Hamming it Up

I always serve ham at Easter and this year is no exception.  However, I'm not preparing a shank portion like I normally do.  I'm only cooking for five people so I don't need that much ham.  Due to a time constraint of one of the guests, I need to have supper on the table at 5:30.  This is going to be challenging since I won't start cooking the ham until we get home from church.  I could cook the ham the day before and reheat it when we're ready to eat, but I don't like that idea.  Buying an already cooked spiral ham isn't an option because my family doesn't like them.  Fortunately, there's another choice.  This year, I'll be serving a canned ham for Easter.

Canned ham is exactly what it sounds like:  ham that is sold in a can.

The ham is either from a boneless piece of meat, or pieces that have been combined and are held together with a gelatin mixture.  The brand I buy comes in three and five pound sizes, but the larger size is sometimes hard for me to find.  Canned hams are fully cooked and, as such, don't require additional cooking.  However, the flavor is greatly improved by heating. 

There are two varieties of canned hams:  shelf stable and refrigerated. Shelf stable canned hams have been processed at high temperatures which allow them to be stored at room temperature.  This processing, which gives the ham a long shelf life, also makes the product less flavorful than its counterpart.  I avoid shelf stable canned hams and only purchase those that are refrigerated.  The taste and texture of a refrigerated canned ham are a little different from traditional ham, but that's a small price to pay for the convenience.  Unlike a shank or butt portion that can take hours to cook, a canned ham is ready in an hour.  It can also be cooked in a crock-pot which frees up the oven for side dishes and rolls.

Just because it's a canned ham doesn't mean it has to be served plain.  I serve it that way because that's how my family likes ham.  Canned hams -- like regular hams -- can be dressed up with the addition of fruit, liquid smoke or glazes.  A search on the Internet will yield lots of recipes and ideas for using canned hams.

Although I may take a shortcut with the ham this year, the rest of our Easter dinner will be the same as every year:  macaroni and cheese, green bean bundles, deviled eggs, cranberry orange relish, homemade rolls, an Easter bunny cake and, to wash it all down, a refreshing pitcher of fruit tea.

Canned ham might not be the first thing you think of serving for Easter, but it is an easy and tasty alternative when time is short, you don't need to feed a large crowd and you still want to ham it up!

Baked Canned Ham
6 to 8 Servings

1 (3 lb.) canned ham

1/2 cup water

To Bake in the Oven:  Remove ham from can and place in baking pan. Add 1/2 cup water to pan.  Cover pan with foil and bake at 325° for 1 hour, or until meat thermometer inserted in center reads 135°.

To Cook in a Crock-Pot:  Pour 1/2 cup water in bottom of crock-pot.  Wrap ham in foil; place in crock-pot.  Cover and cook on high 1 hour.  Reduce heat to low and cook 6 to 7 hours, or until ham is heated through.

© Margaret's Morsels

Low and Slow Cooking

Until I started writing this blog, I had no idea there were days that celebrated various foods.   Some, like National Peanut Butter Cookie Day and National Pigs in a Blanket Day, are observed once a year (June 12 and April 24 respectively).  Others have a whole month devoted to them. For instance, January is National Slow Cooking Month.  I love cooking with a slow cooker, also known as a crock-pot, and post a recipe every January in honor of this time saving appliance.

Over the last 2 1/2 years, I've shared a number of slow cooker recipes: Chicken a la King; Chili; Queso Dip; Barbecue Chicken; French Dip Sandwiches; Pot Roast with Vegetables.  Today, I want to share my favorite stew recipe.  It's different from a lot of stew recipes in that the only vegetable it uses is mushrooms.  This is ideal for me since I don't like meat in vegetable soup and I don't like vegetables in my stew!

Stew meat -- boneless precut cubes usually from tougher cuts of meat -- is combined with dry onion soup mix, beef broth, mushroom stems and pieces and a can of undiluted cream of mushroom soup.  Put the mixture in the slow cooker, cover with the lid and turn to low.  I cook the stew eight hours, but it can be cooked as long as 12 hours.   

Ready to be cooked.

Cooked eight hours.

The broth is thin so I thicken it with a slurry at the end of the cooking time. Slurry is a fancy name for a thin paste made from equal parts water and starch -- cornstarch or flour -- used as a thickener.  I prefer cornstarch for several reasons.  One, it has twice the thickening power of flour.  One tablespoon of cornstarch is equal to two tablespoons of flour.  Two, cornstarch keeps the broth clear; flour turns it opaque.  Three, cornstarch only needs to be mixed with cold water, unlike flour which has to be cooked to lose the raw taste.

You can whisk the cornstarch into the water or, what I do, combine the ingredients in a small bowl with a lid and shake until the cornstarch is dissolved.

 Slurry made from cornstarch and water.

If I have time, I stir the mixture into the slow cooker and let the stew cook another hour.  If not, I put the slow cooker liner on the stove top, stir in the slurry and cook until the broth is thickened.  Not all slow cooker liners cans be used on the stove top so read the directions that came with your slow cooker before you attempt this.

 The thickened stew.

I serve the stew with noodles and a vegetable.  I serve English peas in the winter and coleslaw in the summer.  The stew is also good with mashed potatoes in place of the noodles.

There's nothing better than coming home to the aroma of a fully cooked meal.  With a slow cooker, that can be a reality all year long!

Good and Easy Stew

8 Servings

2 1/2 lb. stew meat

1 (1.15 oz.) envelope dry onion soup mix

1/2 cup beef broth

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup (undiluted)

1 (8 oz.) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained

Combine the ingredients.  Place in a slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 8 to 12 hours.  If desired, thicken gravy.  Serve over noodles or mashed potatoes.

© Margaret's Morsels

A Cook's Tools: Cooking School

A few days ago, I shared a list of prep tools I compiled at the request of a friend whose getting married.  She wanted to know what items she should include on her bridal registry.  Today, I want to share my list of cooking must haves.  These are the items I rely on once the measuring, chopping, peeling, juicing, pounding, grating, straining, mixing, whisking, rolling and cutting have been done.  Once again, I'm including links to recipes that use those items.  The list isn't all inclusive but, like the prep tools, this is what I rely on when I'm cooking for three or twenty three.

The Eyes Have It:

Saucepan:  I have this in a one and two quart size.  The one quart is the perfect size for boiling three eggs, cooking a serving of grits or oatmeal or heating a can of soup.  If you cook for several people, you might want to add a three quart saucepan.  Make sure to buy saucepans with lids.

Dutch Oven:  This covered pot is good for stewing and braising.  I also use it to cook potatoes, pasta and boil a dozen eggs.

Stockpot:  I use this whenever I cook chicken breasts or make a double batch of soup.  It's also the only container I have big enough to mix up a batch of Cornbread Dressing.

Skillet:  It's a good idea to have a large 10 or 12-inch skillet with a lid and a smaller 6 or 8-inch skillet.  The large skillet is great for browning ground beef or pork chops and cooking a one dish dinner.  The smaller skillet is handy for small jobs such as omelets, scrambled eggs and sauteing chopped vegetables.

Baker's Dozen:

Roasting Pan:  Although this isn't something I use very often, it's the only pan I have that's big enough to roast a turkey.  Some roasting pans come with a wire rack to hold the meat.  When you put the pan in the oven, you may need to lower the oven rack to keep the top of the meat from being too close to the heating element.

Pizza Pan:  I use this for more than pizza.  It's great for chicken nuggets, French fries and biscuits.

Muffin Pan:  These come in sizes ranging from miniature to jumbo.  I have a 6 cup, 12 cup and two mini muffin pans.  The 6 cup is ideal for muffin mixes that only make 6 servings.  I use the 12 cup for muffins, cloverleaf rolls and Baked Salmon Patties.  The mini pans are good for muffins as well as mini quiche or other bite size appetizers.

Cookie Sheet:  I have these in three sizes.  The quarter sheet pan, the smallest one in the picture, is the perfect size for a batch of Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.  I also use it to bake Little Corn Dogs and Baked Mozzarella Cheese Sticks.

The cookie sheet pictured in the middle is a standard size cookie sheet. It's a good idea to have two of these.  That way, you can have one pan ready to go in the oven as soon as the other pan comes out.  You can buy cookie sheets without rims, but I prefer rimmed ones.  That way, I can also use them for bar cookies.

The last cookie sheet pictured is known as a sheet or jelly roll pan.  It's larger than a regular cookie sheet and is used for sheet cakes and jelly rolls.

Layer Cake Pan:  You'll need at least two of these for making a layer cake. I have these in both the 8 and 9-inch size.  The 9-inch pan makes a thinner and wider cake.  

Bundt Pan:  This fluted pan is for cakes other than angel food or sponge cake.  To keep the cake from tearing up when it's removed from the pan, be sure to thoroughly grease every crevice.

Tube Pan:  This pan is used for angel food and sponge cakes.  Some tube pans -- like the one pictured -- have feet so the pan can be turned upside down for cooling.  If the pan is large enough, you can use it to bake other cakes too.

Square Cake Pan:  Just like layer cake pans, these are available in 8 and 9-inch sizes.  They're good for things other than cake.  I use mine to bake cornbread, meat loaf and Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole.

9 x 13-Inch Pan:  I like to bake cakes in this pan that need to be frosted. That way, I can bake, frost and store all in the same pan.  Cakes baked in this pan can also be removed and sliced into layers before being filled and frosted.  This pan isn't limited to just cake.  I use it for potato casserole, goulash and Stuffed Breast of Turkey.

Loaf Pan:  This is good for baking bread as well as meat loaf.

Spring-Form Pan:  This pan has a clamp that, when opened, removes the collar which allows for easy cutting.  It's especially good for cheesecake.

Pie Crust Shield:  This sits on top of the pie crust and shields the edges from getting too brown.  It's available for regular and deep-dish pie pans.

Wire Cooling Rack:  Once you've baked cakes, cookies and bread, they need to be removed from the pan.  The wire rack is elevated which allows air to circulate so the item can cool.  It's a good idea to have two or three of these racks, especially if you do a lot of baking.

Dishing It Up:

For easy cleanup, I like to cook and serve out of the same dish whenever possible.  For that reason, I have a variety of glass bakeware in various shapes and sizes.  One advantage of glass is it can be used in the oven as well as the microwave.  I use the round casserole dish to bake Sweet Potato Souffle a day or two before Thanksgiving.  I let the souffle cool and then store the covered casserole dish in the refrigerator.  When it's time to heat the souffle, I put the casserole dish in the microwave and reheat it while the double ovens cook the other food.

The square dish is the perfect size when I halve the recipe for Green Bean Bundles.  I use the deep-dish pie plate when I make Chicken Pot Pie. The rectangular dish is just the right size for four servings of Marinated Baked Chicken.  

What a Crock!

I absolutely love crock-pot cooking!  I have three crock-pots -- small, medium and large -- but each one is good for different things.  The small crock-pot is the perfect size for melting almond bark.  The  medium size crock-pot is the one I use most often for entrees like French Dip Sandwiches and Barbecue Chicken.  I use the large crock-pot when I cook pot roast with vegetables or make double batches of chili or spaghetti sauce.  A crock-pot needs to be at least half full so keep that in mind when selecting a crock-pot size.

If you don't have all the items I've mentioned, don't feel as though you need to go out and buy them.  The tools you need in your kitchen depend on how much cooking you do and what kinds of food you cook.  If you eat a lot of steamed vegetables, you'd probably find it useful to have a metal steamer basket.  If you love to bake and decorate cakes, you might want to purchase different shaped cake pans and lots of decorating tips.  If you're like me and like to make congealed salad, you might want to invest in some Jell-O molds.

Stocking a kitchen is a gradual process that evolves over the years.  I've been cooking over 20 years and I still find gadgets to buy that make work in the kitchen easier.  Just last year, I bought a pineapple slicer that makes slicing and cutting pineapple a breeze.  No matter what you're looking for, chances are -- to paraphrase a popular phrase  -- there's a tool for that!

© Margaret's Morsels

National Slow Cooking Month

January is National Slow Cooking Month.  Although I use my slow cooker several times a month, I haven't posted many slow cooker recipes.  I'm working to rectify that oversight.  In the meantime, here are slow cooker recipes I've previously shared.

Chili:  What's better on a cold day than a bowl of piping hot chili?  Brown the ground beef, onion and celery and then let the slow cooker do the rest of the work.

Queso Dip:  Dump the ingredients in a 1 1/2-quart slow cooker, cover and heat for one hour.  Great for the big game, Cinco de Mayo or anytime you want something spicy.

Barbecue Chicken:  Barbecue sauce and chicken.  It doesn't get much easier than that!

French Dip Sandwiches:  My favorite slow cooker recipe of all time!  If you don't have a beef bouillon cube, omit the water and add 2 cups of beef broth instead.

Pot Roast:  A complete meal -- meat, veggies, gravy -- made in a slow cooker.  The only thing missing is a pan of cornbread!

© Margaret's Morsels

Some Assembly Required

We're not big sandwich eaters.  Most of the sandwiches we eat are made with things we have on hand -- peanut butter, bologna, egg salad -- that can easily be put between two slices of bread.  Occasionally we'll fix a grilled cheese sandwich, but that's the extent of our sandwich making, except for one other sandwich.  We love French Dip Sandwiches so I make them every couple of months.

French Dip, as it's usually called, is a hot roast beef sandwich served on French or hoagie rolls with the au jus -- the unthickened natural juices from the cooked meat -- served in a bowl on the side.  The recipe I'm sharing takes time to prepare, but there's very little work involved since it's cooked in a crock-pot.

I always cook roast in a crock-pot so I opt for an English roast which is a tough, but very flavorful, cut of meat.  Inexpensive tougher cuts of meat are wonderful cooked in a crock-pot because the long cooking time makes them tender.  An English roast needs to be cooked in liquid so it's ideal for this recipe.

Although the recipe calls for all visible fat to be removed from the roast, I leave a little bit for flavor.  The roast -- it doesn't have to be browned or coated with flour -- goes in the crock-pot.  The remaining ingredients are combined and poured over the roast.  One ingredient, rosemary, needs to be crushed before being added to allow the flavor to be released. Rosemary is too hard for me to crush with my hands.  I don't have a mortar and pestle so I put the rosemary on a cutting board and crush it with the bottom of a measuring cup.  Add water to the crock-pot, put on the lid and turn the crock-pot to low.

The crushed rosemary is on the right.

After cooking 10 to 12 hours, the meat is very tender, but it needs to be shredded into smaller pieces for sandwiches.  The easiest way to do this is with two forks.  If you want to use cheese -- most restaurants use Provolone or Mozzarella -- put it on the bread first and then add the meat. Heat the sandwiches in a 350° oven for about 5 minutes, just until the cheese starts to melt.  If you want the sandwiches plain, put the meat on the bread and skip heating them in the oven.  Strain the au jus and put in small bowls for dipping.

Although the recipe is for sandwiches, we love the flavor of the meat so much I often serve this as an entree.  I don't thicken the au jus for gravy.  I strain the au jus and put it in a gravy boat.  That way, we can use the leftover meat and au jus for sandwiches.

Dinner is served.

If you have any leftovers, the easiest way to reheat them is the same way you cooked them:  in a crock-pot.  I use a smaller 1 1/2-quart crock-pot for reheating because there's usually not a lot leftover.  Since it's already cooked, it only takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours to reheat.

This is a great dish to cook when you're going to be gone all day.  You can cook it when you're home, but the smell will have you salivating all day. Don't say I didn't warn you!

French Dip Sandwiches

8 Servings

1 (3 to 4 lb.) top chuck roast

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 beef bouillon cube

1 bay leaf

4 whole peppercorns

1 tsp. dried rosemary leaves, crushed

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 cups water

French or hoagie rolls

Remove and discard all visible fat from roast.  Place roast in a crock-pot. Combine soy sauce, bouillon cube and spices; pour over roast.  Add water. Cover and cook on low heat 10 to 12 hours or until meat is very tender. Remove meat from broth; shred with forks and keep warm.  Discard bay leaf.  Strain broth; skim off fat.  Pour broth into small cups for dipping. Serve warm on desired bread.

Variation:  If desired, put cheese on the bread before adding the meat.  Put sandwiches on a baking pan and heat in a 350° oven for about 5 minutes, just until the cheese starts to melt.

© Margaret's Morsels

Slow and Easy Cooking

There's nothing better than coming home to a meal that's already cooked and ready to be eaten.  This is especially true on a cold wintry day.  Maybe that's why January is National Slow Cooking Month.

I've extolled the values of slow cooking in a previous blog.  I love spending a minimal amount of time prepping food, putting it in a slow cooker and letting the slow cooker do the work.  It makes mealtime less stressful at the end of a long day.

Most of the time a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker is big enough for what I'm cooking.  However, there is an occasion when I need to pull out my 5-quart slow cooker.  It's the perfect size for a pot roast with potatoes, carrots, onion and gravy.

Whenever I cook a roast I use an English roast, but you could use a top chuck roast instead.  An English roast is a tough cut of meat from the shoulder, but it has a lot of flavor.  One advantage of slow cooking is you can use inexpensive, tougher cuts of meat because the long cooking time makes the meat tender.

The roast needs to be coated with flour, salt and pepper.  The easiest way to do this is to blend the dry ingredients in a resealable plastic bag.  Add the roast, seal the bag and shake the bag until the roast is thoroughly coated. 

The vegetables -- carrots, potatoes and onion -- need to be placed on the bottom of the slow cooker because they take longer to cook than the roast. To ensure even cooking, try to cut the  individual vegetables into pieces that are approximately the same size.  If you want to save time, use baby carrots so you don't have to peel and slice them.

The potatoes are all approximately the same size

and so is the onion.

Once the vegetables are in the slow cooker, place the roast on top of the vegetables.  A can of mushroom gravy goes over the top of the roast and a cup of water is poured around the sides of the roast.  The water is necessary to help soften and cook the vegetables.  The flour, mushroom gravy and water combine to make a wonderful gravy that can be served with the roast, if desired.

Once everything is in the slow cooker, put on the lid, turn the temperature setting to low and your supper is on its way to being cooked.  The only other thing needed to complete the meal is a pan of cornbread!

This is what you'll find after 10 hours of cooking.

January may be National Slow Cooking Month, but slow cooking occurs year round at my house.  It's nice to come home to a hot cooked meal in the winter.  In the spring, we can be outside enjoying the newly greened world while supper is cooking.  A slow cooker is great in the summer because it doesn't heat up the kitchen like a stove.  In the fall, we can enjoy the crisp autumn air without worrying about going inside and cooking supper.  Maybe 2011 should be the year of the slow cooker!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

4 to 6 Servings

1 (3 lb.) roast

1/2 cup flour

1 Tbsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 to 3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 to 3 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 medium onion, peeled and quartered

1 (10 1/2 oz.) can mushroom gravy

1 cup water

Combine flour, salt and pepper; coat meat with flour mixture.  Put vegetables on the bottom of a 5-quart slow cooker.  Put roast on top of vegetables.  Pour mushroom gravy on top of roast; add water around sides of roast.  Cover and cook on low 10 to 12 hours.

© Margaret's Morsels

Barbecue Without the Grill

It's summertime and the livin' is easy.  It's also hot and humid outside. With some advance planning, you can make mealtime easy and keep the kitchen cool.  All it takes to serve a hot meal without feeling the heat is a slow cooker.

Slow cookers were introduced in the early 1970's, but have evolved over the years.  When they first hit store shelves, the liner --  the insert that goes inside the slow cooker -- wasn't removable.  This made clean up difficult and many slow cookers were pushed to the back of the cabinet.  A few years later, slow cookers became available with a removable liner.  A removable liner makes clean up a breeze since it can be washed in the dishwasher.


Slow cookers come in a variety of shapes and sizes ranging from one quart to six quart.  The most common shapes are round and oval.  The oval shape is wonderful for cooking something big like a roast.  My 21 year old slow cooker has two settings:  low and high.  Newer models have more settings and some are even programmable.


My husband loves barbecue chicken.  Although we live in a city where barbecue is king, rather than go out to eat, I fix barbecue chicken in my slow cooker.  The first time I fixed it, my husband deemed the recipe a keeper.  It's not so much a recipe, but a method.  It's quick and easy and only uses two ingredients:  barbecue sauce and chicken.

Put the desired number of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the slow cooker.  Pour your favorite barbecue sauce over the chicken, covering the top of the chicken with the sauce.  If you're cooking several pieces of chicken, it's a good idea to put some barbecue sauce between the layers of chicken.  Put the lid on and turn the temperature setting to low.  Five hours later, your dinner will be ready.  One advantage of using a slow cooker is it cooks with slow and steady heat, so it's ok if the chicken cooks longer than five hours.

The cooked barbecue chicken.

With just a little bit of prep time, your entree will be cooked and the kitchen cool when you're ready to eat.  If you want to keep your kitchen completely cool, round out the meal with a green salad and some fresh microwave corn-on-the-cob.

© Margaret's Morsels