Pasta Carbonara - The Ham Way

I've finally made a ham category on here. It's been a long time coming considering I have so many recipes on here that use it! I just love it so much and love finding new and creative uses for it. This may not be the most creative use, but it's definitely one of the tastiest!

Ham and Pineapple Quesadilla with Roasted Red Pepper Spread

Another ham post? Yes. Yes it is. And there will be more after this one. I can't help it that I love it so much! I currently have three in my freezer. (I may have forgotten that I had two in there when I bought two more, but I just can't pass up sales that have them for $.70/lb!) You can just do so much with leftovers that I will bake up a ham whenever the craving strikes because, well, I guess I consider it a pantry staple.

Denver Breakfast Cups

Sometimes the tastiest of recipes happen on a whim. That's precisely how this one came about. I had some leftover baked ham and I've been trying to think of ways to use it up. A little egg-type breakfast muffin sounded interesting so I just threw some things together in a bowl. 20 minutes later I had a great, little breakfast bite!

Tropical Ham Roll-Ups

I have a problem. If I don't make up something new each day, I feel weird. It's to the point where I'll just come up with something on the fly sometimes just so I can blog about it. I know, I know...it's just that I'm a creative person and that creativity has to come out in so many ways! The kitchen is my studio and food is a canvas. Does that even make sense or am I just full of it? Either way, I wanted a snack and I got to thinking...

Ham and Sweet Potato Chowder

Now that Christmas is over, you're probably stuck with a myriad of leftovers. I know, it was days ago, but the only leftovers that matter are still good. Especially that ham. Mmmm...ham.

It's no secret around here that ham is my favorite meat. (I even have a little 'I love ham' song that my son has started to sing. It's so cute...) I usually make one a couple times a year because it's such an easy, delicious meal. If you grab a couple when they're on sale and stick them in your freezer then it's awesome, too. It's a great budget friendly food because you can get quite a few meals out of one ham. Super awesome, right? With the leftovers from one ham, I got this soup (three to four meals worth) and some super cute ham and cheese muffins (two to three meals worth). You just can't go wrong.

Crock Pot Brown Sugar Ham

I've been on this crock pot kick lately so I'm pretty much just cooking whatever I can in there these days. The latest was a ham. I love ham. Seriously. It's so good and really easy to make - easy in an oven and even easier in a crock pot!

Leftover Ham and Potato Hash

I'm a big fan of a good potato hash. I've posted a sweet potato version before but I'll usually just whip one up with white or golden yellow potatoes for a quick side dish. It's so easy, goes with pretty much everything, and you can add almost anything to the potatoes. 

I baked a ham the other day and since I have a bunch leftover, I'm making a few different things with the rest of it. One of the things I've made so far is a ham hash. Ham and potatoes go very well together so it makes perfect sense to combine them in this simple dish that can serve as a main meal or as a side dish with...oh, let's say some of those leftover Easter eggs! 

Ham Salad

Have you had your fill of ham from the holidays? We sure have! There were plenty of leftovers though (and you can only reheat it so many times) so I was struck with the idea of making some ham salad. I whipped up this ham salad with my sister in mind. I know, that sounds strange...but she was my inspiration because she loves the stuff. I like it, but not nearly as much as she does so I'll be giving her the rest of this batch. I tried to make it similar to the store-bought variety she normally buys but I think it turned out even better! I'm pretty sure she'll like it.

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese: Cuban Style

Our visit to Fair Oaks Farms a couple weeks ago inspired this Cuban Grilled Cheese sandwich. They have a Cuban sandwich that is sub-par as well as a grilled cheese that is far from living up to my standards. I thought I could combine both ideas into one and come up with something super tasty that is actually not too bad for you.