How to Stretch a Ham

A couple times a year a make a ham and then feel challenged to come up with dishes in which to use it all week.  Pretty economical considering I bought the ham around Christmas when they were on sale and threw it in the freezer.  I take on the same challenge with turkey each year.  I started by baking the ham the best way I have found so far.  It is incredibly delicious and very easy.  Here is the link to the recipe:
http://www.alaskanbeer.com/component/rapidrecipe/smoked-porter-ham-glaze.html
It calls for Alaskan Smoked Porter. I understand that beer by this awesome brewery is not available everywhere so I'm sure any smoked porter could be substituted.  Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the finished ham because we torn into it pretty quickly.  Trust me when I say it was a beautiful sight...

Besides enjoying out of the fridge and on the obvious ham sandwiches I made Ham and Bean soup for the first rollover recipe using the ham bone.

 MMmmmm.  This recipe was from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

Rinse 1 c. dried navy beans, combine with 4c. water, bring to a boil then simmer for 2 min.  Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hr covered.  (You could also used canned beans and skip this step).  Drain and rinse.  Combine beans, ham bone, 1 1/2c. chopped celery, 1c. chopped onion, 3/4 t dried thyme, pepper to taste, a bay leaf, and 4 cups fresh water.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hr.  Remove bone and cut meat off, add extra ham meat from leftovers if not a lot on bone.  Mash up the beans (I just used a potato masher).  Then I added 1 box chopped frozen spinach (thawed and wrung in a kitchen towel) to heat through.  You could also add carrots, parsnips, or rutabaga (really whatever other root veggies you like) during the last 15 min.  Delicious!

Next up, Mac & cheese. 
The basic roadmap for this comes from Rachael Ray.  I've tweaked here and there along the way to make it easier on the calorie and fat counts.  Start by boiling 1lb of favorite mac and cheese pasta, I used whole grain elbows.  In a large skillet melt 2T butter, add 2 T flour and make a roux, cook out for a min or 2.  Add 2 c. milk (I cut cals using skim here) and wisk to thicken.  Once thickened add 1T favorite mustard (spicy brown) and 8oz shredded cheese of choice (2% med cheddar here), turn off heat and stir until cheese is melted.  Combine drained pasta w/ cheese sauce, add diced ham and some thawed frozen or steamed broccoli.  Now, Eric has "texture" issues and barely tolerates broccoli invading his food.  So, in order to get him to participate in eating leftovers I have found that serving the broccoli on the side works best for us.  If it was up to me I would load up on broccoli and cauliflower.  Pour into a casserole and top with bread crumbs, panko, or toasted slivered almonds, whatever floats your boat. Bake at 350 for 10-15min, until toppings browned, then eat!

 The last of our delicious ham leftovers was used in Potato soup.  I normally only make one soup, but, since it's January and this is my husband' most favorite, I consented.  This doesn't have a "real" recipe and it is slightly different each time I make it. It is based off my Mom's recipe and I tweak here and there.  Here is the basics:
 Saute a couple stalks of chopped celery (with leafy tops if present), 1 med chopped onion, bay leaf, salt and pepper in a drizzle of olive oil until soft (I have been known to thrown in a chopped leak or 2 here as well).  Add 1-2 T butter and melt.  Add 2 T flour and mix up to make a kind of celery and onion paste and cook out 1-2 min.  Add 1-ish cup of chicken stock or broth and stir to combine with the flour.  Then add 3-4 more cups (I keep quarts on hand and just eyeball it).  Add ham bone or chopped ham and 4-6 potatoes peeled and sliced, add more liquid to cover potatoes if needed.  I have used yellow, russet, and red potatoes and it always turns out delicious.  Add more stock if needed to cover.  Simmer until potatoes are soft then grab that handy masher and squish some of them up until it's to your liking.  Add a dash of nutmeg at the end and adjust salt and pepper.  It will be the best potato soup you've ever had, I promise. 

And there you have it, 4 complete meals (not including sandwiches and ham straight up) 1 ham at about 15 bucks, I had most of the other ingredients on hand. And we are still eating the leftovers...

 In other news, we should probably consider kids soon, I worry that we are turning it to "those people"...