13 Ham Meals for (2 people ) from a 4-1/2 lb. Bone-in-ham & Ramblings

One of the things I look forward to each Easter is "cheap" Ham. I love the flavor & bone of a bone-in-ham. This year the best price I found for a lean bone-in Butt end ham was $1.29 lb. I was lucky enough to be invited to my son & daughter-in-law's home this year & didn't have to cook the big Easter meal. I just played with the great-grandkids. How great is that??? I love ham and get tired of chicken, fish, beef at home & at restaurants all year & the only time you get ham is Easter. Pork is getting a bad rap. My dad had a little bit of everything on our farm I grew up on but he was noted for his Hogs. They always got top price when he took them to market. Maybe some of you don't know that is where pork comes from. So we ate lots of pork and my mother lived to be 96 years old. How bad was ham for her? She didn't smoke either but was exposed to it all her life because of brothers & her husband the hog farmer but he only lived to 68. I think we go overboard on our thinking sometimes. Like paying a fortune for organic foods when a government agency requires documentation but no one actually watching over them to make sure they aren't using synthetic fertilizer along with their "natural" manure, etc. they are supposed to be using. Their isn't enough animal fertilizer to raise all the food we eat in America and we don't want to join other countries & use human waste or we will REALLY have problems. Just an OLD (still alive) woman rambling.

(((((Ham Meals (13 total meals ) for 2 people from a 4-1/2 lb. Bone-In Butt Ham)))))


HAM & NAVY BEAN WITH CORNBREAD (2 meals for 2 people)

Trim the ham off, cutting towards the bone. Don't trim too well. You want some on there to eat when you cook it in your beans. Buy a small bag of small dried Northern (Navy) beans. Put beans in large pot (the beans will double in size when cooked) cover beans & ham bone with water (saving the juices from cooking the ham to make gravy for mashed potatoes later). I put 1 tsp. soda in water & beans & let set in refrigerator over night. (soda help's w/gas we normally get from eating beans). Next day. Cook as the bean bag tells you for time. While they are cooking make your cornbread.

CORNBREAD -
Beat: 1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted

Mix together and add the following, stirring with a fork till all ingredients are mixed well.

1-1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
4-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Pour into a well greased 9 X 9 baking dish & 425 degrees 25 to 30 minutes.

My family put molasses over our beans/ham and butter on our cornbread when we ate it.

My husbands family put maple syrup on their cornbread and covered it with the ham /beans.

We both still eat it our own way.



When I cut the ham off the bone I cut the rest of it up for the other meals & put in plastic bags. Label each & put all in 1 large gallon plastic bag labeled with what is in it (so you know later) when you want to use it. Freeze all till you want a ham meal some day. Remember the price? Frugal, Frugal, Thrifty. My grandmother said, "save your pennies & the $1's will take care of themselves." A little harder now than in her day but it still means the same.
That wise old woman also said, "A woman can throw away with a spoon more than a man can make with a shovel". In those days the shovel was used alot. But it still holds true that waste not want not!!! That is not being "cheap" just "frugile" and we could all use a little frugilness.


HAM SLICES W/CHERRY SAUCE (husband) or ORANGE/LEMON/RAISIN SAUCE (me) (4 meals for 2 people) I was able to get 4 nice slices of ham in each of 3 bags plus the 4 slices (2 per person) we ate the day I baked the ham. Again I grew up putting raisin sauce on our ham slices when we ate it & my husband likes cherry sauce on his.

Cherry Sauce - 1 can Cherry Pie Filling & 1/4 tsp. ground cloves. Heat together & serve.

(watch all year for Wilderness Cherry Pie Filling to go on sale usually when ripe ones are on the trees - they need to get rid of the last years crop but they will be good yet for a Long time

Orange/Lemon/Raisin Sauce = Mix in small pan 1 cup sugar, 2 Tab. cornstarch, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 Tab. flour. Stir in 1-1/4 c. orange juice, 1/4 c. lemon juice, 1/2 cup water. Cook over low heat stirring until it boils. Boil 3 minutes Remove from heat and stir in 1 Tab. butter, 1 tsp. each grated orange & lemon rind. 1/2 cup Raisins. When I buy a lemon or oranges I grate off some of the outside rind and put in small snack bag & keep in freezer till I need some rind in something.


HAM LOAF & CHERRY SAUCE (2 meals for 2 people)

The chunky ham that didn't make nice slices I ground. I was able to get at least 2 lbs. for Ham Loafs & Ham Salad Sandwiches.

1/2 lb. ground cooked smoked ham
1 lb. ground fresh lean pork
2 beaten eggs
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup milk

Mix and lightly pat into 8X8 or 9X9 greased pan.

Combine: 1 tsp. mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Spread over the top of the meat.

Bake 350 degrees at 1 1/2 hour.
Serve with 1 can Cherry Pie filling & 1/4 tsp. ground cloves heated together till warm covering the Ham Loaf with the cherry sauce before serving.


HAM SALAD SANDWICH (1 meal for 2 people)

(1/2) lb. ground ham
2 hard boiled eggs ground or chopped
2 tsp. pickle relish (my homemade is the best) I'll give you that recipe so you can make it this summer when the farmers market has cucumbers reasonable.
1/3 cup Miracle Whip. Mix together & eat in buns or bread slices.

HAM & CHEESE SLICE SANDWICHES (Using one of your pkgs. of ham slices) (1 meal for 2)

HAM & CHEESE OMELET (you minced in small pieces) & w/shredded cheese make a Breakfast egg Omelet (If you don't know how to make. Type me a comment and I will put it on here. (1 meal for 2 people)

UPSIDE DOWN HAM LOAF/PINEAPPLE (2 meals for 2 people)

1 lb. ground ham

1 lb. ground fresh pork

Mix meat with: 2 cups bread crumbs, 2/3 cup milk, 2 eggs, 1/4 tsp. pepper,2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. dry mustard. Press the meat mixture on top of 1 cup crushed pineapple/6 Tab. of brown sugar.

Bake 350 degrees 1 -1/2 hr till done. Let set awhile & cover with a platter & flip everything over so the pineapple is on top to serve.

Above are my favorite left overs but Ham & Scalloped Potatoes, Ham Balls, Ham & Kraut rolls, Ham Croquettes are very good, too. If you want the recipe for any of these just make a comment.