ham – Loving Food, Fashion, & Life

Prosciutto & Asparagus Strata

Posted on June 19, 2014 by LFFL

Made with multigrain bread, eggs, milk, white wine, dry mustard, fresh grated nutmeg, salt & pepper, extra-virgin olive oil, onions, leeks, minced garlic, asparagus, scallions, Virginia ham, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, fresh parsley, fresh mint, and lemon zest.

I’m not sure what the difference is between a strata, frittata, and quiche but they’re all the same to me—gunk baked inside some eggs. Once again, I used Virginia ham instead of prosciutto in this recipe.

And I really love those round doohickies of fresh nutmeg, too. I like those suckers so much better than the already-ground nutmeg. Talk about FRESH and POTENT stuff.

Layer onions, leeks, and garlic.

Layer with asparagus.

Layer the meat on top.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake till done.

Recipe for—Prosciutto & Asparagus Strata

So, if you have nothing else to do today, make a nice strata, frittata, or quiche of sorts and buy some fresh nutmeg just for the sheer fun of grating it.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Fresh nutmeg can be some powerful stuff.

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Eggbert's Sunriser—A Hash Brown Goulash

Posted on March 1, 2014 by LFFL

Made with frozen diced hash browns, frozen steak fries, canola oil, salt & pepper, butter, onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, diced ham, sharp cheddar cheese, eggs, and salsa.

This was a big pile of goulash with a little bit of everything thrown into it—or so it seemed. I don’t think it really mattered what you put into this.

Once again, I must say—this would have probably tasted SO much better had I made my own hash browns from scratch instead of using the frozen store-bought kind that the recipe called for. I mean, I just followed recipe directions and, soon after, regretted getting the frozen variety.

I thought this was a pretty good dish for goulash, but “real” potatoes would have made a BIG difference—I know for a fact.

Melt the cheese in the oven.

Cook the steak fries.

Cook the hash browns.

Sautee the veggies & ham.

Top with shredded cheese.

Cheese melted.

And although a jalapeño is optional for this recipe, I did buy one just in case I wanted to use it. I’m not a spicy foods girl so I was reluctant to even bother with it. As I sliced the jalepeño, I made the mistake of chopping a teeny tiny part and tasting it. That was a HUGE MISTAKE!!! And I mean HUGE!

I didn’t realize my tongue and lips were going to burn for an eternity while I sucked ice cubes, drank milk, soaked cotton balls in milk and put them on my tongue, and everything else I could think of to put out the fire—OH THE MISERY!! Why would I think a piece of jalapeño THAT tiny would burn the dickens out of my mouth?!

Needless to say, that darn jalapeño went straight to the garbage and never made an appearance into the recipe or my LIFE ever again!

Once you’re done with the goulash, make some eggs to your liking and top the goulash with the eggs and some salsa.

Recipe for—Eggbert’s Sunriser

So, if you have nothing else to do today, try your hand at some hash brown goulash with some fresh potatoes.

Take-Away Life Lesson: NEVER pop a raw jalapeño piece into your mouth to taste it no matter how tiny of a piece it is unless you have about 30-45 minutes to set yourself on fire.

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A Deluxe Breakfast Bake
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A Deluxe Breakfast Bake

Posted on February 2, 2014 by LFFL

Made with garlic & cheese croutons, cheddar cheese, ham, eggs, milk, ground mustard, cream of mushroom soup, frozen hash browns, paprika, and pepper.

So I tried a breakfast bake that actually looked and sounded better in the food magazine than it actually did in real life. Well, I guess it looked just fine but the taste was just so-so. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as fabulous as I would have liked.

Needless to say, this won’t be staying around for my recipe binder. It was good enough that I was happy I had something to eat all week. It was just fine, but it didn’t have that “wow” factor. You know?

The croutons

Ham & cheese

Add the egg mixture

Spread the cream of mushroom

Top with shredded hashbrowns

And don’t get me started on frozen hash browns vs. freshly shredded potatoes. Talk about a taste difference! There is clearly a difference, people.

Recipe for—Deluxe Breakfast Bake

So, if you have nothing else to do today, try making your own breakfast bake putting your own little spin on it and concocting it your way.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Try using fresh potatoes where a recipe calls for frozen hash browns. I bet it’ll make loads of difference just with the potato taste alone.

McBreakfast Sandwich

Posted on December 28, 2013 by LFFL

Egg McMuffin with egg, ham, and cheese on an English muffin.

Well, it’s been ages and eons since I’ve really had anything from McDonald’s. But years ago I used to be a regular daily patron. Oh, yeah. That Double Cheeseburger Meal was a daily requirement for the likes of me—and supersize me please with those pimped out fries.

And if I ever made it for breakfast by 10:30am, it was an Egg McMuffin every single time. Mmm, mmm, mmm. And didn’t you just love those $1 muffin day sales? HONK, HONK—HERE I AM (at the window again)!!! I just love a good sale.

But, like I said, it’s been years since I’ve frequented the establishment. Once you start either a.) eating at better establishments or b.) home-cooking your own meals on a regular basis, you start to discover a very different kind of freshness and taste to your food.

And, well then, I mean……………….there’s just no turning back. Your taste buds just can’t handle going back in reverse.

As I was passing by McD’s, I made the dreaded mistake of making a quick stop at the drive-thru to order an old favorite. Ah, the memories I thought it’d bring back. But no such luck. There were no good memories after that first bite.

McDonald’s just doesn’t have the same baller status it used to have with me back in the day. That egg mcmuffin tasted NOTHING like I remembered it!

There was nothing fresh about it. It tasted blah and rubbery like it had been sitting around forever. And look at the pathetic processed cheese hanging out of it. Come on now.

So is it just ME? Has McDonald’s, in fact, always tasted this way and my taste buds just didn’t know anything different back then and I mistakenly thought that this was ‘the bomb’ cooking at one time? But once exposed to fine dining and freshly home-cooked meals for years afterwards, my taste buds knew there was no turning back? Or has McD’s gone downhill over the years?

Who knew what you once loved so much SO long ago could be so YUCK now if you haven’t had it in years? I’m telling you people—don’t make your taste buds cry like that. Just save yourself now.

I knew I should have just made my own egg muffin at home. I mean, how hard is it to slap a freshly cooked egg, piece of ham, and piece of gourmet cheddar cheese onto an English muffin and eat it fresh off the grill without letting it sit there for 8 hours first???!!!

So, if you have nothing else to do today, get an egg ring mold and make your very own freshly made egg muffin breakfast sandwich with a variety of fresh gourmet cheeses and eat it straight away after cooking.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Avoid fast-food establishments if your taste buds have been exposed to freshly home-cooked meals for several consecutive years (not to be confused with concurrent years). Otherwise don’t expect it to taste the same as it did back when all your taste buds ever knew existed was fast-food.

Macaroni & Cheese Pools

Posted on October 16, 2013 by LFFL

Made with wide egg noodles, butter, heavy cream, milk, flour, Fontina cheese, Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese, diced cooked ham, fresh Italian parsley, and salt & pepper.

This is my favorite macaroni & cheese ever—or at least so far. This is my go-to macaroni & cheese dish. The cheeses are perfection together and my taste buds know nothing better.

Recipe for—Macaroni & Cheese

Made with ziti pasta, milk, heavy cream, minced garlic cloves, Gruyère cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, butter, and salt & pepper.

Unfortunately, I could no longer find this recipe available on Colin Cowie’s website.

Macaroni & Cheese (The Neelys)

Macaroni & Cheese (Paula Deen)

Made with cavatappi pasta, butter, flour, milk, dry mustard, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, crushed potato chips, crumbled cooked bacon, and salt & pepper (on the left).

Recipe for—Macaroni & Cheese

Made with whole wheat elbow macaroni, cheddar cheese, evaporated milk, eggs, sour cream, Dijon mustard, salt, cayenne pepper, and Parmesan cheese (on the right).

Recipe for—Macaroni & Cheese

Macaroni & Cheese (Kraft Recipes)

Macaroni & Cheese (Art Smith)

Made with Velveeta macaroni & cheese dinner, cheddar cheese, sour cream, red pepper, Ritz crackers, and melted butter (on the left).

Recipe for—Macaroni & Cheese

Made with penne pasta, butter, flour, milk, extra-sharp cheddar cheese, hot sauce, Parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper (on the right).

Recipe for—Macaroni & Cheese

So, if you have nothing else to do today, make loads of different kinds of mac & cheeses until you find your favorites.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Make sure you have plenty of fiber close by to offset all the cheese you’ll be eating.

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Black-Eyed Peas With Bacon & Ham

Posted on September 29, 2013 by LFFL

Made with black-eyed peas, crumbled bacon, smoked ham, onions, scallions, green bell pepper, minced garlic cloves, dried thyme, butter, cayenne pepper, chicken broth, and salt & pepper. Served with Rice Pilaf made with long-grain brown rice, shallots, butter, chicken broth, and salt & pepper.

Oh, MAN! This is SO righteous! Now this is some GOOD STUFF. I couldn’t stop eating. The combination of all the flavors was crazy good.

Recipe for—Black-Eyed Peas with Bacon

Recipe for—Hoppin’ John

So, if you have nothing else to do today, make some Hoppin’ John black-eyed peas deliciousness.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Bacon and ham can amp up almost anything.

Pasta With Asparagus & Ham

Posted on September 28, 2013 by LFFL

Made with fettuccine, asparagus, Virginia ham, chopped garlic, thyme, dry white wine, heavy cream, nutmeg, Parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper.

Oh, for the love of pasta! I loved this recipe.

Since the prosciutto at the health food store was astronomical in price, I decided to use ham as a substitute which worked fabulously.

Recipe for—Pasta With Asparagus & Prosciutto

So, if you have nothing else to do today, love yourself some pasta dishes.

Take-Away Life Lesson: You can easily replace prosciutto with ham and replace pancetta with bacon. Good to know. Prosciutto and pancetta are much more expensive than ham and bacon.