Kids in the Kitchen: Ham and Cheese Roll-Ups

I stole two kids for the weekend.

I don't have any of my own yet, so I need to borrow them in the meantime.

Thankfully, my goddaughter's mother is a very trusting woman, so I have my goddaughter and her little sister for three whole days.

Today was their first day here and we made dinner together.

I saw a commercial for these a few days ago using crescent rolls, so I added ham and the crescents to the shopping list. It's a really simple recipe, perfect for little helpers.

It's also really easy to change it up based on personal preference. You can change lunch meats, cheeses, or even add spreads, herbs and spices, or vegetables to your liking.

You will need:
2 cans of crescents (mine were 8 piece low fat)
16 pieces of cheese
16 pieces of ham (mine was reduced sodium and fat)

Have all the little helpers go wash their hands. While they're busy doing this, get the different components ready. I had each ingredient separate and ready for easy assembly once the kids got involved.

I assembled one and had them watch. After that, we took turns with each girl making her own roll-up and putting it on the baking sheet until we ran out of ingredients.

Pre-heat the oven to 375° and bake for about 12-15 minutes, watching closely because they start to brown quickly.

I served us with baby carrots and hummus on the side. Johnny loved them. He sat between the girls because they argued who got to sit next to him. (Nobody argued over sitting next to me...)

They were both really excited to eat the dinner that they made. Johnny and I made sure to tell them how good they tasted and what a good job they did. Both mentioned it was the best dinner and the best night a few times while eating.

In fact, they ate so well, both girls got to have a small bowl of ice cream. They gave dinner and dessert thumbs up! :)

Let them eat (Wedding) cake!

To be honest, I really didn't care about having a wedding cake when we started planning a year ago. It just seemed silly to spend hundreds of dollars on one cake, especially since neither of us are big cake fans.

As luck would have it, our venue included the cake with our wedding package. I asked about excluding it, thinking we could make our own pies and Christmas cookies. We would have only received a $100 credit, so it ended up being worth it to have a cake!


I looked through the bakery's portfolio and instantly chose "Snowflake Tessie." It was simple and elegant. White icing with some white snowflakes. The topper was understated greenery, which went with my decor. In the sample the ribbons were red, but I knew that'd be a simple switch to my color choice of green.

In September we tasted wedding cakes and all of you guessed correctly - I went with Cannoli!

The thing I didn't count on was having to provide the topper and ribbon! I planned the wedding as frugally as possible, so I actually made the topper myself. I used the trimmed bottom of a plastic bowl, fake greenery I bought to make all the bouquets/boutonnieres, and lots and lots of hot glue! I was so proud of how it came out.

Thankfully, the women at the bakery tied the bows, I would never have been able to make them look so beautiful!

Because cannoli cream contains Ricotta cheese, Johnny chose to avoid it because chances were high that it had whey. Allergic reactions on your wedding day don't sound fun!

Instead of a "first slice," we did a "first bite" with some gingerbread men we bought ahead of time.

Chomp! We each bit off the other's head!

At the end of the day, I'm glad we had the cake. We took the top home and I had a few slices for breakfasts in the days after the wedding, since we weren't saving it to eat together. The rest I froze in individual slices to enjoy with my mom throughout the year when we get a craving!

Wedding Eats

Back in September I blogged about Johnny's and my trip to New York for wedding food tasting! We were so impressed with all of the samples, that it didn't really help to narrow down our choices. After much deliberation, we finally settled on:

(old photo of mine from the tasting)

Passed Hors d'Oeuvres:

• Mini Buttermilk Biscuit with Honey Mustard Glazed Ham and Swiss Cheese
• Franks in Puff Pastry with Honey Mustard Sauce
• Twice Baked Fingerling Potato Stuffed with Bacon and Boursin Cheese
• Beef Tenderloin Medallion on Crostini with Goat Cheese and Oven Dried Tomato
• Mini Mozzarella en Carozza with Pomodoro Sauce
• Oven Roasted Mushrooms with Sausage and Sage Stuffing

Displays:

• Artisan Cheese Table - A selection of domestic and imported cheeses, dried fruits, assorted fruit preserves and honey, crackers.
• Arthur Avenue - A selection of imported Italian meats, imported provolone, marinated artichokes and olives, garlic crostini, breadsticks, mustard, ciliegine mozzarella, and fine extra virgin olive oil.

Sadly, Johnny and I did not get to try (or even see) the displays. We were busy with pictures during the cocktail hour and riding on the merry-go-round, so we didn't make it over to that part of the room. However, we did get to eat all of the hors d'oeuvres because the staff thoughtfully kept bringing a plate with 2 of everything on it over to us.

Buffet:

• Mixed Green Salad
• Assortment of rolls and butter
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Cider Glazed Pork Loin over Braised Red Cabbage with Bacon Jus
• Roast Beef Tenderloin with Carmalized Shallots and Madeira Jus
• Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes
• Apple Glazed Carrots

The buffet was amazing! Everything on it was delicious, especially the beef. I filled my plate and stomach to the brim. Unfortunately, my dress started to feel really tight so I stopped at one plate. I didn't want to be uncomfortable the rest of the night, but boy was it good!

Christmas Dinner

Right after the wedding my parents left for Italy. Johnny and I came back to North Carolina with my brother and his girlfriend, Claire. We had a really low-key Christmas with just my God daughter and her family, us, and my brother. I loved the small Christmas. It was really fun company and just enough food to feed us, without going overboard with a gazillion sides and stress.

My brother cooked Christmas dinner, so no recipes, just sharing the day in photos!

First, he rinsed off the duck that had been brining for 48 hours.

Then, he scored the skin so the fat could render as it cooked.

Our first course was ...cheese. Just cheese. Lyn brought cheese, Michael brought cheese, and I had cheese. It was pounds and pounds of all kinds. Salami wrapped provolone, goat cheese, baked brie, and sharp cheddars.

Michael brought this wine all the way from California to share with us. He has been storing it for 4 years in a cellar, so we were really excited about it.

He was really proud of this "crust." Apparently it's sediment, and meant he stored it correctly on its side? He told me to take a picture, so I obliged...

All of the meal in progress-- busy kitchen!

The duck resting.

Awesome, crispy skin.

Really cute presentation. Legs, thighs, breasts, then wings.

My god daughter, Marissa, led us in prayer.

Then the family was ready to chow down!

The roasted duck with red wine cherry gravy.

Roasted teeny tiny potatoes with onions and garlic.

White wine braised kale with bacon.

The wine continued to flow...

...which led to funny faces...

...and new brother-in-law love!

After dinner, we went down the road to show the girls a really over-the-top decorated house. It's been on The Today Show and HGTV.

The Newlyweds!

Merry Christmas! :)

Brining a Christmas Duck

It's no secret that I'm a fan of duck over turkey. Since roasting duck for Project Food Blog (boo hiss), I've made it again for Johnny and myself, and last year for Thanksgiving.

My brother is home for Christmas this year, and my God daughter and her family are coming to visit. I asked my brother if he wanted to do duck and he said yes, and that we should brine it.

I've never brined a bird, but he said "Mrs. Food Blogger" could handle it, and I accepted the challenge.

I googled a bit and went off his recommendation of "salt, sugar, and orange" to come up with the below on my own, based on what we had.

1.5 cups table salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp mustard seed
1 Tbsp fennel seed
1 tsp celery seed
1 Tbsp black pepper
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup brewed tea, cooled
1/4 cup orange juice
2 navel oranges, cut into chunks (include peel)
1 head of garlic, cloves crushed and peeled
1-2 cups water, as needed

I put everything but the oranges and garlic in a 2 gallon zip bag. I squished the bag for a few minutes to help dissolve the salt and sugar. Then I added the oranges and garlic. I let everything sit for about 30 minutes to let the flavors start to blend.

Then I added the duck and squeezed the air out of the bag. I added about 1 cup of water for the solution to cover the entire duck. Once the bag was sealed, there was no air in it and the brine surrounded the entire bird. I put the bag in a giant bowl in the fridge to avoid any tipping or unplanned leaks.


I'm going to let it brine until Sunday morning when Chef Michael comes to prepare it. I'll let you all know how my first brining experience turns out! I'm excited!

Have you ever brined anything?

I do!

Johnny and I got married Monday!

Here is a teaser photograph we got yesterday that I thought I'd share with you guys.

A few FAQ:

We got married at Bear Mountain State Park in upstate New York. My family is from the area, so I still have a lot of family, friends, and connections there. Not to mention it's absolutely beautiful and perfect for a winter wedding!

I am 27, Johnny is 34. We were together 5 years in September.

I got my dress at David's Bridal and absolutely loved it! It did not have a train, so I chose a cathedral length veil for the ceremony to trail behind me.

Instead of carrying a bouquet, I carried my Grammy Calvino's prayer book (pictured above). She carried it down the aisle for her December wedding.

Because we got married at a state park, the venue area is open to the public on the weekends until 5pm. We could either have a much later and shorter wedding, or choose a weekday. That is the reason we had a Monday wedding.

We are not going on a honeymoon right away. Johnny has a big work project for his company he's been working on. We're hoping to go sometime in February or March after the project is wrapped up.

I'll post more photos as we get them and also some food photos!

Fail

Tonight I cooked dinner, intending on blogging about it.

I miss cooking.

I miss taking pictures of my food.

I miss blogging.

I miss sharing with you guys.

Anyways, here's what my house ended up looking like:

Yes, that's thick, dense smoke.

I had to scream for Johnny's help.

The fire alarm went off. The dog howled.

We opened all the windows. Turned on all the fans.

It's two and a half hours later and my eyes still burn.

Dinner was steak, caramelized onions, and roasted butternut squash.

My pictures of it ended up looking like grainy cat barf, so I deleted them.

Maybe one day I'll get my blogging juice back.