A Week of Meals - Ham

My best “tip” for young homemakers is to cook “smarter.”  I don’t just mean healthier, of course that, I mean – smarter.  I’ve adopted this concept of cooking, where you make your “meat” on Monday for the whole week of meals.   With a little planning, your week will be easy and you will save money – and eat homemade meals. 
I had a ham so this week so…I used ham.  TIP #1.  Invest in a Nesco roaster – I use it ALL the time.  You make enough of your meat on Monday to last all week.  Fill the Nesco, plug it in and get on with your day.  
MENUE:
Monday:  Ham, mashed potato, green bean casserole, rolls. (no picture, however I’ve posted about this before: http://dickybirdsnest.blogspot.com/2011/11/barn-might-be-but-me-not-yet.html).  After supper, slice and dice up the rest of ham – now you have it ready for the rest of week, not to mention for lunch sandwiches and salads.  


One of the salads….for lunch.
SAVE THE BONE! And scraps of meat for later – Wednesday.  
Tuesday:  Ham Ragout over Noodles

Super easy, super fast – with prep work done earlier. 

TIP #2:  Invest in one of these slicers this was $10.  Makes slicing and dicing so much easier.  Also, as long as you are doing this…do extra for Wednesday’s soup and to have celery and carrot sticks to snack on and for salads.
Ham Ragout:  Dice carrots and potatoes, peas, onions, celery and garlic – sauté in olive oil until tender.  Add diced ham and I put in small cherry tomatoes sliced in half (also, mash them once hot for sauce).  Boil noodles (I used 1/2 whole wheat) add noodles with 1 cup noodle water to pan.  The water will make a sauce with the “pan bottom” and tomatoes.  That’s it – takes about 15 minutes. 
Wednesday:  Bean Soup.  TIP #3 – invest in a pressure cooker – they are a time saver.  Don’t be afraid to use one – it is really easy (don’t cook dried peas or beans – clogs up vent on cooker).

Put ham bone in pressure cooker – fill 3/4 way with water.  Cook @ 5 lbs. for 30 minutes (once it starts to clackididy clack) turn off and let it cool.  You only want the rest of meat to fall off bones and get nice stock for soup.
I soaked a variety of dry beans over night: black, pinto, northern, red.  TIP #4:  soak extra beans.  Cooking this way takes a lot of time, so why not do more now…  In the morning, fill kettle with beans and enough salted water to top.  Cook on lower temp for about 1 hour or until beans tender.  Once your beans are done, put extra in refrigerator – they will last at least a week and you can make other meals with them.  Don’t throw that bean water away – add to ham stock.   I wanted to add dried peas and lentils too, so just cook them on low temp for about 30  minutes too. 


TIP #5:  Bean & Pea puree/dip.  Take some of those extra cooked beans and peas and run them in the blender with garlic and onions.  This makes the most tasty dip or puree.


When I plated up the soup, I put a scoop of this been & pea puree on top and drizzled with olive oil – the puree melted into the hot soup – really good.

Oh ya, with all that “dip” you have a nice healthy snack for the week.

Thursday:  Ham Fried Rice. 

Boil up some brown rice – make extra for a salad for Friday.  Pan fry fresh green beans, green onions, garlic in a pan.  Add diced ham and cooked brown rice.  Simple…we also toasted some sliced almonds and put those on top.
Friday:  Scalloped Potato and Ham Soup, brown rice and a green salad.

Sweet potato and ???.  I went to an Asian Food store in Weston and bought some vegetables.  I will post next week about the great greens they have and juicing.  Anyway, I asked the lady at the store what the 1st 3 were, I didn’t really understand how to say the name, however I did figure out that they are like our sweet potato (on the end).  I sliced and diced these up and steamed them.  I added that to the left over brown rice, added green onion, red onion, broccoli, golden raisins and walnuts.  I lightly dressed with olive oil, apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper.  Believe me…it is good.

Now for the scalloped potato and ham soup.  Slice up a yellow onion, mince 3 cloves garlic and slice the russet potatoes.

Sauté onions and garlic (I did in bacon grease I save) add potatoes and water.  After potatoes are almost fork tender add about 1 C heavy cream, parsley or whatever herbs you like.  Then to thicken the soup, I ran my hand blender in the kettle till was as thick as I wanted.

While soup is cooking, mix up the salads.  I also made a green one.



This is what I made this week.  This is my concept of easy cooking – you can be as creative as you want.   The idea is to save time and money. 
Next week it is chicken – so, if you want to see what I did, check back. 
Blessings from Wisconsin.

Week 2: Fig Oatmeal Cookies

In honor of January being National Oatmeal Month, I tried this “oldie” I found in a 1940’s recipe book.



FIG OATMEAL COOKIES:
1 C dried figs, chopped                      2 C four
2 tsp. baking powder                         1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon                                2 C uncooked oatmeal
1/2 C chopped nuts                           3/4 C shortening
1 C packed brown sugar                     2 eggs
8 Tbs. “fig water”

Remove stems and chop 1 C figs, put in small bowl, cover with boiling water.  Strain off water and reserve liquid.  Mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, oatmeal, chopped nuts and drained figs in a bowl.  In mixer, cream shortening, brown sugar together, add eggs one at a time.  Add dry ingredients alternately with “fig water” – dough will be sticky.

Spray pan, 1 Tbs. dough roll in ball and press lightly on pan.  Bake at 350  for 8-10 min. or till lightly brown – NO NOT OVERBAKE – you want a soft cookie.  Makes 3 doz.



These are really good!  Do you like figs?  I love Fig Newtons. 

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The Right Tool for the Job

 

We live on a hobby farm in northcentral Wisconsin.  I am a folk artist and antique dealer.  We repurpose “junk” and create all kinds of “art”.  In both cases, we have learned to use the right tool for the job.

Without fail, hot sunny day, cutting hay – something is going to break down.  I can’t tell you how many times we have had to walk all the way back to the pole building or garage to get the right tool.  Even with a well stocked tractor tool box, the tool you need isn’t in there. 

Without fail, out in my studio, hands full of paper mache’, paint or varnish – I’m going to need a tool that I don’t have.  I will then have to stop, and look for what it is I need. 

Life too is like that.  Sometimes you might get “thrown a curve ball” and not have the right tool to handle it.  I’m sure we all can think of situations in our lives when we had that happen.   Parenting requires many tools too. 

I know where the answer is, my tool is the Bible.

Scripture tells me: 

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feel shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”  Ephesians 6: 10-17 (KJV)

The right tool for living – the Bible – the word of God.

Blessings from Wisconsin.

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Popplewood 4-H 1st Annual Ice Fishing Tournament at Pike Lake Resort

 

We had a fun day today.  Our 4-H group sponsored an ice fishing tournament.  We invited other 4-H clubs from Marathon County to join us.  Pike Lake Resort donated their “man cave” which is right on the lake.  We had a great time, great food, learned a lot and won some great prizes (donated by Pike Lake Fishing Club).

Pike Lake is a historical stone building, built in 1929 by the Konkol family (my mother-in-law’s maiden name was Konkol).  It has recently been remodeled and is super nice.  They have an award winning chef with really good food. 

Here are some pictures of the day.  It was gorgeous in Wisconsin – sunny, 3o + degrees.

This is Caiden, he actually was catching fish as fast as he put his line back in the hole.  He and his sister won 1st place.

 

The ice was about 12” thick and the water was about 12’ deep where we had our holes. 

My great-nephew Silas.

My other great-nephew (in blue) Caleb.  Their team took 3rd place.

This is Carson, his dad Scott and his sister Taylor.

This is Josh (Joshiepoo) and Kolton.  Their team of took 2nd place.

Lunch in the “man cave”. 

I haven’t been “on the ice” for many years.  When I was little, I grew up within walking distance to Lake Wausau, where the Wisconsin River runs into it – near the Rothschild Paper Mill.  Once while skating on the ice, I heard a funny noise and looked down to see my skates in water, I started skating as fast as I could back to shore and when I looked back behind me, the open water was “gaining on me.”  I was really scared and so, I don’t really like to walk on ice. 

However, when you see trucks and such on ice…it’s probably safe.…I did today and had a lot of FUN.

Blessings from Wisconsin.