Delicious ham salad

Ham salad is my favorite sandwich stuffing salads. Being the type who never likes to waste anything, this began as a way to use leftover ham after Easter or any other time I make a large baked ham. My mom used to make ham salad when I was a child so this has a sentimental aspect for me as well. The recipe is pretty basic with only four ingredients.

• 4 cups of chopped ham
• 2/3 cups mayonnaise (I like Hellmanns)
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon is what I use)
• 2 large dill pickles cut

My mom always used a meat grinder that attaches to the table to chop the meat and the pickles. I don’t have a hand grinder so I use my food processor. Place the pickles on some paper towel and drain as much of the liquid off of them as possible before you run them through. Chop the ham into smallish pieces, it results in a more consistent spread.

Add the mayonnaise and mustard to the ground ham and pickles. Now I have to tell you, my mom never used Dijon mustard, she used dry mustard and that has a very good taste as well. If Dijon is a not a favorite of yours, you can use yellow mustard or a spicy brown mustard.  

Rye bread or a hard roll makes a good base for your sandwich. Add some lettuce and tomato and you have a fantastic ham salad sandwich.

This recipe for ham salad can be altered several ways. Instead of the dill pickles, you can add sweet pickles or green pickle relish (both sweet and dill work). If you are in a hurry, they sell ham in a can that can be used in place of the baked ham and honestly, over the years we have used this quite often with great success, just use a little less mayo and mustard.

If you are looking for a unique and interesting combination try using half ham and half chicken.

• 2 cups ham chopped
• 2 cup chopped chicken
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup seedless grapes chopped in half cup
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Grind the ham and the chicken and add the rest of the ingredients. Serve on French bread or a bed of arugula. The salt of the ham complements the chicken very well.

The next time you bake a ham, you will be looking forward to using the leftovers to make some delicious ham salad.

Slow Cooker Meals: Beef Stroganoff

I love to use my slow cooker and Al loves beef stroganoff so it is a no-brainer.  I found some sirloin tips on sale Monday at Tri-Town Market and right away I thought beef stroganoff. They also had mushrooms on sale so I bought a package. 

My package of beef was not quite a pound. I cut it into small pieces. 

What you need:

Good quality beef stew meat  about a pound 
1 can cream of celery soup
I container sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup sour cream
1 envelope Lipton beefy onion soup
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 pot Knorr beef stock 

1/2 bag of egg noodles


Place everything except the egg noodles into the crock pot, mix well and cook on high for 5-6 hours. Add the noodles and cook for 15 or 20 minutes longer.  I used my small crockpot for this. It made enough for us to have dinner and enough for leftovers tomorrow. 

Eat and enjoy. 

Making a perfect Boeuf Bourguignon

Boeuf Bourguignon is a very traditional French meal and one that every cook should have in her repertoire. It is a piece of beef pot roast cooked slowly to develop the flavors. A bottle of good Burgundy wine will supply both the wine for the recipe and the wine to accompany your meal.

What you will need:

1 boneless 3 lb. sirloin roast
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 slices of bacon diced
2 medium carrots, sliced
8 small new potatoes cut into four pieces
10 mushrooms sliced
24 pearl onions
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 bay leave
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
2 1/2 cups Burgundy wine

Place the flour on a plate and coat the roast on all sides.

In a skillet cook the bacon slowly until it is almost fully cooked. Remove bacon from the pan and place the beef roast into the skillet and brown. Turn it as many times as necessary. Get a beef pot roast cooking bag. Add the carrots, potatoes, mushroom, onions, garlic and spices, beef and bacon to the bottom of the bag. Slowly add the wine and seal the bag. Make a few air holes in the bag. Cook in a 350-degree oven for two hours. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before cutting the bag open and plating the roast.

Serve with French bread and butter. Add a round of brie and fruit for dessert and you have a wonderfully impressive and delicious French wine beef pot roast meal.

Boeuf Bourguignon has its roots in the region of France known as Burgundy. Since Burgundy is a wine growing area, it is not surprising that one of their most popular dishes includes the local wine. It also uses a very specific type of beef which is raised in southern Burgundy, the Charolais cattle, known for their tenderness. It was the renowned French chef Escoffier who first turned this peasant dish into haute cuisine. Later, it became a classic dish in the repertoire of Julia Child and through her into many an American kitchen.

When the air is starting to develop a chill and the days are growing shorter, sitting down to this traditional meal will warm the body and the soul. Just the smell wafting through your home will bring the family running to see what tempting delight you have on the stove. You can feel free to act as if the whole process has exhausted you; they never have to know the truth.

What exactly is a smorgasbord

A smorgasbord is a Scandinavian buffet-style dinner. It translates as a sandwich board and was the way that Swedes served guests who had visited from far away. The dishes that were on the buffet could usually be kept fresh for several days. The word, however, has been used to describe just about any type of buffet style dinner. It is commonly used in the Pennsylvania Dutch area of Pennsylvania.

In Sweden, the smorgasbord has been popular since the early 18th century. The foods are not all loaded onto one plate as we do in the United States. Each dish should be eaten on a clean plate. The traditional meal will begin with a plate of cheese and perhaps some smoked meat and crackers. These can be served on a table with alcoholic beverages such as vodka.

A traditional smorgasbord will have a wide variety of fish dishes. These can include salmon, herring, shrimp, and eel. These are usually cold and served in the first course.

Dishes such as smoked, salted or pickled herring as well as smoked salmon or gravlax are common. Matjesill Herring, which is a sugar cured canned variety of herring is a choice that most Swede’s would automatically recognize. These can be served with boiled potatoes. All of the fish dishes will be served with appropriate sauces which can include sour cream and chives among others. Crisp dark bread and cheeses may also be part of this course. Platters f cold sliced meats such as ham, pate, and sausages round out the offering of this course.

The next course can be warm fish and meat dishes. One option is meatballs served with lingonberry jelly. The meats can include such things as ham and roast beef and perhaps a warm salmon dish. There will also be cold salads and hot vegetables. Potato salad and beetroot salad are traditional choices. The traditional sauces for the meat and salmon will also be included. During the holidays, lutefisk is commonly served on the smorgasbord.

Finally, it is time for the final course which is the dessert course. This will also include coffee served with cream and sugar. Dessert may include fresh fruit, chocolates and a variety of cakes.

To recreate a traditional smorgasbord at home, it may be necessary to adjust the recipes a bit. Smoked salmon is a common dish and will be enjoyed by just about everyone but some of the other fish dishes may seem quite foreign which of course they are. Cold cuts like sliced ham, bologna and salami will fit in nicely with some mustard sauce. Potato salad is a good choice as well as a Waldorf salad. This will be an Americanized version that will give you a traditional feel without all the unusual dishes.

Party dips: Seven layer dip

One of the all-time favorite party dips is the seven layer dip. This is not a new dip, it has been making the rounds in one form or another for more than 20 years. What makes it so popular is that it is simple to make and even though it has a lot of ingredients, all of them are easy to find and inexpensive. It can also be changed up easily but using special purple or blue tortilla chips, celery, and carrots or a well-flavored crostini. You can serve it over and over again and with simple changes it never gets old.

The first thing to do is to decide what serving dish you want to use. Clear glass or crystal is a good choice since visually it is quite stunning but any deep bowl will do.

You will need one pound of ground beef. Any leanness is fine just be sure to drain the fat is the percentage is high. If you like to make your own taco seasoning that is great but for the rest of us, a package of taco seasoning gets added at this point. Put it aside to cool.

Open and drain a 16 ounce can of refried beans, this is the first layer of the dip. I prefer to add a layer of shredded lettuce to the bottom of the bowl, I find it aesthetically more pleasing but it is not the traditional way to do it. Spread the beans out in a nice even layer.

The second layer is the cheese layer. This is fresh grated cheese and you can use cheddar, Colby or Monterey jack. You can buy pre-shredded packages of taco flavored cheese or you can just grate your own. Just be sure that you have two cups of whatever flavor you prefer. Sprinkle it evenly over the top of the refried beans.

Layer number three is the drained ground beef. Using a large spoon, slotted works well, place the meat on top of the cheese.

Layer number four is guacamole. Nothing is quite as good as homemade guacamole however it does take time and if you are in a hurry, store prepared guacamole will work just fine. Spread it carefully and evenly over top of the seasoned beef.

Sour cream is the next layer. Some people like to mix it with cream cheese but that is not necessary. Place it in dollops on top of the guacamole. Now pour a jar of salsa over the sour cream. You need to do this carefully so as not to displace the sour cream. Pink sour cream is not a look you are going for.

The final layer is a combination of ingredients. Shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and scallions, a can of drained sliced black olives and another cup of shredded cheese.

Allow the dip to sit before serving, it allows flavor to develop. Place you bowl in the center of a large attractive platter. Place whatever you are using for dippers around your bowl on a platter and you are ready to wow you guests. Be sure to have the recipe handy since there is rarely an occasion when it is not requested at least once.

Ingredient list:
1 head lettuce
1 large tomato
1 bundle scallions
1 16 ounce can sliced olives
1 16 ounce container of sour cream
1 16 ounce container guacamole
3 cups shredded cheese
1 pound ground beef
1 16 ounce can refried beans
1 16 ounce jar of salsa
1 package taco seasoning
Tortilla chips, crudité, and crostini

Special thanks to my friend Andrea for her recipe. She is the one who always brings this dip to parties.

Student Prince Springfield, Mass.

At a recent visit to the Marriott in downtown Springfield, Kathy and I walked over to Student Prince for dinner. It is about a two and a half block walk. We have eaten here before and we know that they serve some mighty fine German food. 

Luckily for us, it was Restaurant week in Springfield and the Student Prince participates. You get a three-course prix-fixe meal for $20.17. Several choices were offered for each course. 

I began with the deep fried Brussels sprouts and followed with the Kaiser schnitzel. With the main course, you get the choice of one side and I chose the sweet and sour red cabbage. 

For dessert, we had the choice of cheesecake or blueberry cake. 

I loved the Brussels sprouts, they were crispy and sweet, pure heaven. The Kaiser schnitzel was thin pork cutlets with wonderful brown gravy with mushrooms. The red cabbage is divine. I was not in love with the blueberry cake but the cheesecake was very nice. 

We had very good service and the atmosphere here is very European hunting lodge rustic. If you are not staying in downtown Springfield, you don't have to worry about parking, Student Prince offers valet and you will be glad to let them take all the stress our of it for you. 

Making the perfect cucumber sandwich

The cucumber sandwich is a staple of the English Tea. Afternoon tea is typically served from 3 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.and is intended to hold one over until a late dinner. Afternoon gatherings and showers are good places to showcase this simple but delicious recipe. Here is the recipe for a perfect cucumber sandwich.

1 English cucumber
1 stick of soft butter
1 loaf of soft white bread
Salt and pepper to taste

Begin by peeling the cucumber. Cut it into two pieces. I used a mandolin to slices the cucumber very thin. Take your colander and line it with paper towel, place the sliced cucumber in the colander and cover with more paper towel. I used a large jar candle to put pressure on the cucumbers. What you want to do is drain all the water out of the cucumbers.

Cut all the crusts off of the bread. Butter both slices of the bread for each sandwich. Let the cucumbers drain for 15 minutes, then change the paper towel. Let it sit another 15 minutes. Place the cucumbers in a double layer on one side of the bread and add salt and pepper. Put the sandwiches together and press tightly together. Cut diagonally into four triangular sandwiches.

This will produce 28 small triangles, enough for 7 servings.

You can vary the recipe by changing to a whole grain bread or by using mayonnaise instead of butter. During the summer, fresh tomatoes may also be added. To make it extra special, take 1 small brick of cream cheese and allow to soften to room temperature. Blend in 1 teaspoon of crushed mint leaves or dill. Spread on the bread and add cucumber.

Another option is to slice the cucumber thin, in a small bowl mix 1 cup sour cream and 2 teaspoons of dill. Add the cucumber and allow to marinate for half hour. Shake off the excess and serve of thinly sliced rye bread spread with mayonnaise.

If you are planning a tea, you can add smoked salmon sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, and ham sandwiches. You need to make the cucumber sandwiches at the last minute since they tend to become soggy very quickly. That is why the step to remove the water is so important.

Boil plenty of hot water, have a choice of teas and serve the tea with lumps of sugar and milk.  It’s a fun way to have a very British experience at home and especially in the summer is a light and refreshing choice.