Ham–Potato Bake

This is a great way to use leftover ham from Easter or Christmas dinner. It's basically scalloped potatoes with chunks of ham, so it's easy to throw together and, if your family is anything like mine, you can't go wrong with with potatoes, ham, and cheese!

Ingredients

1/2 c. chopped onion

4 Tbsp. butter

4 Tbsp. flour

2-1/2 c. milk

1-1/2 c. cheese

salt and pepper to taste

2 c. ham, cut into bite-sized pieces

6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

For sauce, cook onion in butter until tender.

Stir in flour, salt, and pepper.

Add milk all at once.

Add the cheese of your choice (I prefer cheddar, but as you can see on the day I made this, I used cheddar and Monterey Jack). The recipe calls for a cup and a half. Ahem. I use a lot more than that. Sometimes I chunk it; sometimes I shred.

Cook and stir until cheese is melted and

sauce is thickened and bubbly.

While sauce is cooking, you can peel and slice the potatoes.

Arrange half the sliced potatoes in a casserole dish.

Sprinkle half of the ham over the potatoes.

Cover with half the sauce. Repeat layers.

Bake, covered, in a 350° oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 minutes more (or until potatoes are tender). Let stand 5 minutes. Serves 6.

Salmon Patties with Creamed Peas

I give full credit for my love of seafood to my Grandma Christopher, because my earliest introduction to fish came by eating her tasty salmon patties smothered in yummy creamed peas. I never thought to get a copy of her recipe, so over the years I've had to combine and tweak recipes from various cookbooks to come up with this version. My kids insist that they hate fish, but they happily eat these . . .

SALMON PATTIES

4 Tbsp. butter

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1/2 c. onion, finely chopped

2 14.75-oz. can salmon (about 3-1/2 c. cooked salmon, if you're using fresh/frozen)

2/3 c. (or 2 slices) fine dry bread crumbs

1/2 c. shredded mozarella

2 Tbsp. parsley*

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dry mustard

2 eggs, lightly beaten

4 c. crushed saltine crackers

*parsley is optional. Sometimes I use it and sometimes I don't. To me, dried parsley doesn't add to the taste and often detracts with its texture. Fresh parsley works better, but you need to chop it up super fine.

CREAMED PEAS

3 c. frozen peas

1/4 c. onion, chopped

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. salt

pepper, to taste

2 c. milk (or half-and-half)

Cook onion and celery in butter until tender but not brown. Remove from heat.

Drain salmon, reserving liquid. REPEAT . . . DO NOT THROW AWAY THE LIQUID! Discard bones and skin from salmon; flake meat into a large bowl.

Add celery/onion mixture, bread crumbs, mozarella, parsley, lemon juice, salt, mustard, and eggs. Mix together well.

Add reserved liquid as necessary to moisten mixture (you want it to stick together and form a patty, but not be too mushy). This is a very non-scientific process and will vary each time; you decide by feel when you've got the texture that you want.

I prepare my cracker crumbs by sticking them in a baggie and running a rolling pin over them to crush them. Then I pour the crumbs into a pie plate.

Shape salmon mixture into about 12 patties and coat with cracker crumbs. Because my hands are a mess during this step, I find it's easiest to coat all the patties and place them onto waxed paper—I don't worry about cooking them until I've got them all formed and ready to go.

Many recipes call for frying patties in oil, which is a disaster—they'll just fall apart. A nonstick fry pan or griddle without any oil works best. Cook the patties over medium heat (about 5 minutes per side or until they look nice and golden brown). While the patties are cooking, make the creamed peas.

In a medium saucepan cook onion in butter until tender but not brown. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Whisk in milk, one cup at a time. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in peas; heat through. Season to taste.

Spoon creamed peas over patties and serve.

Tamale Pie

If you like Mexican food, this is the dish for you. I usually double the recipe and freeze the second pan.

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, chopped fine

1/2 envelope taco seasoning

1 (14-1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes in juice

1 (15 oz) can beans, black or kidney

1 c. fresh or frozen corn

1/2 c. cheese, cheddar or Monterey jack

4 c. water

3/4 tsp. salt

1-1/2 c. coarse cornmeal

Brown hamburger, onion, and taco seasoning. Drain.

Return beef mixture to skillet. Add tomatoes with their juice along with the beans and corn. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

For the crust, bring the water to a boil in a heavy-bottomed, large saucepan over high heat. Add the salt and then slowly pour in the cornmeal while whisking vigorously to prevent lumps from forming. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, whisking constantly, until the cornmeal begins to soften and the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Spread 2/3 of the cornmeal mixture (about 2-1/2 cups) over the bottom and up the sides of a baking dish. Place lid on top of the pan with the remaining cornmeal mixture to prevent it from drying out.

Spoon the beef mixture evenly into the dish and sprinkle with the cheese.

Spread the remaining cornmeal mixture evenly on top of the cheese, spreading it out to the edges of the pie plate to seal in the filling. Bake until the crust has set and the pie is heated through, 25–30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. * Adapted from American Classics *

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Chicken Pot Pie

This is an adaptation from a recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, American Classics. I use refrigerated pie crust and rotisserie chicken that I buy from the grocery store (time is money, and for only $5 to $8 I can get a whole chicken already roasted). I never use an entire chicken for just one pot pie; I either make two pot pies or I use the extra chicken for a different recipe on another day. The mushrooms are optional, as I know many families don't like them; I, however, love them so my kids either pick them out or ingest them by accident.

1 pie crust, refrigerated

1 roasted or rotisserie chicken

2 c. canned low-sodium chicken broth

1-1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped fine

3 med. carrots, peeled and cut 1/4" thick

2 small stalks celery, cut 1/4" thick

1 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced

salt and ground black pepper

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 c. flour

1-1/2 c. milk (I've also used low-fat half-and-half, which is yummy)

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 c. frozen green peas, thawed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat olive oil in pan, then sautè onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms until just tender (about 5 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper. While veggies are sautèing, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a bowl with the chicken; set aside.

Melt the butter over medium heat in the empty pan. When the foaming subsides, add the flour; cook about 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken broth, milk, and thyme. Bring to a simmer, then continue to simmer until the sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture; stir to combine. Stir in the peas. Adjust the seasonings. (Can be covered and refrigerated overnight; reheat before topping with the pastry.) Pour the mixture into a pie plate and top with pie crust.

Bake until the pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes.

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Taco Lasagna

This tasty Mexican twist to lasagna uses tortillas instead of pasta and cheddar instead of mozarella.

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef

1/2 c. green pepper, chopped

1/2 c. onion, chopped

2/3 c. water

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 14-1/2 oz. can Mexican diced tomatoes, undrained

6 flour tortillas

1 16-oz. can refried beans

3 c. shredded cheese, Mexican blend

Start browning the beef (I'm using moose hamburger).

Chop up the green pepper and onion, and cook them along with the browning beef.

After draining the meat, return skillet to stove and add the taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir in the tomatoes and beans. (I didn't have black beans on hand, so I used kidney beans instead.)

Mix everything together, then simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

Grease a 13x9x2 baking dish and place the first layer: tortillas.

Spread 1/3 of the refried beans over tortillas.

Spoon 1/3 of the meat mixture over refried beans.

It's starting to look good!

Next layer: cheese.

Don't be stingy with that cheese!

Repeat layers twice more. I finish it off with 6 slices of cheddar, arranged on top (think squares of mozarella on the top of lasagna). Cover the dish with aluminum foil and stick it in a 350 oven for 25 minutes.

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Heavenly Halibut

This is an adaptation of my dad's recipe. He never measures, so I did my best to write some approximations down.  It's all about "to taste."

Butter a casserole dish. Place halibut fillets or steaks in dish and dab the fish with butter pats.

Season to taste (salt, lemon pepper, garlic powder, and dill).

Mix mayonnaise (2 cups), sour cream (1 cup), and dry mustard (1-1/2 Tbsp); slather over halibut.

Don't be stingy with the mayo mixture; liberally coating all the pieces of fish will keep them tender (and it bakes into a yummy sauce).

Sprinkle chopped green onions, sliced fresh mushrooms, and grated cheese over entire dish.

Cover and bake at 350, about 35–45 minutes (depending on thickness of fillets). Use a fork to check the halibut . . . you want the meat tender and flaky, not rubbery (overcooked) or translucent (undercooked).

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Dijon Pork Chops

Yet another recipe adapted from Taste of Home's Quick Cooking. I don't think it's possible to find an easier way to prepare pork chops, short of ripping them out of the package and throwing them unseasoned on a grill. The dijon gives them a yummy tang and the bread crumbs provide a nice texture.

6 pork chops

1/2 c.  Dijon mustard

1 c. seasoned bread crumbs

peppercorns

Liberally spread mustard on both sides of pork chops. Place in a greased shallow baking dish. Grind pepper over the chops. Lightly press bread crumbs onto tops of chops.

Bake uncovered at 375 for about 30 minutes, unless you're baking them at the same time as potatoes—then give yourself about 45 minutes.

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Sour Cream Enchiladas

The first time I ever ate this meal was at Marv and Emagene Hartshorn's house in Haines, Alaska. My mom took home the recipe and it became a family favorite. Decades later, I've adapted the recipe for my own family. My husband and kids love this dish, and it's always been a winner with company. I usually double the recipe, and freeze a pan for later.

1-1/2 lb. ground beef*

1/2 c. onion, chopped

1/2 envelope taco seasoning

8 whole wheat flour tortillas

1/2 c. mild taco sauce

1 c. shredded cheese, Mexican blend

4 Tbsp. butter

6 Tbs. flour

2 tsp. OR 2 cubes instant chicken bouillon granules

2 c. water

1 c. sour cream

1 sm. can green chiles, chopped

*I've also used shredded chicken, which is quite tasty

Cook beef, onion, and taco seasoning. Drain.

Divide meat between tortillas. Top each with 1 Tbsp. taco sauce and 1 Tbsp. cheese.

Roll up. Place seam side down in baking dish.

(This is the perfect recipe to use whole wheat or multigrain tortillas, because the sauce is so yummy, your family will never even notice the switcheroo.) Speaking of sauce . . .

Melt butter, blend in flour, stir in bouillon granules, and water.

Cook uncovered until mixture thickens and bubbles. Slowly and gently stir in sour cream and chiles.

We're almost done . . .

Pour sauce over tortillas.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Cover the enchiladas with tin foil and bake at 350° until hot (about 25 minutes).

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