Missy's Slow-Cooker Ham

When Joey really likes a dish he eats at a restaurant, he looks at me and asks, "Can you make this at home?" And more often than not, I promise to give it a try. Sometimes it's a hit right off the bat (Chicken Parm from any number of Italian restaurants) and sometimes it proves to be a bit more challenging (I'm slowly but surely mastering Texas Roadhouse's rolls).

But the first dish Joey ever asked me, no begged me, to make was his aunt Missy's famous ham. I'm not quite sure why it took me over two and a half years to make this incredibly easy recipe. Joey would mention it time and time again, how it was the best ham he's ever had.

Last week, Joey was in Minneapolis for three days, and as a celebration of his homecoming I asked Missy for her ham recipe to prepare. Joey was thrilled at the surprise, and I was excited to find out what all the fuss was about.

Being the curious food editor that I am, I couldn't resist sneaking a small bite to see what all the fuss was about. I can tell you that this ham falls in the sweet spot between sweet and salty, with plenty of zing from the vinegar, onion, Worcestershire and paprika, paired with sweetness from the brown sugar. Not to mention it feeds a crowd and requires very little hands-on time. If we were having friends over for the Super Bowl (we're not, we're going to friends), this would most certainly make my list of must-makes. 

Missy's Slow-Cooker Ham
Ingredients
*2 cups water
*1 cup packed brown sugar
*1/2 cup white vinegar
*1/3 cup oil
*1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
*1 teaspoon onion powder
*1/2 tsp. paprika
*1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
*Dash of hot sauce
*1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
*3 lbs. shaved deli ham 

Instructions
*In a large heavy saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the ham. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.
*In a large bowl, combine the ham and the boiled mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and marinade for 24 hours.
*Once ham has sat in the marinade for 24 hours, place ham and liquid in a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker. Cook for 2 hours on high. Serve on buns. Store leftovers in a sealable container in the refrigerator and reheat before serving.

Happy Cooking!
Madison

Soft and Wavy Curls

Are you all as addicted to Pinterest as I am? I should clarify that I'm addicted to looking at Pinterest and finding ideas. But since I'm slightly type-A, I find it hard to pull the trigger and actually 'pin' things for fear that my boards will become messy and disorganized. I suppose that's all beside the point, since what I really want to talk about is hair.

Pinterest is, I've decided, most useful for two things: recipe organization and hair tutorials. You can find a hair tutorial on pretty much any style you're seeking, although I have a sneaking suspicion that many of the tutorials make it look much easier than it actually is.

To date, my best find on the site has been this hair tutorial on how to create soft, wavy curls in your hair without looking too done-up. It comes from Katie of the blog Running On Happiness, and if you've never stumbled upon her amazing blog, I would urge you to immediately bop over and check it out. It's not all that different from what I've done in the past with my curling iron, but she sneaks in a few insightful tips that have changed the way my hair gets its curl. I can't say I've perfected the method, but I'm well on my way. And just in time for the weekend, when I actually wash my hair and put on makeup past 6 pm.

Happy Friday, all!

Madison

Chopped Green Salad Wrap

 

I've received a lot of questions from readers about what I pack for lunches and snacks when I go to work each day. I'm not going to lie, I struggle just as much as the next person. But since I would much rather spend money going out to eat with my husband on date nights, taking a packed lunch and snacks is the norm. 

A few of my favorite snacks being:

          *Lara Bars (cashew cookie, peanut butter cookie, apple pie, and pb&j being my favorites)

          *Cliff Bars (peanut butter, white chocolate macadamia and carrot cake being my favorites)

          *Greek yogurt and canned pumpkin with a dollop of peanut butter

          *Apples or pears with a few slices of cheese

          *Sugar-free applesauce with granola 

Lunch, on the other hand, is much less predictable. Sometimes I'll tote along leftovers from dinner the night before. Other times I'll make a quick salad with quinoa and veggies or a salad topped with lentils and feta cheese. 

This week I was looking through my fridge, trying to get inspired, and saw we had whole wheat tortillas, lettuce, pesto, feta cheese and broccoli. Never one to be a fan of raw broccoli, I found that chopping the broccoli into small pieces and tossing it with the other ingredients helped to ward off the raw flavor that I typically dislike. 

The wrap was super tasty and satisfying. So if you're looking for a new addition to your workday meals, I would totally give this a try.

Chopped Green Salad Wrap 

Ingredients

*1/2 cup Romaine lettuce, chopped 

*1/4 to 1/3 cup raw broccoli florets, finely chopped

*1 oz. crumbled feta cheese

*1 1/2 tbsp. Trader Joe's Champagne Pear Vinaigrette or other fruit vinaigrette of your choice

*1 tablespoon purchased pesto 

*Cracked black pepper 

*1 whole wheat tortilla 

Instructions

*In a small bowl, combine the lettuce, broccoli, feta cheese, vinaigrette, pesto and black pepper. Toss to combine all ingredients evenly. Spoon mixture onto tortilla. Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!

Madison

Puppy Love

 

Joey snapped a few photos last weekend while Nutmeg and I were cuddling on the couch. She was, as you can see, trilled about being involved in a spontaneous photo shot. 

And yes, I'm reading Tim Tebow's book, Through My Eyes, during my down time. Now that the football season is almost over, how else am I going to get my fix?

What good books have you read lately?

Madison

Share Your Story!

It's been almost an entire month since I started my 'No Fat Talk Pledge' for 2012, and I wanted to check in with an update. Aside from one major "my jeans are tight and my thighs are huge" moment a couple weeks back, I've been going strong.

It's not always easy, but in the last couple weeks I've found my desire to talk negatively about my body has significantly diminished. Every time I'm tempted to say something negative, I remind myself that it's simply not an option to verbalize my thought, so why even bother thinking it? And amazingly enough, it works!

Over the past month, I've been encouraged by e-mails, tweets and comments from many of you, sharing your desire to show your bodies a little more love over the coming year. To keep our motivation going, I am hoping to turn every Tuesday on Espresso and Cream into 'No Fat Talk Tuesday.' Some weeks it may be a personal story, a list of interesting articles from around the web or a personal story from one of you!

So I'm asking for your help. I am looking for women of all ages who are willing to share their body confidence struggles and/or success story in the form of a guest post on Espresso and Cream. If you're interested in sharing or finding out more information, please e-mail me (madisonjanemayberry@gmail.com) and I'll give you more information.

Thanks!
Madison

Inside-Out S'Mores Brownies

Hey everyone! How was your weekend? Joey and I have really been enjoying spending weekends at home lately after spending what felt like every weekend on the go during the months of September through December. I'm not going to lie, we felt completely overwhelmed and exhausted after the Christmas season. For that reason, January has been amazing. 

In other news, I must have been really loving the February issue of Better Homes and Gardens because the last two recipes I've made have been from said issue. It probably has something to do with the fact that it's packed with gooey chocolate recipes, including these Inside-Out S'Mores Brownies.

While I was editing these photos, Joey said to me, "Those look good in photos. But no matter how good they look in photos, they are a million times better in your mouth." I take that as high praise, seeing that my husband is more of a fan of salty snacks than sweet desserts.

I, on the other hand, think I need to get these babies out of the house and in the hands of my work colleagues before I demolish them myself. If you're planning on making them yourself, I would highly recommend inviting friends over to share them with!

Inside-Out S'Mores Brownies
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens, February 2012

Ingredients
*1/2 cup butter
*2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
*1 cup sugar
*2 large eggs
*1 tsp. vanilla
*3/4 cup all-purpose flour
*9 honey graham cracker squares
*1 cup tiny marshmallows

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8x2-inch baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
*In a medium saucepan, melt butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and add in the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Beat in the flour until just combined.
*Spread half the batter in the prepared pan. Top with graham crackers (divide as necessary to evenly top batter). Sprinkle marshmallows on the graham crackers, but do not let them touch the sides of the pan. Carefully spread the remaining batter on the marshmallows and graham crackers, covering them completely.
*Bake for 25 to 27 minutes or until set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 15 brownies

Happy Baking!
Madison

Homemade Chocolate Fudge Sauce

A couple weeks ago Joey and I bought some Blue Bunny Vanilla Bean Frozen Yogurt. It may not sound like a big deal to you, but I was more than a little excited. You see, it's been months since we had ice cream in our freezer. Typically, we avoid buying ice cream because I have zero self control around the stuff. I'm happy to eat a couple squares of chocolate and leave it at that, but ice cream is another story. Since we hadn't purchase ice cream in forever, we didn't have any of the traditional toppings, like chocolate or caramel sauce, in the fridge.

I wish I could tell you I found this recipe before the ice cream was polished off, but who am I kidding? The ice cream was long gone, but this homemade chocolate fudge sauce may call for buying a little more this weekend.

While reading through the February issue of Better Homes and Gardens, I came upon this recipe. I honestly had no idea making your own chocolate sauce could be this easy, and it's certainly causing me to second-guess ever buying the jarred version ever again. It takes just a few minutes to whip together and requires ingredients frequently found in our kitchen, meaning it's easier than running to the store at a moment's notice. Especially when it's -7°F outside and snowy.

Have a warm and happy weekend!

Homemade Chocolate Fudge Sauce
From Better Homes and Gardens magazine, February 2012

Ingredients
*1 cup packed brown sugar
*1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
*1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
*1/2 cup milk or half and half (I used 2% milk)
*2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions
*In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cocoa powder. Set aside.
*In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add in the milk or half and half and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until bubbles start to appear around the edges. Add in the brown sugar mixture and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes more or until mixture is thickened and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Happy Cooking!
Madison