Ham Sliders

These are YUMMY! My kids ate them up and begged for more! I have tried several pinterest recipes lately and for every 5 I try maybe 1 is worth keeping. This one did not disappoint!

Take about 20 dinner rolls (mine were homemade and soft) and put a little mayo on the inside with a slice of ham and a slice of swiss. I had cheddar and mozzerella on hand, so that is what I used.

Place the sandwiches close together in a baking dish. I used two 9x13 pans.  Butter the tops with this sauce.

Sauce:

1/2 c butter, melted
1 T poppyseeds
1, 1/2 T mustard
1 T minced onion
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce

You do not have to use all the sauce. Cover the pans with foil and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Uncover the dish and bake another 2 minutes.

Crock Pot Pork Chops

I've been experimenting with more pork chops, and this is a good one, too. My kids liked these the best. It is one of the few recipes where I've used cream of chicken soup.

Butter a crock pot, then place:

4-5 pork chops


Mix in a bowl and pour over chops:

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1, 1/2 cup chicken broth

Cook on low for the full 8 hours.

Serve over a bed of orzo, mashed potatoes, or rice.

Applesauce Pork Chops

This recipe was so easy and yummy! The pork chops came out fork tender :)

Butter the crock pot with 2 T butter. Place 5 pork chops on bottom

Mix and pour on top:


1 can applesauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 T cinnamon

Cook on low for 8 hours

Sausage and White Bean Soup

Soak overnight:

1 cup navy beans

About 2 hours before you want to serve dinner. Drain the water and cover beans in fresh water and simmer.

In a separate pan heat:

1 T olive oil
1 lb. Italian smoked sausage (I used Hillshire Farms Hot and Spicy)

Add:

1 cup chopped onion

Cook onion for about 5 minutes. Then add:

3 cups chicken broth
1 bunch Kale, washed chopped

Add:

cooked navy beans and about 1 cup of the cooking water
1 cup milk mixed with 1 T flour (mix milk and flour real good before adding)

Serve!

Ham Fried Rice

I found this recipe on Deals to Meals. It turned out pretty good!

Cook:

2 cups white rice (you will end up with about 6 cups)
1, 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic powder

While the rice is cooking saute in 3 T butter:

4 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 celery sticks, chopped

After about 10 minutes of sauteing (is that a word?) add:

1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1, 1/2 cup ham cubed
3 scrambled eggs, cooked

Add rice to vegies along with:

1/4 cup soy sauce

and serve!

Biscuits and Gravy

My friend Courtney introduced me to the cook book The Food Nanny. It is the cutest cook book! It is so much more than a recipe book. It talks about meal planning and shopping. Everything this lady talks about is more support to how I like to do things...so of course I love it!

I just tried this recipe of hers and it is gooooood!! I used the buttermilk biscuit recipe I just posted below here.

For the gravy

In a medium sauce pan brown:

8 oz maple flavor bulk sausage (I like Jimmy Dean)

In a separate sauce pan melt:

1/4 cup butter

using a whisk add:

1/3 cup flour
1 tsp salt
pepper

Mix the flour long enough that it darkens a bit. About 1-2 minutes. Then add slowly:

2 cups milk
1 cup water

Keep whisking. Don't leave the stove to do dishes or change a diaper :)  Keep the whisk moving until it bubbles and thickens. Then add the drained sausage and serve over hot biscuits with fresh fruit!

Creamy Potato and Ham

I try not to turn my oven on in the summer time. I try not to make soup either. But this turned out really yummy, so I'll make an exception!

In a large pot bring to a boil:

2 cans chicken broth

Once the broth is boiling add:

4-5 potatoes, cubed
2 celery stocks, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped (I used baby carrots)

Simmer the vegies for about 17 minutes. While this is simmering make your white roux.

In a saucepan melt:

1/2 cube butter

Once the butter begins bubbling add:

1/4 cup chopped white onion

Let the onion cook for about 7 minutes. Then add and whisk:

3 T flour
1/4 tsp salt

Once the flour is worked in add slowly:

2-3 cups milk
Whisk the milk until the roux begin bubbling. Then continue to whisk for another 2-3 minutes. Yes, your arm may get tired. But it is worth it :)

Once the roux is done slowly add it to your pot with the cooked vegetables. Do not drain the chicken broth. Just add the milky roux to the brothy vegies. Give a couple stirs with your wooden spoon.

add:

2 cups chopped ham

Macaroni Ham Salad

Summer time is here and that means I am getting burned out in the kitchen. I like this easy supper. I can whip it up in the morning and there is no cooking involved. I used some left over chopped ham from Easter that I had in the freezer. I had just made this salad when I took the picture so the peas are still frozen. When you make it up and let it sit for about 10 minutes the peas will defrost.

Cook and then drain:

1 cup dry macaroni

Dump the macaroni in a mixing bowl and add:

3/4 cup cheddar, cubed
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 T green onion
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup pickles, chopped fine
2 T milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chopped ham


Easy Easy Easy!

English Muffin Breakfast

This is more of an idea than a recipe. If you are still eating left over ham from Easter like I am, then you will appreciate the idea.

I pulled out my griddle and cooked an egg well-done while the english muffin sat next to the eggs on the buttered grill. Put a slice of cheese on the cooking egg to melt.I like using Wonder Bread brand of muffins. The no name brands were too dry. Lay your sliced ham on the grill for a second to heat up.

Put together your sandwich and enjoy!

Spinach Quiche

This makes a wonderful breakfast for special occassions. It also makes a special dinner. I absolutely love it. My tip is to use real mozzarella. Don't use the pre-shredded. The pre-shredded cheese has a somewhat waxy coating. I like to buy a real quality ball of mozzarella and shred it by hand. I also use baby spinach. I'll cut off the little stems and then using a big bucher knife slice a big pile of spinach into strips. This is a good recipe to use up left over Easter Ham. I also like using my own pie crust recipe. You could use a store boughten recipe if you want to cut on time (and taste). One more tip, don't think you have to pour the entire mixture into the pie shell. You want it to be full but not so full you can't manage to put the pie into the oven whithout spilling.

In a saute pan cook for about 5 minutes:

1/2 cup onion
3 T butter

In a large bowl whisk:

8 eggs

Add to the eggs:

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups chopped spinach
1 cup mozzarella
1, 1/2 cup chopped ham

Add your sauteed onions.

Now pour the mixture into a cooked pastry shell. Carefully place the uncooked quiche into the hot oven. Bake at 325 for 65-75 minutes. Check for doneness with a knife. Let sit at room temp for 10 minutes to set. The quiche should have a rounded puffy shape to the top.

Ham and Bean Soup

Soak in a large pot overnight:

2 cups dry Navy beans
2 quarts water

2, 1/2 hours to 3 hours prior to serving dinner drain the water and add to the beans in the pot:

2 quarts fresh water
1 hamhock or neckbone (just for flavor)
2 cups chopped ham

Bring the water to a boil and then simmer for one hour. If you stir too often you will end up with mushy beans ;)

After the one hour I like to take the hamhock or neck bone out. Add:

1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1 tsp salt
2 T butter

let this simmer for another hour.

Add:

1 cup milk

Let the milky soup simmer for about 5 more minutes and then turn the heat to lowest setting until you are ready to serve.

This soup is better the second day. I like to serve this with wheat bread or rolls. With the protein in the wheat and the bean you get a complete protein.

Also, my Dad gave me a tip once and I really like it! Try serving the soup with just a small spoonfull of Horseradish. It gives it a kick!

Breakfast Ham Bake

This dish is wonderful for serving guests. Make it up the night before and throw it in the oven in the morning. I have tried several different Breakfast bakes before deciding on what I liked best. Some have sausage. Some have mushrooms. Some have more prep work than others. I took what I liked from several recipes and came up with this one. Enjoy!

In a very large mixing bowl dump and mix:

1 package hash browns, frozen
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, green or red (or both!)
*1-2 cups chopped ham (I just used the leftovers I had)
1, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese

In another bowl whisk until smooth:

12 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Dump the hash brown mixture in a greased 9 X 13 baking dish or deep oven proof dutch oven. Then Pour the egg mixture on top as evenly as you can eye ball it. Top with grated cheese and chopped green onion. Cover. Place in fridge. In the morning bake at 350 uncovered for 60 minutes.

*The better quality ham you use, the better the dish will be. Your dish is only as good as the ingredients you use. I like leftover ham from a bone-in spiral ham.

Hone Glazed Pork Chops with Garlic Roasted Vegies

The vegies in this dish are yummy enough to be the meal itself. The pork and vegies together should just fall apart in your mouth! I made up the vegie roast. I adapted the pork recipe from Miss Vickie's pressure cooker recipes so I could use in the oven. I tried pork in the pressure cooker and wasn't that thrilled. In fact, I had just about given up on pork chops until I tried this in the oven. The secret is not over cooking!

Honey glazed pork chops



In a big ziplock bag dump shake up until coated:

1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
6 pork chops, 3/4 inch thick

In a 13x9 baking dish melt 2 T butter.Place the 6 pork chops on top of the butter. Bake at 350 uncovered for 15 minutes.

Once the pork goes in the oven begin making the honey glaze.

In a small pot on the stove dump the following in and simmer for 15 minutes.

3 T butter
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup lemon juice (I just use the bottled)
1 tsp ginger

After the pork cooks for 15 minutes. Take the dish out of the over and turn the chops over. Then pour honey glaze over the pork. Put the dish back in the oven for 20more minutes. Uncovered.

Garlic Roasted Vegies

In a 9x13 dish dump:

6 cut up potatoes (I used new potatoes)

3 carrots
1/2 onion, cut into chunks
6 cloves garlic, peeled

2 T butter cut up

lightly salt and pepper

Cover with foil (or the carrots will shrivel up) and bake at 400 for one hour.

Pulled Pork Fajitas

I always have tons of left over pulled pork in the summertime. I cooked this pork shoulder for the 4th and seasoned it with coke, enchilada sauce, salt, and garlic. But a girl can only eat so many sandwiches. I through the leftovers into my skillet with my home-grown peppers, some onions and tomatoes. Yum! Then I added a fajita season packet. Nothin home cooked about that!

Cilantro Lime Rice

Melt 2 T butter in skillet.

Add 1, 1/4 cup long grained rice (not minute rice)

brown this for a couple minutes stirring. Then dump in:

2, 1/4 cup chicken broth

3/4 t salt

1 T lime juice

1/4 t cumin

put the lid on the rice and cook on lowest setting for 20 minutes. Then add chopped fresh cilantro.