Prosciutto & Cheese Rosettes

I came up with these tasty treats when I had just a few strips of prosciutto left...they couldn't be put away and unused before their time came to an end. Plus, they are great for everything from bridal showers, to family get-togethers, to sports viewing gatherings.

Very simple to do...almost impossible to mess-up these savory bites. Plus they look really pretty too. Guys don't care about pretty, I know, but it's nice to present something that doesn't look like dog chow during a game.

Grab a skillet and let's get to cooking some bacon! I take several slices of bacon and cut them in half. This seems to allow me to fit and maneuver more of them in the skillet to get the coloring and crispness I like for each slice. Then turn the heat up to medium high and let them start cooking. I want them to be cooked and a bit browned but not quite crispy for this recipe...they will be put under a broiler in the final step.

Next, I turn my attention to the prosciutto slices, while also keeping a watchful eye on my bacon for turns and flips needed, and cut each slice in half width-wise. This allows the perfect size for placing them in a mini muffin pan without lapping over the sides.

While the bacon is cooking, I take a pastry brush and dab a little bit of the bacon grease into the muffin tins. 

OR a little bit of cooking spray could be used. (I prefer to carry the bacon flavor over)

Time to start placing my prosciutto. Separating the slices can be a bit nerve wracking...especially if they are sliced extremely thin...so I take care while separating them to be sure that I don't end up splitting slices. 

Then each slice is placed into the muffin tins by laying the center of the slice down

and gently pressing the sides to form a cup in the tin.

Option #1: Flat Slices To Be Rolled Before Placement

Option #2: The Roll-up

I like to slice the provolone cheese by rolling it up (loosely) before slicing it.

 

 

This allows me to pick up the pieces I need...

 

 
and makes for easy placement into the prosciutto cups.

Then I slice my mozzarella cheese sticks into 1/4" thick rounds. 

The mozzarella sticks just make a perfect fit into the center of the prosciutto cups. And it's not too much mozzarella cheese...just right.

 

Now for my favorite garlic spread mix...Johnny's Great Caesar Garlic Spread & Seasoning. My local Costco sells this amazingly wonderful mix. If you do not have a Costco in your area, or have trouble locating some of Johnny's Great Caesar Garlic Spread & Seasoning, then visit their website at: http://www.johnnysfinefoods.com/

 

Sprinkle a little of the garlic spread seasoning over the top of each prosciutto cup...this just makes it so delectable. (a little goes a long way)

 

The final step brings our bacon back to the chopping block...each slice gets cut in half length-wise and then into 1/4" slices width-wise. Those little pieces of bacon then get sprinkled on top of the cheese.

One more quick step before going into the oven, a quick spritz of cooking spray for each cup...which helps brown the garlic spread seasoning.

 

Then into the oven, broiler set on low, for 5-7 minutes. Keeping an eye on the prosciutto cups so that they don't burn, but instead get nicely browned and bubbly.

 

Once toasted, I pull them out and resist grabbing one & popping it into my mouth. 

  

Let them set for a couple of minutes and then plate them for those blessed to receive them.

 

Monday Mornings

Doesn't starting this posting with such a lovely flower just make a Monday a little bit better right off the bat? I mean, this gorgeous flower brings beauty to the beginning of what is typically a rather gloomy day in most people's eyes. (Thank you San Diego Zoo for housing such a lovely bloom) Instant grace and peace right there in that delicate flower.

Every Monday it's the same thing for me... "Errrrg. It's Monnnnndaaaaaay. Is it over yet?" Sunday night I start going through the motions of going into another Monday. Another start to another week that will most likely be very close to the same as the several before it. Time to get a menu for dinners roughly figured out, decide if I want to start the week off with laundry duty or not, think of something special to do with the girls one of the days...yeah, it's time to face another Monday. But then this scripture popped into my head:

Lamentations 3:22-23 (New Living Translation)
²² The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. ²³ Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

So here is the sigh of relief that I utter, "Aaaaahhhhhhhhh." Even on Mondays, God's mercy is there and He will provide me with all that I need to get through it. And Lord knows that I need His help every Monday morning. And every single day besides.

Why Monday is the stinker of the week, I don't know...it just always has been. It's a mental thing, I know. Therefore I am making a new "mental thing" about Mondays...

It's the beginning of a new week full of possibilities. I will not dwell on what may go wrong, but be hopeful of all that will go right. Maybe this one little change in facing my "Monday Morning Blues" will pull the blues right out of my Monday.

Divine Strawberry Nutella Stuffed French Toast

This stuffed French toast is the ultimate chocolate lover's French toast. And if you have never had Nutella, oh are you in for a treat! It is this wonderful import from Italy that is a creamy chocolate and hazelnut spread. Paired with strawberries, it becomes the ultimate stuffing for French toast.

I was introduced to Nutella about 5 years ago. What a wonderful introduction that was. Now, I find different ways to incorporate it to desserts and treats. This stuffed French toast came about when my daughter Grace asked for chocolate for breakfast.

So I take some frozen strawberries from the freezer, of course, and get them defrosted. The best is fresh, but in the middle of Winter that's a bit difficult.  I like to keep a couple bags of frozen fruit in the freezer since there are always times that my girls want some on the fly.

 
I then slice them into 1/4" thick slices. Keeping them uniform will allow everything to sit nicely in the center of the French toast.

 
These little lovelies were stolen from Charming's hazelnut stash. They will be joining the party later on.



Then I grab my whole wheat bread...I just really like the flavor of French toast so much better when wheat bread is used. It gives it a kind of nuttiness. Next the Nutella gets opened and I take out a nice knife full of it on over to the bread slices. I lather it onto one slice to begin with.

The Nutella gets topped it with as many sliced strawberries as I can in one layer, without going over the sides. As much as I love this pairing, I don't want it all to end up in the skillet instead of my plate.

Now the second slice gets it's slathering of Nutella on the opposite side. (that way they line-up perfectly, just like making a sandwich)

Join the two slices together. Now you could just take a bite now, and it would be absolute heaven for your taste buds, but hold off and wait for the payoff.

 
Notice that my sunny pal, Pooh Bear, has joined the show...in the morning, I just need him filled with flavored coffee to get me ready for the day. Anyway, four eggs get cracked and added to a pie tin.

Each yolk gets pierced before getting to the beating. Then beat them until they are well mixed.



Just to kick things up a notch, I take an orange and start zesting. Oh yeah, orange zest is going to be gracing this dish.

Then I add a little bit of orange juice to give our toast even more "umph". Plus orange & chocolate and orange & strawberry are such beautiful combinations, I just had to add some.

Next a little bit of vanilla extract. I always add vanilla extract to my batter for my French toast. If it's not there, then something is missing.

 
Every French toast has to have cinnamon...so here it is. Carefully beat it into the mix and we're ready to start dipping our Nutella & strawberry sandwiches.

 
Move everything over to my range. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add a couple pats of butter to the pan. (or you could do this on a griddle and get them all done at the same time)

First one into the egg bath. I let it soak for about 10-15 seconds on one side...



then I flip it over and let the other side have a quick soak.

The pan is nice and hot, the butter is melted and it's time to get this sandwich turned into French toast.

After about 3 minutes I like to lift up the toast and check to see if the center of it is golden brown. It may take up to 5 minutes, may not. Then flip it over and let the other side have it's turn.



While I'm waiting, I grab those hazelnuts and start chopping them up. Tiny, small, medium & large chunks...they all get used!

Back to the pan. Pull off the finished French toast...place it on a pretty plate, slice it in half, top it with a dusting of powdered sugar and cinnamon, then a fluffy mound of whipped cream, strawberries (and you could stop here)...



or you could take it a step further and add the chopped hazelnuts. Then hold onto my fork and go in for the first bite! HEAVEN!

 

Quick Bacon & Cheese Fritters

 

 

Beautiful little fried biscuits full of cheese & bacon goodness...Perfect as a side to a Pulled Pork Sandwich or any barbecue meal. These fritters have great flavor throughout and a wonderful crunch.

 

These little beauties are quick and simple to make. I take advantage of pre-made biscuit dough, (thank you Pillsbury!), and roll them through our short list of ingredients.

 

So I start off with 4 strips of bacon and cut them in half. (they fit in the pan better that way & it's easier to keep them straight) Set my heat to medium high and then into the skillet they go. I give them several minutes on one side, then flip them over and allow the other side to crisp.

 

Pull them out before they get too done...we like our bacon crunchy but not black as charcoal. :) Allow the bacon to strain a bit on some paper towels or napkins before taking them to the chopping board.

 

Over to our biscuits and cutting board...I chop some fresh cilantro. It gives a nice freshness to the fritters and also looks great. A little green goes a long way. (for those who are not fans of cilantro, you can use fresh Italian parsley instead)

 

 

Then I take some corn meal to my prep/cutting mat. It gives the biscuits a nice crunch adding a little more texture to the fritters.

 

Mix the cilantro and corn meal together. The colors just compliment each other so well.

 

 

Time to let the buscuits take a roll in the cornmeal & cilantro. I start off rolling each individual one so that they are well coated.

 

 

Then I add the cheese to the mix. According to my hubby, the more cheese the better. According to my doctor, everything in moderation. So I add just enough to make him happy without killing our hearts. Rolling the biscuits through the cheese, I try to make sure that each one gets plenty worked into the dough.

 

 

Grab my chopping knife and start giving the bacon a rough chop. The pieces could be as large or small as I like, but I prefer to have an array of sizes.

 

 

Gather the dough balls together and start rolling them through the bacon. Or they can be taken individually and worked through the bacon bits. Now to be honest, I actually do this both ways.

 

 

Make 10 balls of dough and set them apart. I just love the way all of the color jumps out at you. Don't they look pretty?

 

 

Next run a knife through each dough ball so that there are 20 balls to fry. (20 just sounds better than 10, plus they get done all the way through in no time) Then give them a quick roll in the leftover bits on the cutting board. Over high heat, I add enough oil into a medium sauce pan to be between 3 inches deep. Usually my choice of oil would be peanut oil, it has a high threshold to smoking, but you could really use either corn, vegetable or canola instead. Olive oil really doesn't give the best flavor, it's just too strong.

 

 

If you don't have this trick down yet, there is a simple way to see if your oil is hot enough to start frying. When you see the oil start rippling simply take a wooden spoon and dip the handle into the oil. If little bubbles start forming around the handle, then it's time to start frying!

 

 

Bring the heat down to medium high and gently drop in the first little dough ball to fry.

 

 

Then continue adding several more dough balls. Not too many, the temperature of the oil will begin to drop if there are too many in the pot. With a wooden spoon, give them a quick stir so that they don't stick to the bottom of the pot.

 

 

After approximately 3 minutes, I stir the fritters again, making sure that all sides are getting fried and golden brown. They should be done after a total of 5-6 minutes. Then with a slotted spoon, I remove one and cut it in half just to make sure. Remove the rest of the fritters with a slotted spoon and place on plate or cooling rack lined with a paper towel. 

 

Immediately top the fritters with a sprinkling of shredded colby jack cheese. (yeah, I've got a thing for colby jack cheese) Repeat the process with the remaining dough balls.

 

Plate them up, serve & enjoy!

A Stronghold In Times Of Trouble

Psalm 9:9-11 (New International Version)

 ⁹ The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. ¹⁰ Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. ¹¹ Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.

This passage of the Psalms has never rang more true to me than it did this past year of 2009. I look at the simple lives of these flamingos and realize that God provides for them everyday...and these particular ones have the added benefit of the protection that no predators are after them.

Such a stark contrast to the past year... It seems that everything was cut so tight for us and our world was all topsy-turvy. We started the year off without any creditors thanks to completion of our Chapter 7 filing. While it was a huge burden lifted off of our shoulders, it wasn't anything that either my husband nor I had ever wanted to do. Good side of it was that there was no house to lose, so that made it a bit easier to deal with. Then both of us were laid-off. Being that we lived in Southern California and worked in the construction industry at the beginning of 2009, it wasn't hard to see a lay-off coming. Coming from a construction based family, I had watched so many people that I had grown up knowing have to deal with a sudden dry-up of projects. So many others had suffered much worse than we had...losing businesses, houses, savings.

God is so faithful though, Charming had received a call within 3 days from his uncle wanting to open a business in Reno, NV. The timing seemed to be ideal since there was no jobs holding us back from taking it. So we packed up and made a move up to Reno with the hopes of this business opportunity being something that would turn our whole financial situation around. (unfortunately, it didn't last though)  And one of the biggest blessings was that He placed us with a church family that is just awesome.  Victory City Church located in Sparks, Nevada, is just absolutely the biggest blessing that we have received in our move. Pastors Chris & DeeDee Vigil have just gone above & beyond what I expected they would be like to a new family coming through the doors. They really have shown our little family a TON of love and support. "Thanks Pastors Chris & DeeDee!"

After about 6 months, the business closed and we were back at square one again. And I found myself calling out to God asking what on earth His plan was...because I sure didn't see it. Wondering if this was the pattern that our family was going to be facing along with so many other families. With unemployment so high in the Reno area, I was sincerely afraid that my husband was going to have a terrible time finding employment. Just to give you an idea, we are talking about situations like 3,000+ people showing up for job shows that only had 150 positions available.

Never before had I seen this kind of joblessness...this kind of depression...this kind of hopelessness on the faces of so many people. It really was frightening to me, especially since we have our two little girls to take care of. BUT God again came through for us! As I had seen the signs of my husband's business going down the tubes, I had been praying that God would make a way...that He would give us favor and open up a position that my husband could step into. I kept reminding God of His word and His promise to take care of us. It was a promise that I had been holding onto for dear life since the initial lay-offs.

Within a couple of days my hubby received a call from a company that he had placed an application with 2 weeks prior for a part-time position. Let's just say that I was jumping up and down and praising God for such a quick answer to our situation! It might be part-time, but these days you take what you can get and just believe that doors will open and God's favor will prevail.

Every time I freak-out and go into panic mode, my wonderful Charming reminds me, "Babe, you have to trust God. He always takes care of things." And he's right, every time. Can I say that anything in the line of employment is of our doing? Absolutely NOT. God has definitely taken care of my family and for that I must give credit where credit is due. I must take the time to thank Him for meeting our needs and providing a job where there was a next-to-nil chance of getting one with so much competition these days.

Just as the psalm says, God has been my stronghold through our troubles. A place for me to run to for strength. And I can not deny that I have learned a lesson of trusting and leaning on God's promises throughout this past year. Through it all HE is faithful...always.