Maple Meat Loaf

When we were at the Bayfield Apple Fest, my husband stopped by the Three Rivers Farm maple syrup booth to check out the gourmet syrups.  He picked out the bourbon maple syrup, which the owner said was great in meatloaf made with ground pork and ground ham.  We got a packet of recipes with the syrup, and wondered where someone could find ground ham.  It turns out, I was looking through the Zup's (our local grocery store) ad for the week a couple days later, and one of the meats on sale was a ground pork/ground ham mixture!  So I bought a couple pounds of the ground meat and tried this Maple Meat Loaf recipe from Three Rivers Farm.

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup fine bread crumbs (I used panko bread crumbs)
1 pound ground ham
12 oz. ground pork
1/2 cup maple syrup (I used the bourbon maple syrup, of course)
2 T. water
2 T. cider vinegar (I used regular vinegar as it's all I had on hand)
1/2 tsp. dry mustard (I didn't have any dry mustard, so I just added a squirt of yellow mustard)
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

In a large bowl, mix eggs and milk; stir in bread crumbs.  Add ham and pork; mix well.  Lightly pat into an oblong 10 x a5 loaf shape in 11 x 7 1/2 inch baking dish.

For sauce:
In bowl, mix maple syrup, water, vinegar, mustard and cloves.  Pour half over meat, reserve remaining sauce. 

Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for one hour or until internal temperature registers 160 degrees on thermometer, basting frequently with remaingin sauce.  Remove meatloaf from oven.  Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.  Skim fat from sauce, and serve sauce with meat. 

Makes 6-8 servings.

Ham Tetrazzini

Another recipe from allrecipes.com, this is a great way to use up leftover ham.

2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (I also added a bit of shredded Swiss cheese that I needed to use up)
1 cup diced ham
6 ounces spaghetti (I used wide egg noodles)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I did not add parsley)
2 tablespoons chopped pimento peppers (I did not use these)

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute chopped onion in butter until tender.
Stir in cream of mushroom soup, water, and shredded cheese. Heat mixture until cheese melts, stirring often.
Add ham, cooked and drained pasta, chopped pimento, and chopped parsley to saucepan; stir.
Stir until heated through, serve hot!
I also added a sprinkle of Parmesan right before serving.

Cheesy Ham and Pasta Bake

I found this recipe via orgjunkie from the Finding Joy in My Kitchen blog.

1 lb. whole wheat penne pasta (I used regular penne)
2 C extra sharp cheddar cheese (I used medium cheddar)
1 1/2 C diced ham
8oz. mushrooms, sliced (My small hometown grocery store only had large mushrooms for $3.99; I used canned instead, although fresh would definitely be better)
I also added some frozen peas
4 T white wheat flour
3 C milk* (divided) (I ended up using about 2 cups)
1/4 tsp. pepper

Begin by boiling the pasta according to package directions. Then, mix together 1 C milk and flour in a large measuring cup. Meanwhile, saute the mushrooms in a large skillet with a little olive oil, if necessary. When mushrooms are cooked, remove from the pan and toss with diced ham.
In the same skillet, pour the milk mixture into the pan. Stir constantly, adding additional milk to reach desired thickness while warming the mixture so that it thickens. Simmer about 3 minutes.
Add in the ham and mushroom mix, and simmer until ham warms. Then, add in 3/4 of the shredded cheese.
Spread the pasta into a 9x13 glass baking dish. Pour the cheesy sauce over the pasta. Stir to coat. Then, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Stick the dish into a warm oven... about 300 degrees, for 10 minutes, until the cheese on the top melts.

Ham and Swiss Quiche

From Parenting magazine

1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust
4 eggs
2 T. olive oil
3/4 cup half and half
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup grated Swiss cheese (about 4 oz.)
3/4 cup cooked ham, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
Pinch of ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place the crust in a pie pan, according to the package directions.
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over low heat for 1 minute. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until the onion is lightly browned. Season with the salt and the nutmeg. Set onion aside to cool slightly.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and the half and half.
4. Spoon the onion mixture evenly over the crust. Sprinkle in the cheese and ham. Pour in the egg mixture.
5. Put the quiche in the oven and bake for about 1 hour, or until just set. Allow it to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.

Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup

This is a great way to use up leftover ham after the holidays.

3 1/2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
1/3 cup celery
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1-2 cups ham, diced and cooked
3 1/4 cups water
2 T. chicken bouillon granules I use a can of chicken broth instead of chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
5 T. butter
5 T. flour
2 cups milk
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
I also add 2-3 carrots, sliced.
Combine potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water (I added the chicken broth here, and then enough water to cover the potatoes, etc.) in stockpot and bring to boil. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.
In separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly until thick. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form and all milk is added. Continue to stir until thick (4-5 minutes). Add in cheese and stir until melted.
Stir the cheese mixture into the stockpot and cook until heated through.