Is the Easter Ham Gone Yet? No, Now Eat your Dinner

If you're at the point where one more ham sandwich could literally make you go postal, then please disregard this post and have a nice day.

If you're still looking for creative uses of leftovers, then have I got a meal for you. Or if you're searching for something to make with all that ham you so thriftily placed in the freezer for future use...

This is not a picture worthy food. Unwritten law of food photography: comfort food is ugly.



Slap your Momma Beans and Taters

I really can't follow a recipe. D thinks this really funny, but honestly, I'm starting to think that this is some sort of learning disability or genetic problem. I can't follow a recipe. It's just not in me. This would be a great side dish for a summer BBQ. Named for a nurse I used to work with who couldn't believe Minnesotans thought black pepper was spicy. She used to say stuff was Slap your Momma good. And these are.

• 2 pounds FRESH green beans
• one onion, chopped
• 2 cups (more or less) of leftover, chopped ham
• fresh minced garlic--about a tablespoon
• a good sprinkling (maybe 1 tsp?) of Tony Chachere's famous Creole Seasoning (thanks Heidi, this is now a staple in our house!) If you're Spice Phobic add a little and then season to taste at the table
• 1 TB of really good chicken stock base (in the bouillon section of the store--not Dayglo Yellow) If you can't find good chicken stock base, then use chicken broth and leave out the water. Repeat after me, bouillon cubes are evil spawn of the Devil and must be banned.
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• water, to cover
• about 2 pounds (more or less) red skinned potatoes, fingerling potatoes, or Yukon Golds, Rose Reds, etc--anything with a thin skin, NO RUSSETS

Place all, except potatoes, in your crock pot. Place on high for an hour, then turn to low and simmer until beans are close to done. I'm not sure this is a recipe you can just leave all day. I started it about noon and put the potatoes in and turned it back to high about 2 hours before we were going to eat.

If you're brave and decide to dump it all in and simmer all day on low, let me know how it turned out. My fear is that the potatoes might melt to nothing. You could probably do on low all day and then turn it to high and add potatoes when you get home, but dinner might be late!