For Dinner Today

[Dee]

I bought a ham a while back and didn't get it all used.  I cut it in meal sized slices, put 2 slices wrapped in plastic wrap, froze them all on a cookie sheet and bagged them all together.

 

Today I got the last 2 out of the freezer and fried them up.  Added sweet potatoes, cucumber/onion and cottage cheese with applesauce.  My but it was easy AND good.

 

Anyway, what I was going to say is:  I will buy another ham, when they're on sale, and slice the whole thing into meal size servings.  It is so good to have on hand and have ready in just a few minutes.

 

P.S. For those of you that read my other post about the 97-year-old lady, I will be taking some ham and sweet potatoes to her afterwhile that she can have for supper.  She'll be so appreciative, and I did my good deed for the day!  

[Darlene]

I did that last year with left over ham from Easter. It was really awesome to pull out of the freezer and I tended to make breakfast sandwiches with it. 
 

I'm already planning on buying more ham than we will need this Easter so I can rinse and repeat. 

[Dee]

I keep thinking/hoping hams will be on sale at Easter. They usually are but who knows this year?!?!?

[Becca_Anne]

That's really smart Dee I usually cube it up to toss into split pea soup but sliced and enough for one meal is nice! We had roast chicken and sweet potato for dinner tonight, bought a pre-cooked chicken so super fast and easy dinner.

[Dee]

I have it cubed and in the freezer too Becca.  Use it for scrambled eggs or scalloped potatoes and ham.

[kappydell]

We are waiting for easter hams too!  We get the spiral sliced Sams Club ones, then cut & freeze in meal size portions.  Our favorite dinner with them is scalloped potatoes and ham (mmmmm)  but we also dice and use in omelets, grilled ham & cheese sandwiches (for quick dinners) and sometimes plain ol ham and eggs.  I did can up some navy beans and ham and the recipe was tasty.....

C'mon Easter hams!!!  We are saving freezer space for you!  (not to mentio split pea soup with those ham bones!)    

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by kappydell

[Buttercup]

This has always been one of my favorite threads on MrsS! 

  Last night after supper I cooked 3 pounds of hamburger. 2 pounds I turned into taco meat for the weekend.  The remaining pound I plan to make beef stroganoff for tonight's supper! 

  I have 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs thawed in the fridge,  what are some ideas I could use then in? 

[euphrasyne]

DD13 did most of the cooking last night with supervision.  I just sat and made comments.

 

jasmine rice

chicken tikka double batch from 2lb chicken.

punjab chickpeas

vegetable korma

 

DD13 says she likes chopping meat and wonders how much $ a butcher makes

DD1 was too busy stuffing face full of food to say anything.  Apparently the baby likes Indian too.

[themartianchick]

Hubby and I plan to order something from a nice restaurant (but not too nice, due to the prices!) and hang out at home. We eat differently from each other, but it is a nice way to get what we want and enjoy a nice conversation or a movie.

[Ambergris]

Euphrasyne, you can invite me anytime.

I tried to steer my eldest into butchery when he decided on a career in cooking, but he had no interest in it.  Now he's at loose ends, with no specialized skills.  He points out that the job market for butchers has been declining for several years and has no upturn in sight, but you know, that's the big markets, the nationwide outlook.  The local-stock butcher shops here are horribly overloaded and have a backlog three months out.  If she specializes in killing and butchering, she could grow quite a clientele. 

[Ambergris]

Ordering takeout is like getting a 20% discount, if you don't have to tip the people who fix the takeout bag.

[Dee]

Quote

Ordering takeout is like getting a 20% discount, if you don't have to tip the people who fix the takeout bag.

 

DH and I don't eat out much, but I'd never thought about saving the 20% you mentioned.  That's really kind of cool, isn't it?

[themartianchick]

8 minutes ago, Ambergris said:

Ordering takeout is like getting a 20% discount, if you don't have to tip the people who fix the takeout bag.

In our county, we had a program to boost restaurants after COVID. The program was a buy one, get one free for restaurant gift cards. The cards never expire. We bought a lot of them and used a few for gifts. The rest, we are using for our Friday night dinners. It is like getting the food for 50% off and then we give a small tip.

[Ambergris]

2 hours ago, themartianchick said:

In our county, we had a program to boost restaurants after COVID. The program was a buy one, get one free for restaurant gift cards. The cards never expire. We bought a lot of them and used a few for gifts. The rest, we are using for our Friday night dinners. It is like getting the food for 50% off and then we give a small tip.

Nice!  When I was a very young newlywed, a steak restaurant chain opened its first restaurant in town and offered two full meals for $5 in a coupon without an expiration date.  It was in the newspaper.  I knew a guy who didn't eat in restaurants but delivered papers.  I helped him deliver papers that Sunday in return for all of that day's unsold papers, which (after he swapped with some friends) turned out to be several dozen of them.  Considering we were two people living on $168 a month after rent (and it had to cover utilities, groceries, shampoo, bus passes, everything), this really helped.

[mommato3boys]

On 3/27/2022 at 8:02 PM, Dee said:

I keep thinking/hoping hams will be on sale at Easter. They usually are but who knows this year?!?!?

 

You are hoping for ham, I am hoping for chickens and Cornish hens. We don't eat pork and very little beef even though we live in beef country it is way too expensive. 

[Dee]

We rent our 50 acres pasture out to a kid who runs cattle on it all summer.  Sometimes when he butchers, he'll bring us about 20 lbs. of hamburger.  I feel like we've won the lottery when he does that.  

[themartianchick]

9 minutes ago, Dee said:

We rent our 50 acres pasture out to a kid who runs cattle on it all summer.  Sometimes when he butchers, he'll bring us about 20 lbs. of hamburger.  I feel like we've won the lottery when he does that.  

This year, that might be considered a jackpot!

[Dee]

Quote

This year, that might be considered a jackpot!

 

He takes his cows to his in-law's farm to feed all winter long, but I have in the back of my mind that if things go bad, he'll give us a cow or two a year for free pasture.  Using a barter system.  

[Littlesister]

I also am watching for ham sales. Would like to get a couple of them to cut up for freezer. I did that last Thanksgiving and Christmas and now have 4 turkeys in freezer that I need to get canned. Will be doing all the canning as soon as they are done with construction, and I can't wait for them to get done as I need to get the canning started. The kitchen tiles still are not in, and now I am getting a bit worried about that as they were supposed to have been ordered in January. I try to go to at least 3 stores every week rather I buy anything or not just to see what the sales on meat is. If I go early morning when the stores are just opening, I sometimes get good sales on reduced meat. That is how I filled my freezer. Half price sales on beef. But now I am trying for hamburger and chicken and right now with Easter for hams as well.

[Ambergris]

Someone in our local poultry group has hatched poults.  I'm tempted, but raising chicks for eggs is hard enough here.  

[euphrasyne]

Last night we had soup for dinner.

 

No clue what is for dinner soup:

5p put pot on stove.  Dig through freezer, find 1/3 bag potatoes obrien.  Dump in pot. Dump in some garlic minced.  Dice a bit of the leftover easter ham and add to pot.  Add 6c water, 2 T chicken broth and turn on eye to medium.   simmer 15m.. decide it needs something.  Add 1 can drained spinach and some italian seasoning.  simmer 25.  Taste.  Add 2 c heavy cream and turn to low for 15m.  Serve with garlic bread.  It was a big hit, everyone loved it.  

[Dee]

Amazing what one can "throw" together and have it come out delicious, isn't it euphrasyne! 

 

When I take a tossed salad to the library for our luncheon, they all rave how I make the best salad ever.  "What do you put in it", they ask. I tell them I throw all but the kitchen sink in.  Whatever I have on hand.  Always lettuce, carrots, etc. but I'll also add nuts, craisins, raisins, coconut, fresh fruit, Durfee's French onions if they're opened and need using, or whatever.  I don't put all those things in one salad but always some of them.  It doesn't really matter what you put it, it's all delicious.

 

Ambergris, did you get your poults?   

 

 

[Annarchy]

Tonight was Ruben sandwiches.  
 

DH is my sauce maker, mom was impressed.. She’d asked for a Ruben, when we ordered out one day, so I picked up the ingredients, for $15. last time I went to the store.  3 people, with a lot of leftovers & a full sandwich for $15… not bad.  
 

Needless to say, they were baked, instead of fried in butter…. trying to keep dinner “ heart healthy”.  

[Cricket]

I made a deep dish quiche for dinner with leftover ham, spinach, and Swiss cheese. Served with salad on the side. DH went back for seconds. 
 

I have a bag of 13 bean mix soaking overnight for tomorrow’s dinner. I’ll cook it with a leftover ham bone. 
 

I’ve never used the 13 beans mix before. Any suggestions? I might toss in a can of diced tomatoes at the end. 

[Dee]

Ruben sandwich, quiche and beans all sound delicious. 

 

I have a ham bone from Easter that I plan on making bean soup with over the weekend.  It's supposed to a rainy cold weekend here and with a batch of cornbread and bean soup will just hit the spot. Yum!

 

Cricket, let me know what you think of the 13-bean mix.  I've seen them in the store but never bought any.