"Ham and Cheese" Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

1 Tbsp regular butter
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup(s) low-fat shredded Cheddar cheese, mild variety
1/2 cup(s) low-fat milk
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp table salt
8 oz lean ham
4 cup(s) cooked macaroni, elbow variety

Instructions
Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles and thickens slightly, 2–3 minutes.


Stir the cheddar cheese, milk, Parmesan cheese, mustard, and salt into the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese melts and the mixture is smooth, 2–3 minutes.


Stir the pasta and ham into the skillet and cook until heated through and well coated, 1–2 minutes. Let stand 2 minutes before serving. Yields scant 1 cup per serving.

Notes
The sauce is made in one skillet, and if you have any leftover pasta in the refrigerator, you won’t need to dirty a second pot to cook the pasta. Leftover spaghetti works best if cut into 1- to 2-inch lengths, and leftover large pasta, such as rigatoni or ziti, could be cut in half. You’ll need about 1/2 pound dry macaroni to get 4 cups cooked.

If you want a slightly crunchy texture, sprinkle each portion with a few toasted bread crumbs

Green Bean Casserole

Baked Ham and Green Bean Recipe

Casseroles are an easy way to put a delicious meal on the table without spending half the night in the kitchen.

This ham and green bean casserole is a filling, tasty dinner that uses easy to find ingredients. Great for leftovers or any time you want a home cooked meal on the table in no time.

Ingredients:
10 oz. frozen cut green beans, thawed and drained
1 cup smoked ham, fully cooked, cut up
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk baking mix
1-1/2 cups milk
2 large eggs
Seasonings to taste (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spread beans in an ungreased 8 inch square baking dish.
3. Layer with ham and cheese.
4. Beat remaining ingredients and your choice of optional seasonings with hand beater until smooth.
5. Pour over cheese. Bake about 45 minutes, uncovered, until golden brown. Serves 4.

Low Carb Club by Blaine.

This is really good.  It comes from a Discovery Health Channel Show called Blaines Low Carb Cooking.

Flatbread:

1 1/4 cups soy flour-sifted
1/2 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup olive oil


Turkey Breast:

1 1/2 lb. turkey breast (4 filets sliced)
8 slices bacon - cooked crispy and drained
4 leafs of iceberg lettuce sliced thin
1 cup Roma tomato - sliced
1 avocado -halved, seeded and thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tbsp. Dijon Mustard

Ham:

1 1/2 lb. baked ham (sliced about 1/8” warm from oven)
4 oz. brie
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp. horseradish
Garnish with pickle


Flatbread Preparation:

Add baking powder, salt, onion powder and sifted soy flour in mixer with dough attachment. Mix on low 3-4 minutes. Drizzle in warm water until mixture is sticky. Scrape dough out of mixing bowl with rubber spatula and with well soy floured fingers roll dough into ball on countertop (do not knead bread). Pinch off balls of dough the size of a 50-cent piece (remember keep fingers floured) Form into 4-inch diameter rounds and fry in olive oil in cast iron pan over medium heat. Serve warm or room temperature within 1 hour. Dough will keep in refrigerator for up to one week

Yield 8 slices (3 - 4 inches in diameter) - approx. 2 - 3 net carbs per slice

Turkey Breast Club Preparation:

Lightly season each turkey filet with salt and pepper. Grill in preheated grill pan coated with olive oil over medium heat for 3 -4 minutes on each side. Take 2 slices of flat bread and spread 1 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard on bottom slices. Top with lettuce, tomato, avocado, turkey and bacon. Top with other slice of flatbread and serve.

Yield 4 servings - approx. 6 net carbs per sandwich

Ham and Brie Sandwich:

Mix mayonnaise and horseradish. Top slice of flatbread with 1 tablespoon horse sauce. Top with warm ham then brie and other slice of flat bread. Serve with pickle as garnish.

Road Trip!

Well It's about that time. I'm planning a road trip next week. Reminds me of road trips when I was a kid.  Often, I would walk in the house on the last day of the school year, and Mom would be putting stuff in the car. She'd tell me  to pack a bag, and with in an hour we'd be at the grocery store buying deli ham, Longhorn cheddar cheese, diet Coke and ice. This would all put put into a small Styrofoam cooler behind the driver's seat.

In the car, would be a selection of cassettes. Music ranging from folk, country, and pop. A fill up at the gas station, a quick read o the map, and we were off.

The old Toyota didn't have air conditioning, so we'd put bandannas in the ice and then wrap them around our necks. There we were out on the road, singing to the radio, eating ham and cheese, drinking diet Coke, and having the best time. A  day or two later, we'd be at the Grandparents, where we were often given a cold dry meat loaf sandwich. 

We'd cross the border of Kansas into Oklahoma just around sun rise. the light would be start to shift, then the sky would slowly turn purple, then lighter and lighter. If there were any clouds around they would start to take on an orange then pinking hue. When the sun finally rose it would be a big red ball on the horizon. then slowly turn brighter and brighter. I remember a feeling of true peace watching this.

Well this year will be a little different. We're a bit older;  we're not driving 1100 miles in less than 24 hours. Sure, we'll still play music, sing off key. have a ham sandwich or two, but i lot can be said for a comfortable car, and air conditioning.  

 

Today what is good car food?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take a whole wheat tortilla, spread 2 tablespoons of Nutella, add a peeled banana, roll up. wrap in plastic wrap.

 

another yummy treat: frozen grapes.

lay out grapes in a single layer on a cookie sheet of plate. place in the freezer for 1 hour.
for the cooler put them in a zip lock back. keep in the ice.

Hummus and chips.
 

 

Cut up a package of pita bread into small triangles, put them on a baking sheet in one layer. leave them in a 250 degree oven for 10 minutes.

 

when the chips cool put them in a zip lock bag. 

for the hummus,

 

Ingredients:

1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
paprika
Preparation:

Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.

Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with paprika (optional).

place in an air tight container, keep cold in the ice. until ready to eat.

Ham and cheese roll ups.

one large slice of deli ham

1 ounce of longhorn cheese.

roll the ham around the cheese.  also can be wrapped in plastic wrap for the cooler

 

Enjoy the holiday.