My daughter who is now 15 years old helps me out with everything. She will be in America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year and has been very busy leading up to Thanksgiving. However, she asked me the other day when we were going to start baking and cooking. I thought this year she wouldn’t want to get involved with all the preparations, but she surprised me.
This is allowing us to become closer and talk, while at the same time it teaches her how to cook. At 15 years old she does a pretty good job of cooking, but she started helping me with little jobs in the kitchen when she was small. I always took time and made it as fun as possible starting with her Easy Bake oven.
I’ve tried to teach my daughter during our cooking marathons to always make sure everything tastes terrific, but at the same time to try to keep the cost down. Not an easy task in this economy! However, there are some things you can do to keep the cost down. One thing I’ve found is that you don’t necessarily have to buy brand name products. If you can get them on sale, great, but if not, I’ve found the store brand products (Meijer,etc.) taste just as good. The other thing I’ve noticed is that the week before a holiday most stores have wonderful sales on groceries. Look at the weekend flyers and compare prices to make sure you get the best deal.
Another example is cream cheese. I love the Philadelphia brand, but if you are putting it in a dip or appetizer it doesn’t really matter.
Here is a quick appetizer you can make with your kids. This is fun and will get children in the kitchen so you can spend more time with them during the busy holiday season.
I’ve used prosciutto (dry-cured Italian ham), which is very expensive, but I’ve also tried deli ham. They both taste great. I’ve found deli ham as low as $2.99/lb. at my local deli counter. I also make sure I’ve blanched the asparagus spears before my daughter even gets into the kitchen so they are cooled and dried completely. That way you don’t worry about your kids getting burned and you can get started right away.
Also a little added note, I am from Michigan, and Michigan ranks third in the nation for asparagus production. So I can boost the economy a bit as well!
ITALIAN HAM & ASPARAGUS WRAPS
1 8 Oz. package cream cheese
1 teaspoon of dried chives
1 teaspoon parsley
Salt to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon of lemon juice
½ lb. ham or prosciutto (at least 10 pieces of ham)
10 large asparagus spears trimmed and blanched for a few minutes to retain crispness.
Let cream cheese come to room temperature. In a bowl mix cream cheese, chives, parsley, salt, pepper and lemon. Set aside. Place a slice of ham on counter or cutting board and spread thin layer of cream cheese on the meat with a spoon. Place a piece of asparagus on top of the cream cheese and top of the ham slice and roll. Cut each roll into pieces. About 4 to 5 pieces per ham slice.
Makes about 40-50 bite sized pieces.
These little appetizers are great to serve with a glass of wine before dinner. Ham wraps taste great and they don’t cost much to make.
So get the ham on sale and no name brand cream cheese. This is something you can make that will make the holidays a little more festive while being affordable at the same time.
Most of all, get your kids in the kitchen and spend time with them during the holidays!
Happy Holidays!
1 comment:
I have a similar recipe. Just replace the asparagas with dill pickle spear and wrap them in a large flour tortilla. The tort makes them neater to eat. I've made them for showers, pot lucks etc and never have any left over.
Post a Comment