Pesto Ham Gnocchi

Having just got home from a week in St. George our fridge has been completely empty. Somehow all of my grocery money disappeared this month and I am trying to stretch my meal plan so  I don't have to go shopping until May (good old case lot sales..they wipe me out every time ;). This meant scrounging through the last of my produce in my fridge--which amounted to one red and one orange bell pepper. I had leftover ham from Easter and some  Gnocchi I had bought from Trader Joes (which I love). I decided to whip together a Pesto Ham Gnocchi and surprisingly it was awesome! I added some fresh basil that was growing in my garden and this simple meal was the perfect weeknight dinner solution. If you have leftover ham and you want a new way to use it up, this dish was simple & used items you most likely have in your fridge. Enjoy :)

Homemade Sweet & Spicy Mustard

My brother in law's grandmother has always made the most amazing Sweet & Spicy Mustard. Every Easter she would bring this to go with the Easter ham. It has become a tradition to have every year and now that she has passed away, my sister continues to make this mustard in her honor. This mustard is amazing on ham, in a turkey wraps, with Asian Egg Rolls, mixed into a homemade dressing or just to be eaten on any of your favorite meat sandwiches. It is simple to make and will make your ham leftovers that much more special!

Happy Easter & Cream Cheese Crescent Squares

Since I am completely awful about keeping a journal or scrapbooking, I hope you bear with me as I post a few pictures from our family's weekend ;) I hope you had a wonderful Easter as well. Ours was pretty low key but a lot of yummy food, family and fun. We had our annual easter egg hunt Saturday with a big yummy breakfast. The kids got stuffed on candy and the adults were able to enjoy a smorgasbord of delicious breakfast items. We had Carmel Apple Waffles,  Cheesy Hash browns, Scrambled Eggs, Juice, Fruit & this to-die for Cinnamon Cream Cheese Concoction my sister made. Oh my heavens--it is scary yummy! I told her to take every last leftover far, far away from me. I wanted to seriously eat the entire pan. Considering what is in it, that would NOT be a good idea for my waistline. I am not sure it is considered a breakfast food, it would be amazing as a dessert too. No matter how you slice it, it is unbelievably fattening and SO good!! If you dare make this recipe, just know you will want to have plenty of people to share it with or I promise, the leftovers will be devoured before you can even put it in the fridge :) Hope you had a great weekend and enjoy this recipe like we did!

Strawberry Vanilla Bread Pudding

Tomorrow is Easter and such a special, family day. I am so thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ and his Atonement and Resurrection and what that means to me in my life. I am excited to focus tomorrow on Him and enjoy sharing our feelings and gratitude with my family. If you are looking for an Easter video to share with your family on Sunday, here are a few of my favorites that are very tender and touching. Because of Him, None Were with Him,  Christlike Attributes and Bible Videos. Hope you enjoy them!

Now...on this special holiday, just any old dessert won't do. We are planning on having Strawberry Vanilla Bread Pudding. This dessert is special in all aspects!! Creamy, soft bread pudding, strawberry filling, and a topping of smooth, vanilla cream sauce. It is a piece of heaven on earth!! Happy Easter and hope you enjoy ;)

Lemon Melt in Your Mouth Cookies

If you love a melt in your mouth cookie, these lemon cookies are for you!! This recipe is a mix between a Mexican Wedding Cookie, a lemon bar and a chocolate chip cookie. They are so delicious and perfect for spring. These cookies would be so cute at a baby shower, wedding shower, or a spring time luncheon. If you need a new and fun cookie recipe, this one is for you!!

Spicy Honey Mustard Dressing & Spinach Salad

The other day my sister had a few ladies over for lunch and served us a salad with the most amazing honey mustard salad dressing I have ever had. The dressing had, not only the sweetness of honey but, a depth of flavor that we were all in love with. I seriously wanted to lick my plate clean--if only that would be kosher amongst friends ;)  I had my sister help recreate her dressing recipe and I was so excited to make this salad for my family the next night for dinner. You can really serve this dressing over any type of spinach or lettuce salad. I had some spinach and several produce items to use up, so it made a great topping for a throw-it-together type of salad. If you want a new and flavorful side salad idea for your Easter celebrations, this is a keeper!! I could even see this dressing drizzled over a nice piece of ham--just n idea ;)

Breakfast Enchilada Omelets

With Easter coming up this weekend I am so excited to share with you some new 'spring' recipes that I know you will love!! We have tried these recipes these past couple weeks (many of them more than once) and have fallen in love with them. This recipe for Breakfast Enchilada Omelets is hands down one of my all-time favorite breakfast dishes. I loved everything about this!! The fresh vegetables, the pieces of ham, the cheesy egg, the crispy tortilla. All of it was perfectly delicious. The great thing about this recipe is you can adapt the ingredients to what your family likes. Use the vegetables and meat your family prefers and customize this dish to your liking. The other great thing about this dish is it can be made the night before and baked in the morning. We will be having this Easter weekend for sure! Hope you love it too ;)

Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Two loves. Cookie butter and a homemade chocolate chip cookie. Need I say more?!?!? Happy weekend to all of us!!

Banana Oat Muffins

The other day my kids came home to the most random after school snacks in the history of Mommy-after-school-snack-dum. I was trying to clean out my fridge and so I placed several options out on the counter--hard boiled eggs from a spinach salad the night before, sliced strawberries, leftover breakfast casserole from the morning, the remains of a Chex-Mix bag, grapefruit, and a half eaten yogurt someone didn't finish from lunch. The look on my kids' faces were hilarious. You would have thought they were at a funeral. They were all solumn and so dissapointed to come home to such a pathetic 'feast'. I gave them the 'kids in Africa would be grateful to come home to this much food' and they all rolled their eyes and went on with their day.

Today after school I insisted I must redeem myself from 'worst' Mom award ;) One of my favorite memories growing up was coming home to my Mom cooking up something in the kitchen. It definitely wasn't ever day, but the days we came home to something smelling yummy and warm out of the oven just seemed to make everything right in the world. I knew I needed my kids' help in the garden today so I decided to sweeten them up with a warm, Banana Oat Muffin straight from the oven. These muffins had the added bonus of chocolate chips which makes everything better!  These muffins were SO moist, soft, and had the added health benefit of flax seed and wheat flour--to keep us all nice and full 'til dinner. These were the perfect solution to a long day for all of us--I hope you love them to ;)

Melon Berry Fruit Salad

It's spring and that means everything berry and fruit is on sale. Strawberries, blackberries, melons and many of your favorite fruits always go on sale the week of Easter. This is the perfect week to make this healthy and delicious Melon & Berry Fruit salad. Berries and melons go great together and this salad is drizzled with a honey-lime dressing which ads a hint of sweet tangy-yumminess. Hope you love this addition to any weeknight meal ;)