OAMC / Bulk Cooking: The Ham Plan
By Kim Tilley
Ham and Scalloped Potatoes (from Betty Crocker's Cookbook)
4 cups peeled and sliced potatoes
3 Tbsp. margarine
3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. onion - finely chopped
2 c. chopped ham
Preheat oven to 350°.
Melt margarine and add flour, salt and pepper, blending and stirring until mixture is smooth and
bubbly. Stir in milk slowly, stirring until smooth. Heat to boiling. Stir
constantly and boil 1 minute.
In casserole dish, arrange 1/2 of potatoes in a layer, covering with chopped
ham and onion. Top with remaining potatoes and cover with white sauce.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 60 minutes longer or until potatoes
are tender. Cool and Freeze. (I tripled this recipe and divided it into
4 8x8 pans)
Impossible Ham & Broccoli Pie
2 cans ham - drained
10 oz frozen broccoli - rinsed and drained
1 1/2 c cheddar cheese - grated
1 c milk
3 lg eggs
1/2 c Bisquick (r) baking mix
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp thyme
SAVORY TOPPING:
1/2 c Bisquick (r) baking mix
1/4 c sliced almonds
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp margarine
Heat oven to 400° F. Grease 10 x 1 1/2 inch fluted pie plate and mix ham,
broccoli and cheese in plate. Beat remaining ingredients except Savory
Topping until smooth.
Pour into pie plate and bake 20 minutes.
For topping, mix Bisquick, almonds, Parmesan cheese and garlic powder then cut in margarine. Sprinkle topping over pie. Bake until knife inserted
in center comes out clean, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes.
Kim's note: change the cans of ham to a couple cups of cubed honey baked ham.
I don't know how this will freeze, but it could also be a quick and easy dinner, whipped together with ham from the freezer.
Linguine a la Anne (from Once a Month Cookbook)
1 12-oz package linguine
2 tbsp butter/margarine
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 12-oz can evaporated skim milk (you could use regular)
1 4-oz can mushroom stems and pieces, save liquid (I like fresh better!)
1 1/3 cups water
1 chicken bouillon cube
4 cups cooked, cubed ham
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (imported is THE BEST!)
1 sliced red bell pepper
1 sliced green bell pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup seasoned croutons (I make my own)
Cook linguine in a large pot according to package directions. Drain and return to the pot. While the pasta cooks, melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour and salt and add evaporated milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, continuing to stir for one more minute. Add liquid from the mushrooms, water and bouillon cube. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until bubbly and slighly thickened. Add 2 cups of sauce and drained mushrooms to linguine, tossing until well mixed. Spoon linguine mixture in to a 13x9x2 inch baking dish (may want to grease it). Press linguine mixture up to the sides and leave a slight hollow in the center of the dish. Toss ham into remaining sauce and spread in the center of the linguine. Sprinkle with Romano cheese, cover with foil, and freeze. Sauté red and green bell peppers in vegetable oil until tender and allow to cool. Place peppers in a 1 quart freezer bag. Attach this bag and croutons (also in a 1 quart freezer bag) to dish.
To serve: thaw dish, peppers and croutons in refrigerator overnight. Bake dish uncovered in a
preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle
croutons around edge of casserole. Reheat red and green peppers and
mound them in the center. Makes 8 servings.
(I tried this one years ago and didn't have half of the ingredients
and it still came out good! Can't wait to try it the right way!)
Ham and Macaroni and Cheese (from the oamc digest)
8 oz. elbow macaroni
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 cups shredded cheese
2 cups cubed ham
2 cups thin white suace (recipe follows)
Heat oven to 375°. Cook macaroni and drain. Place half of the
macaroni in a 2 qt casserole dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese and add
all of ham. Top with remaining macaroni and cheese and pour white sauce
over casserole. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
THIN WHITE SAUCE (for macaroni and cheese)
1 Tbsp. margarine
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup milk
Melt butter and add flour, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat,
stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from
heat and stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir
1 minute. Use as directed.
Notes from a tired oamc cook (don't know who this was!): I was tired
and worn out at this point. I decided that the Ham and Macaroni and
cheese would have to be a SAR (Some Assembly Required) meal. I placed
three cups of cheese in a qt. size freezer -- then I placed 2 cup bag
another qt size freezer bag. I placed a rubber band around these and
froze them. At meal time - I will use this recipe. I will stir in the
ham before baking.
The following recipes are from "Dinner's Ready" by Andrew Schloss and
Ken Bookman, a "chain cooking" cookbook, where you make completely
different meals out of leftovers from previous meals. These look good.
Where there is a leftover used, I posted that recipe too, in case you
wanted to do it their way or adapt these recipes.
Hoppin' John Soup (Dinner's Ready)
3 slices leftover honey baked ham
2 tsp corn oil
1 med onion, finely chopped
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup long grain rice
6 cups chicken broth, canned or made
2 cups reserved Spicy Corn and Black-eyed Pea Succotash (recipe follows)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Dice the leftover ham. Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan and add
the ham, onion, and pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat until the
onion has softened (about 2 minutes). Add rice and toss to coat with oil, then add the chicken broth and simmer 12 minutes until the rice is barely tender.
Add succotash, salt and pepper and simmer for 5 more minutes. Stir in the vinegar and parsley and serve.
Spicy Corn and Black-eyed Pea Succotash
1 cup dried black-eyed peas
4 cups of cold water
1/2 med onion, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 tsp oil
2 tsp chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans (7 oz each) corn kernels, drained
Sort and rinse black-eyed peas. Combine the peas with the water in a heavy saucepan and
bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat, cover and set
aside for 1 hour. Drain peas and rinse the saucepan. Rinse the peas and return to
the same pan. Cover with 4 cups of fresh water and bring to a boil, reduce
heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour more or until peas are soft. Drain
and set aside. While the peas are cooking, cook the onion and bell pepper in the oil in a large
skillet over medium heat until tender. Add the chili powder, cumin,
pepper flakes, and sugar. Stir and cook 1 minute. Season with salt and black pepper. When the peas are done, add them to the onion mixture. Stir in the
corn and heat through. Reserve 2 cups (for Hoppin John soup) and serve
the rest. (The original dinner menu was Honey Baked Ham, the succotash,
and Braised Greens, also listed)
Radiatore Carbonara (Dinner's Ready)
1 pound radiatore
3 eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup buttermilk, half and half or sour cream
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (imported is best!)
2 tbsp grated Romano cheese (imported!)
2 slices reserved Honey Baked Ham, diced
2 tsp olive oil
3 tbsp chopped parsley
Cook radiatore according to package directions. While pasta cooks, set a large serving bowl in a larger bowl of warm water. Add the eggs and beat lightly, then beat in the buttermilk, parmesan, and romano cheese. Set aside. Cook the diced ham in olive oil until lightly crisped and very hot. Keep warm. When the pasta is done, drain and add to the egg mixture. Toss well until pasta is completely coated. Add the ham and parsley and toss. (Note: the hot pasta only partially cooks the egg yolks; if you want to be sure the eggs are thoroughly cooked as recommended by the USDA, microwave the pasta and egg mixture until egg is thoroughly cooked)
Grits Souffle' (Dinner's Ready)
3 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup quick cook grits
3/4 cup cheddar cheese (3 oz)
3 tbsp butter
1 slice reserved Honey Baked Ham, chopped
1/2 cup Braised Greens (recipe follows), chopped
1 cup diced green bell pepper
3 scallions, sliced
3 egg yolks
dash of hot pepper sauce
2 to 3 tbsp cornmeal
5 egg whites
Preheat oven to 400°. Bring the water to a boil and season liberally with salt and pepper.
Add the grits, stirring constantly. Simmer for 10
minutes until thick. Remove from the heat and sitr in the
cheddar cheese and 1 tbsp butter. While grits are cooking, cook the bell pepper in 1 tbsp butter over medium high heat for 1
minute. Add the scallions and ham to the peppers and cook another 2 minutes. Beat this
mixture into the cooked grits along with the greens, egg yolks, and hot
pepper sauce. Set aside to cool. Grease a 2-quart souffle dish with the remaining butter and dust the dish with the cornmeal.
Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Mix a third of the
beaten egg whites into the cooled grits, then fold in remaining whites in 2
additions. Pour the batter gently into the souffle dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until well browned. Soufle should be puffy and barely jiggling in the center when moved gently. Serve immediately.
(No, this probably WON'T freeze, but sounds good!)
Braised Greens
4 pounds greens, such as chard, escarole, kale, collards, rabe, mustard, dandelions or a combination
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Trim the leafy greens off of the thick stems and wilted leaves. Place the
greens in a clean sink or large bowl filled with cold water and swish them back and
forth to clean them. Lift the greens from the water and shake off the
excess water. Do not completely dry. Cook the onion in the oil until softened, about 2 minutes, and add the
pepper flakes and the greens. Toss well to coat the greens with oil.
Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring once, until the greens
have wilted. Uncover and continue cooking until the water evaporates, stirring occasionally, about 10-12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve 1/2 cup for grits souffle and serve the rest.
Ok, that's it! I will die if I type any more! Hope these help! I will
let you know what I cook and how they came out! Happy Cooking, Kim :)
Healthy (Or Healthier!) ways to use Honey Baked Ham
Most of the recipes here are not exactly "low fat." Ham is definitely a
very fatty and salty meat. If you want the taste but not the fat, here
are a few suggestions:
Use as a topping on casseroles and salads - We like to eat "ham and
cheese salads" instead of casseroles and other heavy dishes. Using ham
as a condiment instead of as the main part of the dish will lighten it
up considerably.
Use in a stirfry - Add lots of veggies and rice, or even make fried rice! Use those veggies to really stretch that meat!
In soups - You can even use the ham bone to make a great stock and just
a little cut up meat for texture. Think about how little actual chicken
you get in those canned chicken noodle soups! Of course, you can have
more than that! It just depends on how far you want to stretch it.
Hot pockets - Double the amount of veggies and cheese, halve the amount of ham.
Hints and tips, reader's note:
Hi,
I am Extremely new at this OAMC but I am slowly trying to get going
& succeed - I read your ham plan & saw that you don't keep the
ham fat: I keep some & add it to my beans & ham recipe:
4 c dry beans( pintos) (I soak them overnight)
2 cups shredded ham
1 cup ham fat(cubed)
2 onions diced
1 tspn chili powder & 1 tspn paprika
2 chicken boulion cubes
I place all in crockpot on high for the day, after I cover it up to 1
inch above mixture with water. I have served this time & time again
at my hubby's work group lunches & always receive calls for the
recipe. I truly believe the rind & fat adds that extra flavor. I
have made it with out the chicken boullion & it works too. It is up
to your salt taste.
I have also done the above except decreased the shredded ham by 1/2 and
added equal portions of barbecue sauce & brown sugar & 1/2
amount of water & people RAVE about it. (No boullion either)
It ALWAYS amazes me that such a simple recipe so many love. GO FIGURE?!
Have a GREAT DAY!!!!
Stephanie M.
--Thanks Stephanie!
About the Author
Kim Tilley, a tightwad at heart, is a wife, a mother of three active boys and the founding editor of Frugal-Moms.com. Frugal by force and later by choice, Kim cut her income by 60% to stay at with her children and discovered that anyone can live better for less. Her work has appeared in print publications such as The Tightwad Gazette. In her free time, she entertains herself by chasing kids and finding ways to create something from nothing!
© 2002-2006 Fractured Frugal Friends (F3). All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.