Recipe: Leftover Ham And Cheese Stratta

Yum - this makes a great breakfast!  Or even lunch, for that matter.... This is a great way to use up some of that leftover ham from your Easter dinner. Breakfast favorites you probably already have on hand like milk, eggs, and bread are spiced up with green onions, mustard, and cayenne pepper, while bacon adds its signature smoky flavor to the mix. Use whatever cheese you like - from fancy to simple - it will be delicious either way!

Leftover Ham And Cheese Stratta(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

Preparing for strata. (Photo credit: digitalprimate)

2 cups milk (preferably whole, organic, and non-homogenized)
1 cup chopped green onions
4 eggs (free range)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
10 cups bread, cut into cubes
1 cup diced ham
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyere or any cheese you have
4 natural-cured bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

1. Lightly spray or rub a baking dish with oil.
2. In a large bowl, combine milk, green onions, eggs, mustard, and pepper, and whisk until well blended.
3. Add bread cubes and ham to the bowl and stir to combine. 
4. Pour mixture into baking dish, then sprinkle cheese evenly over the top.
5. Cover and put in refrigerator overnight.
6. When ready to bake, remove dish from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature while you preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Uncover dish, and bake for 20 minutes.
8. Fry the bacon and sprinkle over the top of the dish, then put back in oven and continue baking for 15 minutes or until hot and eggs are set and cheese has started to brown. (Serves 4 to 6 and can easily be doubled.)

What to Do With Easter Dinner Leftovers?

The day after a holiday, often leftovers become old news. We eat them, because we don't want all our hard work of the day before to go to waste, but really we're not that enthusiastic about them - they've kind of lost their appeal. But your leftovers don't have to be a reheated repeat of last night's dinner. You can take your leftovers in a whole new direction by thinking about them in a whole new way.  It can be a challenge to arrange your leftovers into a main course without getting bored, but it can be done. Let's take a look at how to serve up a follow-up meal with as much excitement as the first time around.

Spicy Moves

Yay! Love those leftovers.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Trying to remake your leftovers into a main dish can seem pretty overwhelming at first. But, just like cooking a dish the first time, often the end result depends on the spices and seasonings. Take a look in your spice cabinet and you'll probably see a dozen or more ways to perk things up again. Open your refrigerator and look at the different mustard, salsas, hot sauces, vinegars, and other ingredients that can add new life to your leftovers.

Leftover green bean casserole can be given a new Asian inspired direction. Heat with teriyaki, soy sauce, and maybe a little sesame oil, toss with bean sprouts and chopped water chestnuts and wrap in wontons or serve over cooked rice. Instead of just using your leftover ham in yet another sandwich remake classic, marinate cut up chunks Cajun style in a little cumin, cayenne pepper, thyme, hot sauce, smoked paprika and a bit of oil and vinegar and add to gumbo or jambalaya. Think of the seasonings you like in other meals and take your leftovers for a trip to that side of the taste palate.

Put On a Fresh Face

Leftovers are often unappreciated as a replayed main course because the dishes just don't have the pizazz they did the night before. One of the reasons is that chilled foods can lose their color, aroma, or texture. It is important, if you want to successfully use your leftovers as a main course, to recreate the appeal in new ways.

If mashed potatoes are on the menu two days in a row, using the leftovers the second night takes some planning. The first night you may want to have smashed potatoes instead. Just lightly smash the potatoes with a hand-held masher with butter, salt and pepper and serve. These rustic potatoes are very appealing the first night, but boring the second. For the repeat, throw the potatoes in a bowl, add room temperature cream cheese, a touch of sour cream, more butter, and even some chopped chives, then whip with an electric mixer until fluffy. Blending in fresh herbs with leftovers that have lost their appeal overnight in the refrigerator is often all it takes to bring back the excitement of your favorite dishes.

Leftover ham (Photo credit: kregarious)

Costume Change Time

It is believed that almost 80% of a dish's enjoyment comes from senses other than taste, like aroma and appearance. If you take the time to make your dish look appealing and smell divine, it will usually taste better, too. This is especially important for leftovers since you have already experienced the flavors and your palate could get bored if repeated.

When you dish up that leftover piece of ham, is there a pleasing aroma that makes you anxious to enjoy it?  The spices and seasonings from the first night's dinner have probably faded in the refrigerator.  Kick it up a notch by refreshing the seasonings, or pop it in the oven for a few minutes with sprinkling of brown sugar on top - that will really get your taste buds going! A variety of color, textures, heights, and aromas can, and does, make your leftovers taste better the second time around.

There are lots of ways to turn your leftovers into a great main course the second, third, or even fourth time around. It takes imaginative seasoning, creative construction, an eye for style, and a nose for all the fabulous aromas that cooking has to offer. Does that sound like a tall order?  It really isn't, all it takes is experimenting with what you already know to find the talent waiting in the wings (or fridge)!

Recipe - Devilish Spicy Eggs

 A classic picnic treat, deviled eggs are also a great appetizer for Easter - you'll need a way to use up all those Easter eggs anyway, right? What better way than a tasty classic with a spicy twist! Try these at your Easter brunch or dinner, or just your next picnic or barbecue - they're sure to be a hit!

Devilish Spicy Eggs
(Makes 24 appetizers.)

Deviled Eggs shot during the Inaugural Portable Potluck Project on March 23, 2008. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Ingredients:
12 large eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon grated onion
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon good mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper to taste
paprika to taste
parsley for garnish

Instructions:

1. Fill a large pot with cold water and add eggs along with a tablespoon of white vinegar (this helps keep the white from leaking out of any cracked shells.)
2. Bring the pot to a good rolling boil, put cover on pot, remove from heat and let stand for exactly 13 minutes.
3. Meanwhile fill a large bowl with ice cubes and cold water and set in sink. As soon as timer goes off, remove eggs from water and immediately put eggs in ice water bath to cool quickly (this prevents the yolks from turning green.)
4. When the eggs are cold, peel. (Hit egg on fat end, then roll on counter to crack completely to make peeling as easy as possible.  Hint: If you're using fresh eggs from a farmer's market or your own chickens, they won't peel as well. Store in refrigerator for a week or two before using, to make them easier to peel.)
5. Taking a sharp knife, cut the eggs in half lengthwise and remove the yolks carefully, putting them in a bowl.
6. Add to the yolks the mayonnaise, jalapeno, cumin, mustard, and cayenne pepper. Mash and mix together until smooth and creamy, then stir in salt, black pepper, and paprika to taste.
7. Fill egg white halves with yolk mixture. Top with a sprig of parsley if desired.
8. Store in refrigerator until needed and serve cool.

Cooking Tips for An Easter Dinner That Will Impress Without the Stress

Easter is another one of those days that brings friends and family together. There are many great dishes and plans that can be made for Easter dinner depending on where in the world you may be celebrating. Just remember to try to avoid making plans for Easter dinner that are contingent upon the weather to work because it never seems to do exactly the opposite of what you plan for, no matter where in the country you may be.

A dozen boiled eggs in a saucepan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)With so many dyed eggs around it would be a shame not to incorporate them into the meals that are being prepared for your Easter menu. There are many ways to do that and a favorite in my house is deviled eggs. In addition to deviled eggs which are excellent appetizers, you can also chop the eggs up and include them in potato salad, egg salad, or chicken salad (which also happens to make excellent finger sandwiches for a light appetizer). You may also use boiled eggs in the making of cornbread dressing and/or giblet gravy, which are both popular Easter dishes in some southern states.

The good news is that there are plenty of dishes that go wonderfully well with eggs. If you like ham this is a great dish to serve with dressing, to make ham salad with later, and to simply have along with your favorite egg recipe. Ham is relatively simple to make as the hard part is often waiting on it to be finished. If you want super simplicity the only thing you really need to do to have an excellent ham dinner is pour a can of Coca-Cola over the ham, cover it in aluminum foil, and bake it for the necessary duration. This is really yummy, and it really can't get any easier than that though there are plenty of more complicated ham recipes available.

You will want to offer plenty of side dishes to compliment your main dish. Popular favorites are vegetables, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, dressing, sweet potato casserole, and rolls. These are all relatively simple to prepare, not very time consuming and can also be delegated to guests if you'd like without too terribly much fuss. You'll also want to have a few appetizers on hand for the time before dinner is ready and a couple of desserts for the perfect finish (as if those chocolate bunnies from the Easter basket's are not enough)!

A salad platter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)For those looking for fare that is a little lighter on Easter, I recommend offering big salads, several different steamed veggies (there should be some good fresh spring greens, asparagus, and the like available right now), and offer fruit as a dessert, as well as a raw veggie platter along with the appetizers. Easter is a day to celebrate and you shouldn't leave family members who are dieting to dread their lack of healthy eating options. You'll also find yourself surprised by those who, given the option, will eat the healthier foods if they are available.

Make sure you offer plenty of drink options as well. If you are hosting Easter dinner at your home, in addition to these cooking ideas I also suggest offering a place for your guests to change clothes if necessary. Many people come wearing their Sunday best and while it was great for church services and photo opportunities they don't often fare too well with gravy, butter, or grass stains.

Of course you could skip all the advice above and go for a down-home hoe down of a barbecue for the Easter holiday that in some parts of the country signals the approach of Spring. If it's warm enough outside, barbecues are often appealing because they limit a good bit of the mess to the great outdoors and give the kids involved a great place to run, play, and let off steam.

Have a very happy Easter, and be sure to check back later this week for some tasty Easter recipe ideas!