Recipe's from Freezer cooking night

Ham & Cheese Braid

1 loaf Rhodes bread dough
1/2 cup or 1 stick butter
1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (not generic)
3/4 lb. thinly sliced ham
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Assembly: Roll bread dough out into a rectangular shape so that itsapproximately 1/2" thick. Combine butter and ranch mix. Spread about 5 tablespoons of mixture on the rectangle. Layer ham and cheese down thecenter of the rectangle. Use a pizza cutter to cut strips along eachside of the dough (even numbers on each side). Starting at bottom,take each piece, cross and twist. Continue criss-crossing until yourit is all braided. Brush remaining butter ranch mixture over the top.Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Wrap loaf with plastic wrap and then foil.Label with cooking instructions and freeze.

Cooking Instructions: Unwrap from foil and plastic wrap and set on alightly greased baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap. Let thawovernight in refrigerator. A couple hours before you are ready to bakeplace on counter to let rise. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.


Brown Bag Burritos
▪ 2 lb. ground beef
▪ 2 cans refried beans (I make my own)
▪ 1 1/3 c. enchilada sauce
▪ 1/2 c. water
▪ 1/3 c. minced onion (I use dried)
▪ 1 Tbsp. chili powder
▪ 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
▪ 1 tsp. salt
▪ 1 tsp. dried oregano
▪ 3 c. shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, whatever)
▪ 20 flour tortillas (burrito-size)
Brown ground beef; drain. Add remaining ingredients (except tortillas). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Heat 3-4 tortillas at a time. Spoon 1/4 c. beef mixture down the side of each tortilla. (I like to use my cookie scoop for this. Helps me keep everything uniform without any mess.)
Roll up. Wrap each burrito in a paper towel, then wrap in foil. (See my crinkly foil? Because the foil doesn’t really touch the food, it is super easy to save and reuse!)
Refrigerate or freeze. I like to pack them in the tortilla ziplock bag. I can usually fit 10 per bag. Oh, by the way, sure wish I would have looked at the corner of this bag before I bought them. See where it says “Thins?” Not such a good thing for burritos. These tortillas tore too easily. I know I should practice making my own…
When ready to eat, remove foil and microwave for about a minute. The paper towel keeps the burritos moist. If you don’t use a microwave, skip the paper towel and just wrap in foil. Then heat burritos in the oven with foil. For a sit down meal they are nice topped with lettuce, cheese, salsa, and sour cream. If you’re eating on the run, though, just grab and go!

Baked Apple Doughnuts

here is the recipe for Lindsey's yummy doughnuts from our last MOPS:

Baked Apple Doughnuts

1 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup grated raw apple


1/2 cup melted butter
Mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Sift first 5 ingredients. Cut in shortening. Mix together egg, milk, and apple. Add all at once to dry ingredients and mix quickly, but thoroughly. Fill greased muffin tin 2/3 full. Bake 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan immediately. Roll in melted butter. Then roll in sugar and cinnamon mixture. Makes 12 doughnuts.

Italian Cheese Dip

*a few of you asked me for Sarah's great recipe for cheese dip that I brought to MOPS this morning...

1 package cream cheese, room temperature

2 cups Italian cheese blend (or really any kind of cheese would work)

1/3 cup mayo

1 clove garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients together and pat into a 9" pie plate or similar casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove and top with any (or all) of the following:

~sun dried tomatoes

~marinated artichoke hearts

~sliced olives

~roasted red peppers

Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Serve with crackers or bagels.

Feta pine nut spread

Why it's titled a 'feta pine nut' spread is beyond me... I thought that the sun-dried tomatoes were a more dominant flavor than the pine nuts, but oh well.  It is what it is.

FETA PINE NUT SPREAD:

Combine the following in a food processor: 1/3 cup drained sundried tomatoes, 3 Tbsp toasted pine nuts, 1 garlic clove, 2 Tbsp chopped basil (or 2 tsp dried), 1 tsp lemon juice.  Blend until mixed and chopped.  Add 8 oz cream cheese and 7 oz feta cheese.  Blend until combined but still chunky. 

This is great on crackers, but I thought it might also be good on bagels...