After-Christmas Beans & Ham

Have you ever been guilty of slipping the ham bone into the trash (and making sure nobody saw you?)  I admit I’ve done that a few times, but I was raised to never waste ANYthing that could be used.    My mother taught me that time is your friend when trying to get every meaty scrap off a ham bone.

Usually a good week or two goes by before I am even the least bit motivated to deal with a ham bone after Christmas.  This year I was early - I had my HoneyBaked Ham bone made into this hearty soup by New Year’s Eve.  

Key to success here?  Soak your beans overnight, and you are halfway there.  This year I used Great Northerns - a very soft-textured bean compared with the ones I used to use (standard red beans).  I have to say - these were a good choice.  They are so mild that they take on the rich taste of the ham and you hardly know they are there.

If you are using the bone from a spiral-sliced (and glazed) ham - throw it ALL in - including the glaze and all the scraps.  The glaze makes the broth very rich and slightly sweet.  

After simmering all day long, you’ll notice every scrap of meat has fallen off the bone.  I use my tongs to remove it all, then I clean it up and remove all the fat and the gristle (which has turned completely soft).  I dice the meat into bite-size chunks and return it to the broth.

Not much need to add anything in the way of spices - and especially NOT salt.  The ham bone has all you need (and more).  

To dilute the salty broth, you can add more water without losing flavor.  Depending on how well your ham bone was trimmed, you may need to skim off a layer of fat after cooking.

For this simple recipe, go to:
www.changeabletable.com

Ham In a Loaf

If you just can’t face ham & beans after your holiday ham, ‘repurpose’ it into a loaf shape.  Tender and moist, with a sweet glaze - it’s great for both dinner, and in breakfast sandwiches.  Serve drizzled with the sweet juices from the glaze.  Dress it up topped with pineapple slices for a a fancier meal

The two big holidays of the year (Christmas & Easter) are usually celebrated with at least one meal that includes a ham.  We enjoy it twice a year, but what we don’t enjoy about that is what to do with the leftover ham.  The part of the ham that stubbornly clings to the bone, in between layers of fat - you know what I’m talking about. 

I have (since the beginning of time) usually made Ham & Beans from the leftover ham bone, letting it cook down slowly over about 24 hours.  It’s great for some of us, but there are always those who think anything with beans is great depression food.

I’ve always heard of “Ham Loaf” - but thought I’d experience it myself.  There are so many variations of it out there, that I took a little from several recipes to come up with the right proportions for the amount of ham I had.   It was good, especially with the glaze.  Not good in a “holiday” way... but a good homestyle main dish.  

Use a blender to “grind” up the ham (making sure there is no bone or other really tough parts in it first).  I purchased ground pork, then gave it a few minutes in the blender also.  Mine was ground really fine, but a coarser texture would have been great too.  Ground pork was in almost every recipe I found, but next time I’m going to just use ground ham.  It would bake faster and not be as “firm”.

The glaze added a lot of flavor and seemed to tone down the salty flavor of the ham.  It’s similar to the glaze I’ve always used on baked ham.  Almost like a thick, sugary paste that you spread over the top, then it liquifies and turns crackly when it bakes - keeping the loaf moist.

For the recipe - go to:

www.changeabletable.com

Repurposed Mashed Potato Bake

No one will ever guess that you’ve used up leftover mashed potatoes in this loaded baked potato dish.  These potatoes are laced with cheese, bacon, and green onion - reminiscent of the best twice baked potatoes you’ve ever had.  Make this dish the night before and pop them in the oven half an hour before dinner.  A delicious use for leftovers.  

Have you noticed the latest buzz word?  Repurposing.  (different from Reusing.  Recycling.  Upcycling ) We’ve seen a lot of this word being thrown around lately.  Why are we suddenly so fascinated by it?  If you’ve been living under a rock - it won’t mean much to you.  But if you (like most of us) have been affected by recent events in the economy - you KNOW what repurposing is.  Can this be applied to leftovers? I don’t see why not.  So - keeping up with the trend - these are “repurposed” potatoes. 

The past two weekends I’ve served Sunday dinner to my family (I love Sunday dinner... and it’s not all about the food!)  They usually request tender pot roast, with lots of gravy, and homemade mashed potatoes (of course!)  When I have a bunch of people coming to dinner - I always cook my potatoes in the crockpot (see this link) - which makes it so easy, and frees up a burner on my stove for other things.

I’d rather err on the side of making too many potatoes - it would be the ultimate error to not have enough.  So I always have about 3-4 extra cups of mashed potatoes after a family meal.  I bag these in gallon-size ziploc bags and keep them in the refrigerator.  Most of the time I use them to make Shepherd’s Pie, or add them to the dough when I’m making rolls.  

Yesterday though, I had a smaller group for Sunday dinner.  My mother & sisters were coming instead - all dainty eaters.  So.... how to use those potatoes?  I considered starting over with twice-baked potatoes, but I was too lazy.  Then I thought about making them without the ‘jackets’.  Why not?

After browsing through several links on loaded twice baked potatoes - I decided to add a mixture of those extra ingredients to my already-mashed potatoes and turn it into a casserole instead.  

The result was great - each helping was dotted with bacon, strands of melted cheese, and green onion slices.  It turned out lighter than I expected with an airy, puffy texture.  This was one experiment that yielded a keeper.  I won’t have to think long about how to use leftover mashed potatoes again

For the full recipe with photos - go to:

www.changeabletable.com

Bully Beef Dip... new life for St. Patty's leftovers.

Corned Beef (or “Bully Beef” as it’s sometimes referred to in the UK) is rarely seen any other month than March here in the US.  "Bully” beef seemed appropriate for the season of March Madness.  This is a great way to use what remains of your St. Patrick’s Day corned beef brisket.  Delicious with slices of baguette and fresh veggies.

Most people have strong feelings about corned beef.  You either love it, or hate it.  Rarely do you find one who doesn’t have an opinion when it comes to this traditional cut of beef. 

Like a lot of people, I feel obligated to serve it on St. Patrick’s Day.  In the days following, even those who love it sometimes have had enough - leaving me with a chunk of beef that goes to waste.   Since I don’t have many people stopping by for meals any more, I tried to come up with an appetizer for watching all the March Madness games the next several days.

I found the dip idea on tasteofhome.com, but found it had too much “sauce” and not enough beef.  I’ve changed the mayo & sour cream it to make it “dip-able” instead of “dunk-able”.  Much better.  The dill becomes even more pronounced if you let the dip refrigerate overnight, but it’s still delicious served immediately.  

For this fun way to use that abundant "bully beef" - go to:

www.changeabletable.com.  

Girls' Night Spinach Quiche

My daughters and I love a good quiche, but that same sentiment is not shared by children of any age.  So lately I have saved this recipe for the rare occasions when my three daughters come home.  We compete for the leftovers because they are just delicious, and rewarm perfectly in the microwave.

My little 5 year old grandson heard they were having Spinach Quiche for dinner, and burst into BIG elephant tears.  I’m sad to say that his father isn’t much more enthusiastic than his little guy.  Quiche is definitely NOT man’s food in our family, but the men tolerate it if you make a hearty side dish or a pan of rolls to go along with it.  A small price to pay for an excellent dinner!  (And my sons even seem to enjoy it as long as I only watch them from the corner of my eye...)

I’ve discovered something that makes a quiche even better.  Now I pre-bake the crust (blind baking) so it is never soggy.  I couldn’t believe the difference it made.  

Quiche embraces any ingredient.   This is a great place to “hide” leftover chicken, turkey, ham, etc... and even veggies that you don’t have quite enough of for any other purpose.  

This is my favorite standby for lunch, or a light dinner.  Leftovers are easily warmed in the oven or microwave for a quick meal on a busy night.

For the full recipe with tips & photos - go to:

www.changeabletable.com

Autumn Crunch & Munch

Take care of the odds & ends of fall candy by adding a little white chocolate.  Mixing in some ‘healthy’ snacks with all that sugar just might help you feel justified in not throwing it all away.  Nice to bag up for friends & coworkers - and maybe leave a little container on your neighbor’s porch.

I am a firm believer that you can change any ingredient from “so-so” to “WOW” by helping it take a swim in melted white chocolate.  

Now I’m a Grandma, I’m enjoying keeping bowls of Halloween candy on my tables nowadays.  I feel that’s OK because that’s what OUR parents did to (unwittingly) turn our little ones into sugar deranged monsters this time of year.  I consider it SWEET payback.

But they’re off trick-or-treating in their own neighborhoods tonight, and I just couldn’t bring myself to throw what’s left away.  

The mixture of sweet/salty/crunchy/chewy is really pretty tasty.  See if you don’t agree...

You'll find easy amounts, directions, and photos at:

www.changeabletable.com

Clean-Out-the-Fridge Frittata

Easy. Peasy.  The best thing about this ‘recipe’ is that it’s simply a RATIO using whatever you have in the refrigerator that you’re tired of looking at and want to use.  Even vegetables that are almost past the point of no return can be revitalized.  If you have herbs taking over your garden, throw them in too.  Great served hot or cold for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

It’s either feast or famine when you garden.  After trying to be patient, I now have more garden produce than I can use.  It’s a relief to find a quick way to use up the abundance.  In the winter months, I use soups to utilize the excess, but I’m not ready to embrace soup until I can see cool weather on the horizon. 

We’ve enjoyed tomatoes and herbs for a few months now, and they show up in a lot of the recipes I’ve tried this year.  I decided to use them in this frittata.  If you choose to use fresh tomatoes, be sure to add them AFTER sautéing the other vegetables.

What IS a frittata anyway?  It is similar to an omelette, in that they are both mixtures that use eggs, vegetables, and cheeses.  For an omelette you typically cook the eggs first, and then fold the eggs around a filling.  A frittata, however, just mixes it all up - making a mishmash combo cooked all together.  No crust, layering, or ‘arranging’ of ingredients.  That spells FAST and EASY.  

Frittatas are often served at room temperature, making them perfect for larger groups, and even taking on a picnic if you choose.  Include a salad, other fresh summer veggies & fruits, and a loaf of french bread - and you have the perfect fall meal.

For the recipe, go to:

www.changeabletable.com

Beef Au Gratin - new spin on Shepherd's Pie...

This is not typical Shepherd’s Pie.  The delicious parmesan coating forms a crust on top of creamy mashed potatoes.  This recipe could be from your grandmother’s kitchen.  It originated in an antique cookbook.  It calls for chicken, but it's equally delicious with leftover roast beef.  

The Shepherd's Pie I make calls for green beans in the bottom layer.   Using frozen peas instead sounded like a nice change.  Then the idea of covering a mashed potato topping with cream, eggs, and parmesan pulled me in and I had to try it. 

I adapted this recipe found on a website for those who eat alone - idinealone.  It was supposed to make two servings, but it could easily serve 4-5.  I’m looking forward to making this with leftover chicken, as directed in the original recipe (link is HERE).

If you have issues with eggs being cooked, you’ll want to pay attention to the length of baking.  It is more attractive served with the topping barely firm, but overbaking can cause curdling of the eggs.

I would classify this as old-fashioned comfort food.  I wouldn’t doubt my parents enjoyed dishes like this growing up.


For the recipe & photos of the entire process - go to:
www.changeabletable.com