Caramelized Ham and Swiss Buns

These are FANTASTIC!!  The sweetness of the brown sugar combines with the horseradish to make an unbelievable taste in your mouth.  Simply divine.

You make them a day ahead and bake them before you want to serve them.  They are easy and delicious!  I made them for our Christmas party, but they would make an excellent brunch or dinner anytime.  You could also serve them as an appetizer before dinner.

I will definitely be making these again!  This time I doubled the recipe, but forgot to double the sauce.  It was a happy accident because I wouldn't have wanted more sauce!  The amount was just perfect.  I think I might half the sauce if I only made 12 sandwiches in the future.

Based on the leftovers, I think I better make 36 instead of 24 for next year's party!

The recipe comes from the December 2013 issue of Taste of Home.

Caramelized Ham and Swiss Buns

1 package (12 ounces) Hawaiian sweet rolls, split

1/2 cup horseradish sauce
12 slices deli ham (I used Black Forest Ham from Giant Eagle's deli)
6 slices Swiss cheese, halved (I bought a brick and shaved it on the cheese grater)
1/2 cup butter, cubed
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard (I used Dijon because that's what I had)
2 tsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Spread roll bottoms with horseradish sauce. Layer with ham and cheese; replace tops. Arrange in a single layer in a greased 9 in.square baking pan. 

In a small skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour over rolls. Refrigerate, covered, several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake, covered, 25 minutes. Bake, uncovered, 5-10 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Peanut Butter Balls

Chris dipping the peanut butter balls in chocolate!

We are not Christmas cookie baking people.  Sure, Chris makes chocolate chip cookies from time to time, but we don't "do" the frantic baking thing at the holidays.  As a result, I never get as many peanut butter balls as I require.

This year, I saw this recipe floating around Facebook, and I asked Chris if he would make it for our Christmas party.

I will warn you, it was a bit of mess! But these are THE BEST peanut butter balls I've ever tasted!  He did use his hands to mix the peanut butter part, as directed in the recipe.  He used milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet, which makes them just a little bit sweeter.  I actually prefer milk chocolate, so maybe that's why I loved these so much!

So here's the recipe.  (The personal notes are from the original poster -- I'm sorry I don't know who that was to give her/him credit!)

No Bake Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

1-18 oz. jar of smooth or chunky peanut buter - I prefer smooth
1 - 16 oz. bag of confectioners sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted
 
chocolate almond bark
or
chocolate candy melts
or
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips & 2 tsp. shortening

In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, confectioners sugar and melted butter until the mixture is crumbly. For the next step, the best way that I've found to make a smooth filling is to use your hands to mix everything together.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Roll the peanut butter filling into 1 inch balls and line the baking sheet with rows of the balls. Set the baking sheet in the freezer for 5-7 minutes to chill the peanut butter balls for easier dipping.