- Saturday Planning for Simple Cooking with Sue Walker
- 1 (10 pound) fully-cooked spiral cut ham
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup apricot jam
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
Directions: Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Place the ham cut side down onto a sheet of aluminum foil. Mix together the brown sugar, apricot jam and mustard powder in a small bowl. Brush onto the ham using a pastry or barbecue brush. Reserve any leftover glaze. Enclose the foil around the ham and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
Roast for 2 hours in the preheated oven, or if your ham is a different size, figure 14 minutes per pound. Apply the remaining glaze 20 minutes before the ham is done...fold the foil back around the ham then the last 2-3 minutes place under broiler to caramelize glaze. Or you use your blow torch if you don't have an oven and are cooking in the Primary Room :o)
Quick and Easy Eggs Benedict
I usually don't add the cream to the Hollandaise sauce because I don't have heavy cream around normally...it tastes the same. If you have leftover asparagus it is yummy with this. Also, if you are reheating Hollandaise sauce...put it in a plastic zip lock bag and warm it with hot water in a bowl (like warming a baby bottle). If you nuke it or use a stove to reheat the sauce it will scramble the eggs and be nasty.
Ingredients:
- 4 slices Canadian bacon or ham
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup butter
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 dash ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 English muffins, split and toasted
Directions: In a skillet over medium-high heat, fry the Canadian bacon or ham on each side until evenly browned. Fill a large saucepan with about 3 inches water and bring to a simmer. Pour in the vinegar. Carefully break the 4 eggs into the water, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until whites are set but yolks are still soft. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon.
Meanwhile, melt the butter until bubbly in a small pan or in the microwave. Remove from heat before butter browns. In a blender or large food processor, blend the egg yolks, heavy cream, cayenne pepper and salt until smooth. Add half of the hot butter in a thin steady stream, slow enough so that it blends in a least as fast as you are pouring it in. Blend in the lemon juice using the same method, then the remaining butter.
Place open English muffins onto serving plates. Top with 1 slice Canadian bacon or ham and 1 poached egg. Drizzle with the cream sauce, and serve at once.
Valentino's Pizza Crust
Pizza is a great way to use up leftovers and hide vegetables from your children.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions: Stir water, sugar and yeast together until dissolved. Add the olive oil and the salt. Stir in the four until well blended. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
Pat dough into pan or on to a pizza stone using fingers dipped in olive oil. If desired sprinkle basil, thyme or other seasonings on crust. Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated 425 degree oven.
Ham N Cheese Potato Bake
Otherwise know as "Funeral Potatoes" in the LDS subculture.
Ingredients:
- 1 (24 ounce) package frozen O'Brien hash brown potatoes
- 2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
- 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions: In a large bowl, combine potatoes, ham, 1/2 cup cheese and onion. In another bowl, combine sour cream, soups and pepper; add to potato mixture and mix well. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F. for 60-65 minutes or until bubbly and potatoes are tender. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Ham and Cheese Breakfast Quiche
This is great to assemble the night before then pop in the oven first thing in the morning....like on Christmas morning when you're on sensory overload or when family is in town and you're having a nervous breakdown and can't do one more thing.
Ingredients:
- 2 (12 ounce) packages frozen hash brown potatoes
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup cooked diced ham
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Squeeze any excess moisture from the potatoes and combine them with the melted butter or margarine in a small bowl. Press this mixture into the bottom and sides of an un-greased 10 inch pie pan. Bake at 425 degrees F. for 25 minutes. Remove pan from oven and arrange the ham and cheese evenly over the potatoes. In a separate small bowl, beat together the eggs and the cream. Pour this over the ham and cheese.
Return pan to oven and bake at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes or until the custard has completely set.
Lentil Tomato Soup
Lentils are nice because you don't have to soak them like beans...but I don't soak beans so I guess it doesn't matter!
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 cup of cubed ham
- 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with liquid
- 2 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
- 2 cups dry brown lentils
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions: Melt the butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Place the onions in the pot and saute' for 10 minutes, or until onions are tender and add diced ham. Place the tomatoes in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Pour this into the pot with the onion and ham. Add he chicken broth and the lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Then, stir in the garlic, nutmeg and cloves. Simmer for at least 25 more minutes.
Split Pea Soup with Rosemary
So peas are hard to hide from your kids...pea soup looks like what it is, which is why it worked so well in "The Exorcist". This is delicious even though it is green. There are yellow split peas available which taste the same if green offends. Split peas are great in your food storage too.
Ingredients:
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 leek, thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup of diced ham
- 4 (10.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups green split peas
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary...or up to a tablespoon
Directions: Place butter along with onion, leek, carrot, and garlic in a pot; cook until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Pour in chicken broth. Stir in ham, split peas, bay leaves and rosemary. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover, and simmer until peas are cooked, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Ham and Beans
- I made a variation of this in class..I don't soak the beans. It tastes the same and have the same degree of GI involvement as soaked beans. I also use dried onion, celery and carrots rather than fresh. I didn't add the brown sugar to the sample given in class. I used a glazed ham and figured it was sweet enough. Use your judgement.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound dry Great Northern beans
- 1/2 pound cooked ham, diced
- 1 small onion, dices
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less if you don't like it kicked up a notch)
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
Directions: Rinse beans in a large pot; discard shriveled beans and any small stones. Add 8 cups of cold water. Let stand overnight or at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse beans. Place beans in a slow cooker and add ham, onion, brown sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne and parsley and water to cover. Cook on high until beans are tender. Add more water if necessary during cooking time. If more salt is needed, I sometimes add a few chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in water. It gives a bit more depth of flavor than just plain salt.
