Country Ham And Bean Soup

Whenever my Mom made ham we could always expect to big bowl of soup the next day for lunch.  She would chop up the ham, throw in the ham hock, and add whatever she had on hand to make the most delicious soup.  Beans are perfect for soup because they soak up the deliciousness of the broth and veggies.  Love this soup....it reminds me of home. 

Country Ham And Bean Soup

Ham Stock

 4 tablespoons butter or use bacon grease 

1 onion diced

3 stalks of celery finely diced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 large ham hocks or ham shanks 

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups water

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

In a large stock pot, melt butter or bacon grease over medium heat.  Add diced onion, garlic, celery to pot and cook until tender.  Next add your ham hock or shank and the water and chicken broth.  Add in thyme and bay leaf and stir well. Cover with lid and bring to boil. Then reduce heat to simmer on low and cook for about three hours. Remove ham hock and set aside.

 

Pour the stock through a strainer and remove solids.  If using right away, return to pot and prepare to make your soup. If not you can freeze it for later

Soup

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 cup chopped carrots

½ cup chopped celery

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (30 oz) can of diced tomatoes 

2 bay leaves

4 whole cloves

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 teaspoons garlic powder
1 pound of dry great Northern beans, rinsed and soaked overnight

1 teaspoon pepper

Salt to taste

 

Heat the oil in the bottom of a Dutch oven or large soup pot.  Add chopped onion, celery and carrot; cook over medium until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and add the ham you picked from the ham shank or ham hock.  Add mixture to soup pot and stir well to combine all ingredients. 

Rinse and sort through the beans. Add to the pot, along with prepared ham stock. Add in diced tomatoes, cloves, bay leaves, brown sugar and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce your heat to low and cook for about 3½ hours or until beans are tender, checking every hour to make sure you add enough water to keep beans covered.  Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot with Cornbread! 

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Croissant Breakfast Casserole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love making breakfast casseroles because they are so easy and quick to make. This one might be my favorite with buttery croissants, smokey ham and lots of gooey cheese surrounded by a rich and creamy custard. It’s so easy to make and delicious as breakfast or for brunch. This is the perfect holiday morning breakfast…and will be a favorite of all your guests! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Croissant Breakfast Casserole

6-8 medium-sized croissants

4 large eggs

1 cup half and half

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon of chives

8 ounces deli or leftover ham (about 6 thin slices)

6 ounces shredded white cheddar, Swiss or Gruyere cheese

 

Lightly coat a 9×6 deep baking dish with cooking spray.  You can also use a 9×11.  Tear croissants into 2-3 inch pieces and place in your prepared pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut ham into bite size pieces and nestle around the croissants. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprinkle on shredded cheese. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, Dijon mustard (if using), parsley, chives and salt.  Pour over croissants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover with foil and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  You can make it the night before and store it in the refrigerator overnight if you want a quick morning breakfast. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place covered breakfast casserole in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until hot and bubbly with a golden top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove casserole from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes and then cut into squares and serve.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YUM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Mini Carrot Cakes

 

 

 

 

Okay Easter is coming and you just have to have carrot cake for Easter, right?  But why not be creative?   Who says it has to be a cup cake, sheet cake, layer cake or brownies for that matter?   I decided to make little individual cakes for everyone this year!   These will make a wonderful presentation and one mini cake is just perfect for each person. 

Mini Carrot Cakes

1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour 

1 3⁄4 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 ⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 jars (4 oz each) baby food carrots 

2 ⁄3 cup grated fresh carrots 

3⁄4 cup orange juice 

1⁄2 cup sugar 

1⁄4 cup canola oil 

1 large egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking dish (13 x 9 x 2) with parchment paper leaving the ends hanging over the sides for easy lifting later. Spray parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl to mix.  

In another medium bowl, whisk baby food, fresh carrots, orange juice, sugar, oil, egg and vanilla.

Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until blended. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Using parchment paper hanging over the sides of your pan, lift cake from pan and cool completely on wire rack.  Leave the paper on the cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese

1⁄4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1  1/2 cup powdered

orange and green food color gel

In a bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until creamy. On low, beat in powdered sugar until fluffy. Reserve 1⁄2 cup of frosting in one small bowl and a 1/4 cup of frosting in another small bowl.  Put remaining frosting in pastry bag.

Using the parchment paper sides, lift cake onto work surface. With a 2-3 inch round biscuit cutter, cut out 12 rounds from sheet cake. 

Using the parchment paper sides, lift cake onto work surface. With a 2-3 inch round biscuit cutter, cut out 12 rounds from sheet cake. 

Garnish  

For the reserved frosting:  add the orange gel to the bowl with half a cup of frosting to get the color of a carrot. Then place the orange frosting in a quart sized re-sealable plastic bag and snip off the tip from one of the bottom corners.  Make the shape of a carrot on each mini cake.

Do the same with the green gel and the 1/4 cup of frosting in another bag. make the  green tops for your carrots to finish your cakes.

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Pan Seared Mahi Mahi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being from Maryland, I naturally love seafood. I have fish at least two or three times a week so I am always looking for new ways to make it. I love shrimp and crab and scallops and especially salmon and Halibut. I usually get a great price on fresh sockeye salmon and halibut at Costco. But this week Costco had a special on Mahi Mahi...something I have never seen there before. I remember ordering Mahi Mahi in Hawaii years ago while there on vacation and I have never tasted any fish anywhere that good since. So, I bought it and did a simple pan sear and finished it off in the oven and it was all that I remembered. They call it the Poor Man's Lobster if that tells you anything about this tender, moist, flaky white fish.....so good!

Pan Seared Mahi Mahi

4-6 fresh Mahi Mahi filets
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Cut fillets to the size you want to serve and lay in bowl of heavy cream. Mix breadcrumbs with salt and pepper and a pinch of Old Bay seasoning. Coat fish in breadcrumb mixture and press down firmly so that mixture will adhere. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in a non-stick pan. Pan fry fish for a few minutes on each side just until lightly browned. Remove and place on baking sheet that is coating with non stick spray or parchment paper. Bake fish at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes or until flaky in the middle. Remove from pan and onto paper towels to blot off any excess oil. Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired. Best fish ever!  

 

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