Two funny stories

#1 - Mis-heard Words

I was reading a story to G1 the other day and read the line "he lost an arm fighting Napoleon."

She startled and said "What?"  When I started to explain about old wars and amputation, she said "Ohhh, I thought you said 'he lost an arm for writing a poem.'"

I know people that think poetry is a form of torture, but that would probably be a bit drastic.

#2 - Letter to Santa

We "sort of" do Santa at our house.  My kids all know he is pretend, and we never tell them it's real.  However, we do go see him at the mall, because my kids like candy canes and coloring books.  When they ask for things, we say "you'll have to ask Santa."  Then they say "You are Santa.  We're asking you."

B1 decided he was going to write a letter to Santa, because he heard that if you write to him, he'll write back.  Here's his letter

To: Santa, North Pole, Canada, H0H 0H0 

Dear Santa,

I hope you have a great Christmas.

From _____

I thought that was the cutest letter I'd seen.  Too bad I didn't mail it (oops)

That is his real address, in case you were wondering.

The never-ending ham, part 4

This is what most people think of when you talk about using left-over ham.  I used that ham bone with a lot of meat on it, and it turned out especially good this time.  I made corn bread with it, because nutritionally it's good for you, and I thought all that yellow would be cheerful on a dreary winter day.

Crock Pea Soup

1 lb yellow split peas, rinsed

1 ham bone

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

2 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 qt water

Put all ingredients into a crock-pot.  Cook on low 8 - 10 hours, or until peas are very soft.  (If they are not soft, put it on high for a bit to speed it up.)

Before serving, remove bone and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Leftover freeze well.

Results:

Everybody liked it, but I knew it was time for a break from ham when my husband said "Is this pig dead yet?"  The rest of the ham was in the freezer by then, so it could wait for another time.

Rolled Shortbread Cookies

Christmas is coming, and I've started doing some baking.  This is one of my favorite recipes that I make every year.  They are shortbread cookies, so they melt in your mouth.  Because they look like sugar cookies, that is usually a surprise.  Saturday night I made a batch to take to church on Sunday evening.  I had to take something else because they mysteriously disappeared.  As my husband said "These cookies are the best that I've ever tasted that look like this."

Rolled Shortbread

1 c  cornstarch

1 c  icing sugar

2 c  flour

1 1/2 c  soft butter

Sift together the dry ingredients.  Blend in butter with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms.  It will be quite soft.  Chill 30 - 60 minutes.  Roll 1/4" thick and cut into shapes with cookie cutters.  Bake 300 for 15 - 20 min, or until edged are lightly browned.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on size.

Decorate with icing after they cool, or sprinkly with colored sugar before baking.

The never-ending ham, part 3

Day three of ham was just the kids for dinner, so I didn't feel like making something big.  I used a trick we like of having breakfast for dinner.  My husband is not a big fan of that, so I save it for when he's working.  Day 3 with ham - Ham and Cheese Omelets.

I'll have to admit that I've never made omelets before.  I do not eat eggs, so I am not really inspired.  My kids, however all like eggs, so I thought I'd give it a try.  I used directions that I found here.  It was easier than I thought it would be.

Result:

"What did you do to the eggs?"  "Hey, it tastes almost like quiche."

Everyone liked it again.

Another muffin recipe!

For some reason, I always hesitated to make Peanut Butter Muffins.  I expected that they would turn out dry.  (I don't know why with all that oil in them.)  This one turned out great.  The whole time I was making them, I was thinking of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercial from the eighties with the robot saying "your chocolate - in my peanut butter."  It really must really have made a big impression, since we didn't even have a tv in that era.

I guess it goes without saying that this is not a health food.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 1/2 c flour

1/2 c sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c peanut butter

1/4 c margarine

1 c milk

2 eggs

1 c chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.  Cut in peanut butter and margarine until crumbly.  Add milk and eggs, and stir just to moisten.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake 375 for 20 min.

The never-ending ham, part 2

For day 2 (which really was the day after day 1, there was just a break in posting), I made biscuits with gravy.  This is a variation on a dish that I usually make with leftover chicken.

Day 2 - Biscuits with ham gravy

Make a batch of these.  (Once you've done that, you can't go too far wrong.)

Chop a bit of onion and as much meat as you want.  Brown the onion in butter in a medium saucepan.  When it starts to soften up, add the meat to heat.  Sprinkle in a couple of tbsp of flour.  Cook and stir for a minute, then add 1 c broth and 1 c milk (or more depending on how many you have to feed.)  Season with salt and pepper and other spices that you like.  Serve the biscuits on a plate, and ladle gravy on top.

One or two vegetables on the side make a great meal.

Results:

Everyone REALLY liked it.  (but we all like biscuits)

The never-ending ham, part 1

A couple of weeks ago, we went to a gathering of extended family.  We had a great time of games and visiting and a delicious meal.  When we were packing up the food, there were a lot of leftovers.  My dad was packing up the meat and asked "Can your family take a whole ham?"  Sure we could take a whole ham.  It was a big ham - more than enough for our family for a week.

So that was the challenge.  Could we eat the leftover ham every day for a week without getting sick of it?

Day One - Scalloped Supper

This is a leftover meal that is especially good with ham.  It is basically scalloped potatoes with other stuff thrown in.

potatoes, peeled and sliced - enough to fill your pan, I use a 9 x 13

leftover meat

carrots, peeled and sliced (optional)

other vegetables - frozen, leftover, whatever you have (optional)

Layer the potatoes, meat and vegetables in the pan.  I usually have three layers of potatoes with meat and vegetables in between.

Sauce

1/2 onion, chopped - or more, depending on your taste

butter

flour

milk

salt

pepper

cheddar cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

In a medium saucepan, saute the onion in butter.  When it is starting to go soft, sprinkle in some flour, and then make white sauce with onion.  Make more or less depending on what size of casserole dish you have.   Stir in cubed or shredded cheddar cheese and mushroom soup.

Pour sauce over potatoes and cover with foil.  Bake 350 until potatoes are soft, 45 min - 1 hour.  Remove foil for the last 15 minutes so the top can brown.

Results:

When I was making this, G1 told me that she doesn't eat anything with the word casserole in the name, so I didn't use that word.  Everyone liked it.