December 22, 2024

Ham Pate

December 18, 2015 by

ham pate

There are some things that you eat as a child that will always be welcome on your plate.  For instance, I love the green bean casserole – you know, that one with cream of mushroom soup and french-fried onions?  I know in my brain that it’s kind of gross, but my tongue, my heart, and my memory all enjoy it so much!  This recipe for Ham Pate is in that category.

When I was a kid, my Dad brought home a canned ham from work every year around Christmas.  I don’t know whether his boss gave it to him or if a client sent it to him – but you know the kind – not the best for eating…packed in a weird jelly…would last in a nuclear bunker for 50 years?  So my Mom, never one to waste food, made this recipe.  She used a hand-cranked meat grinder and mixed up a huge batch of this stuff.  It’s great on crackers, between two slices of bread, or just with a fork.  Low brow?  Yes, but definitely worth a try (especially if you have leftover holiday ham)!

Ham Pate

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ham
  • 1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 4 to 6 ounces whipped cream cheese
  • 3 teaspoons prepared horseradish
  • 4 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
  • squeeze of lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Blend the ham in a food processor until broken down a lot.  Blend in all of the other ingredients.  Taste for seasoning.  You may want to add more pickle relish, if you like it sweeter, or more lemon and salt if you like it more savory.  You can also add plain yogurt if you like it creamier.  Eat it on a fork, spoon it on a cracker, and adjust to suit your tastes.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

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Oven-Roasted Pork Chops with Lemon-Caper Sauce

November 1, 2013 by

 

Where others have a sweet tooth, I have a sour tooth.  I’ve been known to use only vinegar, and skip the oil, when dressing my salad.  I eat cornichons like other people eat bon-bons.  So when I saw this recipe for Oven-Roasted Pork Chops with Lemon-Caper Sauce, I knew I was going to like it.

Using a recipe from my Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook (which I highly recommend!), I made a few changes to work with what I had.  If you don’t have a shallot, feel free to use a red onion – just mince as finely as possible.  These pork chops were easy, quick, and nearly fool-proof.  They were tart and tangy (but not pucker, so if you are not a sour-lover like me, you won’t be put off.)

Oven-Roasted Pork Chops with Lemon-Caper Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 4 pork chops, about 1 1/2 inches thick, trimmed of excess fat
  • 2 tablespoons oil or bacon fat for cooking
  • 1 medium shallot, minced
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
  • 2 tablespoons capers, drained
  • 3 tablespoons butter

 Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450*F.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat, and brown the pork chops on one side, for about 2 minutes.  Flip and brown the other side, another 2 minutes.
  2. Transfer the chops to a foil-lined baking sheet or large, wide baking dish (so they aren’t crowded or touching each other.)  Roast in the oven until the internal temperature reaches 140*F on a thermometer, about 15 minutes, turning them over halfway through cooking time.  Remove from the oven, place on a platter, and cover with aluminum foil. Let the chops rest for about 5 minutes, and check to make sure the internal temperature has reached 150*F.
  3. While the chops are in the oven, add the shallot to the skillet you cooked the pork chops in, and cook over medium heat until softened, about 30 seconds (about 2 minutes if you are using an onion.)
  4. Increase the heat and add the broth, stirring to scrape up any bits stuck to the pan.  Add the lemon juice and capers and cook until the sauce reduces to about 1/3 cup, about 4 minutes.
  5. Off the heat, whisk the butter into the sauce, and pour over the pork chops.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

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Meatloaf

September 27, 2013 by

Meatloaf Slices Resized

 

This Meatloaf started out following one of Martha Stewart’s recipes, but over the years I’ve kind of made it my own.  I think what makes this a great meatloaf is that it’s not actually baked in a loaf pan.  It’s a freeform meat sculpture!  But making it on a sheet pan instead of in a loaf pan lets the fat drain away, and all the sides get nice and crusty.  It’s easy, it’s a crowd pleaser, and it doesn’t take long to put together.  Let’s get into it!

Meatloaf

Ingredients:

  • 1 small onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 1 carrot
  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs, or oregano
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 2 eggs
  • a big squirt of ketchup (maybe 2 tablespoons)
  • a big squirt of yellow mustard (maybe 2 tablespoons)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, your choice (Sriracha or Tabasco, whatever you have)
  • 1/3 cup coconut flour (you could use 1/2 cup bread crumbs if you like, or even ground oats)
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 tablespoons ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons mustard
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar

 

Let's bake this bad boy!

Let’s bake this bad boy!

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400*F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  2. Add the onion, garlic, celery, and carrot to the food processor and blend until combined and kind of pureed.  You don’t want any big chunks.  Empty the veggie puree into a very large mixing bowl, then add the bacon to the food processor.  Blend until ground and add to the veggie puree.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients—up through the salt and pepper—to the mixing bowl.  Mix with your hands until combined.  Dump out the meatloaf mix onto the baking sheet and form a loaf with your hands.  You want it to be long and flat, kind of like a loaf of French bread.  Smooth it out and make it even.
  4. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar.  Frost the top of the meatloaf with the ketchup mixture.
  5. Bake for one hour, or until internal temperature reaches 165*F.  My kids eat this with lots of additional ketchup!
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GCH:What’s on Your Plate? – Easy Meatloaf

December 18, 2012 by

meatloaf_shauna

I found this recipe in my mom’s old recipe book the other day and thought I’d give it a try since she wrote “very good” on it 🙂  My picky husband even liked it and went back for seconds, which rarely happens!  It was very simple to throw together so it would make a great weeknight meal.  I paired it with some mashed potatoes and corn….   Let’s get to it!

What you will need:

1 envelope Lipton’s onion soup mix (I used vegetable soup mix since that’s what was in the pantry)

2 lbs ground beef

1 1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup tomato sauce

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

ketchup for topping* (see my note about this below…)

big bowl

spoon

loaf pan

cooking spray

Directions:

Mix all ingredients (except ketchup for topping) together in a bowl.  Spray or grease a loaf pan and place mixture in, smoothing out the top.

*If desired, spread a layer of ketchup on the top (NOTE:  my husband does not like ketchup, so I could not use this as a topping.  My picture shows a “nekkid” meatloaf! LOL)  I also had the idea to put a couple of slices of American cheese on top of the meatloaf a few minutes before it came out of the oven, but he 86’d that idea also.  However, I did smother my slice of meatloaf with ketchup afterwards while the hubby ate his plain.)

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes.

 

God is great, God is good… let us thank Him for our food! 🙂

<3 Shauna

PS – you can also find Shauna on her personal blog, www.workhomeplay.net.

 

 

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