Somewhere, once upon a time, I came across a recipe for a mustard pasta salad made with stone ground mustard and eggs.  I made it several times and then lost the recipe and forgot about it.  The other day, in the grocery store, I noticed a jar of stone ground mustard on the clearance shelf and it reminded me of the salad.

I still haven’t found the recipe, so I went from memory.  It turned out pretty good.  Cook a box of your favorite pasta shape, drain, and rinse.  Hard boil six eggs (or use leftover Easter eggs).  Put in a generous scoop of miracle whip (or mayo – I just prefer miracle whip).  Add a couple tablespoons of mustard – more or less to your taste preference.  Shell the eggs, chop them up and stir them in.  Add more miracle whip or mustard.

Enjoy!!

I’m not a big casserole person.  As a general rule, I prefer my foods not touching, but I’ve learned that sometimes, it’s OK.  This recipe is the perfect example.  It’s also quick and easy – perfect for nights where you don’t have a lot of time to prepare dinner.

Simply mix the ham, broccoli, cheese, and croutons in your ungreased baking dish.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over the dry ingredients.  Mush them around a bit to make sure the croutons get covered.
Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

Recipe: Ham, Broccoli, and Cheese Casserole

1lb ham cubes (either prepackaged or leftovers also work)
1 12 oz bag frozen broccoli florets
1 bag croutons
8oz shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups milk
1 cup (8 oz bottle) creamy salad dressing (I use Italian)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 T dry mustard (more or less to taste)
1 T basil leaves

Mix ham, broccoli croutons, and cheese in 9×13 casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients in mixing bowl and pour over mixture in casserole dish. Stir to thoroughly mix ingredients. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

One of the things I have a hard time with is using up leftovers.  Some things can just be reheated – like soup.  Other things don’t reheat so well.  Cube steak is one of them.  I normally try to make just enough, but sometimes I end up with leftovers.  My father-in-law knew exactly what to do with them and it was delicious!!  He fried up several onions in butter and then put the leftover cube steak (chopped into bite size pieces) in and heated it long to warm them through.  Mmmm!!  So easy!  If you want a one dish meal, toss in some veggies with the meat, cover it and let it simmer for about 8 minutes.

Do you try to use up leftovers?  Do you just reheat them or remake them?

When I was a kid, we had waffles and sausage for dinner almost every week.  I loved sausage, especially if it was a little heavy on the fennel.  The waffles…well, I didn’t like them so much.  I always thought they should be good!  Who doesn’t love something smothered in syrup?  I tried them with lots of syrup, just a little syrup, lots of butter, a little butter, butter & syrup, but nothing seemed to help.  They always gave me a belly ache.  I never mentioned that to my parents (I’m really not sure why!); I just said I didn’t like waffles.  Finally, after several years (!!) of eating waffles and getting a bellyache, I told my mom.  She was properly horrified and said I could make some pancakes to eat with dinner.  So, for the past 25+ years, I’ve firmly maintained that I do NOT like waffles.

Then, one day a couple years ago, we were at my parents for dinner and they were having waffles and sausage.  I figured I could eat a small piece and then fill up on sausage.  So, I ate a small piece…it was REALLY good!  No stomach ache at all!  I ate another one and possibly another!  We have several theories on why they don’t bother me anymore (maybe it was actually the sausage – I’ve since had my gall bladder out, maybe it was the milk in the waffles – this time they were made with seltzer, maybe my taste buds changed).  Regardless, waffles show up on our menu regularly now.  I always had to borrow my parents waffle iron…then for my birthday, my brother got me my own.  It makes two at a time – awesome!

I’ve mentioned before that John comes home with recipes from his speech class.  One of them was cinnamon buns made in a waffle iron.  We had a package in the fridge that I just never got around to making.  So, this morning for breakfast, I made them.  It was so easy!  Spray the waffle iron, put one cinnamon roll in each section and cook.

The best part is that the icing stays put (at least until you take the first bite).So, do you like waffles?  What other things do you cook in your waffle iron?

My husband teaches part time at a local college. One of the classes is speech and among other things, they have to give a demonstration speech. One night he came home with this recipe and said I had to try it – that it was delicious! He wasn’t kidding!  Our picky eaters like it and it’s super easy to make! I call that a win-win!

The first time I made it, I wasn’t sure about it.  I’m not a big fan of chunky stuff in my dip.  When my husband walked into the room, he immediately knew what I was making just by the smell – mmmm, garlicky goodness!

I figured I would give it a try and surprise!  I really liked it!  In the bowl, it looked like a huge amount and I wasn’t sure we would be able to finish it before it spoiled.  Ha!  No danger of that happening.  I think we polished it off in less than two days!  It’s even better the second day after the flavors have had a chance to mix into the yogurt!

16 oz Greek yogurt, plain
One diced cucumber
3 cloves garlic minced
6 T red wine vinegar
6 T extra virgin olive oil
Put yogurt in mixing bowl and stir in cucumber and garlic. Add vinegar and olive oil and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with toasted pitas (we love homemade whole wheat pitas, cut like a pizza and toasted) or crackers of choice.