Open-Face Ham Sandwiches

I don't know where this recipe came from, but it goes way back, probably before some of you were born, as I first remember my mother making these for me in the seventies during my early high school days.   We had split sessions, which meant I went to school from 6:00 in the morning until noon.  This also meant that I'd be walking to the bus stop, in the dark, at around 5:30.  When I got home, exhausted and hungry, I could always look forward to mom having lunch ready for me.  If she happened to be gone, that was no problem as she'd make up a bunch of these yummy sandwiches, wrap half of them in foil, place them into a large Ziploc freezer bag (yep, we had freezer bags back then), and pop them into the freezer.  If I wanted a hot sandwich all I had to do was unwrap one, remove the foil, place it into the toaster oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, and I'd have a tasty hot sandwich with no effort.  I  loved them then, and I still love them now.

There's really nothing to putting them together.  You may just have everything you need on hand right now.  These make for a great winter lunch, a light supper with a cup of soup or small salad, or a welcome addition to your Super Bowl buffet.

The filling keeps for a couple of weeks in the fridge, so if you only want to make up a couple at a time as I did today, that's no problem either.

Separate two halves of an English muffin and place on a foil-lined tray.

Spread a generous amount of cream cheese filling (recipe below) on each.  DO NOT SKIMP.  The filling is where most of the flavor comes from.

Top each with cooked, baked, or deli ham. (This is Virginia Baked Ham from the deli).

Top the ham with a thick tomato slice, and another dollop of the cream cheese filling.  Sprinkle with dried parsley, if desired.

Slide into the broiler and bake until cheese melts and tops are brown.

ENJOY!

Open-Face Ham Sandwiches

1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 English muffins

8 slices (3/4 pound) cooked ham

8 slices tomato

In a medium metal mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Stir in cheese, paprika, oregano, and garlic powder.  Spread two thirds of the mixture evenly over the eight muffin halves.  Top each with ham slice and tomato slice.  Spoon remaining cheese mixture onto the center of each tomato slice.  Place on baking sheet and broil until golden brown.

Serves 8.