Ham and Pasta

Beach Treasures by frances robson

Good evening and come on in the house for a cup of hot chocolate. I am drinking some that Cindy sent me for Christmas and it is delicious. It the white chocolate mix and I added a hand full of chocolate chips and wow is it a good dessert. She bought it at World Market and I am sure going to buy some more.

Cold day and getting colder today and the fire in the fireplace is wonderful. We picked up a whole big plastic bag full of pine cones this week and that really starts a fire and helps keep the yard clean. We also pick up all our fallen limbs, branches and twigs, snap them in small lengths -about 1 foot - and use these as fire starters also. Good for the yard and for the fireplace. Thought about bundling them, wrapping a pretty ribbon around them and giving several bundles of twigs and branches to some friends who have fireplaces. Seems like a good gift to me, what about you?

I have been considering melting down some old candles I have and dipping the pine cones in that to use also. In an article I read, it was said to make great fire starters and smell good also. I throw my orange and grapefruit peelings in the fire to add a good smell to the house. It looks like we throw most everything in the fire place doesn't it? In fact, we also use it to burn papers instead of shredding them and the ashes go around some of our shrubbery or in the compost pile. I am too kin the my mama and daddy to waste much of anything without becoming a "hoarder."

Tried 2 new recipes I made as I went along cooking dinner and they are really good. Thought I would share them with you and see what you think.

The first one is a ham slice recipe and I used cured, smoked ham slices from a butcher in rural Alabama. I had some oranges from our tree which needed to be used and began to figure out how to use them and this recipe is what I came up with and it is good.

BROWN SUGAR & ORANGE HAM SLICES

2-4 slices cured ham – trimmed of fat
brown sugar - I used the Splenda lite and rubbed in about 1 Tablespoon per slice
orange juice from 2 oranges or ½ cup from carton
non stick spray

Trim outer fat from ham slices and rub brown sugar on both sides of the slices. Spray non-stick frying pan with non-stick spray, heat until hot and add the ham slices. Brown on both sides and remove to platter. Remove the pan from the heat and squeeze the orange juice into the fryer and use to deglaze the pan and return to heat which has been reduced to simmer. Add the slices back to the juice, cover and simmer for about 15 min. Don't overcook and toughen.
The sweet/salty/smoked taste is wonderful and would be good served with orange slices or segments on top of the ham.

My other recipe is using the whole wheat ravioli from the refrigerated section of the grocery. We like the whole wheat but you could use the white flour ravioli also if you prefer but try the whole wheat for the flavor is better and more hearty - almost a nutty flavor. Use the freshly shaved Parmesan cheese also even though it is a little more expensive. You only use a generous sprinkling and it so much better than the dried.

Four Cheese Ravioli with Parmesan Cheese

1 pkg. Whole Wheat Four Cheese Ravioli – I use Buitoni – this is the fresh pasta from refrigerated section
4 cups water
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
Bring water to boil, add olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Add pasta and cook until aldente - 7-9 minutes and drain. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

1 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes – sliced once
fresh or dried parsley
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in frying pan and add the tomatoes and cook for about 1 minute – just heat, don't cook until mushy. Add the drained pasta to the pan and toss gently. Sprinkle with the parsley, salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle generously with the Parmesan cheese. Toss gently and if too dry add about ¼ cup of the pasta water or more if needed. You want it to be slightly sauced but not floating in the sauce.
Sprinkle the top with additional cheese and freshly chopped parsley just before serving.

Let me know how you like them if you try them for they are really good, not expensive and low fat and calories.

Ya'll be careful going home and come back to sit on the 'Net porch with us and have a cup of chocolate.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

A Twist on Pasta Salad

STILL WATERS by Frances Robson

Good evening. Ya'll come on up to the Net Porch and sit a spell and enjoy the view with me. The picture above is one of our views from the porch and it reminds me of the 23rd Psalm when David said that God will lead us beside the still waters. What a wonderful promise that no matter how troubled our waters become, God will lead us to still waters so that we may refresh our thirst for peace and joy. He is an awesome God!

Haven't written a while but I am trying to follow my daddy's advice - if you don't have anything worthwhile to say, just be quiet. Now I had lots to say but I am not sure it was worth saying. In fact, our son and his wife came to visit this weekend and he said I had to quit writing about unmentionables or underwear. It seems that a colleague of his reads my blog to get recipes and it embarrasses him when his good, Southern mama talks about her undies. Now I don't know why he is surprised for I've been embarrassing him for years with my weird sense of humor and if you notice it was all said in good taste. It couldn't be otherwise or MY good Southern mama would haint me for sure.

A former student of mine told me on Facebook that he always knew I had a twisted mind and now he was sure of it, bless my pea pickin self. I will have to say we became friends because he is a little twisted also. Now I will say it is not a twisted mind but one that thinks a little differently and it just pops out. I have always been a "thinker" just didn't think like most other people. It is called being an individual, marching to my own drum beat, weird, or as we in the South would say - "She's just a little strange." This doesn't bother me for most of my favorite people are a "little strange" or eccentric and this is what makes them interesting. As the philosopher and deep thinker - Kermit the Frog - says, "It's not easy being green."

So today, my son, I am writing about food. We had a good salad for lunch that I kinda concocted on the spur of the moment to use what I had in the refrigerator. To save money and not waste food, I am cooking from what I have in the pantry, freezer and refrigerator. You know we all buy more than we need most of the time and it just sits on the shelves, especially those impulse buys. I am trying not to do that but occasionally I slip up but I am trying to use all of these.

Last night we had fried chicken strips from Carter's Fried Chicken in Adel, GA and because they are so generous with their portions, I had 3 big strips leftover. When trying to decide what to do with them I found a box of Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad Classic which we like. From that I began to pull from the fridge and this is what resulted and Roy said to do it again. When he says that it is a postable for the blog.

Fried Chicken Pasta Salad

1 box Betty Crocker Suddenly Pasta Salad - classic
4-6 cups chicken stock

Bring stock to a boil, add pasta and gently boil for about 14 min. Remove, drain, do not rinse and let cool. Do this earlier so that the pasta will be cooled.

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1 Tbsp. balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. cold water
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 clove garlic - pressed through garlic press or diced finely and mashed with knife
3 fried chicken strips diced (can be more - depends on what is in fridge)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup dill pickle relish
3/4 cup grated cheese (cheese of choice- I used cheddar)

Combine seasoning packet from salad mix with vinegar, lemon juice, water, olive oil, and garlic. Mix well in large bowl. Add the cooled pasta, chicken and vegetables and mix well. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve on a bed of mixed lettuces. If tomatoes are in season add slices of tomatoes around the salad or chop and include in salad.

If you don't have leftover fried chicken you can use any leftover chicken or buy the chicken strips which are already cooked. You can add other vegetables you like such as bell peppers, banana peppers or others of choice.

I am trying to add as many raw vegetables to our meals as I can and salads are a good place to do this.

One way I have found to add a fruit is to add chopped apple to my raisin bran. It gives a wonderful crunchy addition and adds to the taste also. When I prepare oatmeal, I use the regular quick-cooking oatmeal and add chopped apple, raisins or craisins to it while cooking. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and serve over brown sugar and you have included fruits to your meal.

I hope you will enjoy these ideas and ya'll come back and sit on the porch with me again. Next time I will have some fresh coffee for you. I didn't even mention undergarments this time, am I forgiven?

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach (from Alabama)
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