Hamming it up!

I am lucky enough to have leftover lasagna in my fridge. I love it-- layers of curly noodles, gooey cheese, the only marinara I actually like (Newman's Own Sockarooni-- yep, I'm the type of jerk who prefers commercially bottled stuff to even homemade versions)... Yum!

I know a lot of people have leftover ham in the wake of Christmas, though, so today's post is dedicated to all those smoky, salty slabs.

If you are the type of person who can't wait to use up leftovers, Cooking with Soup (Campbell Kitchens, 1976) has an interesting option that sounds sort of breakfast/ brunch-y:

Ham and Mushroom Stuffed Pancakes will get the day off to a memorable start. Top thin pancakes with slices of boiled ham and some canned mushrooms, then serve with a condensed cream of celery soup-based sauce. Voila! A meal sure to inspire the relatives to head home earlier than they had originally planned.

If you'd rather go the appetizer route and you have a serious soft spot for that most mid-20th-century of treats, the deviled egg, The Ground Meat Cookbook (Melanie de Proft, 1955) recommends this:

Grind up your ham and use it to stuff eggs. Between the pinkish-red ham/ paprika filling and the greens (at least I assume the scribble on the plate with the eggs is meant to represent greens-- unless the deviled eggs are supposed to be served on a bed of ramen) on the serving platter, the leftovers could still look rather festive.

If you've always wanted ham as a condiment, but don't like it mixed with mayo, The American Woman Cookbook (edited by Ruth Berolzheimer, 1942) has you covered:

Mix ground-up ham into butter and hard-cooked egg yolks and slather it on everything that could be hammier. Have a ham buttered bagel! Biscuits with ham butter and honey! A ham butter and jelly sandwich!

If you want to go full-on retro, though, you know I have to go with this one (also from The American Woman Cookbook):

Minced Ham in Cider Cups-- because there's always room for gelatinized cider rings filled with ham, eggs, and celery! What a great way to say goodbye to Christmas. You'll be so busy trying to distance yourself from the memory of eating this that you won't have time for the holidays-are-over blues.

Happy holiday weekend! I hope you have some new toys to enjoy.