Brunch Strata

From Taste of Home


(not the best photo, I know...)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
3 small zucchini, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
12 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups cubed day-old bread
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and ham; cook and stir until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain and pat dry.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and cream until smooth. Gradually beat in eggs. Stir in the remaining ingredients and vegetable mixture.

Transfer to two greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dishes. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Comments:
I halved this recipe because, good gracious, I don't need that many leftovers! Once again, a good deal of prep work, but yielding a satisfactory result. I do think it needs... something. I'm not altogether sure what that might be. Adam voted for more meat. I'm thinking it just needs a flavor boost with some herbs or something.

Adam Cooks: Ham and Cheddar Brunch Strata

From Crock-Pot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
8 oz French bread, torn in small pieces
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups diced ham
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions, divided
4 large eggs
1 cup half & half or whole milk
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp ground red pepper

Directions:
1. Coat slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Cut parchment paper to fit bottom of stoneware and press into place. Spray paper lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Layer in following order: bread, 1 1/2 cups cheese, ham, and all but 2 tbsp green onions.

3. Whisk eggs, half & half, Worcestershire sauce, and red pepper in small bowl. Pour evenly over layered ingredients in slow cooker. Cover; cook on low 3 1/2 hours or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Turn off heat. Sprinkle evenly with reserved cheese and green onions. Let stand, covered, 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.

4. To serve, run a knife or spatula around the outer edges, lifting bottom slightly. Invert onto plate and peel off paper. Invert again onto serving plate.

Comments:
Adam made this so I can't speak of ease of preparation, but it tasted good. We skipped the inverting it part and just served it out of the slow cooker. Worked fine.

Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwiches

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large eggs
Salt and pepper
8 slices sourdough bread
1/2 pound deli-sliced ham
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Directions:
1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the eggs; season with salt and pepper.

2. Brush the bread with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Layer the eggs, ham and cheese on half of the bread slices, then set the remaining bread slices on top.

3. In the same skillet, working in batches, fry the sandwiches over medium heat, turning once, until golden-brown, about 8 minutes.

Comments:
I had Adam make an omelet from the eggs rather than used fried ones because... eww. Also used a panini press instead of pan-frying. Worked just fine. These are pretty good. Not ground-breaking or earth-shattering. But a good, quick meal.

Fontina Ham Stromboli

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 loaves (1 pound each) frozen bread dough, thawed
1/2 cup prepared pesto, divided
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 pound sliced deli ham
1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto or additional deli ham
1/2 pound sliced fontina cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
In a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Cool completely.

On two greased baking sheets, roll each loaf of dough into a 16-in. x 10-in. rectangle. Spread each with 2 tablespoons pesto; sprinkle with onion mixture and basil. Arrange the ham, prosciutto and fontina cheese over each rectangle to within 1/2 in. of edges.

Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal and tuck ends under.

Brush with remaining pesto and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

Comments:
I think I'm still on the fence with this fontina cheese thing. There's this biting aftertaste that I'm not sure I like. Overall, these were good. A little messy, but satisfying. I made one roll with pesto and one without since Adam decided he doesn't like it.

Hot Ham & Cheese Slices

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 small sweet red pepper, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 package (17.3 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham
1/2 pound sliced Swiss cheese

Directions:
In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, pepper and onions in butter until tender. Set aside.

Unfold pastry. Layer the ham, cheese and mushroom mixture off-center on each sheet of pastry. Fold pastry over filling; pinch seams to seal. Place in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 400° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut each with a serrated knife into 4 slices.

Comments:
I left out the mushrooms because I just couldn't deal with having to pick them all out. It still tasted just fine. I also used provolone since Adam doesn't like Swiss cheese. Pretty easy, a little messy to eat, but good overall.

Nuevo Cubano

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
4 (3-ounce) whole-wheat sub rolls, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 pound thinly sliced reduced-sodium deli ham
1 peeled mango or 2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 pound thinly sliced provolone cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Directions:
1. Hollow out top and bottom halves of bread, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell; reserve torn bread for another use.

2. Combine cilantro, lime juice, chili powder, garlic, and black beans in a food processor; process until almost smooth and spreadable, adding a few drops of water, if necessary. Spread bean mixture evenly on bottom halves of the prepared rolls. Layer rolls evenly with ham, mango or tomatoes, and provolone cheese; replace top halves of rolls.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 sandwiches to pan; place a cast-iron or other heavy skillet on top of sandwiches; press gently. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until sandwiches are golden brown (leave cast-iron skillet on sandwiches while they cook). Remove sandwiches from pan; repeat procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 2 sandwiches.

Comments:
Left out the cilantro and used the panini press instead of cooking them in a skillet. Other than that, kept to the plan. I used the mango option rather than the tomato and I think that was definitely the right choice. Added just the right touch of sweetness. Overall, pretty good. Go easy on the garlic though - it was really overpowering.

Mozzarella, Ham, (and Basil) Paninis

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1 (16-ounce) loaf ciabatta, cut in half horizontally
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/3 cups (8 ounces) thinly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
12 basil leaves
8 ounces sliced 33%-less-sodium cooked deli ham (such as Boar's Head)
2 sweetened hot cherry peppers, sliced
1 large plum tomato, thinly sliced
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Brush cut side of the bottom bread half with mustard; brush cut side of top half with vinegar. Top bottom half with mozzarella, basil, ham, peppers, and tomato. Top with remaining bread half.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sandwich to pan; top with another heavy skillet. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Cut sandwich into 6 wedges.

Comments:
Left out the basil and cherry peppers, but actually used ciabatta bread! We made a stop at Manderfields for brat buns last week and since we were there I decided to splurge and get fancy bread. I had them slice it though so that's why it looks different from the picture on the CL website. Worked out well. These were really good sandwiches.

Broccoli-Ham Macaroni

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
4 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups fat-free milk
2-1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

Directions:
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, place 1 in. of water in a large saucepan; add broccoli. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender.

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, ham and red pepper in 1 tablespoon butter until vegetables are crisp-tender. Sprinkle with flour; stir until blended. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Stir in the cheese, parsley, mustard and seasonings until blended. Drain broccoli and macaroni; stir into cheese sauce. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish (dish will be full).

In a small skillet, melt remaining butter; stir in bread crumbs. Sprinkle over macaroni mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

Comments:
I altered the recipe a little bit in that I just cooked the broccoli in the same water as the pasta, I left out the red pepper and all the butter, and cut the amount of cheese sauce in half. All in all, pretty good. Not too cheesy and a nice ham surprise in every bite.

Croque Monsieur-Style Monte Cristo Sandwiches

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
5 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
salt & pepper
Grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
8 slices good-quality white bread
5 ounces gruyère cheese, cut into 8 thin slices
8 slices baked ham
2 eggs

Directions:
1. Preheat a griddle pan or cast-iron skillet over medium heat.

2. In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in 1 1/3 cups milk and cook until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the mustard and turn off the heat.

3. Spread the sauce on 1 side of each bread slice. Top each of 4 slices with 1 cheese slice, 2 folded ham slices, another cheese slice and 1 of the remaining bread slices.

4. Beat the eggs with the remaining 2/3 cup milk and coat the sandwiches twice in the batter. Wipe the griddle with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter nestled in a paper towel, then add the sandwiches to the griddle and cook, turning once, until deep golden, about 8 minutes. Halve the sandwiches diagonally.

Comments:
So I skipped the mustard sauce stuff and I just used some regular mustard by itself. I thought it turned out pretty well. Not spectacular. Adam commented that it was like a combination of grilled cheese and French toast. Pretty much. Not sure we'd have these again, although they did give me a real hankering for grilled cheese!

Grilled Ham, Muenster, and Spinach Sandwiches

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
8 (3/4-ounce) slices crusty Chicago-style Italian bread (about 1/2 inch thick), toasted
8 ounces thinly sliced lower-sodium deli ham (such as Boar's Head)
4 (1-ounce) slices reduced-sodium Muenster cheese (such as Alpine Lace)
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup mild chowchow (such as Braswell's)
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Layer each of 4 bread slices with 2 ounces ham, 1 slice Muenster cheese, 1/2 cup baby spinach, 1 tablespoon chowchow, and 1 bread slice.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat sandwiches with cooking spray; add to pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned and cheese melts. Cut sandwiches in half, if desired. Serve immediately.

Comments:
Obviously omitted the chowchow. Gross... Used whole wheat bread and a panini press. There were pretty good. The spinach was a little challenging to get onto the sandwich but it wilted nicely when heated.

Holiday Baked Ham

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1 fully cooked smoked half ham (6 to 7 pounds)
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Directions:
Place ham with fat side up in a shallow roasting pan. Score fat in a diamond pattern; insert cloves into cuts. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes. In a small saucepan, combine the preserves, butter and mustard; heat through. Spoon over the ham. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 140°. Remove cloves before slicing ham.

Comments:
This is what I made for our Christmas dinner, actually eaten Christmas Eve.



I left out the cloves because they're gross. I'm not a ham person, but the glaze was pretty good. Once I got rid of all that fat there. Yuck. I filled up mostly on vegetables. I'd try this one again though. It actually was done in the time they prescribed, unlike most pork recipes that seem to take twice as long to reach the right temperature...

Ham & Swiss Chicken

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups milk, divided
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon finely chopped onion
8 slices bread, cubed
12 thin slices deli ham, rolled up
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
2-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk eggs and 1-1/2 cups milk. Stir in the butter, celery and onion. Stir in bread crumbs.

Place half of the mixture in a greased 3-qt. slow cooker; top with half of the rolled-up ham, cheese and chicken. Combine soup and remaining milk; pour half over the chicken. Repeat layers once.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until a thermometer inserted into bread mixture reads 160°.

Comments:
Yay! Another picture that looks like cat barf! This was relatively easy to assemble, but it ended up so soggy and runny. I'm thinking maybe a half-hour without the lid might have helped, but I didn't have the time to try that out. I also thought perhaps the leftovers would be less puke-like, but, alas, they were just as runny. It's a good concept, I just think the execution is off. Maybe it was my fault. Who knows. In any case, won't make this one again.

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Dash Cajun seasoning
1/2 cup 2% milk
1-1/2 teaspoons sherry or chicken broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 medium potato, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
1/4 cup thinly sliced onion

Directions:
In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning until smooth. Gradually add milk, sherry and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in 1/4 cup cheese. Remove from the heat; set aside.

Place half of the potato slices in a 1-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer with the ham, onion and half of the white sauce. Repeat layers.

Cover and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Comments:
These are kind of time-consuming, but worth the effort. I doubled the recipe so my cooking time was a bit longer. Overall, good flavor - nice and cheesy. Not at all like the awful stuff you get in a box.

Oh, and I obviously didn't peel the potato. I rarely do. The skin is full of nutrients and as long as you clean it well, it's fine. Such fussy work, peeling vegetables. I try and avoid it if at all possible.

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Ham

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower (about 2½ pounds), cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
1 pound penne pasta
1/3 pound sliced boiled ham, cut into ribbons

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°. Spread the cauliflower on a baking sheet, drizzle with the oil and toss; season with salt and pepper. Bake until browned, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Cook, without stirring, until the butter is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Stir in the sage and remove from the heat.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, drain and return the pasta to the pot. Stir in the ham, cauliflower and reserved pasta cooking water. Stir in the sage butter and season with salt and pepper.

Comments:
Another pretty simple dish. I almost burned the cauliflower though. Adam was unimpressed. He still ate it and even took some of the leftovers for lunch the next day. That's better than the turkey meatballs did...

Teriyaki Burgers

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1/2 pound lean ground beef
2 hamburger buns, split
4 slices deli ham (3/4 ounce each)
2 pineapple slices
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce

Directions:
Shape beef into two patties. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Serve on buns with ham, pineapple and teriyaki sauce. Yield: 2 servings.

Comments:
I was a little hesitant with the teriyaki sauce, never having cooked with it before. I probably could have gone a little heavier with it. You could hardly taste it at all. Other than my constant problem of making the burgers way too small for the buns, this was a successful dinner.

Hot Ham 'n' Cheese Sandwiches

From Taste of Home's Cooking for 2 Summer 2008. (Subscriber only recipe)



Ingredients:
mayo
kaiser rolls
cheddar cheese
ham
mozzarella cheese

Comments:
These were so good! The original recipe calls for bacon along with the ham, but even I have limits on the number of pig parts I eat in one meal. So I skipped that. I ran out of foil after two so the third sandwich got packeted in parchement paper. It didn't seem to make a difference in the end product. This recipe will definitely remain in rotation. Yum!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Calzones

From Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2002



Ingredients:
chicken breasts
mushrooms (left out. I know, shocking.)
onion
butter
cornstarch
milk
basil
salt & pepper
puff pastry
ham
provolone cheese

Comments:
These looked interesting so I decided to give them a try. They turned out alright, but next time I think I'll roll the puff pastry out a bit so it, I don't know, covers the whole chicken breast? Duh. Also, I think I might let the chicken sit a bit after it's drained because the pastry got all water-logged. Tasted good, but I made some goofs in the execution.

French Bread Pizza

From Everyday with Rachael Ray May 2008



Ingredients:
butter
flour
milk
salt & pepper
honey mustard
baguette
sliced ham
gruyere cheese (I used mozzarella)

Comments:
Adam likes the Hawaiian pizza and this was pizza with ham on it so that's almost the same thing. Totally easy to make, very yummy. I even managed to avoid burning the bottom of the bread. I'm bad about that...