The crust is crispy, the egg is perfectly cooked, and the cheese has melted just right. 

I have to admit that this is the best ham, egg and cheese sandwich that I have ever made, if I do say so myself.

It all started with the usual question to myself, what am I going to eat? Well, if you have that thought pop up, whether for breakfast, lunch or supper then think of this sandwich. I promise that you won’t be sorry.

Doggone Good Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwich

2 slices of  English muffin bread, available at your local supermarket bakery, or made by you

Duke’s or your favorite mayo on each side, or change it up and put a thin layer of strawberry or blackberry jam on each side

1 slice of Tavern ham, folded to fit the bread

1 egg, directions below

sliced cheddar cheese to cover one side of the bread

Spray a skillet with non-stick spray. Add the egg to the skillet. Using a fork, poke the yolk. The egg will spread, but DON’T scramble it. Salt and pepper the egg if you choose. Let the egg cook on one side and flip it over. Cook just until the white is cooked but the yolk is not set. Remove to a plate.

Cover each slice of bread on one side with mayo or jam. Add folded ham, add the cooked egg to the top of the ham. On the other side of the bread with mayo, place slices of Cheddar cheese. Put the cheese side over the egg.

Spray the bread with non-stick cooking spray and place the sandwich, sprayed side down in a skillet over medium heat. Spray top side of the bread with non-stick cooking spray. Cook sandwich until brown and crisp on the bottom and turn to brown the other side. When ready, remove from heat, slice in half and devour.

 

 

Quiche with Fresh Herbs

This Delicious quiche is made with ham, two different cheeses and fresh herbs. BUT, it has a surprise that’s spooned over the crust to make it extra good, and balance out the flavors.

Yes, it is strawberry jam. Home-made from the strawberries that I picked at a local farm last week.

Over the jam is a layer of grated sharp cheddar, and grated Romano cheese. Then, a layer of diced ham is placed over the top. This delicious ham is leftover from a ham I baked two days ago. I put the leftover ham in bags in the fridge and labeled it for sandwiches or pieces that I could use for cooking.

I served the quiche with Raspberry & Orange Muffins and a variety of lettuces. I diced tomato for the top. The recipe is below, I hope you will enjoy it.

Recipe:

1 pie crust from a (15-ounce) package

1 tablespoon strawberry jam or preserves

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar

1/3 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup diced ham (leftover baked ham is perfect)

1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onion, including stems

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil

1/8 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme

1/2 teaspoon Country Dijon mustard

7 eggs

3/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup milk

3/4-1 teaspoon salt

4 grinds of fresh pepper or to taste

Preheat the oven to 350. Unroll the crust and place in a 10-inch, shallow quiche pan that has been sprayed with a non-stick spray. Add the strawberry jam to the bottom of the crust and smooth out with a spoon. Sprinkle the two cheeses evenly around the bottom of the pan, add the diced ham to the top of the cheese. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the green onion, fresh herbs, eggs, mustard, cream, milk, salt and pepper. Gently pour over the ham in the quiche dish. Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. It’s done when the eggs are set. Serve while hot. Makes 4 large servings.

Raspberry & Orange Muffins

This recipe was modified from the Raspberry & Lemon Muffins in Southern Scrumptious. That original recipe was good, but it had no sugar. I have added raw sugar, orange juice and buttermilk to the recipe.

Recipe:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons raw sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw) plus extra for sprinkling on top of muffins just before baking

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups plain Greek yogurt (I used Cabot)

1/3 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 cups fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add paper liners to a 12 cup muffin tin. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, yogurt, buttermilk, orange juice, oil, vanilla and zest. Mix the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until incorporated. Fold in the raspberries. Using an ice cream scoop, place batter (it will be thick) into each muffin cup. Sprinkle with additional raw sugar on top. Bake until muffins are done, about 20 minutes or  when a skewer into the center of the muffin comes out clean.

To remove muffins from the tin, use a skewer through the side of the muffin and lift out. This will keep you from putting knife dents into bottom of the muffins.

 

 

 

1

Home-made, from scratch as we say, corned beef hash and Irish soda bread. What could be better than to sit down on a lovely sunshiny morning, and enjoy this March tradition. The corned beef is from a thick slice purchased in the deli section of the grocery store. The onions and potatoes are caramelized before the beef goes in to give this dish an extra depth of flavor. Serve with Irish soda bread and fresh fruit.

Corned Beef Hash and Eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups peeled, diced potatoes
1 cup diced sweet onion
1 1/2 cups diced corned beef
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes, onions, thyme and salt. Cook until the potatoes are tender and slightly caramelized.  Add the diced corned beef, and mix well. Cook until heated through. Use an oven proof skillet, or transfer the mixture to a baking dish. Make 4 wells in the corned beef mixture. Break one egg into each well. Spray a piece of foil, and place loosely over the top of the baking dish, but not touching the eggs. Place the baking dish in the oven and cook until eggs are set to your liking. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley or thinly sliced green onions. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

I’ve been making this recipe for Irish soda bread since I saw it in a magazine over 45 years ago. It’s easy to make, and has a wonderful texture and flavor. You’ll wonder why you don’t have toast from this bread every morning of the week.

Irish Soda Bread

4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray two 8 or 9-inch cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Add the flour, salt and soda to a large mixing bowl and whisk with a fork. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk all at once. Stir the flour into the milk. Mix well. When the dough starts to hold together, knead it in the bowl. It will look ragged, and that is okay. Form it into a round and cut a cross in the top of the dough with a sharp knife. Place the dough round into the cake pan. Cover the top with the second cake pan by placing it upside down over the dough pan. Bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the top cake pan. When you take the cake pan off, the dough will have risen and turned golden brown.  Cook for another 10 minutes. Bread should sound hollow when done.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
3 tablespoons milk
milk for glaze
2 1/2 teaspoons strawberry-basil jelly, or your favorite jam or jelly

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and shortening in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 3 tablespoons milk through the chute and process to form a soft dough, being careful not to over beat. On a floured surface, knead the dough lightly 3-4 times. Roll the dough with a rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thickness.

With a 1 1/2-inch round or scalloped round cutter, and cut out dough. With a 3/4 inch cutter, cut a hole in the center of half of the dough rounds. Re-roll scraps and centers as needed. Brush whole rounds lightly with additional milk.
Place the rounds with holes on top of the whole rounds. Place each stacked round 1-inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Spoon 1/4 teaspoon jam, jelly or lemon curd into the center of each stacked round.

Bake for about 8 minutes or until golden. Remove and cool on wire racks. Makes about 10 biscuits.

Strawberry jelly- you can make your own by making home-made jam with basil, or by adding fresh, finely chopped or dried basil to store bought strawberry jam. If adding, adjust basil and jam to your preference. Other suggestions would be blueberry with lemon and thyme, fig with lemon and basil or thyme. Refrigerate jam or jelly after opening.

This is a recipe that I’ve had for years. It is not original, but I have been given so many recipes over the years that I could not tell you where this one came from. It’s delicious and we really enjoy it.

 

 

I decided yesterday, to make a baked fruit compote. The supermarket that I use is a bicycle ride away, but unfortunately it has cut back to only seasonal produce, and I can’t buy fresh plums, or many other fresh fruits right now. So, I used a little of this and a little of that. You’ll see. But in the end, it tasted so good! It will taste even better to you, if you use the fruits that you like.

This compote was so delicious over French vanilla ice cream last night. Wouldn’t it be pretty to serve it during the holidays in crystal stems? Or, serve it for breakfast over cereal, or yogurt? My answer is yes, because I intend to make it again, and do all of the above.

This is my version of a Sunday morning sausage biscuit. This biscuit recipe is great because you can prepare the ingredients, hold them separately and then put them together at the last minute to serve for breakfast or brunch. You can also make ahead and warm slowly in the microwave, or even freeze them.

Serve with fresh fruit, grits and scrambled eggs for the perfect accompaniment.

 Southern Sunday Morning Sausage Biscuits

1 lb. sausage

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

½ teaspoon fennel seeds, chopped with knife or ground

1/8 teaspoon ground sage

2-3 grinds of coarse black pepper

4 ounces cream cheese, cubed

3 eggs, beaten

2 cups Bisquick

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

¼ cup sour cream, buttermilk or yogurt

Add sausage and onion to a large skillet over medium high heat. Crumble the sausage and add fennel, sage and black pepper. Cook, until the sausage is brown. Lay paper towels on top of a plate, pour on the sausage and drain well, pressing out any fat.

Add the sausage to a bowl. Add the cream cheese, and mix into the sausage, mashing with a spoon or fork until the cream cheese is mixed in well. Add the beaten eggs, Bisquick, and cheddar cheese. Add the ¼ cup sour cream. Blend the mixture well. Using an ice cream scoop, divide batter into 12 regular size muffin cups. Bake at 350 for 18 minutes. If you need to brown them, just put under the broiler for a few seconds.

Salmon, Eggs & Green Onions

On Sunday at dinner time (noon) we always had a big meal, but on Sunday night, as we were all winding down, mother was often in the kitchen making one of my favorite Sunday night meals.  Salmon with scrambled eggs and green onions over grits or rice. On the side of the plate was a big hot biscuit. Syrup was on the table in case we wanted to save the biscuit for dessert.

Back then, out in the country, we could not get fresh salmon, so mother would buy a good quality canned salmon at the Piggly Wiggly. In this day and age, I use fresh baked salmon, or  leftover salmon to make this delicious memory.

The recipe is simple. For two, use 1/2 pound of freshly baked and flaked salmon. Add 4 eggs to a bowl, along with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk the eggs until well mixed. Finely slice 2 green onions, including the tender green stem, and add to the eggs. Add the flaked salmon. Stir gently to mix.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter until sizzling. Add the egg, salmon mixture and gently stir to cook the eggs. When eggs are done, remove to a plate and keep warm. Serve over rice or grits. Serve a hot biscuit on the side, and a little syrup or honey to go with it. Perfect meal for a Sunday night. Breakfast for supper. (This has a little goat cheese on top).