Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

If you have ham leftover from Easter, 

you aren't the only one!  

Not sure what I was thinking when I bought a 10 lb ham

for the 5 of us…

Because, in case you were wondering, 

2 lb of ham for each person...

is a lot of ham!  

So, on day 4 of ham-for-dinner, 

I had to get a bit creative

and thought I'd bring back on childhood favorite of mine 

while I was at it.

  Enter

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham.

A pretty simple but delicious dish,

I had a hard time stopping myself from nibbling the leftovers.  

Just start by layering a sprayed baking dish with sliced potatoes,
in total I used 4 large potatoes,
sliced thinly.

Top the potatoes with 1/4 cup chopped onions,
2 pats of butter, cubed, 
1 tbsp of flour and 
a sprinkling of seasoning salt.

Since the ham brings a lot of salt to the dish,
don't go too crazy with the salt. 

Keep layering the potatoes and toppings
until your pan is full or you run out of something.

I stopped when my pan was full, 
but since it cooks down,
I wish I had heaped in one more layer!

For the finishing touch,
scald 3 cups of whole milk.  

This means to heat it so that you can see the film forming on top
(nope, that isn't a dirty lens)
but not so that it is boiling.

Pour that over the layers,
cover, to keep the moisture in while the dish got hot,
and bake for 30 minutes at 350 F.

Remove the foil after 30 minutes,
and bake for another hour of so.

I stirred after 30 minutes,
although I am very reluctant about opening up the oven while baking
because it lets so much heat out and causes uneven baking.

After an hour,
the potatoes were tender,
and the dish was saucy.

This continues to thicken as it cools.  

RECIPE:

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Bake Time: 90 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

4 large baking potatoes - sliced thinly

4 cups of cubed ham

1 medium onion - chopped

4 tbsp of flour

1/4 cup butter

Seasoning salt - to taste

3 cups of whole milk

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. 
• Spray baking dish. 
• Layer in 1 sliced potato. 
• Top with 1 cup ham, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1 tbsp flour and 2 pats of butter, cubed. 
• Continue to alternate layers of potato and toppings. 
• Finally, scald 3 cups of whole milk and pour over top of dish. 
• Cover and bake for 30 minutes. 
• Remove foil and bake for an additional 60 minutes, stirring halfway through. 

Turkey Meatloaf Florentine

Hey there, 

How is your week going?

Lots of good stuff getting done around here, 

which equals a good week!  

I have a question for you...

Do you love

One-Dish Wonders 

as much as I do? 

There is something so relieving for me 

about combining all of the components of a healthy meal into one dish. 

Pop it into the oven and sit back because all of the goodies are in one place. 

Plenty of protein in the turkey,

a nice balance of carbs in the oatmeal (or breadcrumbs, if you prefer)

then spinach and tomatoes 

to cover your veggies and fruit!

I made a big batch of this and the leftovers were just as fabulous! 

How does your family feel about leftovers?

Do you cook a double batch for the purpose of having leftovers?

As you have probably gathered, 

I spend a lot of time trying to ensure that my family eats relatively healthy

and

having leftovers in the fridge

helps to fend off the consumption of overly processed foods, 

of which there is a limited supply in our freezer too.  

Ok, enough about leftovers and on to the main dish…

Start by preheating the oven to 375 F 

and then sautee 

one medium, chopped onion in 1-2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. 

Once the onion starts to soften, 

add 3 heaping handfuls of spinach

and cover for a few minutes to help wilt the spinach.

Spinach cooks down SO much,

even if you think it looks like a ton of spinach

after wilting, 

it is only about a quarter of it's original volume. 

I was going for the double batch of meatloaf, 

so please feel free to adjust the recipe accordingly. 

Three pounds of ground turkey, 

3 cups of quick oats,

1 tbsp seasoning salt,

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce,

1 tsp ground black pepper

are added to the mixing bowl. 

Along with 3 eggs

and the spinach and onion mixture. 

Combine all of the ingredients well. 

I may have started with a spoon,

in sheer optimism, 

but ultimately had to dive right in with my hands to ensure that all ingredients were evenly dispersed.

Traditional loaf in a pan

Since there were two loaves

being made…

one was made traditionally 

in a loaf pan,

lined with parchment paper. 

Rustic loaf on a baking sheet

The second was made in a more
rustic fashion,
just shaped into a loaf
on a baking sheet.

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole with Poached Chicken

Greetings and Salutations…

Anyone else remember what book that is from?

I have very fond memories of Charlotte's Web, just wish I could find my original copy to enjoy with my own kids.

Speaking of books, have you read any good books lately?

I'm in a bit of a reading slump myself, haven't cracked a new one since school started.  I'm still fumbling around with my schedule a bit to settle into a routine and the best time of the day for me to carve out some reading time…which, if I'm honest, is right before nap time!

So, while reading is at a bit of a stand still…thankfully, cooking is still going strong!

This Cheesy Enchilada Casserole and all of it's delicious layers of Mexican goodness was a big hit around here.  And, the leftovers were equally sought after.

If you have leftover chicken in your fridge, this is an ideal dish for you!

Since we didn't have any leftover chicken, I wanted to go with the fastest way to cook chicken so that it would be tender, juicy and easy to shred.

Poaching was the answer.  

Started by adding 6 chicken breasts to the salted, boiling water.

They simmered for about 10 minutes….

Or, until the internal temperature was 170F. 

Then, let the shredding fun begin.  

Ok, so maybe it is not that much fun, but I certainly think it is worth the effort.

Once the chicken was ready, the rest of the dish could get underway. 

Started with about 1/2 cup of Enchilada sauce as the first layer in 

my beloved 9x13 stone baking dish. 

Then, about 4.5 corn tortillas were arranged in a layer, 

topped with 1 cup black beans and 

1/2 cup sweet corn. 

Before 1 cup of shredded chicken was added, 

one sliced scallion was tossed in for some extra flavor. 

The first series of layers was completed by 1 cup of shredded fiesta blend of cheese. 

And, we begin again, with the corn tortillas and 1 cup of enchilada sauce. 

More veggies (black beans, corn and scallion). 

And chicken…

Finish with the rest of the sauce and cheese. 

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. 

Garnish with some scallion and parsley, if you like. 

If you don't care what it looks like, just devour!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

6 chicken breasts

28 oz can of Enchilada Sauce

9 white corn tortillas

2 cans of black beans - drained

1 cup of frozen sweet corn - thawed

3 scallions - sliced

2 cups shredded cheese

Parsley - optional

Directions:

Boil chicken breasts in salted water for 10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170F. 

Shred the chicken breasts with 2 forks. 

Spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in the pan. 

Layer 4-5 corn tortillas. 

Top with 1 cup of black beans, 1/2 cup corn, 1 sliced scallion, 1 cup chicken and 1 cup cheese. 

Another layer of tortillas, then 1 cup of sauce, 1 cup black beans, 1/2 cup corn, 1 sliced scallion and the rest of the chicken.

Finish with the rest of the sauce and the rest of the cheese. 

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. 

Garnish with sliced scallion and parsley.