Leftovers!

Do you have a ton of leftover ham?  Here are some delicious ways to use and enjoy it!

Ham

I made some hearty scrambled eggs with ham (I added the ham first to the skillet and allowed it to warm before adding the eggs) and sandwiches, but here are two more creative recipes.

Creamy Spinach, Tortellini, and Ham
Inspired by Tortellini Alfredo

This creamy, cozy combination is flavorful and delicious.

1 (9 oz) package cheese tortellini
1/2 cup chopped onion
5 Tablespoons butter
1 cup fresh spinach
1 cup fully cooked ham
1 3/4 cup half & half
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1) Melt butter in a skillet and cook onion until translucent.  Add spinach, ham, half & half, and cornstarch. Cook until thick and bubbly.  Add Parmesan cheese.

2) Meanwhile, cook tortellini according to directions.  Top tortellini with sauce.  Enjoy!

Sweet Potatoes and Ham Bake with Cinnamon Pecan Crunch
An adventurous spirit is a prerequisite for this recipe.  This satisfying sweet treat is a twist on the traditional dinner.

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar, divided

2 tablespoons orange juice (1/2 an orange juiced)
2 teaspoons vanilla 
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 tablespoons butter, cut up, divided
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, orange juice, vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon each of the cinnamon and ginger, and salt in large bowl. Add sweet potatoes; toss to coat well.

2. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with cranberries. Dot with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, mix flour, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon each cinnamon and ginger in medium bowl. Cut in remaining 4 tablespoons butter with a fork until coarse crumbs form. Stir in pecans. Remove sweet potatoes from oven and stir gently. Sprinkle evenly with pecan topping.

3. Bake, uncovered, 25 to 30 minutes longer or until sweet potatoes are tender and topping is lightly browned.

The Most Amazing Breadcrumbs!

I found these breadcrumbs at Hannaford and I can say that they make anything incredibly delicious.  I am going to put up a few uses for them that I have found, but they can be used on almost anything!









Cod (or any other type of fish)

1) Coat fish in bread crumbs and bake at 375 degrees.  For the cod, I cooked it for about twenty minutes.  See this chart for other types of fish.

Chicken
This chicken was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.  It was the best chicken I've ever made!

1) Coat chicken in bread crumbs and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes (or until no longer pink inside).

Meatloaf
Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 egg
1 cup chipotle bread crumbs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup ketchup

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine beef, egg, bread crumbs, and milk.

2) Form into loaf and place in 9 x5 greased loaf pan.

3) Spread ketchup on top.  Cook for one hour.

Pesto Turkey Burgers

My husband loves real hamburgers, but he will tolerate turkey burgers.  A recipe for Greek turkey burgers is my usual standby, and amazingly delicious with homemade Greek salsa and feta cheese, but these turkey burgers are the best I've ever had (including Ruby Tuesday's turkey burger).

Pesto Turkey Burgers

• 1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey
• 2 tablespoons basil pesto
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions

1)Mix together ground turkey, pesto, garlic, feta cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt, and breadcrumbs in a bowl until evenly blended. Form into 5 patties.

2) Grill pesto burgers until no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes per side.

Jambalaya

I love to try new recipes and making different kinds of food.  After trying a slow cooker jambalaya recipe that took all day and used three types of meat that turned out to be mediocre, I gave up on jambalaya for about a year.  Then I stumbled upon this recipe and found that it is quick, easy, and also delicious and it has been a keeper ever since!  

  I use a smoked andouille sausage with a lot of spice, but if you use a different type of sausage, you may need to add some extra crushed red pepper flakes and hot sauce.  Also, make sure that you use UNcooked shrimp in this recipe-believe me, it makes all the difference!  

Jambalaya

Ingredients

• 1 (12-16 oz) package sausage (preferably Smoked Andouille) 
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2-1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled
• Cooked long grain white rice

Directions

1) Seed and chop both the red and green pepper.  The easiest way to seed the peppers is to chop off the top (as pictured above) and then remove the seeds.  Cut sausage into 1/2- inch slices.  

2) Melt butter in a 5 to 6-quart pan over medium-high heat.  Add sausage, peppers, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, five minutes or until vegetables are soft and sausage is lightly browned.

3) Stir in tomatoes, pepper sauce, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Bring to a boil; add shrimp. Cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are cooked and opaque in center.

Serve on top of rice!

Lasagna

Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food and a favorite of most!  After trying several recipes, I have found that this is the best recipe out there.  I have tweaked the original recipe slightly to improve it further.  

This lasagna is actually even better when made hours or even a day in advance because it allows the flavors to meld further.  

Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 3 (14.5 oz ) cans petite diced tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 1/2 package lasagna noodles
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 pint part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1) In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, onion and garlic; drain fat. Mix in basil, oregano, brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

1. 2) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles, and cook.

3) In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, parsley and 1 teaspoon salt. 

4) Spread sauce on the bottom of the pan and then layer lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover noodles with ricotta mixture.  Make two more sets of layers: sauce, noodles, and then ricotta mixture.  Then place noodles and a little bit of sauce on top. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese (unless making in advance, then wait until you are ready to put it in the oven).

5) Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes (If you make ahead, it will be more like 45 minutes). Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Shrimp/Sirloin Kabobs

• Looking for something else to put on the grill this summer?  Try these kabobs!

After learning that my parents were paying exorbitant prices at a grocery store for prepared kabobs, I decided to embark on making them myself.  After making these kabobs with her, she said that she would never buy them again from the store!  I combined the flavors of this spicy shrimp marinade and seasoned savory beef marinade with vegetables over the grill to create a summer favorite.   

The beef is best when marinaded for eight hours or overnight, but if you are in a rush, it is still delicious without all of the sitting time.  Also, I found sirloin "grillers" in the grocery store that were basically tenderized fatless sirloin steak pieces.

• Ingredients

2 lb Sirloin

1 lb Shrimp

Vegetables: Peppers, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, and/or Others

Skewers

• Sirloin Marinade
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper seasoning
• 4 fluid ounces lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage
• 
  
• 
  
• Shrimp Marinade 
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

1) Combine ingredients for sirloin marinade and cut sirloin into small pieces.  Marinade sirloin for eight hours or overnight.

2) Soak wooden skewers in water for 20-30 minutes prior to adding meat and vegetables.

3) Combine ingredients for shrimp marinade and soak in shrimp.

4) Cut vegetables into small pieces.

5) Assemble skewers with a mixture of meat and vegetables.

6) Grill and enjoy!

Kung Pao Chicken

Chinese take out at home
Looking to spice up your life?  Try this Chinese specialty.

After exploring China twice and eating real Chinese food for months, I could not live without it.  While I occasionally indulge in take out, I prefer to cook it myself and have tried several different recipes such as Sesame Chicken, Cashew Chicken, and Beef and Broccoli, but was always looking for a recipe for Kung Pao Chicken.  It was one of my favorites when I was in China because I loved the crunch of the peanuts and the spice except for when I accidentally chomped on one of the deadly peppercorns, sending my mouth into shock! This recipes includes the spice and peanuts without the danger of the peppercorns.  Serve with rice and eat with chopsticks!

Recipe

I doubled the marinade and the sauce on the original recipe.

Ingredients

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken, cut into chunks
Rice

Marinade
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

Sauce
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1-2 ounces hot chile paste (2 ounces is really spicy!)
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
4 teaspoons brown sugar
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup salted peanuts

1) Place chicken in a dish or bowl and add marinade ingredients.  Toss to coat.  Cover dish and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2) Put rice and water in rice cooker and start (or began making rice).

3) In a small bowl combine sauce ingredients.  Heat slowly until aromatic (only a few minutes).

4) Remove chicken from marinade and saute until meat is white and juices run clear.  Add chicken to sauce and let simmer until sauce thickens.

5) Serve over rice.

Homemade Pizza

Making your own pizza is cheaper than takeout, better than frozen pizza, and customizable.  


Apron Story:

My husband and I have enjoyed the tradition of making homemade pizza on Sunday evenings for about two years and have tried several different pizza crusts and combos.  Since my husband is an extreme meat fanatic who lives by the montra "the more animals, the better" and I am a vegetable junkie, it reduces the conflict.

Recipe:

Fleischmann's Pizza Yeast works great and includes a recipe for the crust.  I make a few small changes to the recipe.

Ingredients:

2-3 cups of flour, divided 1 cup water (120-130 degrees)

1 envelope Fleischmann's Pizza Yeast or Regular Yeast 3 tablespoons oil

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar Pizza sauce, cheese, toppings

3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Combine one cup flour, one packet of yeast, salt, and sugar.  Heat the water in a pan on the stove.  Use a thermometer to ensure that the water is between 120-130 degrees fahrenheit.  When the water has reached a temperature in that range, add water with vegetable oil to the mixture and mix for about a minute.  Gradually add one to two cups of flour to the mixture.  Continue to add flour until the dough reaches a soft, kneadable consistency.  Knead the dough for four minutes on a lightly floured surface.  Use a rolling pin to roll out dough on a pizza pan (preferrably a pizza stone).  Add sauce and toppings.  Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned.