Easy Ham and Cheese Scones

A few weeks ago I was making our apple pie scones and suddenly had the brilliant idea of making a savory version, easy ham and cheese scones!

The only way I could ever convince our family to ditch the amazingly wonderful sweet version of a scone was clearly to add cheese. Cheese makes everything better. And bacon. Shoot, I need to try a bacon version!

Grab your leftover Easter ham and make these buttery and flaky scones!

What Ingredients are Needed for Ham and Cheese Scones?

Tender scones are just a few pantry staples away! A good scone needs only a few ingredients, butter (or shortening if you must), buttermilk, salt, and baking powder. Everything else is just to adjust the flavor. Here is a complete list of all the ingredients you will need:

• Flour: gives structure to the scones and regular all purpose flour is all you need
• Sugar: adds a touch of sweetness to balance out all the savory ingredients
• Baking Powder: the true raising agent that adds the real height you’re looking for. Do not use a substitute.
• Salt: necessary in both sweet and savory dishes as it provides the flavor. Yes, cheese and ham are in there, but everything needs seasoning. I love that salt not only flavors a dish but it also makes the other ingredients stand out even more.
• Unsalted Butter: gives you those tender, flakey layers and margarine just wont cut it in this case. As the steam rises so does that beautiful hunk of dough, creating a pillow of bread once cooked.
• Buttermilk: use for savory scones while cream is great for a sweet scone. This allows for the dough to come together but still have enough fat to keep it a tender dough.
• Colby Jack Cheese: we love colby jack, but you could use cheddar cheese, swiss, pepper jack or really any type of cheese you love.
• Diced Ham: a perfect way to use leftover spiraled ham or you can buy cubed ham from the store.
• Fresh Chives: fresh herbs make all the difference when it comes to flavor but if you need to use dried chives, use just 1 teaspoon. You could also use scallions.
  • TIP: If you’re not a chives fine, you can use fresh parsley or thyme.
• Butter: I know butter has already been listed, but we use it again brushed on top as a finishing touch on these perfect scones.

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Recommended Equipment

Pizza Cutter – This is a MUST in our house. The Dexas pizza cutter isn’t a steel blade, but a plastic blade and if you watch our videos you’ll notice I use a plastic pizza wheel all the time to cut dough. It is so much easier than a knife and wont harm any pans or counter tops. This pa

Empty Tomb Rolls [+ Video]

Every Easter our family makes these sweet empty tomb rolls (aka resurrection rolls) where the marshmallow melts down to a caramel sauce inside the roll. This is one of our all-time favorite Easter recipes!

We usually start our Easter with these sweet rolls for breakfast. They can also be eaten as an appetizer, side dish or dessert. They go great with a honey baked ham and potato casserole. No matter when you eat them, they will make a great addition to your Easter celebration.

What are Resurrection Rolls?

These rolls can be called empty tomb rolls or resurrection rolls, heck you can even call them disappearing marshmallow rolls if you prefer. Either way, they are a soft, homemade roll that has a cinnamon sugar, butter-dipped marshmallow inside. The dough is formed around the marshmallow and dipped in more butter and cinnamon sugar then baked. As the dough bakes, the marshmallow melts into a sweet caramel-like sauce inside the dough. When you open the resurrection rolls the marshmallow is gone but the dough is sweet and sticky.

The empty tomb rolls are meant to symbolize the burial and resurrection of Christ. It is a tender object lesson to teach kiddos what we celebrate on Easter. The marshmallow represents Jesus’ body and the roll dough represents the tomb.

If you aren’t religious it doesn’t really matter because you still get to eat a yummy roll! They are easy and so tasty!

Our Story of Faith While Preparing for Another Baby

Heads up, I’m about to get personal so feel free to keep scrolling if you just want the recipe.

We had a special little conversation while making these resurrection rolls. You see, I’ve been incredibly ill with Hyperemesis Gravidarum with all three of my pregnancies. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve endured in my 30 some odd years of life, but it’s obviously been incredibly rewarding too.

Our oldest daughter witnessed so much this last pregnancy that she was able to grasp what was happening a little more than before. She asked me yesterday why I had been willing to be pregnant a third time knowing that it would be so horrible and I jumped at the opportunity to tell her.

Someone was Missing

Have you ever felt this stirring inside of you and you know you are meant to do something? Or had that odd feeling that someone is missing? It may be that you felt this great pull and desire to start your own business, be a teacher, have children, or anything else you can dream up, and all you can say is that you just knew you were meant to do it? We — I especially — have had both feelings each time we’ve had a baby. Every. Single. Time.

It took us five years to put on our brave pants and try for another baby. We had felt strongly that there was another who was meant to be in our family, but we thought

Apple Empty Tomb Rolls [+ Video]

A soft, buttery, flaky roll stuffed full of chopped up apples in an incredible caramel sauce. But what’s the secret to Apple Empty Tomb Rolls?

If you’ve been following us for a while now you know that there’s a recipe that almost broke our site, do you know which one it is?

Actually, I lied.

There are a few recipes that continue to bring in millions of views, but we can chat about those later if you’d like. But Empty Tomb Rolls is the one I’m talking about right now. And it’s what inspired this version or Apple Empty Tomb Rolls which I think blows the original out of the water.

Our original recipe calls for roll dough, butter, cinnamon sugar and marshmallows.

Crazy, crazy easy.

You’ve got to go check out the recipe and watch the video. It’s a really delicious one.

All summer the idea kept coming to my mind that it would be really delicious if I could make a new version. That’s kind of hard though because there’s literally nothing to the recipe, but the idea came to my mind so many times I knew it was inspiration.

I kept pondering and pondering over what new idea could be used when I asked a question on Instagram about fall and what flavor you all prefer, apple or pumpkin.

On one post it was overwhelmingly APPLE and on another, PUMPKIN! Seriously? How does that help me know what to make?! LOL, it was awesome. And then it hit me, Apple Empty Tomb Rolls. They are even kind of like our Apple Pie Bombs, but no frying needed!

You see, Empty Tomb Rolls, or as some people call them, Resurrection Rolls (there’s a whole story that you tell your kids as you make them, it’s pretty cute) end up with a caramel-y sauce inside of the roll and it’s so good! What goes better with apples than caramel?!

The Secret to Apple Empty Tomb Rolls

Do you know the secret to apple empty tomb rolls?

Marshmallows!!!

Let’s dive in to the recipe.

What to Serve with Apple Empty Tomb Rolls

Actually, hold on a second! Do you know what would be really good? These hot, saucy apple empty tomb rolls are reminiscent of apple pie. In fact, if you made them with two crescent rolls and more filling it would totally look like mini hand pies. But listen, I’m getting too far off here, the point is, it’s like apple pie, so what would really be good is to serve them up with a cold, creamy scoop of vanilla ice cream!

How to Make Apple Empty Tomb Rolls

It’s probably one of the easiest desserts you’ll ever make and it all starts with the apples.

You will need to microwave the apples for about a minutes so that they are beginning to turn tender. The bake time isn’t longing enough to soften them up, so the microwave is going to help out with that.

Next, toss the apples with melted butter and mini marshmallows. As you know, large marshmallows are used in the o

World’s Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Who needs buns of steel when you could have buns of cinnamon? These are the World’s Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls and once you try them you’ll never go back.

This post is going to be full of pictures, and not much else because who needs stories about Mom bribing us with cinnamon rolls to get us to eat the potato soup which later turned into a tradition? No one, because everyone really just wants the recipe so let’s get on with the world’s best cinnamon rolls. Boom!

Ingredients for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

This ingredients list might look long at first glance, but several of the items overlap between the three different components and most of the items will be things you already have at home. Here is what you will need:

For the Dough

• Warm Water: helps activate the yeast, should be between 105° and 115°F
• Heavy Cream: adds to the squishiness of the rolls, whole can be substituted
• Instant Yeast: I prefer instant yeast over active dry yeast and would recommend not substituting it.
• Sugar: feeds the yeast to active it
• Buttermilk: adds to the fluffiness of the rolls
• Sea Salt: enhances all the flavors in the cinnamon rolls
• Eggs: provides structure to the rolls and helps binds all the ingredients
• Canola Oil: adds a little more fat while helping the cinnamon rolls stay tender
• Butter: adds richness to the dough
• All Purpose Flour: provides the structure for rolls
• Soy Lecithin: and emulsifying agent that helps fat and water stay together that helps create the most perfect rolls, can be omitted if needed but it really makes a difference!

For the Filling

• Unsalted Butter: don’t melt it, leave it at room temperature
• Brown Sugar: adds richness and pairs well with cinnamon
• White Sugar: adds additional sweetness
• Cinnamon: adds that signature warm flavor to cinnamon rolls
• Cornstarch: helps keep the filling thick and extra gooey

For the Frosting

• Cream Cheese: adds a delicious tang to the frosting
• Unsalted Butter: adds richness to the cream cheese icing
Read more

Sizzling Italian Dipping Oil for Bread

Sizzling hot, full of fresh herbs and garlic with a little drizzle of sweet balsamic vinegar…the most irresistible dipping oil for bread. It soaks into the bread just a little and is the perfect appetizer or side dish for any meal.

Years ago when I was in college I was dating a boy that enjoyed cooking and baking. We had a lot of fun trying new recipes and because we were dating, my parents gave me a fancy set of oil and different seasonings for bread for one of my Christmas gifts. The relationship didn’t last but my love for bread and dipping oil totally did! Haha!

Take 10 minutes to make this dipping oil recipe, pull a fresh loaf of focaccia bread or a crusty artisan bread loaf out of the oven, and you have an elegant start to your authentic Italian bolognese dinner! You’ll feel like you’re sitting at a fancy Italian restaurant!

What Goes into Italian Dipping Oil?

Here are the ingredients you will need for this recipe:

• Olive Oil – extra virgin, make sure it is good quality (from Italy or California is the best), extra virgin olive oil has a deeper and richer flavor
• Garlic – fresh, not from a jar
• Fresh herbs – parsley, oregano (or marjoram), rosemary and basil all minced really fine
  • PRO TIP: We love this combinations of fresh herbs, but you could use any combination you love! It’s so versatile! Add some thyme, omit the parsley…seriously whatever your family enjoys!
  • If you need to use dried herbs, double all the measurements for each herb.
• Red Pepper Flakes – feel free to add more if you like more heat
• Kosher Salt – adds flavor
• Balsamic Vinegar – adds the most lovely hint of sweetness and acid to cut through the oil
• Bread – I have been known to dip just about any bread into this oil. Heck, I’d dip a slice of white Wonderbread! See section below for specific suggestions.

The measurements for each ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

What Type of Olive Oil is Best for Dipping Oil?

You want a top quality, extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor. Extra virgin olive oil will hold up the best to all the flavors of the fresh herbs. Look for EVOO that is from Italy or California. EVOO can be expensive, but you only need 1/3 cup for this recipe, so buying the best is recommended and will last for a long time.

Can Other Types of Oil Be Used?

No, I would definitely not recommend using any other type of oil for making a dipping oil for bread. Other types of oil just don’t have the same rich flavor that you get from olive oil. Olive oil is also one of the healthiest types