Ham, Cheese and Salami Roll-ups

One of the parenting goals I have for my children is to mold them into at least proficient cooks by the time they leave the house.  We all knew those guys in college that had absolutely no housekeeping skills and could barely boil water to make pasta.  (Believe me guys, housekeeping skills and culinary skills are attractive to women, slovenliness, not so much.)  My five year old is getting to the point where he can handle actual cooking now, as opposed to just stirring, and so my quest this summer is to find some recipes that he can make himself.  I scored big for the mom team in finding this recipe.  It was easy enough that he could do all of the steps by himself while I stood close by to just give directions and put the pan into the oven.  He was so proud of himself and ate a double helping of his meal.  He even wanted to make dinner the next night!  Now I must find some more kid friendly recipes to harness this energy!

Ham, Cheese and Salami Roll-ups adapted from Taste of Home Simple and Delicious March/April 2009

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

2 Tbls. olive oil

5-6 eight inch flour tortillas

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

5-6 slices deli ham

5-6 slices provolone cheese

24 slices thinly sliced deli salami

1/2 c. roasted red sweet peppers, drained

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.

1.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.  Lay out tortillas on baking sheet, brush lightly with olive oil.

3.  Sprinkle each tortilla with parmesan cheese

4.  Layer a ham slice on each tortilla, then in order, the provolone, the salami, the red peppers and the mozzarella.

5.  Roll up each tortilla and place a toothpick through them to secure.  Place them seam side down on the baking sheet.

6.  Brush with olive oil.

7.  Bake for 12-15 minutes until browned and cheese is melted through.

Crock Pot Love!

In my house, the crock pot is a well loved appliance.  I use it a couple of times a month even during the summer.  I love being able to put things in the crock pot in the morning and know that dinner is done.  Also being able to do the big dishes in the morning frees up so much time in the evening when all I have to do is pop our dinner dishes in the dishwasher.  

Yesterday in our CSA, we received 4 whopping parsnips.  Frankly, they were taking up space in my refrigerator and I really wanted to get them out of the way.  Hence, tonight's dinner was born.  I could take the kiddos outside after school and play until 5 minutes before dinner.  A quick zap with the immersion blender and dinner was ready.  

Chickpea, Parsnip, and Ham Soup by Joie de Vivre

1 lb. dried chickpeas, rinsed and picked over

4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

4 parsnips, peeled and diced

3 celery stalks, diced

2 onions, peeled and diced

1 ham steak, cut into 1 inch pieces

8 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock

A little bit of Liquid Smoke, to taste

Place all vegetables, ham and stock into the insert of your crock pot.  Cook on HIGH for 7 hours or until the chickpeas are tender.  Use your hand-held immersion blender to puree about 3/4 of the soup (the more pureed the better in my house with two picky eaters).   Spoon into bowls and season with a little Liquid Smoke.