Ok, I know ya’ll looked at this recipe’s title and thought, “Why in the world do I need a recipe for something as simple as a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich?” I get it. I do. Chances are you DON’T need a recipe to figure out how to put a couple of slices of toasted bread, ham, cheese, and an egg together. But, my friends, the secret is in the sauce!

(Right about now, my bad sense of humor *thanks Dad* is encouraging me to make a stupid joke about the sauce being secret, and how you shouldn’t tell anyone…but I’m resisting the impulse. Go me!)

This was another one of the recipes born of necessity when my farmer called me up late one morning asking if I had anything I could bring him for lunch. I’m thinking you’re sensing a pattern here, and you’d be right. This happens a lot in our household, mostly because he doesn’t often know what he’s going to be doing day-to-day, so planning ahead isn’t always possible.

Spring Planting

On the particular day that this sandwich was born, we had been to some sort of function just a few days earlier where someone had made those amazing baked ham and cheese sliders. You know the ones I’m talking about, right? The ones that are on the Hawaiian Bread Rolls, with a yummy mustard-mayonnaise sauce, slathered in butter, and baked? (My friend Leah has a version here!) The sauce on those little sliders is so good, and easy, that figured I could add it to a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich and have it taste just as good!

So simple. Cook enough eggs for the number of sandwiches you are wanting to make (1 per sandwich). Just put a little butter in a non-stick skillet and break an egg into it. Season with some salt and pepper. I like my eggs over easy, JW prefers his over medium/hard (so yolks totally set–which makes them much easier to eat one handed in the tractor). Give them a flip and cook until your desired done-ness.

While the eggs are going, put some bread in the toaster…whatever sandwich break you prefer. I like to use honey wheat for these because I think it stands up to the sauce a little better, but use what you like.

In a small bowl, mix together some mayo, Miracle Whip, and honey Dijon mustard. I use a ratio of 2-2-1 here (so 2 tbsp mayo, 2 tbsp Miracle Whip, and 1 tbsp mustard).

When the eggs are nearly done, put a slice of ham per sandwich in the skillet to warm it through. Put each of those slices of ham on top of an egg, then put a slice of Muenster cheese on top of that, allowing everything to warm and the cheese to start melting.

When the bread is toasted and the eggs are done, smother at least one side of bread with the sauce, and put your egg/ham/cheese stack on the bottom slice. Close your sandwich and slice, then enjoy!

Note: if you are taking these on the go, such as running them to the field, I would recommend wrapping them in foil to keep them warm, but leaving a little crack open so some steam can escape, otherwise they may get a little soggy. I’d also suggest eating them as close to making them as possible.

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Ham, Egg, and Cheese Sandwich with Secret Sauce

Looking for an easy lunch idea that has plenty of protein and is loaded with melty, cheesy goodness? Try these Ham, Cheese, and Egg Sandwiches with Mustard Secret Sauce!

Course lunch

Cuisine American

Keyword Easy Lunch, Mayo, Mustard, Sandwich

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 8 Slices of Bread (White, Wheat, etc.)
• 4 Eggs
• 8 Slices of Ham
• 4 Slices of Cheese (Muenster, Gouda, etc.)
• 2 Tbsp Mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp Miracle Whip
• 1 Tbsp Honey Dijon Mustard
• Butter for Cooking Eggs

Instructions

• Mix together the mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, and Mustard. Set aside.
• In a non-stick skillet, melt the butter and fry the eggs to your desired doneness, leaving room in the pan to heat the ham. When you flip the eggs, put the ham in the pan to warm through.
• Place the ham on top of the eggs (1-2 slices per egg), then place a slice of cheese on top of each egg.
• Toast the bread, then place the egg, ham, and cheese stack on one slice. Spread the mustard sauce on the other slice. Close sandwich and enjoy!

Notes

This sandwich is best eaten right away, but if you are taking it somewhere, wrap it in foil leaving a little crack for steam to escape. 

The post Ham, Egg, and Cheese Sandwich with Secret Sauce appeared first on The Crossroads Cook.

Let’s talk about how much my husband loves Mexican food. The guy could eat Mexican, or Mexican-inspired food, every night of the week if I felt inclined to do the same. In the early days of our relationship, before I started cooking for him on a regular basis, it was not uncommon to open his freezer and find multiple varieties of frozen burritos, taquitos, and enchiladas hanging out in there. If our weekly out-to-dinner night always consisted of Mexican, there would be absolutely no complaints from him. Than man loves him some tacos and quesadillas. Who can blame him?

This is not to say that I don’t also love Mexican food; I do! Just….not with quite the same passion and loyalty that JW feels for it. I think that’s why I’m always looking for a way to put a spin on what we typically think of as Mexican cuisine (in the States, anyway). Sometimes you just need a little more than bell peppers and avocado in your life, you know what I mean?

And yes, I know that actual authentic Mexican cuisine is very diverse, fresh, and healthy. And insanely delicious. What I’m referring to here is the Americanized version that we’ve been fed over the years. Tasty? Yes. But to me that version of things gets a little old after a while.

These Creamy Chicken Enchiladas are the perfect compromise in my mind. JW still gets his “Mexican” flavor, and I get a creamy, delicious, slightly different spin on things. If I happen to be making dinner for my little brother, this is the meal he requests. And thanks to a rotisserie chicken, they’re super easy, too!!

They also freeze well! Just put everything together, but don’t bake. Cover with foil and freeze! Pull out of the freezer and let defrost, then bake like normal!

Ingredients Needed for Creamy Chicken Enchiladas:

• Shredded Chicken. Unless I have extra cooked chicken from another recipe, I just pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store!
• Fresh Spinach
• Sliced Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Sour Cream
• Milk. I always use whole milk.
• Canned Diced Green Chiles.
• Green Onions
• Ground Cumin
• Mozzarella
• Flour Tortillas
• Salt
• Fresh Cilantro and Green Onions, optional

How to make Creamy Chicken Enchiladas:

Heat some olive oil in a pan and throw in some sliced (not minced! actual slices here) garlic.

Let those cook for a minute or two until they become fragrant–the point is just to flavor the oil a little-, then remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and throw in your spinach with a touch of salt. Cook the spinach until it’s just starting to wilt, then put it in a strainer in the sink and allow it to drain a little.

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, milk, green onions and chiles, cumin, a large handful of cheese, and salt and pepper. In a separate, larger bowl, combine the shredded chicken (if you are using a whole rotisserie chicken, it amounts to a little over half of the meat that’s on the bird) with the drained spinach and about half of the sauce.

Now it’s time to build your enchiladas! I like to start by spraying my glass baking dish with a little non-stick cooking spray, then putting a little bit of the sauce on the bottom to prevent sticking. Fill your taco-sized flour tortilla with about 2 tablespoons-ish of the chicken/spinach/sauce mixture, roll (no need to fold the ends), and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat until you can’t fit anymore in the dish/you run out of filling.

Smother the filled tortillas in every last bit of the creamy deliciousness that is the sauce. Then top that with the rest of the shredded cheese. Hello, beautiful. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese melts and becomes bubbly. If you want, you can top with some more green onion and cilantro. En. Joy.

Looking for more Mexican-ish yumminess in your life? Here are a couple of our other favorites:

–Chicken Fajita Salad with Homemade Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing
–Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
–Zucchini and Beef Taco Skillet

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Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Head to the Southwest tonight with these incredible Creamy Chicken Enchiladas! Cheesy and delicious, they are so easy that they just might be making a weekly appearance on your dinner table!

Course Main

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Chicken, Creamy, easy dinner, Enchiladas, Spinach, White Sauce

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 People

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Shredded Chicken
• 4 Cups Fresh Spinach
• 1 Clove Garlic, Sliced
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 16 oz. Sour Cream
• 1/2 Cup Milk
• 1 4 oz. Can Diced Green Chiles Drained
• 2 Thinly Sliced Green Onions
• 1 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella
• 8-9 Taco Sized Flour Tortillas
• Diced Cilantro and Green Onion For Garnish, Optional

Instructions

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the sliced garlic. Cook until fragrant, then remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the spinach to the oil with a pinch of salt and cook until just wilted. Remove the spinach to a strainer and allow to drain.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, green onions, green chiles, a handful of shredded cheese, and the cumin and salt.
• In a separate, larger bowl, combine the chicken, drained spinach, and about half of the sauce.
• Spray the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, and spread about a tablespoon of the sauce mixure in the bottom.
• Fill each tortilla with about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture, and place in the glass baking dish seam side down.
• Spread the sauce over the top of the rolled tortillas, then top that with the rest of the shredded cheese.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with sliced green onion and cilantro to serve if desired.

The post Creamy Chicken Enchiladas appeared first on The Crossroads Cook.

Ya’ll, I love a good party. I really don’t care what the reason is. Celebrating a holiday? Cool! Birthday, game day, graduation, family reunion, Taco Tuesday? Let’s do this! It can literally just be a few loved ones gathering, and I’m all in. Don’t get me wrong, like any good introvert I love (read: need) my alone time, too, but I also really just love celebrating life and being around the people I care about.

The only problem is that when I host a party, or when I go to a pitch-in of some sort, I tend to….overdo….it a little on the food. I can’t help it! I love to cook and bake (I know, I know…it’s shocking. But there it is.), I love sharing the food I make with others, and I love trying out new recipes and seeing if other people like them as much as I do. All this means that I end up spending A LOT of time cooking before pretty much any gathering I attend. I honestly don’t mind, I wouldn’t do it if I did, but it does cause it’s own set of problems. Since punctuality isn’t one of my God given strengths, this tendency to do too much often makes me even later than I usually would have been otherwise. Then there’s the clean-up. So. Many. Dishes.

And then the heavens opened up and this dip came across my radar. My cousin made it for one of our family gatherings, and I learned fast that the stuff is addicting. You know that slogan from the popular chip company, “You can’t eat just one!”? Well, that is definitely the case here. It’s so good that since I started making it I have people constantly requesting I bring it to gatherings. And you won’t believe how easy it is!! You dirty up a mixing bowl and a spoon. That’s it. No measuring, no dicing or chopping, no anything other than opening up the ingredients, dumping them in the bowl, and mixing them up. Then attempting to not eat it all in one sitting. Oh, and don’t let the jalapeno in the title scare you off! I promise it isn’t spicy unless you want it to be!

So, the instructions. Are you ready for this? Here we go: mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Serve immediately with tortilla chips or refrigerate and serve later. Your choice. If you like things more spicy, add the whole can of jalapenos. If you are like me and like it a little more mild, or are making it for a crowd that you’re not sure about, add less (I usually add about a tablespoon of them and stop at that…using the spoon I’m mixing the dip with so I’m not dirtying up another spoon). And you’re done! Party on!

This post is sponsored by The Glass Barn, Indiana’s Corn and Soybean Growers, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

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Corn Jalapeno Ranch Dip

Zesty, flavorful Creamy Corn Jalapeno dip is the perfect dip to make for any tail gate, pot-luck, party...or even just a movie night snack! It's so quick and easy that it is sure to become one of your go-to recipes!

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword Cheese, Corn, Dips, Jalapenos, Ranch, Sour Cream

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 12 people

Author Meagan - The Crossroads Cook

Ingredients

• 1 24 oz sour cream
• 2 envelopes ranch dip mix
• 2 cans southwest or fiesta style corn drained
• 1 can diced jalapenos drained
• 2 cups shredded cheese Colby, Mexican Style, or Cheddar

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Serve immediately or later with tortilla chips; refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

You can adjust the amount of jalapenos to your personal taste; I typically only add a little over a tablespoon.

The post Corn Jalapeno Ranch Dip appeared first on The Crossroads Cook.

Ok, so there are about a bajillion versions of hash brown casserole out there, and I love them all. I mean come on! You’re combining potatoes and cheese, so of course it’s going to be good!

They all have the same basic formula: frozen hash brown potatoes, a creamy sauce made from some sort of “cream of” soup, topped with cheese, and baked until bubbly and delicious. Some have ham or bacon in them. Some have something crunchy on the top. All are delicious. 

I have to say, though, as much as I love just about every hash brown casserole out there, this particular recipe is my all-time favorite. It’s so good that I once cried because I had made it for a party and it was gone before I got any. Yes, I was pregnant at the time. And yes, I had been craving it for days. But still! I was SO sad. Bless my sweet little brother, who saw how upset I was (despite trying me trying to hide it) and decided to split the little he had left on his plate with me. He was my hero that day.

This recipe was originally my Aunt Jane’s but I’ve put few of my personal spins on it. A lot of hash brown casseroles used shredded hash browns as the base, but I really like using the square cut “Southern Style” hash browns in this one. They just seem to give it a little more of a substantial texture. Full disclosure, though? In the pictures you see shredded hash browns because I totally forgot to pick up the other version at the store and shredded were all I had on hand. Use what you have or what you prefer!

My aunt’s original recipe also called for cream of celery soup, but I prefer to use cream of mushroom. Cream of celery gives it a bit of a tangy flavor, while I feel like the cream of mushroom gives it a deeper, richer flavor. It would also be good with cream of chicken. Use store bought or make your own. Whatever floats your boat.

One of the beauties of this particular recipe is that you don’t have to thaw your potatoes first! Just make sure that there aren’t any big clumps after you’ve poured them in the baking dish, and you’re good to go!

More Tips for Making Hash Brown Casserole:

-Make sure you taste the “sauce” before putting it on the potatoes. It needs to taste slightly salty. Trust me on this one…you’re seasoning a lot of potatoes here and they LOVE salt.

-You’ll want to mix a little of the sauce in the with potatoes instead of just layering it, otherwise they’ll be kind of dry and bleh. Nobody wants dry, bleh potatoes.

Ingredients Needed for Hash Brown Casserole:

• Frozen Hash Browns. “Southern Style” (cubed) or Shredded. Pick your poison. No need to defrost!
• Cream of Mushroom soup. Or cream of chicken. Or Cream of celery. Again, pick your poison.
• Butter
• Shredded Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Green Onions. Otherwise known as scallions.
• Rice Krispies.

How to Make Hash Brown Casserole:

Preheat your oven to 360 degrees and butter your baking dish (I use a 9×13 glass baking dish like this one from Pyrex) on both the bottom and the side. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, green onions, melted butter, salt, pepper, and about a cup of the shredded cheese. Give it a taste (trying not to just eat it by the spoonful) and make sure it is seasoned well.

Add the frozen hash browns to the baking dish, making sure to break up any clumps. Mix about ½ of the sauce in with the potatoes, then layer the other half on top. Cover with the remaining cheese. In another mixing bowl, combine the rest of the melted butter with the 2 cups of Rice Krispies. Smell the buttery goodness, then spread the mixture evenly over the top of the bowl. Bake for 1 hour. You’ll want to keep an eye on it; if it looks like it’s getting to brown too fast, cover with aluminum foil for the rest of the baking time.

Looking for more delicious side dishes? Try one of these!

–Mama Maria’s Dutch Style Green Beans
–Rode Kool met Appeltjes (Dutch Braised Red Cabbage with Apples)

**As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

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Hashbrown Casserole

A lot of hash brown casseroles used shredded hash browns as the base, but I really like using the square cut “Southern Style” hash browns in this one.

Course Brunch, Side

Cuisine American

Keyword hashbrowns

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8 people

Author Meagan - The Crossroads Cook

Ingredients

• 2 lb Frozen Hash Browns 1 - 2lb bag
• 1/2 cup Melted Butter
• 16 oz Sour Cream
• 10.5 oz Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 2 Chopped Green Onions
• 2 cups Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese, separated
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 3/4 cup Melted Butter For topping
• 2 cup Rice Krispies For topping

Instructions

• Preheat Oven to 360 degrees and butter a glass baking dish.
• In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream, cream of mushroom, green onions, melted butter, 1 cup of cheese, and salt/pepper. Mix to combine and check seasoning.
• Pour the frozen hash browns into the baking dish, making sure to break up any clumps. Mix half of the sauce in with the potatoes. Layer the other half of the sauce on top. Cover with the remaining cheese.
• In another mixing bowl, combine the ¼ cup melted butter and Rice Krispies. 
• Bake for 1 hour, until Rice Krispies are golden brown and cheese is melted. Cover with foil part way through cooking if the Rice Krispies are getting too brown.

The post Hash Brown Casserole appeared first on The Crossroads Cook.