Cheesy Ham-and-Eggs Breakfast Casserole

Cheesy Ham-and-Eggs Casserole

Ingredients

1 (5-oz) pkg cheese and garlic croutons
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups chopped cooked ham
2½ cups half-and-half
10 large eggs
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

Instructions

Sprinkle croutons into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with both cheeses and ham.

Whisk together half-and-half, eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Slowly pour over ham in baking dish. Cover and chill overnight.

Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until center is puffed and set. Let stand 10 minutes.

Ham Loaf or Ham Balls, and Pineapple Sauce

From the recipes of Sue King

Ham Loaf - from scratch!

Mix with 1 1/2 to 2 lbs ground ham:
1 1/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
3 eggs
1 c. milk

Bake at 350 uncovered, 1 hour.
Baste some.

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Sauce:

Combine:
1/3 c. apple cider vinegar
1 c. brown sugar
1 Tbs. mustard
1/3 c. water

Boil 5 minutes.

(I then cover & bake on the loaf/balls. I'm not sure if this is exactly how Sue does it.)

Thai Green Lentil Curry

Ingredients:

1 can (13 oz) coconut milk
3 Tbs green Thai curry paste (such as Taste of Thai, or Thai Kitchen)
1 bag frozen pepper and onion blend
2 cups lentils
3 cups boiling water, plus bullion cubes (if desired)

Optional: smoked ham hocks, neck bones, or smoked ham

Directions:
Spray slow-cooker with no-stick spray.
Add all ingredients to the crock pot.
Cook on high 6 hrs.

Garnish with cilantro, chopped tomatoes, scallions.
Serve over white rice or rice noodles.

17 Bean Soup (with modifications)

I was inspired by my kids' love of beans (and thriftiness!) to make a large pot of bean soup.
I found the original recipe here, and made my own adjustments.

17 Bean Soup

1 lb. of beans ( I used 17 Bean Soup mix)
64 oz of vegetable or chicken stock (I used water ((which I reduced)) & chicken bouillon cubes)
1 large onion – chopped
4 stalks of celery – chopped
4 carrots – chopped
1 green or red bell pepper – chopped (instead I used a whole bag of frozen pepper & onion blend)
1 tsp. dried basil
4 cloves garlic – crushed or chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning (I just threw in a bunch of dried oregano & parsley)
1 can/jar of chopped tomatoes (diced, Italian-spiced - garlic & basil)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

I sometimes add a hunk of boneless pork shoulder, smoked ham hocks, or neck bone.
One could also add barley to this mix, as the original suggests.

Directions: Here's where I really improvised.
Soak beans overnight (or a couple days - just remember to rinse each day).
Throw everything in the slow cooker! Add ham halfway through.
Serve topped with shredded cheddar. Or with cornbread.

Result?  A meal where both my girls kept saying, "Yum! Mmm!"

InstantPot variation: Add all ingredients (including unsoaked beans), pressure-cook on High, 40 min, with 15 min slow-release. 

Zucchini Garden Chowder

This is straight from the "Simply in Season" Mennonite cookbook.
I usually add ground turkey, but I think cubed ham would also work nicely.
Doing the recipe as-is is also a great option.


Zucchini Garden Chowder

Serves 6-8

2 T. butter, melt in soup pot over medium heat.

2 med. zucchini (chopped)
1 med. onion (chopped)
2 T. fresh parsley (chopped)
1 T. fresh basil (chopped,  1 t. dried)
Add and saute until tender

1/3 c flour
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
3 c. water (or broth--chicken or vegetable)
Stir flour and seasonings into vegetables.  Gradually stir in water to make a smooth stock.

3 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes (skip if using broth)
1 t. lemon juice
Add and mix well.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

2 c. tomatoes (chopped)
1 1/2 c. evaporated milk
2 c. corn (fresh or frozen)
Add and return to boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes until corn is tender.

2 c. cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
Just before serving, add and stir until melted.  Add a pinch of sugar to taste and garnish with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

Cuban Sliders

Great for party or potluck!

Ingredients:

2 pkg (12 oz each) Hawaiian Sweet rolls (or slider rolls, or dinner rolls)
1 1/2 lbs. thinly sliced deli ham (this provided the sandwiches to have lots of meat - you could go lighter)
9 slices Swiss cheese (next time I would probably get more - this allowed for a single layer of cheese)
24 dill pickles (I didn't use quite that many)
1/2 cup butter, cubed
2 Tbs finely chopped onion
2 Tbs dijon mustard

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350. Without separating rolls, cut each package of rolls horizontally. Arrange bottoms in greased 9x13" pan. Layer ham, cheese, and pickles on top.

2) Melt butter; stir in onion and mustard. Drizzle over rolls. bake, covered with foil, 10 minutes. Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes longer, or until golden-brown and heated through. Cut into sliders and serve!