Happy Friday Folks! Another one upon us! Another Friday closer to my favorite holiday of all time! Christmas is my favorite holiday because it means being with family and that’s my favorite thing to do. Sit, chat, and eat! Now that we have three babes in the family it’s even more fun! That’s one thing that this weeks Co-Host has in common with this Momma! Mallory from The Blonde Can Cook loves being with her family in and out of the kitchen!
Let’s welcome Mallory to Momma’s kitchen! Also lets congratulate her and her husband on the newest addition to their family this past October! They had their first babe but not sure if it was a boy or a girl, Mallory’s site is ALL ABOUT food!! Don’t read too much of my site Mallory being a first time mom and all I may scare you away teeheee….Just kidding, all joking aside, congrats, becoming a mother is a blessing for any woman. Reading a bit about Mallory made me see she shares the same passion in the kitchen as I do, she also has the same feelings about family as I do. Nothing like gathering with family, cooking and eating together! Mallory is also a Nanny for two different families, I think it’s just beautiful that you can dedicate your days to care for other people’s children, I think it takes a special person to give them the very best that you have to offer since the parents of those kiddo’s trust you with their lives! I’ve always thought that way about being Nanny. What a fascinating profession!
Now talk food!! I’ve made two of Mallory’s dish, but before I share them with you let’s talk about some that stood out to me, I’m actually going to try her Simple Chicken (well I’m using leftover turkey) Pot Pie! I’ve never made it with turkey and always wanted to so I’m giving it a go this week actually! Stay tuned! And excuse my language but HOLY CRAP you have to check out her Ultimate Bacon Sandwich, yes she had me bacon I’ll tell you! I’m destined to try this, maybe I’ll change it a bit so I won’t feel so guilty eating it however it does have avocado on it…..that helps! 🙂  I also wish I cam across her appetizer list before I planned my party this weekend because her Spinach Cheese Pockets really spoke to me………holy yummy!! And I would NOT feel guilty having a few of these babies. Actually now that I’m poking around her site I may may her Ranch and Ham Pinwheels they seem similar to my Salsa Roll Ups, Mallory you have to give them a shot!
OK OK now on to what I made. I wanted something to serve the night before Thanksgiving that wasn’t too crazy, yummy but good, and I’ll warn you, there is nothing healthy about either of these dishes however I tried my best to make them a little bit better, my mom, sis, husband and my daughter enjoyed both of these dishes! First Up……
Hawaiian  Ham & Cheese Sliders
I made the onion mixture ahead of time believe it or not. I put it aside along with the slider buns, ham and cheese and when I was ready to put it all together I just whipped it up and popped it in the oven, my daughter goes to pre-school on Mon, Wed and Fri so on those days I can prepare dinner ahead of time and just pop it in the oven before her and my husband get home, this was perfect, glad that I was able to make the mixture ahead of time because it made the whole thing easier! I didn’t have dijon mustard so I used regular then I realized it was a little to “mustardy” if that is even a word so I balanced it by putting a squirt of BBQ sauce in it HA! Always improvising here! I also used half the butter, though I could have used olive oil or something healthier I could tell that the butter really gave it some taste and I was right!
I served it with Mallory’s Crack Potatoes. Can I just say I know where the name for this dish came from because it was seriously addicting! I had a huge helping the next day for lunch! I did end up finding the cream of onion soup I didn’t have any sour cream so I had no choice, I left that out, I also used cream of celery instead of cream of chicken, not much of a difference there and I just realized……..I never even added the crunchy topping! OMG Now I have to make it again LOL, I fully planned on using the crushed corn flakes because I had them on hand. I didn’t use as much cheddar cheese, I did buy the reduced fat, and for the shredded potato I used Simply Potato from Crystal Farms. With the pan I used I used a package and a half. Just think if I thought it was so good and addicting before can you imagine how much MORE addicting it would be with the crunchiness added to it! WOW!
So go and check out Mallory at The Blonde Can Cook and make sure you tell her this Momma sent you. Mallory thank you so much for allowing me to feature you and your blog! It’s been fun getting to know you and your cooking styles. I hope your enjoying your new little one and that you have a wonderful holiday season! Here are some more ways to connect with Ms. Mallory! Facebook**Twitter**Pinterest.
