What to do with all that Ham

We had ham for Christmas dinner.  It was a big ham, and we've had some leftovers.

Besides sandwiches, what have we done with all of that ham?

Western Omelets
Cubed Ham
Diced Onions and Bell Peppers
Eggs
Dash of Milk
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

• Saute the ham, onions, and peppers.  When the onions turn translucent, remove from pan and set aside.  Keep the pan on the burner and keep the burner on.
• In a large bowl, crack the eggs (I use 2 for me), add a dash of milk, and whisk the eggs and milk together until light and fluffy.
• Spray the cooking pan with non-stick spray. 
• Slowly add the eggs to the pan.  Since the pan is already hot, the pan should "grab" the eggs as you add them and they should start to cook quickly.  Using a rubber spatula, pull up the edges of the eggs and allow the raw egg to flow into that portion of the pan.
• When the eggs have set, add the ham mixture and the cheese.  Very gently, fold the omelet in half as you slide the omelet out of the pan and onto a plate.

Stir Fry Rice
3 cups of rice, cooked
Diced Ham
Diced veggies - carrots, bell pepper, celery, onion, etc.
Soy Sauce

• In a skillet over med-high heat, add a chug of olive oil.
• Saute the ham and veggies in the oil until heated through.
• Add rice, stir constantly for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat, add soy sauce to taste.

Note- if you want, you can scramble an egg to add to your stir fry.  Do this first, remove the eggs, and then follow the rest of the directions.  Add the egg back in after you remove the skillet from the heat, but before you add the soy sauce.

Split Pea Soup
6 cups water
4 chicken bullion cubes
(see my recipe for bullion cubes here:http://mini-van-mom.blogspot.com/2013/06/blog-post.html)
2 cups split peas. dried
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp thyme
1 Bay leaf
1/2 tsp pepper
1 ham bone, make sure it's got meat on it.  If it doesn't have enough meat, chop up some leftover ham and add it.

• In the slow cooker, add all of the ingredients listed above.  Add the split peas, and make sure that the ham bone is snuggled down in the beans.  If the water does not completely cover the soup with two inches to spare, add more water.  For every extra cup of water, add another bullion cube.
• Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
•  Stir well before serving.

There are those awkward ends and chunks of ham that are too small for sandwiches.  What to do with those?  I diced a lot of ham and froze it in one cup servings in sandwich bags.  1 cup is a perfect size to add to most recipes.  The end of the ham, I chopped in half with the help of a butcher knife.  The ends have been frozen and added to the "stuff" for future soups.  I have bones, ends of meat, etc, that I save in vacuum sealed bags in the freezer.  I label the outside of the bag, because while it's easy to tell what kind of bones I have from the outside, it's very difficult to tell what the contents are when I pull out a frozen mass.  Chicken bones?  Beef Bones?  Two soups I approach very differently!  I actually have a section of my freezer set aside for soup "stuff'.  You know that basket that sits across the top of a chest freezer?  That's where I keep my soup stuff.

With just a little pre-planning, you can set yourself up to have things on hand in your freezer that will save you time and money down the line.  Even though you might have to remember to pull stuff out the night before, it's well worth the effort!

What did you do with your leftovers from Christmas?