Ham and Butterbean Soup

This meal is the last stop on our holiday ham leftover meals journey and I think it is the best.

 I started out with Holiday Ham. Then with the leftovers, I made Ham and String Bean Stew. Now with the leftover ham bone that weighs about 3.3 Lbs. I will be making Ham and Butterbean Soup.

To make all three meals, there were some essentials that I needed to buy. With the exception of some kitchen staples that I already had like Butter, Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup and garlic, these are the extra things I bought:

Half Ham shank $15

1 can sliced pineapple 1.25

Small bottle maraschino cherries 1.99

2 12 ozcans tomato paste 1.49 each

2 cans 15 oz butter beans 0.99 each

2 cans cut sting beans 0.99 each

1 12 oz bag wide egg noodles 1.49

1 bag of carrots 1.39

1 5 pound bag russet potatoes 3.49

2 onions 0.99

=29.07

So for under $30 I have made three meals including my holiday ham.

Both leftover meals can be frozen, so you can make ahead, freeze and save for later.

Now on to the soup.

The smell from this pot of soup that is basically cooking half the day is mouth watering! When my kids were smaller they would get so excited just knowing that this was dinner. And the best part is that this soup tastes even better the next day. This soup requires the ham bone from the shank that was made from the holiday ham. So don't throw the bone away! That bone is golden. It is the magic that brings this soup together.

There are wonderful flavors that come together in this soup, from the butter beans (also known as Lima beans), carrots and onion. There are also egg noodles in this dish. Some people cook the noodles right in the soup, but the egg noodles will continue to soak up the soup if you add even a bit to much and then you have to add water to bring back the broth. I have done that many times. Not good. So this time I cooked the noodles on the side and then added them to the soup. Much better. But I must admit my husband is not much of a soup person so he actually likes it when the noodles soak up all the soup. He likes it better as a noodle stew. Go figure.

Anyway this soup is perfect on a rainy day or a cold afternoon. It will warm up the whole house from cooking away on the stove for several hours. And the great thing is, it can be frozen. Just thaw overnight in fridge and let simmer on stove till warmed up.

Leftover ham shank bone

6 carrot sticks roughly chopped into 2 inch pieces.

1 whole onion

1 can 12 oz can tomato paste

2 cans Butterbeans (Lima Beans)

1 12 oz bag of wide egg noodles

I started out by filling a large stock pot with 5 quarts of water. 

I then added the ham bone and a whole onion and I let it cook on medium high for 2 hours. 

After 2 hours I shredded the meat from the bone, which was easy to do since the meat was already falling off the bone. After I removed all the meat from the ham bone, I then removed the ham bone from the soup pot and discarded it.

All that meat came of the bone!

I then added the tomato paste, carrots and beans. Stir well to combine and let cook until carrots are tender, about another hour. 

I cooked the egg noodles in a separate saucepan according to the directions on the package. I drained the noodles and added to soup pot.

This recipe makes a lot of serving, so again you can serve some and freeze the rest if desired. It will freeze well in a freezer bag for up to 1 month.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this soup, or this leftover meal series.

Ham and String Bean Stew

I can't wait for the holidays to really begin and for me that tradition starts with eating turkey and ham and Black Friday. 

Thanksgiving is an awesome day for traditional foods but I look forward to cleaning up and heading to the late night outlet sales. My kids already made there list's and they are more excited about Black Friday than I am! I love sticking to tradition, I guess I'm freaky like that.

This recipe is kind of a tradition, in that every time we make holiday ham this is what happens with the ham leftovers. This time I cooked it with added potatoes but if you desire you can just omit the potatoes and serve over mashed potatoes. Either way it is a delicious meal made with leftover holiday ham and because my ham was baked with a sweet glaze, it makes this sauce a bit sweet which adds a wonderful fall flavor.

1 small onion sliced

1 can tomato paste

1 can cut green beans drained

1 1/2 pounds ham from shank cut into 1 inch chunks

1 1/2 pounds potatoes quartered

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Using a dutch oven, on medium-high heat, begin by sautéing sliced onion until soft and translucent about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant about 30 seconds. Add ham chunks and let ham and onions cook together for about 5-7minutes. Add can of tomato paste and let it cook with ham for about 3 minutes then add I add about 2 cups of water to pot and stir. If I feel I need more water, I add about a cup more a little at a time. Add salt and pepper, add potatoes and stir. Let stew cook on low heat for an hour, stirring occasionally.

After an hour, add can of cut green beans and check potatoes for doneness. If potatoes are still not soft, cook on low for an additional 45 minutes to an hour. Serve with crusty bread if desired.

Crisp Holiday Ham

Crisp Holiday Ham 

Well the holiday season is finally here, along with all the food. And this is how I make our holiday ham.

I know what your thinking. "It's burnt, not crisp! Way past burnt." That's what I said  as well when I first saw how Mama ruby ( my mother-in-law) made the holiday ham. I was very young and I did not really know how to cook. I did know how to dance, I was a really good dancer at parties, I do remember that. 

When I first got married almost 19 years ago, I was fascinated with Ruby's cooking. Her techniques are very old school and its done by eyeballing it. She don't do recipes. She just tastes until its good. Sunday dinner at her house was at 2 pm sharp and if you weren't there, you were in trouble. When my husband's brother and his family comes to town, they call ahead and say " I'm coming in town tomorrow. I will be there around 3 pm. I want fried chicken and mom the kids want poofé." ( almost like beignets.) It was announced to everyone in the family  That charlie was coming in town and "I'm cooking so be here at three."

 I must admit I was never happy getting the whole family together. It was nothing but fake friendliness, jealousy, and sarcasm left and right. Everyone felt uncomfortable except for Ruby and Butch. ( my father-in-law) But one thing was for sure. The food was unreal. Fantastic. It was like her food was laced with happy serum. Everybody liked each other for a few minutes. It was strange. So she has passed a lot of her cooking ways down to me and I will never go back. After I tried her holiday ham the first time, I was a true believer in crispy, sweet ham.

This ham may seem burnt to others, but to my family, this is the only way it is fit to call it holiday ham. If I cook it any less, they call it lunchmeat. I'm sure that the sugars have something to do with it, or the fact that I cook it for two hours.

Either way, it's awesome. So if you decide to give this a try, please let me know what you think.

8 pound half ham shank

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup pineapple juice

Sliced pineapples

Maraschino cherries

I begin by scoring the outside skin of the ham in a diamond pattern. 

I then mix the sugar, syrup, and pineapple juice in a bowl until glaze is combined. 

I then brush on the glaze with a pastry brush, making sure to get it all over the ham and I give it two coats. 

Place ham in oven that is set at 350 degrees for two hours. 

After the first hour, I take out the ham and baste it again with the glaze, then I place pineapple slices and cherries on the ham, securing them with toothpicks. 

Place ham back in oven for remaining hour. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I will be making a few more leftover meals using this ham. First up: Ham and string bean stew. Then ham bone and butterbean soup. So stay tuned, I will keep you posted!