Home style ham salad


This salad brings back a lot of good memories for me.

This ham salad recipe comes from my ex-husband’s grandparents who lived in a little village called Ilion in upstate New York. Making it brings me right back to their home. Brown carpets, the smell of food in the kitchen, and everyone sitting around that brown Formica table, laughing. Grandpa Dulak talking about his days at Union Fork and Hoe, Grandma sharing stories about taking the girls to camp at Canadarago Lake. It’s amazing how a simple recipe can carry so many great memories.

Hold on to all the good memories you can.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound cooked ham, chopped
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
  • 1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Chop or dice the hame up. I prefer it to be chopped because it I don’t like chunky ham.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the mayo and ham
  3. Add the chopped celery, onion, and salt and pepper to the mayo and ham. Stir well.

You can have it as a sandwich or on crackers. I always end up seasoning it a little more with salt and pepper.

Nutrition Facts can vary depending how much more or little (per 1/2 cup serving):

  • Calories: 250
  • Total Fat: 20g
  • Saturated Fat: 3g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Cholesterol: 50mg
  • Sodium: 900mg
  • Total Carbohydrates: 3g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0.5g
  • Sugars: 2g
  • Protein: 12g

Chicken sir fry yum! 


Creating meals couldn’t be any easier than this. All it takes is a little gumption and creativity for you to step out of the box once in a while. 

If you’re in a hurry but want something cost effective and tasty try this. 


Chicken Stir Fry

1 1/2 lb of chicken breast cut up and browned 

2 cups of fresh or frozen broccoli florets

2 green peppers and 1 red or 1 16 oz bag of frozen mixed pepper strips

1 6oz can of baby corn(found in oriental food section of your grocery store)

1 4 oz can of water chestnuts

2 cups of soy sauce 

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp of ground ginger

2 packages of brown or white rice(boil in bag is what I use)

Except for the rice, mix all ingridents in a large skillet and cook on medium heat approximately 20 mins. 

Voila! 

My family loved it, it tasted great, and didn’t break my bank! 

Quick and easy is what I aim for especially with our schedule. I hope you enjoy. 

Remember cooking isn’t an exact science so play around with the flavor a little bit and critique it to how you like it. 

Grilled Turkey and Avocado Sandwich


Hey I just thieved this recipe from Examiner.com, Week 3: Saturday – Grilled Turkey and Avocado sandwich. I cannot wait to try it. Looks simple enough to me which is right up my alley lol.

Grille Turkey and Avocado Sandwich

Ingredients

Ciabatta bread

½ cup basil pesto

½ lb. turkey

8 slices swiss cheese

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

2 roma tomatoes, sliced

2 avocados, sliced

8 slices bacon, cooked

Instructions

Spread each piece of ciabatta bread with the pesto. Layer on the ingredients between cheese. Cook on a Panini press or over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side. Toppings make 3 sandwiches worth.

It isn’t really gluten free but it is semi-healthy and seems like a change from the same old turkey sammies I usually make. I like to switch things up once in a while.

Fresh roasted green beans and Vidalia onions


Seriously this is such a simple recipe. There is no excuse not to eat healthy. I think you just have to be creative and put your noggin into it.

All I used was about a pound of fresh green beans and one whole Vidalia onion. Wash the beans first and snap the ends off. Then boil for approximately 10 minutes and drain. Cut the Vidalia onion up into medium slices and put in a baking dish with the green beans. I then drizzled olive oil on top (about 2 to 3 tbsp) and sprinkled some onion powder and pepper on top. Just move the beans and onion around so that they all get moist from the olive oil. That was it!! You can add salt and any extra spices that you wish.

Bake in the oven on the top rack at about 375 – 400 depending on your oven for about 20 minutes. I like mine with a little crisp at the edges.