What to do with Leftover Ham? A Casserole, of course!

                                Baked Potato and Ham Casserole


Whenever I make ham (or any meat for that matter), I hate to see any of it go to waste...so I am always looking for ways to use it.  I found a recipe that actually calls for bacon, but I used ham instead (same thing, right?).  Then I changed things up a bit to make it my own.  SO EASY and YUMMY.

Ingredients:
5-6 large potatoes
Leftover ham : )
1 can of evaporated milk
1/2 cup of milk
2-3 cups of shredded cheese (divided)
1/2 Tbsp. minced dried onions
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
pinch of garlic salt (or more depending on your tastes)


Bake five large potatoes (I have one of those microwave potato-baking bags that my mother-in-law gave me...love it!).  Once they are baked, dice them and spread them out in a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Next, cut up your leftover ham and make a layer of that on top of the potatoes.

In a separate bowl, combine a can of evaporated milk, 1/2 cup of 1% milk (or whatever you have at your house), 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, and then season to taste.  For seasonings I used about a 1/2 Tbsp. of  minced dried onions, a tsp of dried parsley flakes, 1/2 tsp. of black pepper, and a little garlic salt...maybe 1/2 tsp.  Once you have it seasoned to your liking, pour the mixture evenly over the ham and potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese (I used the three-cheese pizza blend) over the top, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 or until heated through.  Seriously...I made this thing so fast and it was GOOD!  Enjoy!

Ham & Cheese Frittata

Yesterday I was watching a cooking segment on the Today show and they were making frittata. I had heard of it before, but had no idea what it was. As I watched them make it, I decided it sounded good enough that I should try it. So...I went to the Taste of Home website, found a few frittata recipes, and sort of created my own recipe from there. When I ate it, I served it with homemade salsa (sorry...I didn't make that one...it was a gift). It was pretty good!

Ingredients:

* 3 Tbsp. dried, minced onions
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
* 8 eggs
* 1/4 cup water
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup diced tomatoes

Directions:

* In a large skillet, saute the butter, ham, and onions until tender. Heat through. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
* In a bowl, beat the eggs, water, pepper, and garlic salt until frothy. Stir in the cheese, tomatoes and ham mixture.
* Pour into a greased 9" x 13" baking dish. Bake at 375° for about 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve with salsa. Yield: 4-6 servings.

I think next time I will add a little more garlic salt and maybe add mushrooms, potatoes, or broccoli instead of the tomatoes...the kids don't like tomatoes so they picked them out.

Ham & Egg Casserole

I found a recipe for this on Taste of Home magazine's website, but changed a few things to make it my own. It is a yummy casserole for brunch!!! Great for using up leftover ham.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. dried minced onions
1/2 cup butter, melted
10 slices white bread, cubed
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or cheddar/Monterrey jack mixture)
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:
Combine bread and ham; place in a 9 x 13 in. baking dish that has been prepared with cooking spray.

In a separate bowl, beat minced onions, butter, eggs, milk, salt, and pepper with a wire whisk. Stir in shredded cheese. Pour over bread and ham mixture. Cover with foil. Bake at 300° for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove foil about 5 minutes before finished cooking. Yield: 10-12 servings.

Brown Sugar Apple Glaze for Ham

This one I got from my former mother-in-law. She used it as a glaze for the holiday ham.

1/4 cup butter
1 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. white sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup apple jelly

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Mix in the flour. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Serve hot with the ham.