Quick & Easy Easter Ham Leftovers

Whew... Easter entertaining is over for this year and the only evidence is a large Tupperware container full of Eater Ham leftovers. Ham sandwiches are good once, maybe twice, so what now? Try this quick and easy ham leftover dish.

Ham & Broccoli Fettucini Alfredo

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of ham, cubed
8 ounces fettucini noodles
2 cups frozen cut broccoli
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
10 ounces alfredo sauce (You may use a store purchased jar or homemade. Homemade sauce ingredients and instructions are below.)
Parmesan grated cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta and broccoli at same time according to pasta package instructions. Drain and set to the side.

In sauce pan, combine the ham, alfredo sauce and crushed red pepper and heat until warm, then add pasta and broccoli until all is warm. Dish out and sprinkle with desired amount of Parmesan cheese.

Easy Alfredo Sauce: 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
8 ounce package cream cheese
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 cups milk
6 ounces Parmesan grated cheese
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions: 

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder. Once cheese has melted to a creamy texture, slowly add in the milk and continue to stir. Then add the parmesan, basil and black pepper. Heat until parmesan is melted and the mixture is smooth. If the mixture is thicker than desired, thin by adding more milk.

ENJOY!!!

Easter Ham Fruit Relish Recipe

If you are hosting dinner this Easter and want to prepare a memorable dinner to your guests, start off by baking an award-winnig ham from Triple T Specialty Meats and topping it with this sweet spice fruit relish. This relish is also great for pork roast or pork chops.


Apple Cranberry Walnut Relish

Ingredients:

6 ounces 100% Apple Juice
2/3 cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg, ground
2 Apples, chopped (During mid-summer season, substitute with Pomegranate seeds for an even sweeter taste)
1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped
3 cups Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

Directions:

In large saucepan combine the apple juice, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir while cooking over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cranberries and bring to boil, then reduce heat and stir for 4 minutes or until the cranberries' skin splits open (as shown below).

Remove from heat. Stir in the apples and walnuts. Cover and chill for 2 hours prior to serving.

Note: Make the relish ahead of time to save on time and stress. Relish keeps for two days in the refrigerator.

Egg-citing Easter Entertaining

If children are attending your Easter, do yourself a favor and have plenty of activities ready to keep them busy. Children who are bored tend to get rambunctious, so avoid that with some of these egg-citing activities.

Egg Race

Make an obstacle course out of your backyard, using things that you have...chairs, boxes, tables, etc. Have a stopwatch. Give each kid a spoon and an egg (boiled or plastic). Have each kid go through the obstacle course as fast as possible, jumping over boxes and crawling under tables (wrap bandanas around their knees to keep from getting grass stains), whoever has the fastest time without dropping their egg wins. You can even make it difficult by blindfolding them and pairing them up with a parter who will be their eyes giving them guidance throughout the course.

Egg Rolling

Make three circle bullseye, inside circle with a 15, middle circle with a 10, outside circle with a 5, using sidewalk chalk. Give each kid three eggs to roll down the sidewalk, trying to land on the inside circle for, the child with the most points wins.

Egg Toss

Pair each kid up with a partner, giving each pair an egg (note: this game works better using a hard boiled egg rather than a plastic egg). Starting off 12 inches from each other toss the egg back and forth, after each successful toss and catch move another 12 inches apart. If an egg drops, that pair is out. The last pair standing wins.

Egg Decorating

Dazzle the eggs up by using scrap fabric strips, artificial flowers and plastic jewels. Make animals by using scrap felt pieces for ears and feet. Use markers to make the faces. Remind them that the eggs spoil, so they can't keep them forever. I learned that the hard and very smelly way as a kid.

Ginger Chicken Recipe

Ginger Chicken Hindquarters with Brown Rice

I love marinating meat overnight, it makes the next day's dinner so simple. This marinade was very easy to whip up and delicious on the baked chicken hindquarters. I think when the weather gets nice it will be even better on the grill, can't wait!

The marinade and cooked off chicken juice combination was so good that I couldn't let the leftover sauce go to waste, so I poured it over my brown rice....INCREDIBLE!

Ingredients:

1 Cup Honey
3/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Minced Garlic
1/4 Cup Ground Ginger
4 Chicken Hindquarters

Directions:

Place chicken hindquarters skin down in a baking dish. Cook honey, soy sauce, garlic and ginger in a sauce pan over low heat until the honey is melted and pour over the chicken.

Cover with foil and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes (with foil on). After 30 minutes, uncover, flip chicken over to the skin side up and spoon sauce over the top. Raise the temperature of the over to 375 degrees F and bake for 30 more minutes. Serve with brown rice.

ENJOY!!!

Applesauce Brownie Recipe

Grandma Heikens' Applesauce Brownie Recipe

Brownie Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Butter (or Margarine)
2 Tablespoon Cocoa
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Cup Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Cup Applesauce

Topping Ingredients: 

2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Directions:

Combine sugar, eggs, butter, cocoa and salt, beat throughly. Sift (see below) baking soda, flour and cinnamon. Add flour mixture alternately with applesauce to the cocoa mixture. Spread on jellyroll pan (see below). Sprinkle topping mixture over and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Sifting, is it necessary? No, it is not. If you do not own a sifter, no worries you can still make the above recipe by stirring the flour mixture thoroughly. However, many baked recipes call for a sifter so if you are planning to bake often you may want to purchase one. They are fairly inexpensive and range from $6 to $30. Sifting helps to break up the clumps that often form over time, especially if you live in a region that has humid weather (that's us Iowa). Breaking up the clumps helps to evenly mix together the ingredients, increasing the flavor and holding the shape after it has been baked.

Jellyroll pan, if you are unsure what that is, it looks like a flat cookie sheet but with sides approximately an inch tall. You can also pour the brownie mixture into standard cupcake pans to create individual round brownies as shown in the above picture. I filled two standard cupcake pans, making two dozen individual brownies. Make sure to grease the pans.

I also skipped the walnuts, as I am not a big walnut fan and used mini chocolate chips.

Thank you Grandma Heikens for sharing this recipe! You can find Grandma Heikens in the Ackley catering kitchen, whipping up lots of delicious taste of home recipes and ready to take your catering orders. You can call her Grandma Heikens, but she also goes by the name Norma. 

Try It Before You Make It: Featured Recipe

Who Needs A Bun Series: Cheesy Bratwurst Soup

Ingredients:
3 Large Potatoes, cubed
2 Cup of Frozen Green Beans, cooked and drained (Can substitute with 15oz can of green beans, drained)
1 Small Onion, chopped
1 Cup Cheddar and American Cheese Mix (Kraft has this cheese mix, but you can just use one of the cheeses)
1 Cup Water
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Package of Fresh Mushroom, Wild Rice & Swiss Bratwursts, cut into half inch slices (From Triple T Specialty Meats, 401 Sherman Avenue, Ackley Iowa or visit www.tripletmeats.com)

Directions:
Combine bratwursts, potatoes, green beans, onion, cheese, water and mushroom soup into a large pot. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for approximately 60 minutes or until bratwursts and potatoes are cooked through.

ENJOY!!!

If you live in the Ackley area you can try this recipe before you make it by ordering our Wednesday lunch special. Stop in or place you order by phone at 641-847-0031.                                                                        
If you don't live in the Ackley area, but want to make it at home, give it a whirl! It is best with Triple T's Mushroom, Wild Rice & Swiss Bratwursts, but you can substitute it with another cheese bratwurst. Or we can ship our bratwursts directly to your door. Call 1866-TTT-MEAT (888-6326) for more information.

Who Needs A Bun Series: Creamy Bratwurst Stew Recipe

I love quick and easy recipes just as much as the next fast paced person, but I also believe in the saying, "Good things take time." That is certainly true with this recipe. It is not difficult, but the preparation work is very time consuming. However, its creamy yumminess is well worth the work, another great addition to our Who Needs A Bun series.

Creamy Bratwurst Stew

Yummy, Creamy Bratwurst Stew. I added shredded cheese on top (Of course!)

Ingredients:
4 Medium Potatoes, cut into 1" chunks
18 Baby Carrots, cut into 1/2" chunks
4 Celery Ribs, cut into 1" chunks
1/2 White Onion, chopped

Triple T Specialty Meats' Green Pepper & Onion
with Pepper Cheese Fresh Bratwursts

1 Green Pepper, cut into 1" chunks
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Dried Basil
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
2 cups Half-and-Half Cream
3 tablespoons Cornstarch
1 tablespoon Cold Water
2 lbs Fresh Bratwurst (I used one package of Green Pepper & Onion with Pepper Cheese and one package of Garlic & Onion Fresh Bratwursts from Triple T Specialty Meats, www.tripletmeats.com)


Directions:
In a 5 quart crock pot, combine the potatoes, celery, onion, green pepper and fresh bratwurst sliced in 1" chunks. In a separate bowl, mix the chicken broth, salt, basil and pepper. Pour over the top of the crock pot contents. Cover and slow cook on low for 7 hours. After 7 hours is up, stir the Half-and-Half into the crock pot mixture. In a bowl, combine corn starch and water. If it is too thick, continue to add more water until the mixture is smooth, then stir into the crock pot. Recover the crock pot and cook on high for 30 minutes. The mixture should be creamy as shown below.

ENJOY!!!

Easy Parmesan Chicken Recipe

How many times have you prepared chicken breasts and felt like the flavor was great, but the meat was too dry? There is a solution...use dark meat chicken. I know you have heard advertisements tell you that 100% all white meat is better. Well, I am here to tell you that the below recipe using chicken hindquarters was absolutely delicious! The flavor was far superior than any chicken breast that I have ever prepared because it was so moist. 


Now lets get back to those advertisers saying that 100% white meat is better, how true is that really? After comparing nutritional values of both chicken breasts and chicken legs using the United States Department of Agriculture's website nutrition tools, I noticed that the leg's saturated fat is .20g higher per 100 grams and 40mg higher in cholesterol than the breast meat. However, the leg's nutrition has significantly higher levels of Iron, Zinc, Thiamin, Riboflavin and Vitamin B-12 than the breast. Thus the fat content of dark meat is justifiable by its flavor, moisture and nutritional benefits. 


Parmesan Chicken Hindquarters

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fine dried seasoned bread crumbs

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tbsp. dried parsley flakes

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 cup Three Cheese Italian dressing

4 chicken hindquarters (On sale at Triple T Specialty Meats, located at 401 Sherman Avenue, Ackley IA 50601)

Directions:

Combine the dry ingredients. Coat the chicken in the Italian dressing, then dip into the dry mixture. Place the chicken pieces, bone side down onto greased baking sheet. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. 

Enjoy!