Tuesday, December 30, 2014

5 Ideas for Leftover Ham

I love Christmas ham. I have no desire to eat ham all year long, but I always look forward to the spiral ham with the brown sugar-maple glaze, and it never lets me down. However, after that delicious Christmas meal, I usually have enough ham leftover to eat for days and days. But I am learning that that's a good thing. There's a lot you can do with leftover ham!

1/2/15 Updated: Additional recipes below!


1. Ham and Broccoli Quiche
Quiches are a genius way to use up leftovers. This recipe belongs to my mother-in-law. But if you're not a broccoli fan, through in ham with spinach or tomato and onion. Use cheddar or if you prefer, swiss cheese. That's the other great thing about quiches--they are so versatile. 

Ingredients:
1 store-bought refrigerated pie crust
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half 
1 1/2 cup cubed cooked ham
1 cup frozen broccoli florets, thawed, drained, and chopped*
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a pie dish with the pie crust.

Bake the empty pie crust for 5 to 8 minutes. (Again, not necessary but helpful)

Place 1 cup of  the cheese, ham, and broccoli in the bottom of your pie crust. Beat the eggs and half and half together in a bowl then our into pie crust. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the egg sets in the center.

*Again, make sure your broccoli is well drained or else your quiche will come out watery and runny. 
ham mustard grilled cheese

2. Loaded Baked Potato with Ham and Cheddar
I just made these the other night and they are delicious. Made in the microwave, they are a quick and easy side dish. And if you're getting tired of leftover ham, these are a good way to use some of it up without making it the main focus of your meal.



Ingredients:
4 russet potatoes, scrubbed
1 cup cooked diced ham
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/3 cup green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sour cream (I used fat free)
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Directions:
Pierce each potatoes on top and bottom with fork. Place on a plate and cook for 5 minutes on high power. Flip potatoes over and cook for another 5 minutes.

Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice in half horizontally. Scoop the flesh out, leaving about 1/4-inch shell. Place the potatoes in a bowl and combine with ham, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, green onion and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the potatoes evenly between the 8 potato skin shells. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Microwave for another 1 to 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Or put under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Ham Grilled Cheese Sandwich
I made this for Eric the day after Christmas. It's a little twist on your traditional ham sandwich. I used cheddar--I'm not a big swiss cheese fan and a think ham and cheddar go together brilliantly. Anyway, he said it was so good, I had to go and make myself one.



Ingredients:
2 slices of sandwich bread
Butter
leftover ham
Cheddar cheese (we use shredded because it melts better)
Dijon mustard

Directions:
Butter one side of each piece of bread. Place ham on the unbuttered side of one piece of bread. Spread on mustard then add cheese. Cook the sandwich on a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat until the bread is a golden brown. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown.

4. Ham and Cheese Omelette
I could eat this omelette every day. 


Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 tablespoon milk
Leftover ham, diced
Cheddar cheese, shredded (or swiss, if you prefer)
Green onions, thinly sliced
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a bowl whisk together eggs and milk.

Spray skillet with cooking spray and heat pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot pour in egg mixture. When the bottom of the egg cooks, flip it over. The ham, cheese, and onions on half of the omelette. When the egg is completely cooked, fold it over, and place omelette on your plate. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Homemade Ham Pizza
So I was going to make this until I realized that I didn't have any pizza sauce, tomato sauce, or even spaghetti sauce in the house. I probably will make it after my next grocery shopping trip. But if you don't feel like making a pizza yourself, you could always add some chopped up ham to your frozen pizza.


Just swap out the pepperoni for ham.
Ingredients:
Crust
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt 
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 packet active yeast
1 tablespoon sugar 
1 cup warm water

Toppings
Ham, chopped
Pizza Sauce
Mozzarella, shredded
Any other preferred toppings

Directions:
Place water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast. Add 2 1/2 cups flour, oil, and salt; combine. Add more flour until dough forms a bowl. Knead 5 to 7 times. Roll into a bowl, place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or damp cloth. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease pizza stone with cooking spray.

Punch dough and place it on the pizza stone. Work it into a crust with a 12-inch diameter. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. Remove from oven and add sauce, cheese, and toppings.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown.

1.2.15 Update!
Ham in an egg salad, who knew how amazing that combination was! Here is the recipe. I had it for lunch two days in a row, so good.

I also used leftover ham to replace the bacon in my Pumpkin Soup with Sage Croutons and Bacon. Delicious! 

My husband fried up some ham (we had a lot leftover) then put barbecue sauce on it. He said it was really good, but I didn't try it.

I'm also thinking about trying a ham taco or a ham quesadilla. 

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Loaded Baked Potatoes with Ham and Cheddar

I needed to use up the potatoes in the pantry before they went bad and decided to make loaded baked potatoes. We didn't have any bacon in the house, but we did have leftover Christmas ham. Oh my god, so good! It was a spiral ham with a brown sugar-maple glaze. The sweetness of the ham just worked with the cheese and green onions. Wow.


Ingredients:
4 russet potatoes, scrubbed
1 cup cooked diced ham
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/3 cup green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sour cream (I used fat free)
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Directions:
Pierce each potatoes on top and bottom with fork. Place on a plate and cook for 5 minutes on high power. Flip potatoes over and cook for another 5 minutes.

Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice in half horizontally. Scoop the flesh out, leaving about 1/4-inch shell. Place the potatoes in a bowl and combine with ham, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, green onion and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the potatoes evenly between the 8 potato skin shells. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Microwave for another 1 to 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Or put under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes.



Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Side Dish Recipes:
Alfredo Green Bean Casserole
Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes 
Cheesy Tomato Zucchini Bake 
Cranberry Sauce Three Ways: Traditional, Orange Zest, and Brandied 
Mashed Potatoes 
Eric's Fried Rice
Fries with Garlic Cheese Sauce

Monday, December 29, 2014

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

Forget the ham or the mac and cheese or the mashed potatoes. This Christmas, all anyone cared about was this amazing dip. It's savory and refreshing and delicious. Both my mom and mother-in-law insisted on taking some home and my husband made me go out and buy some more crackers so he could finish off our leftovers. If only cranberries were available year round, I would make this dip throughout the year.

Recipe from here.


Ingredients:
1 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries, rinsed and dried
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons lemon juice
dash of salt
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened (I used low fat)

Crackers for serving. We used butter crackers, but my mother-in-law also ate the dip with tortilla chips.

Directions:
Finely dice cranberries. You can do this in your food processor (which is what I did) or dice them by hand. In a large bowl, combine diced cranberries, green onion, cilantro, pepper, sugar, cumin, lemon juice, and salt. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours (and let mine sit over night). This allows the sugar to dissolve and be absorbed by the cranberries.

Before serving, spread the cream cheese evenly on your serving plate. Pour on cranberry mixture over the cream cheese. Serve with crackers.


Cream Cheese



Cranberry dip, molasses chews, cinnamon sugar chips, ginger truffles

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Appetizer Recipes:
Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Jalapeno Popper Wontons 
Homemade Pizza Rolls
Spinach Balls with a Spicy Tomato Dipping Sauce  
Parmesan Veggie Crisps 
Cheese Puffs for Cheese Lovers!
Cheesy Twisty Straws

Monday, December 22, 2014

Molasses Chews

Normally I have a huge Christmas baking list that I have to whittle down to something manageable. This year, I'm feeling a little burnt out, I think. This is the only new recipe I tried this year (and it's a keeper!). I mostly made cookies and candies I've done before, and not that many (see my Christmas baking list at bottom of post). I have to admit, it was kind of nice enjoying my favorite treats again.

Recipe from here.



Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup whole milk
1 cup unsulphured molasses
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Candy thermometer

Directions:
Line an 8x8-inch glass baking dish with wax paper and lightly grease with cooking spray.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine butter, chocolate, milk, molasses, and sugar over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Insert candy thermometer in the pan.

When the temperature reaches 248 on the thermometer, remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla.

Carefully pour the molasses caramels into the prepared pan. Allow to cool and set for at least two hours. Remove the molasses chews from the dish and cut into bite-size squares. If you find the caramel sticking to the knife, spray the knife with cooking spray. Wrap the individual chews in wax paper.





Enjoy!

~Krissy

Christmas Baking List 2014:
Kiss Cookies
Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Men Cookies 
Spiced Rum Brown Butter Cookies
Homemade Marshmallows
Pumpkin Caramels!
Gingerbread Hot Chocolate


Sunday, December 21, 2014

Gingerbread Hot Chocolate

Last year after I made my Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies, I kind of fell in love with everything gingerbread. This year after making the cookies once again, I decided to try to make a gingerbread hot chocolate, which really isn't that hard--you just add gingerbread ingredients (molasses, ginger, clove, and cinnamon) to the hot chocolate. It was almost like drinking one of my gingerbread cookies.

Gingerbread Hot Chocolate with Homemade Marshmallows

Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 cups water or milk
1 1/3 cup hot chocolate mix (homemade or store bought)
2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground clove

Directions:
Heat water or milk in a pan or in the microwave. Dissolve hot chocolate mix, molasses, and spices in water or milk. Pour into 4 mugs. Add marshmallows or Reddi Whip, if desired.



Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Drink Recipes:
Butterbeer from Harry Potter 
Pumpkin Hot Cocoa
Spiced Cinnamon Tea 
Spiced Cranberry Juice 
The World's Easiest Spiced Apple Cider 


Cheesy Potatoes

This recipe belongs to Eric's mom. I think I first had her cheesy potatoes the first time I had dinner at Eric's parents' house. I fell in love with them with first bite. So when she asked if she could bring anything to Thanksgiving dinner, I immediately thought of these potatoes. They were a nice change up from mashed potatoes, too.


Ingredients:
2 cups (10-3/4-ounce each) condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 package (32-ounce) frozen hash brown potatoes (also very good with southwestern has
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, and garlic salt. Add potatoes and cheddar cheese. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.


Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Side Dish Ideas:
Alfredo Green Bean Casserole
Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes 
Cheesy Tomato Zucchini Bake 

Sauteed Kale with Bacon 
Simply the Best Macaroni and Cheese

Very Simple Roasted Potatoes 

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Easy Every Day Rolls

I'm in love with these rolls for so many reasons. They are so simple yet so good. Chewy and light and everything a roll should be. I made them for Thanksgiving and will probably make them again for Christmas, but I could easily make them for dinner any night of the week.

Recipe from here.


Ingredients:
2- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (1 package)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup warm water
3 tablespoons butter, melted and divided

Directions:
Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, yeast, salt, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and water in the bowl of a standing mixer. Mix well with the paddle attachment until mixture is smooth. Add more flour, 1/2 cup at a time until dough is tacky and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Change to the hook attachment and kneed until smooth, about 4 to 6 minutes. (You could also knead by hand).

Grease a bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 45 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Punch down dough and divide into 12 balls. Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and place the dough balls into the dish. Cover once more with plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size again. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the roll for 15 minutes or until the tops turn golden. Remove from oven and brush with remaining tablespoon of butter.




Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Bread Recipes:
Basic Pizza Dough Recipe
Homemade Bread Sticks 
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Homemade Pita Bread

Parmesan Onion Rolls 
Soft and Chewy French Bread 
Sour Cream Dinner Rolls