Ham Salad

What to fix for my lunch box next week?  I get tired of salads, and can't always guarantee there will be leftovers from supper.  Last Thanksgiving the local grocery was running a special of a free ham with the purchase of a turkey.  Well, I was in the market for a turkey and wasn't going to say no to a free ham!  Meat is so expensive, you just can't look the other way on those deals!  So along with the turkey I took home the free ham and stashed it in the freezer.


Earlier in the week I moved the 6 pound ham to thaw and today is the day to figure out what to do with all that ham.  I used my KitchenAid food processor fitted with the shredder blade to do the heavy lifting for me.  Do you guys have any idea how much shredded ham a 6 pound ham produces?  Holy Moley! I'm glad I have some super-sized crockery bowls!

I used part of the ham to make this tasty ham salad and froze enough shredded ham for another batch.  The rest I mixed up into the ham loaf that I posted previously.

Without further adieu, here's the star of the show!

Low Carb Quiche Lorraine

This recipe is not mine, it is one that I tried from Maria Emmerich's blog, Maria's Mind Body Health.

I've been making an effort to reduce my carb intake and eat healthier.  To help me along that journey, I am constantly on the lookout for new recipes that are low carb.

Maria's site is a good source for low carb, healthy recipes.  You can find her original recipe here.

I made her recipe exactly as written and it turned out wonderful. Okay, I did make a small tweak.  I used a little more cheese, adding some to the top, before putting it in the oven.  

This quiche is excellent and has versatility.  It can be a savory breakfast or shine as a main event accompanied with with a nice green side salad for lunch or dinner.

New York Style Cheesecake

Say Cheese.....Cake!

I can see a big smile spreading across your face right now.  Doesn't this look amazing?
Other adjectives that come to mind for this cheesecake are luscious, creamy, delectable, light, fattening, heavenly, lemony...you get the idea, feel free to add your own to the list!

I'm a big fan of cheesecake.  I have several different recipes and I'm here to tell you that this one is awesome.  This recipe also omits the crust, and while I'm lamenting the absence of the buttery sweet  baked graham cracker base, I'm not missing the calories it would add...and honestly, this cheesecake doesn't need it.  It can stand on its own merits.

Serve it plain or dress it up with some fresh berries, chocolate ganache or with a dollop of fresh whipped sweetened cream.  I added a little spoon full of lemon curd I had stashed in the fridge and it put it over the top!

Egg Salad

I often enjoy egg salad for lunch at a deli near my office.  Nearly every time I have egg salad at the deli, I ask myself why don't I make this at home.  It is not difficult and I nearly always I have everything I need on hand.  I just never seem to think about it.


Today I was in search of something quick and easy for lunch and decided that egg salad sounded good so I gathered the ingredients and mixed up enough for a sandwich today and had enough left for more later this week. 


First I had to cook the eggs.  Hard boiling eggs is really easy.  Put the eggs into a pan large enough to hold them, but not so large that they bounce around.  Next cover them with cold water and heat them until the water boils.   Remove the pan from the burner and let it sit for 15 minutes.   Drain and rinse the eggs with cold water to stop the cooking.  Peel the eggs and you are ready to make salad.


Removing the pan of eggs from the heat source keeps them from cracking and seeping out of the shells and also prevents the dreadful green ring around the yolk and the whites are tender and not rubbery.




Egg Salad


This will make enough for 3 or 4 sandwiches depending on how much you pile on.


Ingredients:


4 Hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup chopped sweet pickle
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash
3 tablespoons Miracle Whip or Mayo
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice




Directions:

1. Peel and chop the hard boiled eggs.
2. Chop sweet pickles and mince the onion.
3. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
4. Chill and Serve.

I fixed my sandwich with a toasted  bun,  lettuce, dill pickles and some shredded carrots and a side of fresh apricots. 

...and that's What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!

Breakfast Bake

I made a frittata last week and it was so good, I decided to make a similar version to pack for my breakfasts this week.  It is a good breakfast  dish or can be used for lunch or dinner, just add a tossed salad as a side.   

Substitute fresh vegetables to your liking.  I used what I had on hand.  Onions and bell peppers and carrots are  staples in my veggie drawer in the fridge so mixing this up is super quick and easy.

You can also change up the meat(s) in this recipe to fit your family's tastes as well. 
 I made sausage earlier this spring and have it in handy 1 pound packages in the freezer.  I also had some bacon remaining from another recipe so I chopped it up, cooked it until crispy and added it to the mixture. 

If you are not a meat eater, you can leave out the meat, add some chopped, sauted portabella mushrooms instead or just use more fresh veggies.  You can truly  "have it your way".  

Breakfast Bake
 Yield:  8 Servings

Ingredients:

1 pound sausage (breakfast, italian, turkey - you decide)
8 oz. bacon, diced and cooked
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1/2 sweet vidalia onion, diced
1 cup shredded carrots
12 eggs, beaten, or equivalent egg substitute (I used the substitute)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (again, use what you like or have on hand)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a casserole dish with non stick spray.  This fit nicely in my "hand me down" pyrex dish that had been my mom's.  It measures 7 1/2 x 12 inches.
3. Preheat 12" skillet over medium heat, add the sausage, cook until brown and crumbly.  Remove sausage with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
4. Add the chopped bacon to the pan and cook until crispy.  Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and drain on paper toweling.
5. Chop the bell peppers and onions and shred the carrots (hint - buy the carrots already shredded, it is easier and saves your knuckles).
6. Place the meat in the greased casserole.
7. Layer on the vegetables.
8. Beat and pour the eggs over the top.  Sprinkle with black pepper.
9. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.
10. Give everything a quick stir to evenly distribute the ingredients.
11. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-60 minutes until set in the center.

Personal Omelets

Everyone knows that breakfast is a meal you shouldn't skip. I've never been much of a breakfast eater, unless I'm on vacation and eating breakfast out. Anyway, when I was a kid, I remember mom making me drink a glass of milk before leaving for school. I guess she figured milk is good for you and if I would at least drink a glass of milk, it was better than nothing.

I've carried my bad breakfast habits on into adulthood because I leave for work really early. I'm up at 4:30 and out the door in about an hour and fifteen minutes.  Sometimes less than that if I opt to hit the snooze button multiple times, which I do frequently.

In effort to be more healthy and eat a decent breakfast, I've started packing breakfast along with my lunch and eating it when I get to work. These personal omelets are one of the things I do on the weekends to make a healthy breakfast more achievable.

You can be as creative with these as you want to suit your dietary needs or taste preferences.

If you have left over cooked veggies, you can add a few. Same with the meats, you can use ham, turkey, sausage, etc. If you are watching your cholesterol you can use Egg Beaters or store brand substitute and if not, real eggs work great too. Feel free to switch up the spices as well, if you like things spicy, add some cayenne, or a smidge of chili powder. I often do not put the seasonings in with the eggs, but rater season each omelet individually so I can vary the tastes all week. I also prefer to use Egg Beaters because it is easier to pour out of the carton as you need it; not to mention dietary guidelines don't recommend eating a dozen eggs every week!

Personal Omelet

Yield: 12

Ingredients:

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 green or red bell pepper, finely diced
1 6 oz. package boiled ham
3 oz. fat free cheddar cheese
12 eggs
1 teaspoon Spike Seasoning (Use Mrs. Dash if you can't find Spike or salt and pepper )

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Spray muffin pan with non-stick spay.
2. To each muffin tin, add 1 teaspoon of chopped onion, 1 teaspoon diced bell pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoons of diced ham. Evenly divde any extra ingredients among the twelve muffins.
3. Top each of the 12 omelets with 1 teaspoon fat free cheddar cheese.
4. Beat the eggs with the Spike Seasoning.
5. Pour the beaten egg mixture over the ingredients in the muffin cups, filling the muffin cups 3/4 full.
6. Using a fork and gently stir each omelet, to mix ingredients.
7. Place the muffin pan into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
8. The omelets will be lightly browned.
9. Remove from the oven at the conclusion of baking, let the omelets cool.

You can see by this photo what happens when you over fill the muffin cups. 

When the omelets have cooled, I put two in a Ziploc sandwich bag and put them in the refrigerator so they are ready to grab-n-go.  They reheat easily in the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes on high for a quick healthy breakfast with my coffee at my desk.

For variation,try serving with salsa and a dollop of sour cream on the side.

Angel Food Cake

My kitchen has smelled heavenly this weekend, but then again it should.  Yesterday, I baked an Angel Food Cake!

I have some luscious strawberries and I just love angel food cake with strawberries.  Growing up, we had angel food cake often, mostly from a boxed mix, served plain without frosting.  Grandma used to make a glaze for hers, but  mom never frosted her angel food cakes.  Like mom, I'm a purist when it comes to angel food cake.  I want mine without frosting.

I've been known to be lazy and just buy a ready-made cake at the grocery, but not this weekend.  When I saw that they wanted nearly $5 for one, I drove my cart straight to the dariy section and purchased a dozen extra large eggs and came home and made my own.  It took very little time and while had hoped for a loftier result, it is sufficient and it is a perfect combination of light sweetness.

The cake preparation took me on a trip down memory lane.  Most angel food cakes require a tube pan.  The tube pan I have belonged to my grandmother.   It is still shiny but it definitely shows its age.  The other thing I needed was a glass soda bottle that I had stored under the sink.  That is needed for inverting the cake so it cools upside down and doesn't collapse.  Lastly, I had to go to the cabinet in the garage for the cake carrier, yet another memory because it was my grandmothers carrier.

Now let's go warp speed to this century to newer kitchen gadgets.  One of my all time favorites, a battery powdered sifter.  Don't knock it until you've tried it.  This is the second one I've owned.  My first one was broken during a a move and I finally found a replacement.

Think of it as a power tool for girls!

Angel Food Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups egg whites (I used 9 extra large eggs)
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar




Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Separate eggs, taking extreme care to not break the yolks.  If you break a yolk, put the whole egg in another bowl and start with another egg.  Getting even a speck of yolk will cause your egg whites to not beat up properly.  Use a separate bowl for catching the egg white and add it to the collection bowl for measuring only after you are sure there is absolutely no yolk in it.
3. Measure the egg whites.  You will need 1 1/2 cups.  Depending on the size of your eggs it could take as few as 9 or as many as 12.
4. Place the whites in a mixing bowl.  Make sure that your bowl, beaters and utensils are grease free. 
5. Let the egg whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, sift the powdered sugar flour together three (yes three) times; set aside.
7. Add the cream of tartar, vanilla and almond extracts and salt to the bowl wth the egg whites.
8. Beat on high speed.  
9. Gradually add the granulated sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating until the sugar has dissolved and stiff peaks form.
10. Fold in the flour mixture 1/4 cup at a time until blended.
11. Gently spoon into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan.  Cut through the batter with a knife to remove air pockets.
12. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
13. Immediate invert pan onto glass soda bottle; cool completely before removing from pan.



Angel Food Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam and Whipped Cream