Tag: ham

Casseroles · Family · Family Favorites · Home

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

cathysmahaLeave a comment

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham in comfort food for the soul.  My Mother often made a version of Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and I have made in in the crock pot for years.  I wanted a new version, and loved this recipe.

While perusing the reviews, several people added additional seasoning to the sauce, parboiled the potatoes, added broccoli, etc.  This is a solid base recipe that you can use to get creative.  In the photos below, I did not cover the dish while baking and it took a solid hour to cook.  It is delicious ad comforting…just what we all need!

SCALLOPED POTATOES WITH HAM

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
Salt & Pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 large russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
12 ounces 1/4 inch sliced baked ham, cubed
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a baking dish.
  • In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium high heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in milk. Return pan to heat and bring to a simmer while stirring. When sauce has thickened remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  • In a skillet, cook onions in melted butter until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Spread 1/3 of the white sauce in bottom of baking dish and top with half of the potatoes. Spread out half of the onions, ham, cheese and another third of the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Continue layering ingredients, ending with the remaining cheese on top. Bake, covered, for 45 mintues.  Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Family · Family Favorites · Gluten Free · Soups and Stews

Ham Bone Soup…still wonderful

cathysmahaLeave a comment

Ham Bone Soup was a recipe I found in a great cookbook given to my by my brother-in-law, Ron, and his wife, Cathy, many years ago. I was use left-over ham bones to make the broth, just like my Mother taught me. This particular recipe was a favorite of the entire family and I was sad when my cookbook and this recipe disappeared from my kitchen.

Many years later, my sister-in-law, Betty, found the recipe copied down by my late Mother-in-Law on a recipe card and gave it to me. God bless them! It was great to make the soup again, although I substituted Quinoa pasta for regular pasta. I cook the pasta separately and add to the soup when ready to serve, otherwise the pasta tends to fall apart.

Without the pasta added, the soup freezes well.

HAM BONE SOUP

3 quarts water
1 ham bone
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 package (10 oz.) frozen whole corn
1 package (10 oz.) frozen lima beans
1 16 oz. can black-eyed peas
1 16 oz. can chopped tomatoes
2 cup macaroni or pasta of choice
salt and pepper

  • In a large soup pot, combine water and ham bone and simmer for 1-2 hours.
  • Add carrots, celery, onion, corn, lima beans, black-eyed peas, tomatoes, salt and pepper.
  • Cook until vegetables are cooked through, about a hour.

 

Family · Family Favorites · My Roots · Sandwiches

Old Fashioned Ham Salad

cathysmaha2 Comments

Sunday Night meals, on the farm, were typically sandwiches enjoyed on TV trays in front of the TV watching Lassie, Ed Sullivan, and Bonanza. It was the only night of the week we ate outside of the kitchen but it was a treat. Often the sandwiches were a result of leftovers from the tremendous Sunday Dinner (noon meal) my Mother would make of Roast Beef, Roast Chicken, Pork Roast, Ham, etc.  She would often grind the leftover meat on her Universal Meat Grinder and add onion, pickle, mayonnaise.

old fashioned meat grinder
Ham Salad is still a favorite and I make it rarely but since it was a Sunday and I was reliving the Sunday Night Farm experience…I ate a Ham Salad Sandwich in front of the TV (sans TV tray) watching 60 minutes instead of Lassie. Oh, sweet memories!

OLD FASHIONED HAM SALAD

2 cups ground ham (I chopped mine in the food processor)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup dill pickle relish (or sweet relish)
1 teaspoon mustard
2 chopped, hard boiled eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Combine all well.  Serve on good bread or roll and enjoy!

Family Favorites

Honeyed Ham Steak

cathysmahaLeave a comment

Honeyed Ham Steak was one of the first recipes I used early in our marriage. It was quick, economical, and easy to prepare after work. Pair with a starch and a vegetable or salad.  This time I served with Tangy Cauliflower (recipe to post Friday, April 26).

HONEYED HAM STEAK

Servings: 2-4
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon butter
1 fully cooked smoked ham center slice, cut 1/2 inch thick (1 pound)

  • Heat first three ingredients in skillet, over medium heat, until blended.
  • Add ham; cook 5 minutes on each side or until heated and browned to your liking.
  • Remove heat to platter; pour mixture over ham.
Family Favorites · My Roots

Crunchy Potato Casserole, aka Wedding Potatoes

cathysmaha1 Comment

Crunchy Potato Casserole is a yummy side dish and family favorite.  It has become tradition served with Christmas and Easter ham.  I typically make the casserole the day before.  Simple to make and bake.  To make it easy on myself, I typically make the casserole the day before, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Many folks refer to this dish as ‘wedding potatoes’, since it is often served as part of wedding feasts.

CRUNCHY POTATO CASSEROLE

1 large bag frozen hash browns partially thawed
1/4 cup butter melted
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
8 ounces sour cream
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/4 cup butter, melted
crushed corn flakes (or seasoned bread crumbs)
parsley flakes

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Mix all ingredients together, except for 1/4 cup butter and crushed corn flakes.
  • Place mixture in lightly buttered 9″ x 13″ pan.
  • Sprinkle crushed corn flakes (or bread crumbs) over the potato mixture and top with remaining 1/4 cup melted butter.
  • Sprinkle with parsley flakes.

  • Bake for 50 minutes (or until hot in the center).
Family Favorites · Holidays · New Traditions

Baked Ham…Crockpot Style

cathysmaha1 Comment

Easter and Christmas holidays call for a baked ham.  Easy-peasy recipes allow the host/hostess to enjoy their family and friends and this recipe, coupled with the crunchy potato casserole (March 29, 2013 post), make preparation easy.

My family doesn’t enjoy spiral sliced hams, honey-baked hams, but they LOVE this recipe.  The leftover ham makes wonderful sandwiches, too.  Typically I purchase a Butt Portion Ham, often available for $.99-$1.39 a pound, a true friend of the family budget.

BAKED HAM CROCKPOT STYLE

Pour 1/2 up water in Crock Pot. Wrap precooked 3-4 pound ham in foil; place in Crock Pot. Cover and cook on High 1 hour then turn to low for 6-7 hours or until ham is hot. If cooking a larger ham, cook 1 hour on high and 8-10 hours on low.

Cathy’s method: I follow the instructions above put typically have to cut a few slices off the ham to make it fit in the Crock Pot and . I start the process about an hour before bedtime and then turn to low and cook 12-14 hours. The ham is juicy, tender and delicious.

Adapted from Rival Crock Pot Cooking

Czech Heritage and Dishes · My Roots

Sauerkraut Soup

cathysmaha1 Comment

My Czech roots are precious to me and this week I enjoyed a hearty stock of Sauerkraut Soup.  This recipe was one of two recipes my Mother made and she was given this recipe by our dear Bohemian friend, Blanche.

I understand that many families serve a Sauerkraut Soup as a traditional Christmas Eve meal but I enjoy it anytime!

After the rich, sweet treats of the holidays, the hearty sauerkraut soup was a welcome change allowing me to walk down memory lane once again.

SAUERKRAUT SOUP

1 pint sauerkraut (add extra caraway seed if desired)
1 cup finely diced ham
1 quart cooked and drained diced potatoes
1 quart Milk (more or less)
chunk butter
1 egg yolk
1 heaping tablespoon of flour
salt and pepper
dill weed garnish (optional)

  • Put enough water on sauerkraut to simmer slowly with ham.
  • When tender, pour milk over and a chunk of butter. Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Break egg yolk into small bowl and whisk.
  • Add flour and mix together.
  • Drop small pieces of the dough into the soup until cooked through, 10-15 minutes.
  • Add cooked, drained potatoes to the soup.
  • Heat until low boil. Serve or cool to serve next day. The flavor is even better the next day!
Family · Family Favorites · My Roots

Kumla…not your ordinary dumpling

cathysmaha15 Comments

My Mother was very adventurous in her rural Iowa kitchen.  She loved to cook traditional Bohemian dishes from my Father’s family; German, Dutch and Norwegian dishes from friends and family.

I don’t know where my Mother discovered Kumla but it is a hearty dish that will warm the cockles of your heart.  A mandatory nap following consumption of Kumla may be appropriate.  It all begins with homemade ham broth.  Potato dumplings are made from raw, grated potatoes and boiled in the broth.  Traditionally, the dumplings are dipped in a dollop of butter.

While I have eaten Kumla for 50+ years, I did not know the history.  After surfing the web, I learned it is a traditional Swedish/Norwegian dish often served during the holidays with butter or with lingonberry.

KUMLA

peeled potatoes, ground with fine grinder
salt
1 egg
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
flour

  • Place ham in a large pot and cover with water.  Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer the ham about 2 hours. Remove the ham, and skim any foam off the broth.  I like to cool and the refrigerate the broth overnight and skim off any fat before proceeding.
  • Finely grate or grind potatoes. Sprinkle well with salt and work through potatoes. Let set 5-10 minutes. Press moisture out by placing potato mixture into a sieve to remove the starch. Discard starch.
Kumla–grating the potatoes
  • Add egg and baking powder. Work in all the flour that you can until firm and not sticky.
Kumla–roll into small balls
  • Drop by teaspoon full in boiling ham broth in heavy metal pot. Cook on low heat for 45 minutes to an hour. Test Kumla by cutting one in half.
  • Serve hot. Traditionally we dip dumplings in butter. Even better when they are warmed up!

Perhaps Kumla will become a favorite for your family!  If you are already a Kumla lover, what is your story?