Hamming it up!

I made a ham for dinner the other nite with some nice Red eye gravy. Today I had to break the ham down into parts to use for other dinners. As I did this I decided to use some of the not so nice scraps to make Ham Salad for sandwiches. I started chopping that ham up and it reminded me of being at a family dinner this weekend. We had a BBQ and one of the kids was using a knife and chopping some pickles. The way he used the knife he was bound to hurt himself and his mom said so too.

So I decided to show him just which knife to use and how to use it. He was using a straight edged Japanese knife to chop with and he was trying to do the rocking motion you would use with a chefs knife. It was all wrong. And so I showed him what to use the Japanese knife for. Then I got a chefs knife and showed him how to use it so he wont get hurt whether chopping or slicing. My chefs knife tho is my favorite tool. I will grab it first before anything else and so how to use it is not something I even think about anymore. So it was nice to be able to pass on some knowledge of the proper handling so he wouldn't get hurt.

And so today I sliced off some of the nice ham slices and mixed it with the gravy and packed it away for another dinner one nite when I don't have time to make much. And then I did the rest of the slices to use later on for either sandwiches or fried with eggs for breakfast. I like to keep it on hand also for adding to mac and cheese with peas for a whole casserole dinner sometimes. But there's always pieces and bits that aren't really nice for that and are too much for anything else. I take the ham-bone too and pack that with some not so nice pieces to freeze to make soup later on. But I don't like to add alot of ham to that, so there's always some left.

My bfs dad made Ham Salad once when we were there. Now Ive had all sorts of things with all the cooking I do. And I worked at a fine 4 star restaurant too. I was exposed to caviar, salmon ,fresh right from the farm stuff and everything homemade. We were encouraged to use unusual items and be very creative. But even with this in my background there's always things Ive never had. I didn't grow up with ham salad either......my only exposure to it was that dreadful deviled canned ham. I hated that stuff. And so when I tasted this at my bfs dads house I was surprised. I liked it!

And so I'm not sure what he put in his.......seemed simple enough. And I wandered online too and most recipes are very simple too. So most of you may not care what my recipe is. But for those of you who never had it......here's my version. 

 Ham Salad for Sandwiches (makes about 4 sandwiches)

about 3c. of chopped ham from a lg. roast
1 med. size shallot, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/4c. Dijon mustard or to taste
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Lots of freshly ground pepper
Mayo to bind

Mix all chopped items together in a bowl. Sprinkle on lots of fresh ground pepper. Most hams are salty and don't need more added. Add mustard and about a half cup of  your favorite mayonnaise. Mix well. Most likely it will need more mayo but I do this first to distribute all the veggies and spice and mustard well. Add more mayo if needed. It depends on how moist you like your salads. I added about another half cup over the first amt. Taste and adjust seasonings if you need it. I put this on some nice 8grain bread and topped it with Swiss Cheese. 

***Note: I found out my bfs father did add sweet pickle relish to his ham salad. I added a few tb. to what I had left and it was delicious. The relish does help cut the salty taste of this alot. Ill be making it that way from now on. 

Chicken and Artichoke Sandwich

Last nite I made a roasted chicken for dinner. I like to do that now and then even tho the man doesn't like chicken much. And hes so fussy he will only eat the breast part. But that just means there's lots of chicken leftover for me to use in other things. So I strip the meat off the bones and freeze the bones to make stock from later on.

Today I decided to make chicken salad. Long ago I had a chicken salad sandwich when I first moved to Ca. I liked it so much I never forgot it. It had artichoke hearts in it and was on a croissant and was very good. And so today I decided to make it from memory and go sit on my deck out back.

It was such a gorgeous day again.....so I put my sandwich on a plate, tossed on some grapes to snack on after and got an iced tea. I parked my butt in my wicker rocking chair, kicked off my shoes and put my feet up. As I sat there and just stopped for a moment.....it was sheer heaven. The birds were chirping, I even heard a wood pecker off in the distance. There was a breeze blowing gently and the trees made a shhhh sound. Everything is so green,,,,the sun felt warm on my skin and when it was realllllllly quiet I could hear the roar of the ocean.

Add to all this peace a perfect sandwich and it was a wonderful day. 

 Chicken and Artichoke Sandwich

These measurements are approximate but you can use what you have .

2 c. cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 c. marinated artichokes, drained well, then chopped
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Lots of fresh ground pepper
Mayonnaise about 1/2 c. but you want just enough to bind it not drown it :)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and spread on a croissant. I didn't have any around so I put it on a nice homemade herbal white bread. You could also add some fresh dill to this too. The marinated artichokes add alot of their own flavor tho so if they are strong, other herbs could get lost. This makes enough for 3-4 sandwiches.

DADS SAUSAGE SAMMICH

This is just a simple sandwich but to me its all about family memories........
When I was little we would go to grammas house after church. Gramma always made some yummy stuff and this was one thing she made that I loved. After she passed, my dad took on the job. I will post his recipe but add my variations after it. Today dad and I still swap recipes. He will tell me the latest he cooked or ask me questions on how to do stuff. ( I'm a chef.) And I will tell him my latest yummy things Ive made. Many times dad takes my recipe then adapts it to his life. My mom used to cook beef stew on top of the stove. When I first married I did too but I hated it because it always scorched. Then I found an oven beef stew recipe that I just loveeeeeeeeeee. A few yrs back I told my dad about it and now hes adapted it to the microwave. And that's how it goes all the time, round and round. He tells people he talks to this chef he knows in California lolol. I had professional photos done once for a food demo I had to do at a big dept. store in the mall. I sent my dad a pic and now he has it framed on his wall. That's "his kid" as he says when I call on the phone. (The picture below the About Me section is the one on his wall.)

DADS SAUSAGE SAMMICH Makes 2

1 dozen breakfast sausages (ok dad uses big dinner sausages, I cant find them out here so I use these but they are the same sausage just different size)

1 large onion, sliced

Kaiser rolls (we called them hard roll on the east coast) or toast

butter

Mustard (we use Guldens spicy)

Saute the sausages in some butter, add the sliced onions when sausages are about halfway done. Cover and cook till done. You want it to be nicely browned and onions caramelized. Fill rolls with sausages and top with onions. Spread on some mustard and eat!

Ok now for my version....

I frequently buy bulk breakfast sausage because the bf loves it. I freeze them in little bags for when I need it. So for me to start this recipe, I take out the frozen sausage and put in pan with about 1/4c water. When sausage seem thawed thru, saute, add a pat of butter and the sliced onions. Cover and cook for about 15min. Onions should be soft by then. If they are take off cover, raise heat to hi and stand there and watch em. They need to be browned and if you walk away you will be eatin out lol. Stir as needed till all liquid is evaporated and sausage is brown and onions caramelized.

I like this on Kaiser rolls too but I don't always have that around. We like it on sourdough toast tho. I use Guldens spicy mustard too but any kind you like will do . I do all as above with dads only we add sliced provolone cheese on it. Its delish! Told my dad about that one too.

This will make the whole house smell like onions!

And yes that's a pic up there of my breakfast today! hehehe

Just a few recipes

Just wandering thru some of my cookbooks and my personal pile of recipes and thought Id post a few today. The first one is Kalamata Olive Pesto that I created for the restaurant where I worked. We served it as an appetizer over scallion fettuccine. You could make this and just use regular fettuccine and toss in fresh sliced scallions to approximate the flavor. My ex and I were out one day and the car radio was on. There were food reviews and restaurant reviews on at that time and Narsai David was reviewing some. He is a local famous chef and celebrity out here. I got so excited because suddenly I realized he was reviewing my dish from the restaurant! And he just loveddddddddd it . omg omg omg Boy did that make my day! So here it is. .....

KALAMATA OLIVE PESTO Makes 2c.
9oz. black Kalamata olives, pitted
1 fresh red chili 2in. long. or chili flakes
2 garlic cloves
2 shallots
3/4 tsp. minced fresh thyme
3/4 tsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4c. lemon juice
1 small bunch of chives
If olives are not pitted, remove pits first. Stores are now carrying pitted Kalamata olives tho so that would save tons of time if you can find them. Put all ingredients into food processor and blend well. Refrigerate. Use on french bread with goat cheese or on pasta.

I made a Greek style appetizer out of this one time for a party at my house. I set this out in one of those divided dishes... one had the olive pesto in it, one had dried tomatoes in oil in it and another had crumbled feta cheese in it. You could also just use roasted red peppers too instead of the tomatoes. I had a basket next to it filled with plain sliced baguette and everyone made their own nibbles. It was a huge hit.

But this could be used on pasta with maybe artichokes in it or as a spread on sandwiches too. Or roll it up in some puff pastry from the store and bake it for appetizers. Or you could make it into a nice tart for lunch or a party. Just make a pastry crust and line it with some olive pesto and top with fresh garden tomatoes, a lil S&P, some fresh thyme sprigs and drizzle with more olive oil, then bake.....yum. You could even roll out some bread dough and spread this on it , roll up and bake for an awesome bread for your meal.
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Another thing this would be good on is this next sandwich. I found this years ago at a Trader Joes Market out here. I had it once and never saw it again. But I loved it so much as I ate it I dissected the ingredients and made a list so I could make it myself later on. It was a Greek Salad Sandwich, and its vegan ,,,,,no meat! and trust me you wont even miss it. I'm not a vegan but I don't mind eating that way once in a while. This was awesome tho.

GREEK SALAD SANDWICH
For each sandwich you need:
1 ciabatta roll, it needs to be crusty peasant type bread like this if you cant find ciabattas.
feta cheese, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, sliced Kalamata olives, chopped green peppers, sliced red onion, chopped pepperonicini peppers, Basil, Mint and Oregano.
Equal parts lemon juice and olive oil for a dressing.
Slice bread, layer all veggies on it. Top with cheese. Make dressing with lemon juice, olive oil and herbs. Drizzle over sandwich and put top of sandwich on and eat. You could also stuff this into a pita pocket. It would be really tasty too with leaves of fresh basil in it.
This would be a great sandwich to use that olive pesto in instead of sliced olives.