Easter Dinner

Spiced Cherry and Port Glazed Ham ER AND PORT GLAZED HAM

Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time    2hoursServings 8 servings

Ingredients 

• ▢ 4-6 lb fully cooked bone-in ham
• ▢ ¼ cup butter
• ▢ ½ cup cherry preserves
• ▢ ¼ cup brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup honey
• ▢ 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ▢ 2 tbsp Port wine
• ▢ 1 tsp lemon juice
• ▢ ½ tsp kosher salt
• ▢ ½ tsp cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ tsp cloves
• ▢ ¼ tsp pepper

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 325° F. Prep the ham by cutting off the rind, or skin. Place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan. Score the fat on the ham in a crosshatch pattern. Add a cup or so of water to the bottom of the roasting pan. Place a piece of parchment paper over the ham and then cover the whole roasting pan tightly with foil.
  
• Bake a fully cooked ham for 20 to 25 minutes per pound until it reaches an internal temperature of 140° F.
  
• To make the glaze, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the cherry preserves, brown sugar, honey, Dijon mustard, Port wine, lemon juice, kosher salt, cinnamon, cloves, and pepper. Whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Set aside until needed.
  
• Once the ham reaches 130° F begin to add the glaze. Remove the foil and parchment and brush a thick layer of glaze over the ham. Return to the oven uncovered and continue to roast for another 10 minutes. Add another layer of glaze and continue roasting. Repeat as necessary until the ham has reached 140° F and the glaze begins to caramelize. 
  
• The ham is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 140° F. When the ham is done, tent with a piece of foil and let rest until you’re ready to serve.

Southern Style Green Beans 

Now these easy Southern Green Beans combines fresh green beans, smoked bacon, and onion into the most mouth watering side imaginable.Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 90 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes Yield: 6 1x Category: Vegetable Method: Stove top Cuisine: Southern

INGREDIENTS

4 slices bacon diced

1 medium onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

2 lbs fresh green beans trimmed

2 1/2 – 3-1/2 cups chicken broth

Optional 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (please see notes)

2 tablespoons butter

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In large saucepan over medium heat cook bacon until almost completely brown. Add onion and cook for additional 5 minutes. Turn heat to low and add garlic; cook for 30 seconds. Remove bacon/onion mixture to a bowl. Do not wash saucepan.
2. Add green beans and enough chicken broth to just cover the green beans. Add Cajun seasoning.
3. Bring to a low boil. Cover and reduce to simmer. Simmer for 1 – 1 1/2 hours stirring occasionally. Drain chicken broth, return  bacon/onion mixture and heat for 1-2 minutes. Add butter, stir and serve.

Deviled eggs made with mayonnaise, a couple dashes Ranch powdered dressing mix. yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish & a pinch of cayenne pepper powder.

LEFT OVERS in the coming days.  For sure will make the casserole and ham & egg salad.  Cobb salad is a maybe depending on how much ham is left over and how tired we are of ham by then. 

Ham and Noodle Casserole

This ham and noodle casserole is one of my favorite ways to use leftover ham. It's rich and creamy with a crunchy bread crumb topping. Always a winning dinner!

Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 50 mins Additional Time: 10 mins Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Servings: 6mmYield: 1 (2-quart) casserole

Ingredients

4 C. uncooked uncooked egg noodles

2 C. diced cooked ham

2 C. shredded Swiss cheese

1 ( 10.5 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 onion, finely chopped

1/2 C. sour cream

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1/2 C. dry bread crumbs 

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart casserole.
2. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rapid boil. Cook egg noodles in the boiling water for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.
3. Transfer noodles to a large bowl; stir in ham, Swiss cheese, condensed soup, onion, and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spoon into the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle bread crumbs over the top.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until casserole is bubbling and bread crumbs are browned, about 40 minutes.

Cook’s Note

This is a very versatile dish, you can add garden peas, baby spinach leaves, bell pepper, or whatever you like!

Ham n Egg Salad

Ingredients

2 c. Left over baked ham, diced very small
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. chopped sweet onion
1/4 c chopped dried apricots Have used dried apples and or golden raisins.
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine diced ham, eggs, celery, onion, and dried apricot. Add mayonnaise and mix. Salt and pepper to taste. If possible, allow to sit in refrigerator for 1 hour. Serve alone or on bread.

Note I used romaine lettuce ribs instead of celery and dried apples instead of apricots.

LEFTOVER HAM COBB SALAD

yield: 2 SERVINGSprep time: 10 MINUTEStotal time: 10 MINUTES

Use up your leftover ham in this glorious cobb salad with a  healthy Greek yogurt ranch dressing!

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 cup diced ham
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, diced
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

FOR THE GREEK YOGURT RANCH

• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon dill
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. To make the Greek yogurt ranch, whisk together Greek yogurt, buttermilk, dill, garlic powder and onion powder in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
2. To assemble the salad, place romaine lettuce in a large bowl; top with arranged rows of ham, tomatoes, avocado, eggs and goat cheese.
3. Serve immediately with Greek yogurt ranch.

 

Mongolian Beef and asparagus

 Dad’s Mongolian Beef:  A Chinese Chef’s Secrets

Ingredients 

Dad’s Mongolian Beef:  A Chinese Chef’s secrete

Ingredients Prep 10 min.  total 20 min.

Beef Marinade Stir Fry Ingredients

11 oz. New York Steak 1 med,  onion ( red or white)

1 tsp. baking soda 5 stalks scallions

1 T. corn starch 2 cloves garlic

2 T. water 1/2 red bell pepper

1 T. Oyster sauce (Kikkoman) 1/2 green bell pepper

1 tsp. soy sauce  ( “ ) 4 dried Chili pepper

1 tsp. Tamari  (“)

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 T. oil ( pre cooking)

1 T. corn starch ( pre cooking)

Sauce Cooking

1T Oyster sauce 1 oz. oil (to be added first)

1 T. soy sauce 2 oz. oil ( to be added second)

1/2 tsp. Tamari sauce 1 T. sesame oil

1/2 tsp chili sauce

1 tsp. sugar

1 T. cooking wine

Instructions Prep 10 minutes Total 20 minutes

1. Trim beef; cut away any white stringy gristle.  Cut  thin slices across the grain into bite size pieces.  Put  in bowl. Rinse with cold water and rinse away  myoglobin

2.In a bowl, add baking soda (1 tsp), cornstarch (1 tbsp), water, oyster sauce (1 tbsp), light soy sauce (1 tsp), tamari (1 tsp), and white pepper powder (0.25 tsp). Mix them thoroughly.

Squeeze the excess water out from the rinsed beef slices, firmly enough to get the water out, but not so firmly that the beef slices break apart. Add the beef slices into the marinade, and mix well. As you mix the beef into the marinade, the beef will soak it up.

3: Cut vegetables  On a separate cutting board, halve the onion (1 medium) to make a flat surface. It's much safer to cut it when it sits flat and steady on the cutting board. From there, chop it into 1/4-inch thick slices, and separate the slices by hand after.

Chop the scallions (5 stalks) into 1-inch pieces. Separate the white parts from the green parts.

Smash, peel, and mince the garlic (2 cloves).

To cut the green bell pepper and red bell pepper, sit them up with the stem up. Put your knife to the side of the stem and cut straight down. You should be able to avoid most of the seeds in the piece that you've cut away.

To make the strips more uniform, cut away the top and bottom edges of that piece to make a large rectangle, and then cut that rectangle into strips. Keep cutting away sides, making rectangles, and cutting strips for as much of each bell pepper as you need.

Step 4: Make sauce

To make the stir-fry sauce, mix together oyster sauce (1 tbsp), light soy sauce (1 tbsp), dark soy sauce (0.50 tsp), chili sauce (0.50 tsp), sugar (1 tsp), and cooking wine (1 tbsp) in a small bowl.

Step 5: Prepare beef for stir fry

Once the beef has absorbed all of the marinade, add oil (1 tbsp) to the beef and mix it in. The oil will help seal the marinade in and lock in the juices.

Then, add cornstarch (1 tbsp) to the beef as well and give it another mix. The cornstarch will help the beef crisp up in the frying process.

Step 6: Stir fry beef

Turn the stove to high heat, and let the wok heat up until it's just about to smoke, or barely smokes. You might see some color change in the center of the wok.

Add oil (1 oz), and swirl it around to coat the wok. Add the rest of the oil (2 oz), and let it heat for about a minute. Add the beef and fry it for about 1.5 minutes. The beef will be cooked through and even a little crispy by them.

Turn off the stove and remove the beef from the wok. Let the oil drain off as you scoop the beef out, so that the beef is not left sitting in a puddle of oil. Keep the cooked beef handy in a bowl nearby.

Pour the oil out from the wok into a separate container. You can reuse this oil for cooking other dishes. The oil that's remaining in the wok will be enough to finish cooking the rest of this dish.

Stir fry veggies

Turn the stove back on, and add the garlic, dried chili pepper, onion, and green onion whites, and green and red bell peppers. Fry them for about 1 to 1.5 minutes, until they're fragrant and cooked through.

Add the beef back in and stir fry for about 20 seconds.

Then add the sauce and the green parts of the green onion. Stir fry for 30 seconds more, then turn off the heat.

Finish by drizzling sesame oil (1 tbsp) over the top and mix to distribute. taste & plate

Roasted Asparagus with Savory Butter Sauce

Use this sauce to bring umami flavor to any roasted vegetable.

By Ann Taylor Pittman and Scott Mowbray Published on January 4, 2024

Active Time: 10 mins Total Time: 25 mins Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds medium-thick asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee or Megachef Premium)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Place asparagus on a large rimmed baking sheet; drizzle evenly with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast in preheated oven until asparagus are crisp-tender, about 12 minutes.
   
   
2. While asparagus roasts, melt butter in a small skillet over medium. Cook, whisking often (this cuts down on sputtering), until deeply fragrant with a toasty aroma and darkened to the color of light brown sugar, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour butter into a small bowl, and let cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Whisk in oyster sauce.
   
   
3. Arrange asparagus on a platter, and drizzle evenly with oyster-butter sauce. Serve hot.
   

Originally appeared in Food & Wine magazine, December 2023 / January 2024