Ham & Cheese Croissants

One of my kids' favorite go-to meals is the ham and cheese croissant. It's super quick to make and uses stuff we keep on hand all the time.



Ham & Cheese Croissants
Refrigerated croissant rolls
Deli sliced ham
Velveeta



Lay out the croissant triangles on a baking sheet. Roll up two pieces of sliced ham and place at the top of the triangle. Add a half-slice of Velveeta, lengthwise. Roll up the croissant. Bake for 12 minutes at 350. Voila! Dinner in a hurry.

Lemon Bars (of a sort)

For my daughter's class Valentine's Day party, I made individual lemon bars in cupcake cups. I doubled the recipe and put about 2 Tbsp. of crust in each cup, then pressed down with a small, plastic cup before pre-baking.There was more than enough crust yet the perfect amount of filling for 24, so I pressed the remaining crust into a smaller pan, baked it, then cut it into squares, making shortbread-ish type cookies.



Lemon Bars

CRUST
1/2 C. butter, softened
1-1/3 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 C. white sugar

FILLING
2 eggs
3/4 C. white sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3-1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Powdered sugar to sprinkle on the top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

FOR CRUST: Mix together the first three ingredients with a fork until crumbly. You can also blend them in a food processor. Use pulses until it gets crumbly. This is a lot faster and easier, though clean up is a little more involved. (But that's why we love dishwashers.)

Press crumbles into an 8-inch square pan and bake for 20 minutes. The crust will still be white; do not brown!

NOTE: If you want to make sure that your lemon bars come out extra pretty, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper first, then press the crumbles in. It wouldn't hurt to spray the sides either.

FOR FILLING: Combine the rest of the ingredients (except for powdered sugar) in a blender. (Yes, you can do this by hand with a whisk, but it's WAY easier in the blender, plus you'll get a smoother consistency in the blender.) Blend until well mixed. Pour over pre-baked crust.

Return to the oven and bake an additional 20 minutes. Once they're out, sprinkle with powdered sugar while warm. Let bars cool completely before cutting.

Tortilla Pizzas

These are a wonderful last-minute, go-to dinner for busy people. It's fun for kids to do and very easy to prepare. Also a great way to use up those last few tortillas that are about to go stale.



Tortilla Pizzas

flour tortillas
spaghetti sauce
toppings of your choice
shredded mozzerella

Bake tortillas right on the oven rack at 375 degrees for 5-7 minutes until just beginning to harden. Pull them out and place on a cookie sheet.

Dice veggie toppings finely--onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, thinly-sliced olives, etc. They must be diced/sliced very small so they don't overwhelm the delicate tortilla crust. Pepperoni is great too.

Spread a 2-3 Tbsp. spaghetti sauce over each tortilla. Make sure to go almost all the way to the edge to keep the edges from burning. Top with desired toppings, then cheese. Go light on the toppings and cheese to ensure that everything stays together when you cut it up.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned. Slice up with a pizza cutter and enjoy!

This is a great way to serve custom pizzas to a group and/or for younger kids who might like to decorate their own pizzas. Just pre-bake tortillas, then arrange toppings on a plate or buffet-style in bowls at the table. Everyone can do their own toppings. Just be sure to mark whose is whose somehow!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

These bell peppers are so tasty and quite simple to throw together as well. It's one of our go-to meals, and one pepper can easily feed two kids. The leftovers are great as is or rolled up in a flour tortilla with a little salsa and sour cream.



Stuffed Bell Peppers

6 large bell peppers (any color)
1 lb. ground meat (beef, turkey, or whatever you like)
1/2 small onion, diced
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
garlic salt
oregano
basil
parsley
2-3 C. cooked rice
mozzarella cheese

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Cut off tops of bell peppers, straight across. Trim around the stem and dice remaining usable parts from the lid. Discard stem and seeds. Place whole peppers in an oven-safe dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes. Set aside.

Brown ground meat in a pan. Season with garlic salt, oregano, basil, and parsley about halfway through cooking. Add onions and diced bell peppers. Cook til soft--shouldn't take long. Add tomato sauce and rice. Stir to combine, then heat through.

Fill whole bell peppers with this mixture until full to the brim, then place in a sprayed baking dish. Top generously with cheese.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until the cheese is done to your liking. (We like it crispy on the edges and lightly browned on top.)