Ham and Pineapple Fried Rice

Last week we had Grilled Ham and Pineapple Sandwiches.  This week we're having Ham and Pineapple Fried Rice.  It's always an adventure to take a recipe that you already enjoy (like grilled ham and cheese or fried rice) and throw in some new ingredient.  Last week's sandwich was a hit with all the eaters in our house, so I thought I'd give this Ham and Pineapple Fried Rice a try as regular fried rice is always a winner at our dinner table.  I first read about this recipe at Eat At Home on one of her weekly menu posts (her picture looks better than mine).  I've had it saved in my Recipes to Try file for several weeks.

One of the things I like about Fried Rice is that I can make it ahead of time on days when our dinner hour is hectic.  It's perfect for a busy night.  (It's Music Lesson and ISPTO Mtg night on our family calendar this week).  The 3 year old is napping for 45 minutes or so which is plenty of time for me to get dinner all ready to serve and have a few minutes to myself before the afternoon rush begins.  I can reheat the fried rice in just a few minutes after the girls are home from school and before we head out to our lessons.  Add a mixed greens salad and some zucchini bread (from the freezer) and we're all set for a homecooked meal together around the table for less than $6 in less than 30 minutes.

Here's the recipe:

Ham and Pineapple Fried Rice
3-4 cups cooked, cooled rice (I made a batch in my rice cooker this morning before school)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1-2 Tbsp oil
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups diced ham
4 Tbsp soy sauce, plus more to taste
1 lg can Pineapple tidbits, drained with juice reserved (you'll need 3+ Tbsp)
2 eggs beaten
1-2 cups frozen peas and carrots (or any other vegetables you might have leftover; kids said they prefer when I use shredded carrots instead of the frozen, cubed ones)
salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/8+ tsp pepper, just a sprinkling of salt)

Pretend there's also minced garlic pictured here!

1.  Saute the onion in a little bit of oil until soft in a large skillet.
2.  Add the garlic and the ham, 2 Tbsp soy sauce and 2 Tbsp pineapple juice and heat until ham is hot.
3.  Pour the beaten eggs into the skillet and stir frequently.
4.  Add the peas and carrots and heat through.
5.  Add the cooked rice and 2 Tbsp soy sauce and 1-2 Tbsp of pineapple juice and gently stir with a large spatula until rice and meat and vegetables are evenly combined.
6.  Taste and season with salt and pepper or more soy sauce if needed.
7.  Serve immediately or reheat for dinner later on.

Ham and Pineapple Fried Rice
The sweet pineapple gives this quick fix skillet dish a fresh twist

What's your favorite meal to fix on a night with filled with the kids' activities right around the dinner hour?

What to do with leftover ham - Grilled Ham and Pineapple Sandwich

Happy Easter Friends!  I hope that you enjoyed a wonderful weekend celebration with your family/friends!  We enjoyed a wonderful weekend filled with lots of yummy food, fun family moments, and many photo opportunities.  I took Monday to organize some of those photos, so I'm a bit behind on some of the blog posts. 

We love ham at our house!  My mother in law always fixed a ham for Christmas and Easter, so we have sort of adopted that same tradition in our own home.  She taught me a very easy way to fix the perfect ham.  You cook it slowly in the oven overnight in a paper bag.  I've fixed my hams like this for years, and they always turn out perfectly.  It's so easy, it's embarrassing to even call it a recipe. 

But for those of you who may be intrigued to try cooking a ham a new way, here's what you do.  Buy a cheap ham (like a shank or butt portion, or even a whole bone in ham).  Remove the plastic wrapper and the little plastic thing that is over the bone.  Place the ham in a large brown paper grocery sack.  Fold up the bag so that it is tight to the ham.  Place the ham in a 9x13 pan.  Add a little water (maybe 1/2 cup or so) to the bottom of the pan.  Place in the oven at 220 overnight (about 6-8 hours).  Turn the oven off in the morning, and let the ham sit for about 4 hours before slicing it.  Remove the ham from the bag, and slice with an electric knife.  The ham will be super tender and juicy. 

I have served this ham at several of our Easter Egg Hunt parties and have turned even non-ham eaters into members of the Clean Plate Club.  Super easy. . . super yummy. . .lots of leftovers.  This slow cook method will not work on a presliced spiral yam; all the juices leak out and you'll be left with a dry ham.  This will also not work well on a boneless ham; it turns out tough.  I usually buy 2 or more hams when they go on sale at Christmas and Easter and we'll eat one on the holiday, and then I'll cut up the other to use in ham dishes. 

This past Sunday, I decided to shake things up a bit and try something new.  A mom of one of my 8 year old's gym teammates told me she likes to cook her ham in her slow cooker using a can of coke, some brown sugar, and a can of pineapple.  We decided to give this recipe a try on Sunday.  It was very sweet, and we all liked it.  I shared with that mom today that while the flavor was good, it had a different texture being cooked in the slow cooker.  I also think I should have let the ham sit for awhile longer before I sliced it.  Nonetheless, we enjoyed our Easter dinner, and we have some leftover ham that I decided to do something with tonight for dinner.

A few weeks ago, there was an Ingredient Spotlight on Pineapple over at Eat At Home.  I noticed a recipe there for a grilled ham and pineapple sandwich that I thought sounded interesting, so I gave it a try for our weekly sandwich night. 

Well, all I can say is that this sandwich is likely to be making a repeat appearance on our weekly menu for Sandwich Night.  We often eat grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, but this was the first time I've ever thrown on a slice of pineapple.  And instead of regular sliced cheese, I used spreadable cream cheese.  It was easy and very tasty.  Because I made it with leftovers, it was very budget friendly too.  We had to eat in shifts this evening due to our schedule, but the sandwiches were easy to assemble and grill in batches in just a few minutes.  I think what made these sandwiches the best was the bread.  Instead of regular sandwich bread, I used bakery fresh bread (like the $1 Italian loaf from Kroger).  This sandwich was similar to something you'd find at a locally owned restaurant.  Add some chips and some fruit or a light salad, and your meal is complete.  (Try to ignore the awful shadow in the photo; it was late and my photo set up was not ready!)

Here's the simple recipe:

Grilled Ham and Pineapple Sandwiches
1/2 loaf of sliced bakery bread (I used the Kroger Italian loaf)
spreadable cream cheese
ham slices
pineapple slices
butter

1.  Spread cream cheese on the inside of 2 pieces of bread.
2.  Top one slice of bread with slices of ham and pineapple rings. (I cut the rings so they fit better; I need more pineapple next time so you get some pineapple in every bite)
3.  Top with the other piece of bread.
4.  Pan fry in melted butter over medium high heat until golden on each side.
(You can also spread the outside of the bread with spreadable butter and then cook on a griddle or in a pan over medium high heat but the melted butter in the pan gives it a nice crunch on all the edges like how it is at a restaurant when you order a grilled sandwich)

Grilled Ham and Pineapple Sandwich
Cream Cheese, Ham, Pineapple, Bakery Bread. . . . yummy!

What's your favorite way to use up leftover ham?

Breakfast on the Go - Ham, Egg, Cheese, Potato Wraps

One day a week, I try to set aside some time to do some batch cooking.  I find that taking the time to make certain meal items ahead has great benefits in both the time and money departments.  I especially like to batch cook items for breakfast because it is the one meal at our house we typically do not eat all at the same time.  I find that I can still offer a variety of nutritious, low cost options if I do some batch cooking of things that can just be reheated or defrosted.  I don't have to play short order cook in the mornings nor do we all have to face a bowl of cold cereal.  (A bowl of cold cereal is still the 8 year Cereal Monster's first choice, but it's not for the rest of the family!)

This week I finished up the ham I had bought last week for $1.49/lb at Kroger.  There was still plenty of usable ham near the bone, it just had to be cubed instead of sliced.  After cubing about 1 cup, I still have plenty of ham left near the bone to make a good pot of soup. I had a partial package of tortillas and one extra large potato in my pantry.   I had some shredded cheese in the freezer from a recent trip to Yutzy's Farm Market in Plain City.  Their deli sells "cheese ends" for 99 cents a lb, and I love to pick those up if they have any when I am there.  I shred the cheese and bag it in 1 cup packages and put it in the freezer. 

"Cheese ends" are what is left at the end of the big block of cheese when they slice it for you at the deli.  When you buy a package, you never know what kind of cheese might be stacked together.  It's that mix of all the different cheeses that make it so wonderful to add to dishes, especially egg dishes.  I try to look for packages that do not have the Pepper Jack cheese in them because my family does not like that, but I also know that those particular packages are often the ones first grabbed by other customers.  Maybe some year my family will like peppers!

So, with these ingredients on hand, I put together 10 ham, egg, cheese, and potato breakfast wraps for us to enjoy in the next couple of weeks.  We can have a hot breakfast in 60 seconds.  They're individually wrapped, so I can even eat mine on the go as I drive the girls to school as there are many mornings that I get ready to walk out the door and realize that I've taken care of everyone's breakfast and lunch, except my own!

Usually when I make breakfast tacos, I do not put the cheese in with the eggs.  The last time I made these, however, I experimented putting the egg right in with the cheese, and I like how they turned out better.  The cheese kind of holds it all together so nothing falls out of the wrap as you eat it.  It made for a much quicker assembly, too.  I like to throw a little potato in our morning wraps if we have one on hand because it will stretch the ingredients to make just a couple more and I just like potatoes! 
Here's the recipe:

Ham, Egg, Cheese, and Potato Wraps
1 large potato, baked and diced (I baked it in the microwave while I got everything else ready)
1 cup diced ham (deli ham would also work, maybe 1/2 cup)
6 eggs
1 cup shredded cheese (any kind you like except mozzarella; makes it too stringy)
10 tortillas
several shakes Onion powder (or you can saute some diced onions/peppers/mushrooms, etc)
several shakes of Lawry's Seasoned Salt
several shakes of Salt & Pepper

1.  In a medium bowl, crack the 6 eggs, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and whisk briskly.  (You can also add a little milk if you like)
2.  Add the shredded cheese to the egg mixture, mix gently, and set aside.
3.  In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. (or a tsp of bacon drippings if you're not counting calories and want real countrylike, homecooked flavor)
4.  Lightly saute the diced potato for 1 min or so.  Add a few shakes of onion powder and Lawry's seasoned salt.
5.  Add the ham and stir it all around.
6.  Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the top and gently scramble using a silicone spatula careful not to mash the potatoes too much.  (It will look like a big gooey mixture and then all of a sudden it will start to set up and look like scrambled eggs) 

The eggs will set up, but it will still look creamy because of the cheese.

7.  Place a large spoonful of the cooked filling in the center of your tortilla shell and fold.

It took less than 15 minutes to cook, fill, and package 10 wraps!

8. Wrap each filled tortilla in wax or freezer paper and place in a large ziploc bag.

Place folded, filled tortilla on wax paper

Make an envelope as you roll.  Here it is ready to go. . . .  



8.  Wrap each filled tortilla in wax or freezer paper and place in a large ziploc bag. 


9.  Cool wraps completely in the refrigerator before freezing.

There's also egg. . . forgot to write that on the label!

10.  Reheat each wrap for 60 seconds in the microwave.  Let stand 1 minute before eating.

What foods do you like to make in a big batch to have on hand later on?