Swedish Chef's Glazed Ham Balls

I've always loved hamloaf.  Last year at a church function, I had these.  I didn't get the recipe, but I was able to come up with my own version that I think is equally as good, if not better!

You will need:
2 lbs. ground ham
3 slices fresh white bread, crust on
1 egg
¼ t. pepper (no salt - the ham may already be salty)
1 dash ground cloves
1 can tomato soup
½ soup can water
½ c. packed brown sugar
3 T. cider vinegar
¼ t. ground cloves
½ - 3/4 c. ketchup

Cut three slices of bread into cubes and place in food processor; pulse and make into coarse breadcrumbs.

In a large bowl, place 2 lbs. ground ham, breadcrumbs, egg, pepper, and dash of ground cloves.  Mix until completely incorporated.

Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.  Roll meat mixture into balls approximately the size of a large golf ball.  Place in baking dish.

In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, combine tomato soup, water, brown sugar, vinegar, ¼ t. ground cloves, and ketchup; mix thoroughly.  Pour mixture over ham balls.

Preheat oven to 375º.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and baste with pan sauce, and return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes.


Serve with your choice of potatoes or other sides.  In this recipe, I made parsley buttered potatoes as the side dish.

Parsley Buttered Potatoes

Ingredients:
6-8 medium russet potatoes, peeled and rinsed in cold water
1 4oz. stick butter
¼ c. fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Peel potatoes and rinse in cold water.  Cut into ½ inch cubes.  Place in a sauce pan of cold water.

Bring potatoes to a boil and turn heat down.  Simmer just until potatoes are "fork tender".

Drain water and add 1 stick of butter.  Melt and add chopped parsley.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Swedish Chef's Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

2 lbs. lean stew beef, cubed
olive oil
1 c. flour
2 T. salt
1 T. black pepper
2 T. paprika
1 t. marjoram
1 green pepper, cut into large dice
1 med. onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. sliced mushrooms
3 T. butter
¼ c. tomato paste
3 T. reserved flour mixture*
2 bay leaves (remove before serving)
1½-2 c. beef broth (may need additional broth to thin the sauce)
1/3 c. dry red wine
3/4 c. sour cream
¼ c. fresh parsley
2 qt. Ziploc bag

In a Ziploc bag, add flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and marjoram.  Zip bag shut and shake to mix.

In an oven-proof dutch oven, place about 1" olive oil in the bottom of the pan and heat on medium-high heat.

Add beef cubes to Ziploc bag and shake to coat.  Shake off excess flour and remove to dish.  Save leftover flour for sauce.*

Place beef cubes in hot oil (in dutch oven).  Do not overcrowd the pan, as it will cool down the oil.  Sear until lightly brown on both sides.  Remove to a clean dish and add more beef.  You may need to use additional oil.

Once all the beef is seared, add green peppers, onion, and garlic to the pan, along with 3 T. butter.  Sauté until vegetables are tender and scrape the fond off the bottom of the pan.  Add 3 T. reserved flour from the Ziploc bag.  Cook until well absorbed.

Deglaze by adding beef stock and red wine; stir until thickened.  You may need to add additional broth to make a medium-thick sauce.

Add tomato paste, mushrooms, bay leaves, and beef cubes; stir until combined, then remove from heat.  Allow to cool then cover with a lid.

Preheat oven to 350º and bake for 1 hour.  Remove from oven and stir in 3/4 c. sour cream just before serving.  Sprinkle with parsley.

This dish can be served over noodles or rice, and makes 4-6 servings.

South of the Border Tuna Noodle Casserole

I grew up eating tuna noodle casserole often.  In fact, I ate so much of it, I refused to even eat it again for several years.  One day, I got the idea of reinventing boring tuna noodle casserole into something totally different!  My family approved!  Try this casserole for an entree reminiscent of Mexico.

Ingredients:
1 16oz. package wide egg noodles
1½ c. reserved pasta water
2 12oz. cans chunk light tuna in water, drained
1 10 3/4oz. can cheddar cheese soup
1 10 3/4oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 4oz. can small green chiles or jalapeños, drained
1 t. ground cumin
½ t. ground coriander (optional)
½ t. garlic powder
½ t. chili powder
1 8oz. package shredded cheddar cheese (I use sharp)
2 c. crushed potato or tortilla chips

Boil noodles in salted and oiled water for 3-4 minutes.  They will finish cooking when they bake.  Make sure to reserve 1½ cups of water when done cooking.

Drain the tuna and make sure no water remains.

Combine soups, spices and jalapeños (or chiles) in a medium bowl.

Combine noodles with soup mixture; add tuna.  Gradually add the reserved pasta water.  Place mixture in a greased 9x13 pan. 

 

Cover with shredded cheddar cheese (you may not use the entire bag).  Top with the crushed potato chips just before baking.

Bake at 350º for 45-60 minutes or until cheese is melted and chips are lightly toasted.

Mom's Peach Kutchen Pie

In late summer when fresh peaches became available, my mother would make this pie.  Usually, this pie was dessert on Sunday afternoon after church.  This pie was passed down from my grandmother and we were always told that this pie is an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe.  It is a single-crust pie and making it is a unique experience.  I hope you will try it!

Ingredients:
1 single pie crust (your own, frozen, or out of the refrigerated section of your supermarket).
5-6 ripe peaches
3 T. cold butter
1 c. sugar
3 T. flour
3 eggs, beaten

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add peaches slowly to the water.  Cook for 3-4 minutes.  Remove from hot water and place in cold water until they are cool enough to handle.  This process makes the skins come off easier.  Remove from water and remove skins with a paring knife.  Cut peaches in half and remove the stone.  Slice peaches into ¼" slices.

Place pie shell in a dish, with edges fluted.

Mix 1 c. sugar, 3 T. cold butter and 3 T. flour in a mixing bowl with your hands until mixture is crumbly.  Place mixture in the bottom of the unbaked pie shell.

Place sliced peaches on top of the crumb mixture until they are level with the top of the pie plate.  (You may have extra peaches left over).

In a small bowl, beat three eggs and pour over the pie. 

Preheat oven to 400º and bake for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 375º and bake for an additional 45 minutes.