Happy post-Christmas, friends! I meant to get this up yesterday, but just kept forgetting. Do you have a Christmas breakfast tradition? My family never did, but Jim's family had what I always thought was a quite unique tradition: ham and scrambled eggs with.....ready?......lima beans, tomatoes, dinner rolls and (drumroll.....) watermelon rind pickles! (Get the theme? Red and green for Christmas.)
Well, I've done real good these past 16 years on the pickle part, but this year I waited until the last minute and my local markets don't carry them. But it won't happen again. I can get them on-line and as you can imagine, they will last for just about forever in the frig. We did, however, update from lima beans to edamame and from eggs to Egg Beaters. It is, actually, a very nice healthy, tasty breakfast and a lovely way to start your Christmas Day (and another notch on my ham-belt!)
Good Christmas Eve, friends! I hope you're all enjoying a lovely day with friends and family.
Here's one more ham dish if you're looking for a home for your leftovers. I made it as a breakfast dish, but honestly, this would be a great lunch or dinner served with a green salad, or a fruit salad like I served with breakfast.
Be sure to cook the full hour and make sure the top is golden brown so you can get those crispy crusts. But I would advise not to season the mixture with salt, as you will get plenty of sodium between the soup, cheese, and ham. I did add some dried parsley and black pepper for a little pop of color. I cut the recipe in half, baked in an 8x8 dish and it was more than enough for the two of us and four dogs!
CHEESY HAM AND HASH BROWN CASSEROLE (8-10 servings)
1 (32 oz) package frozen hash brown potatoes
8 oz cooked, diced ham
2 (10.75 oz) cans condensed cream of potato soup
1 (16 oz) container sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
dried parsley, shake in enough add some color, optional
black pepper, shake in enough to add some color and to taste, optional
Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
In a large bowl, mix hash browns, ham, soup, sour cream, and cheddar cheese. Spread evenly into prepared dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven or until bubbly and lightly brown. Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Source: www.allrecipes.com
Hello, Friends! Are you ready for Wednesday? I wish I could say we were going to have a white Christmas, but, alas, no such luck.
I'm gearing up by trying to come up with some new recipes in which I can use ham. We received a beautiful ham as a gift and I wanted to try some new dishes. This was first up and I'm tellin' you......if you are going to have any leftover ham, you have got to try this!!! It is dee....lish!
It's a simple mixture of orzo with some freshly chopped dill and feta cheese with some chopped ham and spinach sandwiched in between. And then a thin layer of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese on top which bakes into a lovely crispy crust. You can put this together very quickly and bake it immediately or the next day. I would make the full recipe in a 9x13 baking dish or half the recipe and bake it in an 8x8 dish. I served this with a Greek salad.
ONE DISH BAKED ORZO with SPINACH, HAM, and FETA (6-8 servings)
2 cups ham, cooked and chopped
1 pound orzo pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped (or more, to taste)
1/3 cup grated Romano, Parmesan, or Asiago cheese
14.5 oz can chicken stock
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 pound crumbed feta cheese
1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely dry (it's important to squeeze out all excess moisture)
S&P to taste
Preheat the oven to 350F. Pour the chicken stock into a large pot. Add enough water to the stock to almost fill the pot. Sprinkle with salt and bring to a boil. Stir in orzo and boil until just tender (8-10 minutes) but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain well.
Return to pot. Mix in cream, oil, feta, and dill. Season with S&P. In a prepared baking dish, layer 1/2 of the orzo mixture. Top with the ham and then spinach. Layer the remaining orzo mixture over the spinach and top with the Romano cheese. Bake uncovered until heated through, about 40 minutes.
This dish can be prepared a day ahead, just cover and refrigerate. When you're ready to cook it, bring it to a room temperature before you bake it.
Recipe Source: www.smithfield.com
Whenever we go to Olive Garden and Jim gets soup, he always choses the Pasta e Fagioli (I go for the Zuppa Toscana!) But for a wet December night dinner, I thought this would be a good choice. Warm and hearty for an easy winter meal.
OLIVE GARDEN PASTA e FAGIOLI (approximately 8 full servings, 12 small servings)
1 lb ground beef (I used 90/10)
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
15 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can beef broth
15 oz can kidney beans (with liquid)
15 oz can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
2" x 2" Parmesan rind (optional)
8 oz dry ditalina pasta
grated Parmesan for garnish, optional
Brown ground beef in a large soup pot over medium-high heat until no longer pink, lightly seasoning with S&P. Drain, then return to the pot. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, lightly season with S&P. Saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the reamining ingredients, except for the pasta, and simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, cook pasta according to directions. Rinse, drain, and set aside.
About 5 minutes before serving, remove Parmesan rind (if using) and add cooked pasta to the soup. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Recipe Source: www.topsecretrecipes.com
I caught this recipe on The Today Show with Giada De Laurentiis a few days ago. It's an adult version of the hot dog in a crescent roll snack. And what a great game day appetizer this would be!
Four ingredients, five minutes prep, less than half an hour in the oven. What a great idea for a fun new appetizer! Have some yellow or Dijon mustard (or, if you must, ketchup) on the side for dipping and voila!!! Easy, fast, tasty snack!
ITALIAN PIGS IN A BLANKET (18 snacks)
1 sheet puff pastry from a 17.3 oz package, defrosted
1/2 pound mortadella, cut into 1/2" x 1/2"x 2 1/2" batons
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup (approximately 2 oz) grated Swiss cheese
yellow or Dijon mustard (or ketchup) for dipping, optional
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Roll the sheet of puff pastry to an 11" square. Using a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut the dough into 1/2" strips. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Wrap each baton of mortadella in one strip of puff pastry, overlapping the dough slightly with each wrap around and leaving the ends exposed.
Place the rolls on prepared baking sheet leaving an inch between each one. Brush each roll with the egg and top with a good pinch of grated cheese. Place in preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Serve warm with dipping sauce, if desired.
I have loved crab cakes since the very first time I tried them. And you can only imagine that growing up in Oklahoma in the 60's, one didn't get a lot of shots at good seafood! So maybe because it was such a treat to find quality seafood while on vacation, every single bite was that much more special (and I was also fortunate to have a father who encouraged me to try all foods at least once.)
But as with many recipes, you don't always get a good crab cake. Many are so full of filling and light on crab that they're nothing much more than fried crackers. This recipe is a fine, basic recipe. You can, of course, adjust some of the ingredients to your liking but start here. For me, green peppers are essential the the taste of a good crab cake. Hence, I tend to add a bit more.
This time I fried the cakes, although reader comments included a suggestion for baking which I will try next time (to bake the cakes, saute the onion and green peppers, cool, mix with other ingredients, then make patties. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, spray with a cooking spray, and then bake (do not flour patties) at 375F for 20 minutes, flip and continue cooking for another 20-25 minutes).
And about the remoulade sauce: I love this sauce with crab cakes. I found this recipe and it is the best I've ever found. Of course you can serve this with other fish and seafood, but it is particularly delicious on these cakes.
CRAB CAKES (4-6 servings)
1 pound crabmeat, picked free of shells
1/3 cup crushed crackers (butter crackers like Ritz are recommended)
3 green onions, green and white parts, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup mayo
1 egg
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt or Cajun seasoning
Dash cayenne pepper
flour, for dusting
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Remoulade sauce (recipe follows) and/or lemon, optional
In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except for the flour, oil, and sauce. Shape into patties and dust with flour.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, carefully place crab cakes in batches, in pan and fry until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Carefully flip crab cakes and fry on other side until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Serve with sauce and/or lemon, if desired.
Recipe Source: www.foodnetwork.com (Paula Deen)
REMOULADE SAUCE
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup chili sauce
2 Tbsp Creole mustard***See NOTE below
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 Tbsp hot sauce
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 medium scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
2 Tbsp minced celery
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp caper, chopped (optional)
Mix together mayo, chili sauce, mustard, olive oil, hot sauce, lemon juice, and Worcestershire. Stir in scallions, parsley, olives, celery, capers, and garlic. Season with chili powder and S&P. Cover and refrigerate.
NOTE: To make your own Creole mustard, mix 6 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce to taste.
Recipe Source: www.allrecipes.com
Snickerdoodles have to be just about the most perfect cookie. Simple ingredients, crispy around the edges, soft and chewy on the inside, and a simple dusting of cinnamon and sugar on the outside. Good year around.
This recipe came from the Allrecipes magazine, but I do believe it's pretty universal with few if any changes. What I love about this magazine are the reader's comments. One suggestion I thought would be really helpful is to freeze the dough in the measured balls and then cook them as you need/want them (6 minutes at 400F, then 8+ minutes at 350F).
This is a great suggestion given that Snickerdoodles don't keep for long. So unless you're making them for a group and have scheduled a pig-out session for yourself, you might want to give this a try!
SNICKERDOODLES (makes about 4 dozen cookies)
1 cup butter, softenend (or 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening)
1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups AP flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400F.
Cream together butter (and shortening, if using) and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Shape dough by rounded Tablespoons into balls.
Mix remaining 2 Tbsp sugar and the cinnamon. Roll Balls of dough in mixture. Place 2" apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 8-10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.
Recipe Source: Allrecipes Magazine, December/January 2004, p. 39
