Ham and Broccoli Pockets

Ever since we had success with our pizza pockets, my mind has been swirling.  Breakfast pockets.  And, now -- ham and cheese pockets.

Whole wheat dough, a filling made with ham and green veggies, and a sauce with great flavor from extra sharp cheddar cheese made creamy from flour and milk!  

The original recipes uses a filling that combines mild cheddar cheese and butter.  I've found that you can eliminate the butter and still get a nice thick sauce.  And, if you use extra sharp cheddar cheese, the flavor is much greater and therefore you can use less cheese.  Just a little healthier... but every little bit helps, right?

Ham and Broccoli Pockets - Inspired by Good Life Eats
Makes 8-10 pockets

Dough
1 C really warm water
1 tsp. honey
1 T yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 C white whole wheat flour

Filling
1 1/2 C diced ham
1 1/2 C broccoli florets, chopped
1 C peas
4 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 1/2 C milk*
1/8 C chicken broth
3 T flour
1/4 tsp. pepper


Prepare dough by dissolving the yeast in the warm water.  Allow this mixture to sit for ~1 minute.  Then, add in the honey, salt and olive oil.  Using your mixer, mix in the flour.  Knead about 5 minutes until smooth.  Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes while you prepare the filling ingredients. 

Place the frozen veggies (or fresh -- I ended up using frozen) in a large bowl.  

Add the diced ham.  

Saute the veggies and ham together until warmed.  Then, set aside.  

Combine the chicken broth and flour in a measuring up.  Stir until flour and broth are smoothly mixed together.  

Add the broth and flour mixture to a saucepan.  Heat over medium heat, stirring until mixture just begins to thicken.  Then, add in the milk.  Season with pepper.  

Stir until mixture thickens.  Then, remove from the heat.  Add in the cheese.  

As the heat from the dish melts the cheese, you may need to add a bit more milk to increase the liquid nature of the sauce.  I ended up adding between 1/8-1/4 C.  

At this point, divide the dough into 8-10 pieces, and roll/press each out into a circle.  

Place ~1- 1 1/2 C filling on half of the dough circle.  

Using a pastry brush, lightly wet the outer edge of the dough.  Then fold the dough over the filling and use a fork to seal.  

Bake in a preheated oven at 400 for 10-12 minutes until pockets are lightly browned.  

Cool for 3-4 minutes before cutting and serving.  Filling will be hot!  

Linked to: Ingredient Spotlight, What's on Your Plate? Your Recipe, My Kitchen, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Mangia Monday, Hunk of Meat Monday  

Ham and Mushroom Omelet

A couple of years ago, I learned an easy way to make omelets.

Before that... I had no idea what I was doing.  I tried flipping the eggs over and that never ended up pretty.  For me, or the eggs.

Now, I have a great method down that really works for me. The trick... cook over low heat and cover the eggs while they are cooking.  When the egg is just about done, add the toppings, then fold in half.  Thus, you avoid the need to flip the egg all together!

It's as easy as that!

Our current two favorite omelets are veggie-filled, and ham and mushroom.  Today, I will share the ham and mushroom version with you.  

Ham and Mushroom Omelet - Finding Joy in My Kitchen

Serves 2

3 eggs

1/4 C milk

salt and pepper, to taste

4 slices of ham lunch meat, cut into small pieces

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1/2 C cheese, shredded {we like Colby Jack}

Begin by lightly beating the three eggs together in a large bowl or measuring cup.  I like to use a liquid measuring cup because of the nice pour spout.  If you have a cool bowl with one- like this Oxo one my mom has - by all means, use that bowl!  Add the milk and stir.  Season with salt a pepper.

Lightly oil an omelet-sized pan and begin to heat the pan over medium heat.

Check to see that the pan is ready by dripping a few drops of egg in the pan.  If it cooks right away, your pan is ready.  Then, pour in half of the egg mixture.

Cover the eggs in the pan with a cover that fits nicely on your pan.

Allow the eggs to cook until the top is set and no longer runny.  This takes my eggs about 5 minutes with our stovetop.

Meanwhile, saute the mushrooms and ham together in a second skillet.  And, get the cheese ready.

Uncover, and add your toppings to one half of the omelet.

Sprinkle in the cheese, and cover again.  Allow the cheese to mostly melt and the egg to finish cooking.  

Using a spatula, fold the egg over the filling.

Carefully slide the omelet onto a plate.

Serve with a nice glass of OJ!  We love having these for dinner or brunch -- a great and filling meal.

How do you make your omelets?




Linked to: What's on Your Plate?

Quiche Lorraine

My mom called me the other day while she was at the grocery store, to have me tell her the ingredients for this family favorite quiche.  I went straight to the computer to look it up here on Recipe Shoebox and lo and behold, I've never published it.  I decided to remedy the situation and make it ASAP.  So here it is, the quiche recipe we've been making and loving for the better part of a decade.  :)  Look for the make-ahead tips at the bottom to cut down on the morning prep time. 

 

Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:

9-inch pie crust

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 cup ham, minced
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 green or red pepper, diced
3 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard



Directions:  Bake unpricked pie crust for 5 minutes at 425 degrees.

Remove from oven  and arrange cheese,

bacon,

 

and ham in bottom of shell.

 

Sprinkle with green onions and green or red pepper. 

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, cream, lemon peel, salt, and dry mustard.  Pour evenly over cheese mixture. 

Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until set.  Remove from heat and let stand about 10 minutes before serving.  Serves 8. 

Enjoy! 

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MAKE AHEAD TIPS:

The night before you can:
Cook and crumble the bacon
Chop the ham, peppers, and green onions
Shred the Swiss cheese
Make and bake the pie crust (it only needs to bake for 5 minutes before adding everything)

In a gallon size Ziploc baggie, combine everything, but the crust and the egg mixture.  In the morning, you can put all the ingredients in the crust and throw it in the oven. 

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

I love my crockpot.
It's well worn and broken in.
Over the past 5 years, it's made a considerable number of meals to feed our family.

This breakfast casserole was a huge hit!  We enjoyed it for dinner one evening, and again for brunch over the weekend.  I love the short ~2 hour cooking time -- makes it feasible to make even when I get home from work; which is great for those long days when traditional crockpot dishes would we well over done.    

The dish is versatile too -- I used asparagus and mushrooms along with ham for the first go-round, and the second time, I used kielbasa sausage, broccoli, peppers and mushrooms.  

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole - Adapted from Come Have a Peace
{Print Recipe}

1-2 thick slices of "older" bread {French, of the crusts of homemade wheat bread work great!}
1 C fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 C fresh green veggies {asparagus, broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, etc}
1 C diced ham or sliced kielbasa sausage
4 eggs
1/4-1/2 C milk
1/2 C colby jack cheese, shredded
salt and pepper, as needed

Begin by spraying the crockpot with olive oil or a cooking spray.

Then, break apart the bread into small chunks.  Sprinkle these in the bottom of the crockpot.

Over the top, layer the mushrooms, green veggies and meat.

Lightly beat the eggs and milk together, then pour this mixture over the top!

Sprinkle with cheese, salt and pepper, as desired.

Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 -2 hours.

Enjoy!



This post is linked to:

• What's on your plate?
• Recipe Swap
• This Week's Craving
• URS: Easy Brunch
• Recipe Roundup