Individual Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

All I can say is wow, these were so good! I know this may sound like nothing really new..potatoes, cheese, ham, but something about doing them in these individual muffin tins and probably the addition of lots of butter and these turn into little bites of heaven, and that's no exaggeration. These would be a great addition to any roast, steak, ribs, or pretty much anything you can think of, or if your like me I actually made them the main dish along with a vegetable or salad. Anyway I found this recipe from thepioneerwoman.com, but I actually changed it a little since I don't eat cheese and I think it made them even better, although I'm sure they're really good her way as well so I'll give you both recipes.

8 whole Medium Potatoes
1 stick Butter
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
½ cups Scallions, Chopped
12 teaspoons Half-and-half
3/4 c. diced ham (make sure it's not the cubed ham, you definitely want the smaller diced ham)
Salt And Pepper

or

4 medium potatoes
1/2 stick butter
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. green onion, chopped
12 spoonfuls of cream of mushroom
3/4 c. diced ham
seasoning salt

Start by nuking your potatoes in the microwave for about 7 minutes or until partially soft, then slice them into discs. Slice a thin pat of butter to put into each greased muffin tin. Place a slice of potato on top of each pat of butter. Season potato with season salt, top with some cheese, green onions, and ham (I really didn't measure how much of each, just do what looks good to you, or you can also see pictures on thepioneerwoman's blog) Repeat layers except the ham. Add another thin pat of butter (I actually did about half the amount of butter) and then top off with a spoonful of cream of mushroom or half and half which ever you choose to use. Cook at 400 for 20-25 minutes..and enjoy because they're so good!

Apricot Glazed Ham

Another easy and delicious meal, and for the leftovers try these tasty little ham and cheese sliders from the girlwhoateeverything http://thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com/2010/04/ham-and-cheese-sliders.html

1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. apricot jam
1 t. dry mustard
7-10 lb. precooked, sliced ham

Place ham sliced side down on a tin foiled jelly roll pan or any pan with a lip. Combine sugar, jam, mustard and cover ham leaving a little to add later. Cover ham with tin foil and cook at 275 for 14 minutes per pound. Add left over glaze last 20 minutes of cooking.

Fried Rice

So some people consider fried rice as just a side, but for me I make it for a main dish fairly regularly, usually to use up left over ham. The recipe I did last night was not my usual recipe, it called for sausage instead and few other things I don't typically cook with. Honestly I liked the change, but Frank thought it tasted funny. It had bean sprouts in it which I think gave off kind of a different flavor. I think next time I might use my usual recipe and just try sausage instead of ham for a change. So instead of giving the recipe I did last night I'll give you my usual Ham Fried Rice recipe.

1 c. minced carrots
2-3 T. cooking oil
2-3 eggs scrambled
3 c. rice, cooked and cold- I have used warm rice it just tends to want to clump together a little but it's really not a big deal
1 c. ham, cubed
1 small can sliced water chestnuts, chopped
1 c. frozen petite peas
3-4 T. soy sauce


Saute carrots until cooked to your liking (I leave them a little crunchy.) Add ham, eggs, and then cook on medium high heat until eggs are completely cooked. Add remaining ingredients and cook until completely cooked through. This is kind of a no fail recipe. I think I kind of do it a little different every time so really just do whatever works for you, add whatever you have or like. If you check out ourbestbites.com she has a good fried rice recipe but with some different chicken recipes you can do with it instead of ham.

Leftover Ham Casserole

I always have a hard time with using up left over ham. I usually choose between ham fried rice, breakfast burrito, or the heavenly ham casserole I shared with you earlier. This time I thought I'd venture out and make up my own concoction. It came out pretty good, but I still think I will change it up a little if I make it again. So once again, I'll tell you what I did make it with and how I'd change it if I were to make it again, because if you remember I don't make a lot of the same recipes more than once.

1 c frozen petite peas
1 can cream of celery
2-2 1/2 c. cooked macaroni
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 c. chopped ham
1/2 c. milk
1-2 c. cheese- on my husband's half of course:)
pepper to taste

Combine everything in a greased 9x13. Cover and cook on 400 for 30 minutes.
If I were to do this again I would use broccoli instead of peas just to add more flavor and substance, and I would add a can of cream of chicken so it would be a little more creamy. And if you really wanted to go crazy (life on the edge I know:) Add buttered bread crumbs on top.

Hula Sandwiches

Friday night has become kind of a sandwich night at my house. They're easy to make and easy to clean up which makes for a perfect weekend meal. I wasn't too sure about this sandwich, I'm not a huge ham sandwich kind of person usually, but if you add a little bbq sauce and pineapple I'm in. There's not much to making these, definitely not rocket science, but it works for a quick weekend meal instead of eating out which is what we use to do. So if your looking for a new sandwich to try this one is worth giving a shot.

plain bagels
deli sliced ham (1/2 lb will do about 4 sandwiches)
pineapple rings
bbq sauce ( I use Famous Dave's Honey BBQ)
swiss cheese

In the same order as listed layer ing. on bagel. Wrap in tin foil and bake at 375 for 15 min. I even toasted mine a tiny bit before just so it wouldn't be soggy but I don't think I needed to as it toasted a little in the oven.

FYI this is another recipe I got from realmomkitchen.com

Heavenly Ham and Potato Casserole

I'm not going to lie this is not what I made last night, because what I made last night was a total flop, and since today is my birthday I won't be making dinner tonight either! Last night I made ravioli using left over won ton wrappers. Honestly I kind of made this one up. I read that you could make ravioli using won ton wrappers, and you can, but I probably should have read more into it and I would have realized they only need to cook for 2 minutes! Woops! Anyway, all that said I still don't think it was worth the effort when you can just go to the store and buy the frozen ones which I still think probably taste better. Although I didn't make this casserole last night, I did make it earlier this week and it's one meal I do on a fairly regular basis because me and my husband both enjoy it. It's kind of a spin on a Utah classic funeral potatoes, so if you like those I'm sure you like this one as well. So again let me know what you think!

Not the prettiest picture, but definitely tasty!

6-7 medium sized red potatoes quartered(no need to peel)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 cup chopped ham
2 cups of cheese
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup bread crumbs (I just chop up the ends of a loaf of bread)

Boil potatoes for 12-15 just until tender. Pour into greased 9x13 casserole dish. Mix next 6 ingredients and mix in with potatoes (I just make it all in the pan.) Then mix melted butter and bread crumbs and sprinkle over casserole. Cook at 350 for 45 minutes.

FYI- You should have enough potatoes to fill your casserole dish up about half way, if not just cut back a little on the cream of mushroom. Enjoy!