Bean and Ham Soup

Bean and Ham Soup
from the delightful Tammy Adams

1 pound navy beans (2 1/2 cups)
5 cups water
1 clove garlic
1 ham hock
1 t salt

Soak beans in water at least 4 hours.  You'll want to add MUCH more water than beans because they expand.  Drain water.
Add garlic, ham hock, beans, and water to crock pot.  Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours of high for 4 hours.  Add salt during the last hour of cooking time.
Remove ham hock from cooker and allow to cool.  Cut ham off hock and stir back into bean mixture.

Note from the original recipe:  "The most important thing of this recipe is you MUST use a ham hock.  I will make a ham for Sunday dinner and then keep the blessed hock to use for this soup!  I will sometimes cook a ham just so that I can have the hock for this soup.  It is really that good.  Be careful for the occasional bone.  For added flavor or color, you can add onion, celery, carrots, or tomatoes."

Tammy brought me this when when I was sick with pneumonia and also had two newborns.  I ate it for days and then got the recipe and made my mom make me another batch.  Now it is one of my cold-weather favorites!

Holy Turkey Loaf

Holy Turkey Loaf
from the amazing Gina Gephart Adams

2 lbs ground turkey
2 eggs
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
2 cups parmesan cheese
1 palmful chopped fresh parsley
1/3 c. olive oil
1 T minced dried onions (from Costco)
1 t granulated garlic (from Costco)
lots of salt and pepper (which we get in grinders from Costco)
1/2 can French's fried onions (I use about 2 handfuls... from Costco)

Mix ingredients and form into loaf. Place in a greased 8x11 glass pan and top loaf with a little more olive oil and some more parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Bake at 365 (yes 365) for 45 to 60 minutes (internal temp of 165). Don't let it go too long or it will dry out. YUM.
(The best part is the "crust," so I've formed two loaves today to make extra surface area: more crustiness. Just a tip.

Things to Eat

A random list of things my family likes to eat that sometimes fall out of my rotation and I might need to be reminded are options.  I'm so digital now that I'm going to compile all my various scraps of paper into a blog post! 

SOUPS

chicken tortilla soup

cheesey broccoli soup

tomato soup with grilled  cheese

visiting teacher soup

ham chowder

CHICKENS

chicken piccata

chicky chicky parm parm

teriyaki chicken

hummus/pitas/rotiss chicken

orange chicken

chicky caesar salad

stir fry

PASTAS

concoction 

baked spaghetti

regular spaghetti

manicotti

tortellini pasta

ginger casserole

VARIOUS

ikea meatballs

taco salad 

hawaiian haystacks

garbage bowl

hammy sammies

bbq pork

turkey loaf

meatloaf

green chile pork

beef kafta

shepherd's pie

SUMMERTIME

TJ's sourdough sandwich

pasta salad

caprese salad

chicken salad on croissants

chef salad

pea salad

Green Pea Layer Salad

Green Pea Layer Salad

Lettuce
Tomato
Boiled eggs, sliced
Bacon, crumbled
Green onions, chopped
Peas

Dressing:
Miracle Whip
Shredded cheese

Layer half of each ingredient as listed.  Top with half of dressing.  Repeat layers, beginning again with lettuce; reserve some tomatoes, egg slices, bacon.  Top with rest of dressing.  Dress with remaining tomatoes, egg, bacon.  Refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

MKC's Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

My husband loved me just a little bit more after the first time I made these.

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

• 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, chilled 
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled

1. Heat oven to 475 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silpat liner.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a 2-cup liquid measure, stir together the chilled buttermilk and melted butter until the butter forms small clumps. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula just until the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture slightly pulls away from the edges of the bowl.
3. Using a greased ¼-cup measure, scoop out mounds of the dough and drop them onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1 ½ inches apart. Bake the biscuits until the tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven, brush with additional melted butter. Serve warm.

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie
Adapted and simplifed from Alton Brown

2 T canola oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 lbs ground beef
salt/pepper
3 T flour
1 t garlic powder
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 c chicken broth
1 c peas
1 c corn
3 cups mashed potatoes
2 cups shredded cheese

Saute onion and carrots in canola oil.  Add beef and salt/pepper/garlic and cook until browned.
Sprinkle meat with flour and toss to coat.  Add Worcestershire sauce and chicken broth and simmer 10 mins to allow to thicken.
Spread meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x11 pan.  Layer with peas/corn mixture.  Spread mashed potatoes over the vegetable layer.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top.
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted and potatoes begin to brown.

Ham Chowder

A friend brought me this last fall when I was sick and I immediately demanded the recipe.  It was an immediate hit at Grandma Day when I finally made it this week.

Ham Chowder
from Emilie Sallee and her mother, Annette Tingey

2 c boiling water
2 c diced potatoes
1/2 c sliced carrots
1/2 c sliced celery
1/4 c chopped onion
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 c butter
1/4 c flour
2 c milk
2 1/2 c shredded cheese
1 (17 oz) can cream style corn
2 c cubed ham

Combine water, vegetables, salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer 10 minutes (or until veggies are done).  Do not drain!
In another saucepan, melt butter, add flour.  Add milk, stirring constantly with a wire whisk over medium heat until thickened.  Add cheese, stir until melted.  Add cheese sauce, corn, and ham to cooked veggies.  Heat until hot but not boiling.