Enchiladas for breakfast

 My family loves enchiladas....enough to have them for breakfast.

I saw these overnight ham and egg breakfast enchiladas on The Girl Who Ate Everything and had to give them a try. My family was very happy with the results. We used leftover Easter ham.

THE RECIPE:

2 c. cubed cooked ham
1/2 c. chopped green onions
2 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
10 flour tortillas
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. flour
1 1/4 c. half-and-half
1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
Salsa and sour cream for serving

Toss together ham, green onions and 2 cups cheese. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Fill each tortilla with a heaping 1/3 cup of ham mixture, then roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Whisk together eggs, salt, flour, half-and-half and chiles. Pour over enchiladas, then cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, covered, for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over top. Bake another 10 minutes, or until eggs are set. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Superior sandwiches

These sandwiches are so delicious. They make us happy. I've seen them all over the Web, so I don't know who deserves the credit, but pouring sauce over a sandwich is a wonderful idea. The recipe is quite versatile. You can change the meat, the roll size, the mustard type. You can use it as a main dish (large rolls) or an appetizer (little slider rolls) -- whatever you want. Enjoy!

THE RECIPE:

24 small dinner rolls OR 12 large French rolls
Ham or turkey slices (I used deli meat)
Swiss cheese slices
Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

Slice rolls in half and spread Miracle Whip on both sides. Place meat and cheese inside, then close rolls and place tightly together in baking dish. Pour or spoon sauce over all. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Uncover and bake a couple of minutes more. Serve warm. Sandwiches can be assembled ahead of time (including sauce) and refrigerated before baking.

Sauce:

1/2 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 Tbsp. yellow mustard or spicy brown
1 Tbsp. minced onion
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Whisk together sauce ingredients, and then pour evenly over sandwiches.

Use your leftovers

If you need a great way to use leftovers from a holiday ham, try this -- ham fried rice. It's easy, and it tastes wonderful. Plus, you can adjust the ingredients any way your sweet little heart desires. There's no need to add salt, though, because there's enough in the soy sauce and ham.

THE RECIPE:

3/4 c. uncooked white rice
3/4 c. uncooked brown rice
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. diced ham
1 c. peas
4 green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp. oil (I used canola)
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Cook rice according to package directions. (Remember, brown rice takes more water than white.) In large frying pan or electric skillet, scramble and cook eggs. Add cooked rice, ham, peas and onions. Toss with oil and keep frying. Add soy sauce, spices and sugar, and keep frying until you feel good about it. The ham and eggs will get a little browned on the edges. Turn off the heat and let it sit until you're ready to eat. It tastes best if you let the flavors mix for a little bit.

A reason to get up in the morning

Have you ever had eggs Benedict? I hadn't. Neither had my husband. That's why he wanted it for Father's Day breakfast. I have to say it is incredibly delicious! I never would have guessed it. In fact, I wasn't all that excited. But now I am. I wouldn't mind making this every week! It's so easy and versatile. For example, eggs Benedict are traditionally made with poached eggs and Canadian-style bacon. But you can just as easily -- and deliciously -- make them with fried eggs and ham. Try them, try them, Sam-I-Am!

THE RECIPE:

Eggs, fried or poached (directions below)
English muffins, split, toasted and lightly buttered if desired
Slices of Canadian bacon or ham, heated
Hollandaise sauce, a must-have (directions below)

Place ham on muffin. Top with egg, then sauce. Serve warm.

Poached eggs:

Lightly grease medium skillet. Fill halfway with water. Bring to boiling, then reduce heat to simmering. Bubbles should begin to break water's surface. Break egg into measuring cup. Carefully slide egg into simmering water. Repeat with remaining eggs. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 to 5 minutes or until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard. Remove with slotted spoon.

Hollandaise sauce:

Option 1 -- Buy a packet of powdered mix, which requires you to add milk and a little butter. That's what we did. You'll find it with the other gravy and dressing packets.

Option 2 -- Make your own. There are tons of recipes online.

Ham it up

I got this recipe for smooth, creamy split pea and ham soup from my cousin's food blog, Table for 7. It calls for a ham hock, which, for me, was the meaty bone left over from the spiral-sliced ham we had the previous night. The soup was really tasty, and it was something different for us. I had never made split-pea soup before, but I'll definitely make it again. And like my cousin pointed out, it's creamy but there's no cream in it. How cool is that?

THE RECIPE:

1 onion, chopped

1 Tbsp. butter

2 1/2 c. dried split peas

1 ham hock

8 c. chicken broth

6-8 peppercorns or ground pepper to taste

1 large carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

Salt to taste

Saute onion in butter in large pot. Add peas, ham hock, broth and pepper. Bring to boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add carrots and celery, and simmer for 15 minutes more, or until veggies are tender. Remove ham hock. Cut off any remaining ham from bone and add to pot. (I probably got a cup of small chunks.) Discard bone. Using a blender, mix soup in batches until creamy and smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with toasted rolls.

Potato power

This recipe for potato and ham casserole is really great. Our favorite way to make it is with leftover spiral-sliced brown sugar ham -- you know, after Easter or Christmas or something. (Easter is coming up, so plan on making this.) It's really a winner. Tonight we just made it with thinly pre-sliced ham. It has a really simple flavor, but everyone seems to enjoy it.

THE RECIPE:

8 russet potatoes (small to medium, like the ones in the bags),
scrubbed and sliced
24 thin slices of ham or a bunch of leftover holiday ham
1 stick butter
1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 1/2 c. milk
Pepper to taste
16 oz. frozen peas (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Add milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thick and bubbly. In 9 x 13 pan, layer potatoes, ham, peas and sauce. You should be able to repeat the layers once or twice. Bake, covered, for one hour.