you don't drink it fairly quickly. I also think you could easily blend it to be frozen by adding the coffee/sweetener mix in with a scoop of ice and blending it YUM! Get fancy and add some whipped topping from a can and drizzle chocolate or caramel syrup over it just to make it look more official. I enjoyed it without all that, but I can see where it could be fun to play with for parties or company to impress them :)

One thing I think will improve the overall flavor of the coffee is to use pre-flavored coffee. Let's say you are a vanilla or caramel lover, then get coffee that is infused already with your favorite flavor, and that will take the coffee from basic iced coffee to flavored iced coffee! I plan to try this out with some pumpkin spice coffee a friend gave me next-- see if I can recreate those seasonal favorites from Starbucks. Experiment with it, it's hard to mess up so have fun! Let me know what your favorite combo is, maybe I'll wanna try it too!

Admittedly, I will not be giving up the occasional trip to my favorite place for coffee, but I think that this will definitely satisfy me 3 out of 4 times! What a money saver! I estimate that I spent $16 to make all of this (keeping in mind I used expensive coffee bought from Starbucks to make it more authentic to them). So far I've had a 24 oz glass (no ice- pictured above) full of it, plus gave a 16 oz glass to a friend to try, and so far it hasn't hardly put a dent in my coffee. I do think you will go through a couple rounds of the sweetener to get through the gallon of coffee, esp if you like it sweet like me so keep that in mind. I would estimate I will probably spend $20 or so dollars in total, but I will most definitely get at least triple the equivalent of $20 (or 4 coffees) from mine vs buying it. So that means probably around 12 large coffees for $20-- that's only $1.66 per cup, which is equivalent to about a venti at Starbucks. If you use cheaper coffee, the cost will be a fraction of that even!

Hope you do this soon!

UPCOMING BLOG TEASER: jello shots for holiday parties made out of... candy???

Til Next Time...


Lizzy <3

Ham & Swiss Sammis: Fancy Style (but Easy to Make!)

Yeay! My first recipe post, and it's definitely one to write about! I know... you're thinking... really Liz? Your first recipe is a fancy sandwich, but seriously it is so easy, yet so much more than mini sandwiches! Just trust me :) I found this from another cooking blog, so credit for this recipe most certainly goes to a lovely lady at Beyer Beware


Ok first things first, I'll give you the list of ingredients you'll be needing:
-1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
-1 small onion, finely diced/chopped
-3 Tbsp dijon mustard
-1 Tbsp worchestershire sauce
-2 Tbsp poppy seeds
-1 package of 12 Hawaiian sweet rolls
-1/2 pound of ham (shaved or even thin sliced works, whatever type you like)
-6-8 slices of swiss cheese

**At this time preheat your oven to 350 degrees so its ready when you are**

First you will be making up the sauce, which is the base for the flavor pop in this recipe, and what makes it 'fancy', but most importantly makes it seem like you spent a whole lot more effort than you did:

1. Melt the stick of butter in a medium sized pan
2. Add in your diced/chopped onion, and let simmer for about 5 mins til onions become tender
3. Add in dijon mustard, worchestershire sauce, and poppy seeds, and let simmer a few minutes more
4. Turn the heat down low and let sauce sit

**Below is pictured what the sauce looks like upon completion***

Next, you have to assemble the sammis, which I found kinda fun, and I bet it is something kids would love to help with even! I will show a picture after each of these steps so its easier to understand the assembly process:

1. Cut entire pack of Hawaiian sweet rolls in half doing your best to leave it one big piece. Place the bottom section of rolls into a 9x13 baking dish.

2. Use about two-thirds of the sauce you've made and spread it evenly across the bottom section of rolls (you'll want to save remaining sauce for a little later in the recipe)

3. Now you want to spread your ham evenly on top of the sauce and then place your cheese slices evenly on top of the ham (let the kiddos help with this part if you want!)

4. Now place the top section of the rolls on top of the cheese.

5. Use the remaining sauce mixture to spread across the top of the sammis!

6. Cover your 9x13 pan with aluminum foil and place in oven for 20 minutes
7. Remove foil and cut the sammis into individual servings (the 12 rolls) and enjoy!!

These were a hit for us! I paired the sammis with some store bought potato wedges, and it hit the spot :) This is a very versatile recipe in my opinion because it can be used as a simple week night meal when you don't have anything thawed or want something yummy without a lot of effort. Or, as the originator of the recipes suggest, they also make fabulous party snacks for Superbowl (believe it or not its not far away!) or even New Year's Eve parties! It's also kid-friendly sized and they even reheat fairly well! The best part for me? It's a cheap, easy meal! Hope you'll try it, and let me know what you think! Happy Eats!!!

FUTURE BLOG TEASER:Next blog recipe coming up- iced coffee made in bulk at home that will last for up to a month in the fridge, and PLUS saves a lot with no need to buy all those fancy coffees from the cafes :D

Lizzy <3

Welcome!!!

Well, as Dora would say "WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE DID IT! YEAH!!!" except it's more 'I did it!' (thanks to my little niece Paige for that inspiration)... I finally made a cooking blog. It's funny because I've tried a couple different blogs, and they flopped. Either I didn't keep up with them OR people weren't interested in my philosophical ramblings LOL But this... I believe this blog will be here to stay! I mean it makes sense, I've always loved cooking, and every time I make something it seems like at least 1 person wants the recipe so why not make a blog of all my cooking adventures, and share them so that people can find them when they need them! Feel free to share with friends and family, but if you share with them or online, please give Lizzy's Home Cookin' or the appropriate person I borrowed from the credit for it! Thanks and happy cookin'!

Lizzy <3