Wubby’s Ham & Cheese Bites with Spicy Harissa Sauce

Wub got access to all the Jam.com* courses for Christmas. She’s started herself off with the Cook for Yourself course. With very little guidance from me this is the hot appetizer she came up with...

Tasty Sauce

1/2 Tablespoon harissa (we use DEA brand)
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons sour cream
1/2  teaspoon roasted garlic seasoning (we use Weber)
1/4 teaspoon each srirach garlic seasoning, rosemary, thyme and oregano
Splash red wine vinegar
pinch of cayenne
3 drops of green hot sauce (we use Trader Joe's Green Dragon)

Mix together until thoroughly combined and let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.


Preheat oven to 450.

Lightly oil a baking sheet with olive oil. Arrange slices of French baguette cut into round on the baking sheet. Top with a slice of good ham and a slice of sharp cheddar cheese Bake for 7-10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melted. 

Arrange on a plate and top each round with a dollop of Tasty Sauce. Yum!

Crispy bread, smoky ham, melty cheese and a cool creamy, addictively spicy sauce? Yes, please!

Perfect to enjoy with family!

*I am not affiliated with jam.com but I would recommend them. 

Wub is having a blast trying to figure out what she is going to cook next and she's excited about her other course offerings especially the Invent Your own Machines and Become a Music Star.

I like the fact that she is learning on her own and is eager to test and try new things. I also like the range of courses that they offer and how Wub gets to choose what she wants to do next within each course. Each lesson builds skills within itself so Wub can start off where she feels strong and build new skills to take her onto a different set of tasks.  

And if these appetizers are just the beginning, I can hardly wait to see what she comes up with.

They have a free trial period and they offer a 10% "scholarship" if you enter your email.

 Pro Tip: Sign up for their newsletter and they'll send you some pretty good coupons throughout the year.

Spicy Mushroom Filling

 Sunday is tamale day. Why? Because we are some tamale loving people. So tomorrow my sisters and I will get together around noon and start making masa and filling the tamales. Around 5:00pm we should have a half starved group of maniacs descend upon us to gobble up crunchy chips with homemade salsa and homemade queso and a mountain of freshly steamed tamales.

 Being the decided weirdoest in a bunch of utter nutters, I make the vegetarian filling. Because I love me a vegetarian tamale. (I also love me a meat tamale but for some reason vegetarian tamales make me real happy)

 My usual contribution is Sweet Corn and Green Chili with Queso Quesadilla Cheese. And those will be making a modified appearance tomorrow but I wanted to expand my horizons a little bit. So in addition to the usual sweet corn/green chili I will also be making a Spinach Artichoke and Blistered Jalapeno filling and these:

Spicy Mushroom Filling for Tamales or Tacos or Burritos or Enchiladas or Quesadillas or your face...

2 lbs white button mushrooms roughly chopped
2 large onions cut into medium dice
2 cloves garlic minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 6 oz can tomato paste
Chipotles in Adobo Sauce*
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup white wine
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet until butter is foamy. Add the onions and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until softened. Turn up the heat add the garlic. cook until golden.
Mince up as many chipotle peppers as your heat level can stand (*I'm a chili head so I could have handled more but since others will be eating this I went with one. This was a nice level of heat without being alienating to the less spicy of the crew.) Add the pepper(s) 2 tsp of the adobo sauce, 1 can of tomato paste, the water and wine bring to a boil and turn down real low. Simmer 5 or 6 minutes.
Stuff into whatever you want. I would not recommend this a good filling for dolls and stuffed animals.