Grilled Ham Steaks

My good friend, Susy, gave me a Bourbon glaze for my birthday last Fall. I recently had the opportunity to use it when I came across the following recipe for Grilled Ham Steaks. As I was reading the ingredients and directions, it reminded me of the glaze/sauce I had in the pantry. Rather than actually making this recipe, I decided to use the glaze that Susy sent. All of the ingredients listed on the glaze bottle (minus the Bourbon) are also in this "make-yourself" recipe. Grilled Ham Steaks (ToH June/July 2007)
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 to 2 Tb ground cloves
1 Tb molasses
2-3 tsp ground mustard
2-3 tsp ground ginger
3 bone-in fully cooked ham steak

In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Pour 1 1/2 cups into a large resealable bag; add ham steaks. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade for basting. Coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray before starting the grill. Drain and discard marinade. Grill ham steaks, covered, over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until heated through, basting frequently with reserved marinade. Serves 12.

Breakfast Casserole

It was my turn to provide breakfast for my Monday morning Bible study group this week. It also happened to be at my house, as the regular host is out of town. I enjoy breakfast foods, but my husband isn't a fan, so it's always a nice treat when I'm able to make something for breakfast and share it with others. This morning I made a Cheddar-Ham Oven Omelet, along with Orange-Cranberry Muffins. I love egg casseroles as they are so simple to put together, can be made the night before and put in the oven the day of, and are pretty fool-proof. This recipe is no exception to the above!

Cheddar-Ham Oven Omelet (found in Taste of Home Magazine)
16 eggs
2 cups milk (I used some whipping cream!)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup cubed fully cooked ham
6 green onions, chopped

In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk. Stir in the cheese, ham and onions. Pour the egg mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Serves 12.

It's Wine time...

Tonight is my last Wine Club event for the 2007-2008 Warren Spouse's Club year. We are tasting Pinot Noir, yet another wine I am not familiar with. I am hoping the weather continues to stay nice so we can sit outside and drink our wine. I am bringing an appetizer to share with everyone and I'm hoping it pairs nicely with the Pinot Noir. The appetizer is another Pampered Chef recipe (I seem to be stuck on PC recipes lately, but they are easy to make and good to eat!).

Mini Ham Puffs

1 pkg (2.5 oz) processed ham or smoked turkey, finely chopped

2 Tbls finely chopped onion

1/2 cup shredded Swiss or cheddar cheese

1 egg

1 Tbls snipped fresh parsley

1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1 pkg (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray mini muffin pan with non-stick spray. Finely chop ham and onion, place in small bowl. Add cheese, egg, parsley, mustard, and black pepper; mix well. Unroll crescent dough and press into one large rectangle. Cut dough into 24 squares. Press one square of dough into each muffin cup. Using small scoop or tsp, fill each muffin cup with a scant scoop of ham mixture. Bake 12-14 minutes or until puffs are light golden brown. Remove from pan; serve immediately. Makes 24 appetizers.

Red Beans and Rice with Ham

This week my husband and I are helping with a youth garage sale at our church which is taking place on Saturday, May 3rd. We have a lot of organizing and pricing ahead of us. Luckily we will have a lot of help! The youth group members are suppose to help at the church from 4-7 each evening, which means we adults have to be there as well. Since 4-7 is typically when I would fix and eat dinner, I had to do some advanced planning for meals this week. Today I am fixing a meal in the crock pot so it's ready to eat when we get home. I found the recipe for Red Beans and Rice in a cookbook titled, "The Slow Cooker Bible."

Red Beans and Rice with Ham
1 pkg (16 oz) dried red beans, rinsed and sorted
1 pound smoked beef sausage, sliced
1 ham slice (about 8 oz), cubed
1 small onion, diced
2 1/2 to 3 cups water
1 tsp Mexican seasoning
1/8 tsp ground red pepper

Place beans in large bowl; cover completely with water. Soak 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Drain. Place beans in slow cooker. Add sausage, ham, onion, water (2 1/2 cups for LOW or 3 cups for HIGH), Mexican seasoning and red pepper. Cover; cook on LOW 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours or until beans are tender, stirring every 2 hours, if necessary. Serve over rice. Makes 6 servings.
** I'll post a picture later tonight!