Sunday, March 24, 2013

Ham Schpam

Do you love spiral ham?  I sure do. I love just about everything about it and today I noted the awesome gold metallic bag it came in.
 
Perhaps they've always packaged them in these beautiful bags but for some reason today it caught my attention. I love how they have "registered" this ham with an actual number. It sort of makes it an important ham, don't you think?
 
I normally only buy one ham a year and it is around this time. I don't have anything against ham but let's face it ... you buy a ham for two people and it doesn't take long to run out of ideas of how to cook it up to make it interesting. I don't think ham freezes very well so we suffer through eating it the whole week.  There will be grilled ham and cheese, ham & bean soup, cold ham sandwiches, ham & tomatoes with a little Pepper Jack cheese under the grill on a sourdough muffin, and perhaps even ham & cheese scones.
 
My hubby tries to stay away from processed meats but he was more than giddy when I produced this beautiful hunk of love. He could hardly wait for me to get a few slices on the pan to grill to go with the cornbread I had in the oven.
 
One of the many reasons I particularly love spiral ham is that it is pre-sliced into perfectly portioned slices and easy to get off the bone. I bought a small bag of 13-bean mixture from the bulk section and the bean soup is in the crock. I doubt we'll eat it all before the week is over but we'll try to not waste too much of it.
 
When I was a kid, mom made a lot of beans and ham. I got pretty tired of it and as an adult it has taken me a long time to come around to liking bean soup again. She had a way of letting those beans get awfully mushy by the time we were done eating a whole pot's worth of them and I have a little PTSD from that. 
 
While this is a lot to do about nothing, I wonder if you have a favorite spring-time food or memory that has become tradition? 

love, susan



2 comments:

  1. Oh, yes! Asparagus! Asparagus is spring. Asparagus with Irish butter and lemon juice, a little fresh ground pepper and pink sea salt. It's eating green on a primal level. We've had it with dinner for three nights last week and once this weekend. I have enough for two more meals. :) I'd grow the veg if I thought I could. See what you started? LOL. Always the right question.

    I have never had a spiral ham. I think they were invented after I gave up meat, but my sister waxed poetic over the ones she served for Easter dinner, after she learned how to cook. LOL.

    Nice post.

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  2. Get them all the time. We love ham. I serve it with pineapple sauce and it is so yummy....tastes like dessert. My mom never did the beans thing and my husband wants me to cook the beans and ham hock but it is just not appealing to me. I also love ham tetrazzini with the noodles but since my husband can't have noodles anymore we don't have it. It might be good on toast....kind of like chipped beef. Oh, I hated that stuff but it was cheap and my mom would make it a lot.

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