Monte Cristo Strata

This cheesy and indulgent strata is inspired by the flavors of a Monte Cristo sandwich: ham, tangy mustard and Gruyere cheese.

The photo and recipe source is Betty Crocker.




Ingredients:

• 1 loaf (20 oz) country white bread, crusts removed and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
• 14 oz sliced Black Forest ham
• 3 1/2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese (14 oz)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons ground pepper

Directions: 

Heat oven to 375°F. 

Generously grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish.

Layer bread slices in bottom of baking dish. 

Brush with 2 tablespoons of the mustard. 

Top with half of the ham slices.

Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheese and 1 tablespoon of sage. 

Repeat layers, reserving last 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese.

Beat eggs in a large bowl, add milk and ground pepper; beat to combine. 

Carefully pour egg mixture over layers in baking dish, making sure bread absorbs most of the liquid. 

Sprinkle with remaining cheese and 1 tablespoon fresh sage.

Cover dish with sheet of greased foil. 

Let stand 30 minutes before baking.

Bake about 35 minutes or until dish is baked through and bubbly. 

Remove foil, and bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese on top is lightly golden.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.



Source: Betty Crocker

Broccoli, Cheese and Ham Muffins

These muffins are O.M.G. delicious looking!  I can almost guarantee that these are going to be a regular part of our menu once we try them.  I'm already thinking about variations using breakfast sausage, sliced up little smokies, bacon.  Of course I would prefer fresh broccoli!

Vegetarians can easily convert it into a vegetarian meal by leaving out the meat.

They come together quick and easy, thanks in part to the use of Bisquick.  I'm a huge advocate of Bisquick, although I love to cook from scratch.  I am NEVER without a box or two in my pantry.  Why go through more work if  you don't have to?  I use convenience foods as much as I can as long as they are high quality and economical.  I'm not being paid to say this . . . just a big fan of the product :)  

I'm very anxious to try this recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 bag (12 oz) Green Giant™ Steamers™ frozen broccoli & cheese sauce
• 1 1/2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup diced cooked ham
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (2 oz)

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray.

Cook broccoli as directed on bag.

In large bowl, stir together Bisquick mix, milk, oil and egg. Stir in broccoli, ham and cheese just until well mixed. Spoon mixture evenly into muffin cups.

Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Serve warm.



Expert Tips

Wrap and refrigerate any leftover muffins. Unwrap and reheat 1 at a time on microwavable plate 15 to 30 seconds or until warm.

Ham and Cheddar Torta

Very impressive looking torta that would be a great choice for any meal!

I would vary the ingredients depending on the meal.  For example, my breakfast torta would not include beans and broccoli.  However, I would include fresh mushrooms, and maybe two more eggs.  Seems worthy of experimentation!

The beans and italian dressing sounds a little funky, but may turn out to be one of my favorite new recipes, so I am going to try it at least once.  Seems like a hearty lunch or dinner meal that can also be varied to include chicken instead of ham or vary the vegetables.

Love the idea of baking it in a springform pan!

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups Original Bisquick® mix
• 1 can (15 oz) Progresso® cannellini beans, drained, rinsed and mashed
• 1/3 cup Italian dressing
• 1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham
• 1 box (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen cut broccoli, thawed, drained
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 
• (4 oz) 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons Original Bisquick® mix 3 eggs, slightly beaten

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. In small bowl, stir together 1 1/3 cups Bisquick mix, the beans and dressing. Spread in bottom and 2 inches up side of ungreased 9x3-inch springform pan. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set.

Layer ham, broccoli and cheese over crust. In small bowl, stir milk, 2 tablespoons Bisquick mix and the eggs until blended; pour over cheese.

Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes. Loosen edge of torta from side of pan; remove side of pan.



Expert Tips

Bake the crust the day before and store covered in the refrigerator. Or make the torta completely the day before, store covered in the refrigerator and reheat loosely covered in 375°F oven 15 to 20 minutes or until hot.


Source

Creamy Cheesy Ham Chowder

This creamy and cheesy chowder is great for giving leftover ham new life on the dinner table. It also makes use of leftover vegetables . . . don't be confined to the vegetables listed on the recipe, use what you have on hand!

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 30 min. Cook: 20 min.
MAKES 10 servings


Ingredients

• 10 bacon strips, diced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 2-1/2 cups cubed potatoes
• 1 can (15-1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• Pepper to taste
• 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups cubed fully cooked ham

Directions

In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels to drain. In the drippings, saute onion and carrots until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually add milk and water. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Add the potatoes, corn, bouillon and pepper. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add cheese and ham; heat until cheese is melted. Stir in bacon. 

Originally published as Cheesy Ham Chowder in 

Quick Cooking September/October 2000, p7

Ham and Cheese Omelet Bake

What an awesome breakfast!  As a big fan of breakfast food, I would have this meal any time of day.

Perhaps for breakfast, I would leave out the veggies . . . or I may have to include potatoes.  Lots of room for variation!

Ingredients

1

(10-oz.) box Green Giant® Frozen Broccoli & Cheese Flavored Sauce

1

(10.2-oz.) can (5 biscuits) Pillsbury® Grands!® Flaky Layers Refrigerated Original Biscuits

10

eggs

1 1/2

cups milk

1

teaspoon dry ground mustard

Salt and pepper, if desired

2

cups diced cooked ham

1/3

cup chopped onion

4

oz. (1 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese

4

oz. (1 cup) shredded Swiss cheese

1

(4.5-oz.) jar Green Giant® Sliced Mushrooms, drained

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350°F. Cut small slit in center of broccoli and cheese sauce pouch. Microwave on High for 3 to 4 minutes, rotating pouch 1/4 turn once halfway through microwaving. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, spray bottom only of 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Separate dough into 5 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into 8 pieces; arrange evenly in sprayed dish.
• In large bowl, beat eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in ham, onion, both cheeses, mushrooms and cooked broccoli and cheese sauce. Pour mixture over biscuit pieces in dish. Press down with back of spoon, making sure all biscuit pieces are covered with egg mixture.
• Bake at 350°F. for 40 to 50 minutes or until edges are deep golden brown and center is set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Cut into squares.

Source:  Pillsbury.com

Bake-Off® Contest 41, 2004

Julie Amberson

Browns Point, Washington

Hawaiian Sliders

These little sliders are awesome!  We got to try them at a party and honestly, I could not get enough, but didn't want to make a pig of myself when there were so many other things to eat.  They went fast anyway!  Guess you could say they were the star of the show.

 The ones we had were overstuffed with ham and cheese (maybe double of what the recipe calls for), which made them even better, but the topping is what makes it so special with a blend of delicious tangy sweetness.  The crunchiness resulting from the sauce baked on the bread was also very nice. Outstanding!

I would love to make some with smoked turkey and swiss cheese too.  

Not only did they make the perfect appetizer, they would be great for a quick lunch with some chips.

Awesome discovery!

UPDATE:  We have made these sliders twice and propose the following changes:  No onion.  Cut the sauce recipe in half.  For some reason, our sliders did not come out crispy, but somewhat soggy.  We added 10 minutes to the baking time in the oven uncovered . . . it still wasn't enough time to make them crunchy enough for our taste.  Next time we will bake them 20 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered.

We love this recipe and will continue to tweak it until they are perfect for our taste.  I must say that the sauce is awesome, like a sweet barbeque sauce, and would be great with some shredded chicken in place of ham and cheese.

I really can't say where this recipe originated since it has been posted all over the place.  It is like, what came first, the chicken or the egg?

Ingredients

• 1 package Original Hawaiian 12-pack dinner rolls 
• 1 small sweet white onion, minced or grated 
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter 
• 3 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard 
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 
• 3 teaspoons poppy seeds 
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar 
• 1 package deli sandwich ham, cut into 12 small squares 
• 6 slices Swiss cheese, each cut in half 

Instructions

Melt butter in a small skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds and brown sugar. Allow to sauté for a few minutes, until onions are translucent and tender. Remove from the stove. 

Cut the rolls in half horizontally, removing the tops and placing the bottoms on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place a spoonful of sauce on each roll, followed by a slice of ham and piece of cheese. Place a roll top on each. 

Move the sliders closely together. Slowly pour the remaining sauce right over the tops of these small beauties. 

Cover with aluminum foil and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Bake at 350F or place on an outdoor grill over low heat, for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Uncover and bake for another two minutes until the tops are slightly browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

Ham and Swiss Cheese Potato Bake

There is nothing like an awesome meal that
is quick and easy . . . this is comfort food!

Serves: 6

Prep. time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 65 minutes




1 package Betty Crocker® julienne potatoes
2 1/2 cups boiling water
2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, (4 ounces)
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs





Heat oven to 400°F.

Stir together potatoes, sauce mix and boiling water in
ungreased 2-quart casserole. Stir in milk, ham and cheese.

Bake uncovered 50 minutes; sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake 10 to 14 minutes longer or until top is golden brown.







Source: Betty Crocker® Cookbook

Ham and Broccoli Bake

SERVINGS: 8
CATEGORY: Main Dish
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep: 15 min. + chilling Bake: 35 min.


Ingredients:

1 loaf (8 ounces) day-old French bread, cubed
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper


Directions:

Toss bread cubes with butter. Place half in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with half of the cheese and broccoli; sprinkle with ham. Top with remaining broccoli, cheese and bread cubes.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and pepper. Pour over casserole. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.


Yield: 8 servings.


Source:
Taste of Home
October/November 2008 issue

Baked Smoked Ham

Ever since I found this recipe on David Ruggerio's PBS cooking show "Little Italy" (at least 15 years ago), it has been MY recipe for baked ham. I had tried various recipes, but this is "the one", even though it can get very messy putting the brown sugar on a very hot ham and ending up with burning hands. It is worth it!!

David Ruggerio remains my absolute favorite television chef even though he has not been on television since his unfortunate legal problems . . . not for me to judge! I do miss his sparkling wittypersonality, awesome recipes and "back in the day" stories that parallel my background and reminded me of my childhood . . . well, yeah, he's a sicilian italian. Come back David, your biggest fan misses you!

Here is the recipe for the most awesome baked ham ever . . .

1 large smoked ham, about 12 to 18 pounds
whole cloves
3 cups pineapple juice
I pound dark brown sugar
One 16-ounce bottle dark corn syrup

Preheat the oven to 325° F

Place the ham in a shallow pan. Score the fat and cover it with cloves. Pour the pineapple juice over the ham and bake for 12 minutes per pound.

After baking 1 1/2 hours, remove the ham from the oven and carefully (watch out . . . it is very hot) pat the brown sugar on top, completely covering the top of the ham. Gently pour the corn syrup over the ham, being careful not to disturb the sugar covering. Continue baking, basting every 15 minutes.

Remove the ham from the oven and continue basting until it is cooled, leaving a beautiful glazed look.

I use the remaining syrup as a "gravy" for the ham . . . added cornstarch makes it thicker. I don't measure . . . take a little cornstarch at a time until you get the desired consistency.

A video clip from the series "Little Italy"