hearty ham casserole

January 20, 2010 – 10:37 pm

I perused several food blogs, looking for a recipe to use the extra ham I had in the fridge. I came across this one and decided to give it a try. I wasn’t sure about the corn it called for, but it was delicious! We all put it on the “have it again!” list.

Hearty Ham Casserole
The changes I made are shown in bold.

2. c. cooked cubed potatoes
2 c. cooked cubed ham
1 fifteen ounce can of whole kernel golden corn, drained
1/4 c. fresh parsley (optional)
1/4 c. butter [I left this out of this part.]
1 T. chopped onion or green onion or leeks [I used 1 T. dry onion flakes.]

Sauce [I used my own recipe for the sauce portion.]
3 T. butter
3 T. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Hearty Ham Casserole

Hearty Ham Casserole

Hearty Ham Casserole

Mix the casserole ingredients together in a large bowl.

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until combined. Cook for a few minutes before whisking in the milk. Whisk until thickened. Remove from heat.

Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Add the cheese and stir to melt.

Hearty Ham Casserole

Stir the cheese sauce into the ham mixture. Pour into a greased casserole dish and bake at 350* for 30 minutes.

Hearty Ham Casserole

Hearty Ham Casserole

I tried this recipe as a soup a week later, by adding milk to the recipe. It was good, too, but we liked the casserole better and we’ll be having it again.

"Hearty Ham Casserole" soup

~~Rhonda

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bacon-provolone chicken sandwich

January 20, 2010 – 3:04 pm

What can I say? This is delicious!

Bacon-Provolone Chicken Sandwich

I made the buns with my regular bread recipe. The original sandwich recipe called for seasoning the chicken with poultry seasoning, which I did not do. It just didn’t sound good to me. I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper.

Bacon-Provolone Chicken Sandwich Click the link for the original recipe.
Serves six.

2 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves (or six small)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Olive Oil or Canola Oil [I actually used peanut oil.]
6 rolls, split [I used three, as I was serving three people.]
6 strips cooked bacon, cut in half before cooking [I used three.]
6 slices provolone cheese [I used three.]
lettuce [I used a spring mix, but Romaine would be good, too.]
mayonnaise
sliced onion, optional [I omitted this.]

Cut the chicken breasts in half [the ones from Butcher’s Block are huge], then cut the larger end piece horizontally. Two large breasts will make enough for six sandwiches. We used three pieces for supper and had three leftover for lunches. If the chicken is thick, you can place it between plastic wrap and pound it flatter, so it cooks more evenly.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet till crispy. Set aside. Drain the extra grease off, then add a bit of olive oil to the skillet. Of course, you can just fry the chicken in the bacon grease if you like, but I prefer the healthier oil with just a hint of the bacon flavor left in the pan. If you’re going for A LOT healthier, you can leave the bacon out altogether. 🙂

Fry the chicken on both sides until done, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Don’t overcook it or it will dry, but be sure it is cooked thoroughly. I used my instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature. Perfect!

About.com says “Chicken should be cooked to a temperature of 165 degrees F. The meat will continue to cook after it’s removed from the heat; the internal temperature will rise about 5-10 degrees in the first few minutes it’s off the heat.”

Set the roll halves (cut side up) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. On the bottoms of the rolls, layer two bacon halves, chicken and cheese. Broil them and the roll tops (cut side up) 4-6 in. from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted. [You could do this in a toaster oven, if you have one.]

Top with lettuce (and onion, if desired). Spread mayonnaise on cut side of roll tops; replace tops, and serve.

We had oven fried potato wedges and seedless red grapes with our supper. Everyone thought the sandwiches were delicious, and the potato wedges (which we’ve had before) were greeted with enthusiasm! 🙂

~~Rhonda

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hearty lentil soup

January 19, 2010 – 8:08 pm

I made the Hearty Lentil Soup for supper and it is delicious. My thanks to Laura for sharing the recipe! I made some changes, leaving a few things out, and also added ham to the soup. The changes I made are shown below in bold. My version probably makes more than Laura’s as I used more tomatoes, more chicken stock and more lentils. The soup can be made in one pot, which I like. Not much clean up.

Hearty Lentil Soup

Hearty Lentil Soup

3 slices bacon (cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
1 large onion, chopped fine (about 1 1/2cup) [DH is allergic to onions, so I substituted 2 T. dry onion flakes.]
1 c. celery, diced [I added this for a bit of bulk because I left out the onions.]
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped medium (about 1 cup)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 T.)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained [I used a 29 oz. can of crushed tomatoes.]
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves
1 cup (7oz) lentils du puy [I used a 16 oz. bag of brown lentils, as this is all that was available in our store.]
2 c. diced ham [I added this to the original recipe.]
1tsp. salt [I used maybe 1/4 tsp. salt because I added ham to the recipe and it contains salt.]
ground black pepper
1/2 c. dry white wine [I omitted this.]
4 1/2 c. chicken broth [I used 48 oz. chicken stock.]
1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
3 T. minced fresh parsley leaves

Fry bacon in large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add onions, celery, and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes.

Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in tomatoes, bay leaf, dry onion, and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in lentils, ham, salt, and pepper to taste; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until vegetables are softened and lentils have darkened, 8 to 10 minutes.

Uncover, increase heat to high, add wine, and bring to simmer.

Add chicken broth and water; bring to boil, cover partially, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 30 to 35 minutes; discard bay leaf.

Puree 3 cups soup in blender until smooth, then return to pot; stir in vinegar and heat soup over medium-low until hot, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley and serve, garnishing each bowl with some of the remaining parsley.

The balsamic vinegar is a great addition to this soup, adding wonderful flavor. I also liked the addition of the ham, but you can certainly leave that out, if you prefer.

This made a large pot of soup and we’ll have plenty of delicious leftovers. ~~Rhonda

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baked salmon with honey mustard glaze

January 18, 2010 – 9:16 pm

Salmon is easy to cook and delicious. Not to mention good for you! Joy, here’s the recipe you asked for. Next time I make this, I’ll take some pictures and update the post.

Baked Salmon with Honey Mustard Glaze

2 salmon fillets
2 T. honey or brown sugar or maple syrup
2 T. Dijon mustard or other mustard
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1 T. dry parsley flakes
2 T. Parmesan cheese

Here’s a picture to show the size of the fillets I use. Serves four. If you want to try the potatoes in the picture, check out this post…accordion potatoes.

baked 'em together

Preheat oven to 400* for 10 – 15 minutes. It should be nice and hot when you put the salmon in. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. If using foil, grease it with cooking spray.

Place fillets, skin side down on the baking sheet.

Mix the honey with the mustard and spread on the salmon.

Mix remaining ingredients and sprinkle over salmon.

Bake at 400* for 12-15 minutes. Salmon is done when it is opaque and flakes easily. Over baking will dry it out.

Want to make a really fast salmon dish? Spread salmon fillets with just the honey/mustard mixture (or honey-mustard salad dressing) and bake as above. Delicious.

Pecan-crusted Salmon is another delicious salmon recipe made with mayonnaise, pecans, bread crumbs, and Parmesan.

~~Rhonda 🙂

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7 days of shooting ~ january 10 – 16

January 18, 2010 – 12:42 pm

This week’s theme on the flickr group 7 Days of Shooting was “double trouble.” The challenge was to shoot pictures of two of anything, following the daily focus.

Macro Sunday / shoot something small
Two pieces of DH’s delicious fudge

wanna bite?

Mono Monday / black and white, sepia, monotone
Two glass cats

glass cats

Abstract Tuesday
Two small metal flowers over glitter

double flowers

Worn and Weathered Wednesday
A leaf and it’s shadow from our pin oak in the woods in the back yard.

autumn lace

SOOC Thursday / straight out of camera; no post camera processing
And, of course, I had to post a picture of the twins…

the twins

Focus Friday
Two Pawpaw blossoms

pawpaw blossoms

Shoot Anything Saturday
Two glass blocks

glass blocks

This week’s theme is “treats.” Hmm…lots of possibilities! ~~Rhonda

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menu plan monday ~ january 18, 2010

January 18, 2010 – 11:32 am

I’m trying some new recipes this week. I’ll let you know how we like them.

Monday
Hearty Lentil Soup

Tuesday
Bacon-Provolone Chicken Sandwiches
oven fried potato wedges
grapes

Wednesday
stuffed shells Florentine
garlic bread
green salad

Thursday
sweet mustard roast
Cauliflower and Potato Gratin
stir-fried sugar snap peas with cherry tomatoes
corn

Friday
Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad

Saturday
fridge food

Sunday
BBQ ribs in the oven
accordion potatoes
asparagus
green salad

You’ll find more menu ideas and recipe links at Menu Plan Monday. ~~Rhonda

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baked chicken parmesan

January 16, 2010 – 2:10 pm

Last night, I made Baked Chicken Parmesan and Baked Zucchini Sticks from the website Gina’s WW Recipes. The chicken was delicious and moist! I’m putting this on my company-worthy list. The family commented several times on what a good supper this was.

baked zucchini, baked chicken parmesan

Baked Chicken Parmesan Check the link for Gina’s version. I changed a few small things.

3 or 4 large chicken breast halves [about 2.5 pounds], sliced in half horizontally, to make 6 or 8 large flat pieces
3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
cooking spray
3/4 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese
1 cup spaghetti or marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)

I didn’t have spaghetti sauce on hand, so I mixed half a 29 oz. can of tomato sauce and a bit of each of the following. I didn’t actually measure…
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1 T. dry onion flakes
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
freshly ground black pepper
a dash of salt.

I had plenty of sauce left over. It can be used to dip the zucchini sticks, or saved for a later meal. I’ll use it to make pizza or put it on pasta.

Preheat oven to 450°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Or line it with foil sprayed with cooking spray. Or spray the baking sheet with cooking spray. Whatever you have available. But learn to use parchment paper if you don’t use it now. Saves a ton of cleanup!

Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle a little of the breadcrumb mixture on the baking sheet.

Spray both sides of the chicken with cooking spray, and dip into breadcrumb mixture. Place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle remaining breadcrumb mixture over the chicken.

Lightly spray chicken with cooking spray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Flip the chicken and bake another 5 minutes.

Remove from oven, spoon sauce over the chicken and top with shredded cheese.

Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

.

I used freshly grated Parmesan cheese. You may use the canned shredded Parmesan if that is what you have, but take my advice…get yourself a Microplane zester/grater and a block of Parmesan. Freshly grated REALLY is better. An entirely different flavor than processed shredded Parmesan.

baked zucchini, baked chicken parmesan

Ready for the oven.

baked chicken parmesan

Baked Chicken Parmesan and Baked Zucchini Sticks, ready to serve.

baked zucchini, baked chicken parmesan

Cutting zucchini for baked zucchini sticks. Choose small young zucchini that are heavy for their size.

zucchini

The zucchini sticks were also good! We had them with light sour cream. A nice green salad rounded out the meal. I had planned to serve corn, also, but thought we had plenty on our plates.

~~Rhonda

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macro monday ~ january 11, 2009

January 11, 2010 – 11:57 pm

The theme for Macro Monday was “paradox.” That was a hard theme! I found two quotes I like and perused my photos for something to describe them.

“I can resist anything except temptation.” Oscar Wilde

my favorite Easter candy

I took the candy picture last year at Easter time. I love those Snickers Eggs! :-}

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” C.S. Lewis

froggie

This little Grey Tree Frog was discovered in our garden last summer. Isn’t he cute? He’s askin’, “Wanna kiss?”

~~Rhonda 🙂

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baked penne with chicken

January 11, 2010 – 6:26 pm

Last week, I made Baked Penne with Chicken for supper. It was delicious! The family loves it and wants to have it again. Soon. I changed the recipe just a bit, so am including my own version here. See Ezra Pound Cake for her version, which was the base for my own dish. I took a few shortcuts and saved a pan or two. She also included sun-dried tomatoes, but we were unable to find any in town, so I had to leave them out. I’m sure the tomato would add another delicious layer to the flavor.

Baked Penne with Chicken

1 pound penne rigate
olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (8 ounces each), cut into 1/2″ pieces
10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 T. butter or margarine
3 T. all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
1 c. shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. grated Asiogo cheese
[Recipe called for 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces), but I didn’t have any, so used the mozzarella. and Asiago as a substitute.]
1 cup finely grated Parmesan (4 ounces)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat a teaspoon olive oil over medium-high. Cook chicken until opaque, less than 5 minutes. Put the chicken in the pot with the pasta.

chicken bits cook the chicken till opaque

In the same large skillet, add a teaspoon of olive oil. Saute the mushrooms and garlic until mushrooms are lightly browned. Add the mushrooms to the pasta pot. I didn’t clean the skillet before using it for the mushrooms. Use all those bits of flavor!

Saute the mushrooms

In the same large skillet, melt butter over medium. Add flour, whisking, cook 1 minute. Gradually add milk, whisking; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until thickened. This will be a thin white sauce. Off heat, gradually stir in mozzarella, Asiago, and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Again, I didn’t clean out the pan before starting the roux. All those bits of flavor in the bottom of the pan will only add to the overall dish.

start the roux

Pour sauce over the pasta mixture and stir well. Divide the mixture between the two baking dishes. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan over the two dishes. Bake, uncovered, 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Penne with Chicken

All those crispy parts on top were SO delicious! ~~Rhonda

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menu plan monday ~ january 11, 2010

January 11, 2010 – 3:18 pm

I start taking down Christmas this week. Finished the laundry room and the downstairs bath. I hate to do it, but the fresh look of the room when all the holiday decorations are gone is rather inspiring. Nothing major planned for the week other than putting away decorations, so I’m trying a few new recipes with this menu. I’ll let you know how they turn out.

Monday
hearty ham casserole as soup / The casserole was so good last week that we want to have it again. I thought it would make a great soup for this cold time of year.

Tuesday
tacos

Wednesday
baked chicken parmesan
baked zucchini sticks

Thursday
pork schnitzel
spaetzle
peas
corn

Friday
baked salmon with honey mustard glaze
steamed sugar snap peas
corn
steamed red potatoes
green salad

Saturday
fridge food

Sunday
oven bbq steak
baked potatoes
corn
steamed sugar snap peas
green salad

You can find more menu ideas and recipe links at Menu Plan Monday. ~~Rhonda

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