Barbecued Pork Salad

 A few weeks ago, I needed to fix something for my lunch at work.  When I checked out my fridge, I found I had some roast pork, celery, onion, red pepper, radishes, some cooked asparagus and some black olives.  The roast pork had been glazed with a barbecue sauce so I decided to play that up by using some barbecue sauce in the salad.  It turned out to be a very tasty lunch that I will make again, probably this week since I made another pork roast today.  Since asparagus season is over here, I will  add some frozen, thawed peas.  The recipe is for just one serving, but it could be easily multiplied to serve more.

Barbecued Pork Salad
1/2 c. chopped cooked roast pork, chicken, ham or beef
1 to 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 thin slices onion, finely chopped
1/3 c. red pepper, chopped
3 to 4 radishes, quartered and sliced
6 spears asparagus, chopped
3 to 4 black olives, halved and sliced
2 T. mayonnaise
1 T. barbecue sauce
barbecue spice
croutons

Combine pork, celery, onion, red pepper, radishes, asparagus,and olives in a small bowl.  In another small bowl combine mayonnaise and barbecue sauce until well blended.  Combine with pork and vegetables until well blended.  Sprinkle with a dash of barbecue spice.  Chill and serve topped with croutons.  Makes 1 serving

Linking to these great parties:
Make the Scene Monday
Monday Funday
Manic Monday
Sweet Sharing Monday
Inspiration Monday
Busy Monday
Made by You Monday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Recipe Sharing Monday
Mix It Up Monday
Marvelous Monday

Ingredient Spotlight-Ham and Bean Soup

Although I like bean soup, I don’t make it often as beans are not hubby’s favorite thing.  However there was a bone left from the Easter ham which turned out to have great flavor so I knew I needed to make soup. 

I like to pour the ham drippings into a container and put them in the refrigerator to let the fat harden.  I then add the drippings to the water for the soup to enhance the flavor.  This particular ham bone had lots of meat on it so there was plenty for the soup.

I like lots of veggies in my soups so add onion, celery, carrots, red pepper and even cubed potatoes on occasion.   People who don’t eat some veggies served other ways seem to eat them in soup.  Vary the type and amount of herb to your liking.

Normally I make this soup a day ahead, let it sit in the fridge over night, skim off any fat that is on the top, reheat the soup and serve it with hot corn bread to sop up the liquid in the bottom of the soup bowl.

Ham and Bean Soup
1 lb. favorite white bean, pick over and discard any small rocks, etc. that might be in the beans
2 qt. water for soaking
1 ham bone
2 qt. water for cooking soup
any defatted ham drippings you might have (opt.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 bay leaves
1 medium onion chopped
1 c, diced celery
1 c. diced carrots
1/3 c. diced red pepper (opt.)
1 t. marjoram
salt and pepper to taste
additional water if desired

Pour 2 qt. water over beans and let stand over night.  Drain and rinse OR bring beans and water to a boil and boil 2 minutes.  Cover and let soak 1 hour.  Drain and rinse beans.  Put beans in cooking pot and cover with 2 qts. water.  Add any ham drippings and mix well.  Nestle ham bone in center of beans.  Add minced garlic and bay leaves.  Bring pot to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer 1 hour or until beans are crisp tender.  Add onion, celery, carrots, red pepper, marjoram and continue cooking until vegetables are tender, about 1 more hour.  At about 45 minutes, remove ham bone let cool and remove any ham still left clinging to the bone.  Add ham back into soup pot.  Discard ham bone.  Add additional water if soup seems a little thick.  Heat through.  Ladle into bowls and serve.  I usually let each person season their own bowl with salt and pepper to taste.  Easily serves 6 to 8.

Linking to:  Ingredient Spotlight

The Convenience of Ready Cooked Potatoes

One of the most convenient things to have in your kitchen is some refrigerated, all-ready-cooked potatoes.  Of course, frozen potatoes have been available at the grocery stores for a long time, and refrigerated potatoes have shown up in recent years.  It doesn’t take much effort, however, to make a supply of all-ready-cooked potatoes yourself.  Russets, reds, and Yukon gold potatoes are all varieties that can be cooked up and kept on hand for a few days.

I like to select whole potatoes of a similar size and steam them until they are just tender, but the potatoes can also be boiled, and Russets can be baked in the oven or the microwave.  There is no need to peel that potatoes before cooking.  Reds and Yukon golds can be served with the skins on.  My hubby doesn’t like the skin on any type of potato, so I do peel them after cooking.  The potatoes can be grated for hash browns and cubed for soup and other dishes.

So with all-ready cooked potatoes, you can make country hash browns.  We all probably have our favorite recipe for these.

You can make potato soup.  I posted one of my two favorite potato soup recipes here.

You can use the potatoes to make sauced potatoes.  Just cube the potatoes and add them to white sauce, cheese sauce, curry flavored sauce or other flavors.  Make the amount of sauce necessary for the amount of potatoes you are using.

One of my favorite things to do with all-ready cooked potatoes is to make a Meat, Potato, Egg Scramble.  As Rachael Ray says this can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  The meat can be almost whatever you have on hand:  sausage, bacon, ham cubes, Italian sausage, ground beef, link sausage-just whatever you have on hand.  If you cook the meat ahead of time, this is very quick to put together.  It may be changed up by using different seasonings.  I use chili powder and cumin for southwest, Greek seasoning for Greek, Italian seasoning or oregano and fennel seeds for Italian.  I use other seasoning blends, mainly whatever I am in the mood for.

Meat, Potato, Egg Scramble
1/2 to1 lb. meat or bacon, cooked
or 6 slices bacon, cooked
3 T. bacon grease, butter, margarine, olive or salad oil
1/3 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped red or green pepper (opt.)
6 potatoes, cooked and cubed
1 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
4 to 6 eggs, depending on how many people are eating
2 T. milk for 4 eggs and 3 T. milk for 6 eggs
Shredded cheese of your choice (opt.)

Heat bacon grease or other fat in a large skillet.  Add onion and pepper and cook about 5 minutes.  Add potatoes, salt and pepper and other seasonings of choice.  Cook until potatoes are golden brown, turning occasionally.  Add meat of choice and continue cooking until it is heated through.   In a bowl, mix eggs with milk until well blended.  Pour over potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally until the eggs have set.  Sprinkle cheese over the top and let melt or serve cheese on the side to sprinkle over individual servings.  Serves 6.  Reheat leftovers in the microwave or a skillet.

Linked to:  It's a Keeper Thursday
Tastetastic Thursday
What's Cooking Thursdays
Creative Juices
Low-Cost Food Challenge Link Up
Full Plate Thursday
Twisted Thursday

Confetti Potato and Ham Soup

As I have said, although I cook a night meal only three time a week, I make lunch almost every day.  That means, I make soup a lot.  With fall rapidly approaching, I will be making it more and more.

Last week I shopped at a new-to-me grocery store.  Grocery Outlet, which I think may be a little like the Aldis in other areas of the country.  I went there because they advertised bacon at $2.99 a lb., which is an excellent price for bacon here in our area right now.  The store happened to have some Oscar Mayer Deli Select ham at .50 a package as it was the sell-by date.  I picked up two packages, put one in the freezer, and used the other one in the soup I made today.

I love potato soup and have two favorite recipes.  I used one as the base for today’s soup.  It came off a email list a number of years ago from someone named Brandi and was called Chunky Potato Soup.  I have added and modified the ingredients over the years and now call it Confetti Potato Soup.  I like the additional color that the celery and red pepper give to the soup.  Diced carrots, frozen peas, or corn could be added to make this even more confetti-like.  Peppers of other colors could be used also.

I think the addition of the potato-cooking water and the little bit of sugar make this a great tasting soup, and I make it often.  It is easily put together in less than an hour.  The soup thickens upon standing so leftovers may need a little bit of milk or water added when reheating.

Confetti Potato and Ham Soup
3  medium  potatoes
2  cups  water
1 small  onion,  diced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/3 c. chopped red pepper
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour                     
1 qt. milk (4 c.)
1/2  t. sugar
salt and pepper to taste (I use Spice Islands Sea Salt and Pepper Grinders)
1/2 to 1 c. cubed, cooked ham or crisp cooked bacon (optional)
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)

Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes.  Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain potatoes reserving liquid.  Set aside potatoes and 1 cup of cooking water.  While potatoes are cooking, melt butter in another large saucepan.  Add onions, celery, and red pepper and cook until tender, stirring frequently.  Add flour and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.  Mix in reserved cooking water and sugar.  Stir well.  Gradually add milk stirring frequently.  Add  potatoes and ham.  Simmer over low heat 20-30 minutes, stirring often.  May either stir cheese into soup or use as a garnish when serving.  Serves 8.

Linking to:  It's a Keeper Thursday
Full Plate Thursday
Ingredient Spotlight