Open-Faced Ham Sandwich

 

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 5:30AM.  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 350ºF 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 up to a week 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.

 

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

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.

 

 

 

ENJOY!

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Open-Face Ham Sandwiches

 1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

½ c. butter, softened

½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. paprika

½ t. dried oregano

½ t. garlic powder

4 English muffins (I use Bay’s)

8 slices (¾ lb.) deli 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

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Cripple Creek Crab Cakes

In the autumn of last year, I reviewed a fascinating cookbook called Food to Die For; you can read that review here. One of the recipes in the book that intrigued me was one for crab cakes. I don’t know how it is in your area, but I find it very difficult to find good lump crab meat in my area, particularly considering my favorite seafood place (a local icon) closed down a number of years ago. Lo and behold, two days before Christmas I spotted it at Fresh Time, on sale! Christmas dinner, solved!

The beauty of crab cakes is that there’s really not a whole lot to putting them together, and you can make them ahead. They need to be chilled for at least an hour, but I find them more flavorful if you chill them overnight. Imagine how easy your meal would be if the main dish was made ahead of time.

These are wonderful! As crab cakes are one of my favorite things, I’m so pleased to know that no longer will I have to deny myself because of lack of availability of lump crab meat thanks to Fresh Thyme. If you like crab cakes as much as I do, you’re going to want to try this recipe.

Cripple Creek* Crab Cakes

1 lb. lump crab meat
½ red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
½ c. white onion, diced
4 scallions, chopped, including tops
1 garlic clove, minced
1 egg, beaten
2 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. hot sauce
3 c. bread crumbs, divided
2 to 4 T. of vegetable oil, for frying
Lemon wedges for garnish
Chopped parsley, for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, combine the crab, pepper, onion, scallions, and garlic.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and hot sauce.
Add the liquids to the crab. Mix in 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs.

Form the mixture into eight patties, and dredge in the remaining breadcrumbs.
Place the patties on a plate, then cover and chill for at least an hour, preferably overnight.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat (I used a combination of olive oil and butter.). Cook until the patties are golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once.

Serve with remoulade and lemon wedges.

 

*Adapted from a recipe in Colorado Collage by the Junior League of Denver, a 1995 a collection of recipes from across the state, inspired by different cities and towns.

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Merry Christmas!

Grateful thanks to all of you who are kind enough to read my blog. I appreciate every one of you, and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

See you in 2025! 

Cream of Celery Soup

Celery is a vegetable that, I think, is often underestimated. It is surprisingly good for you; regular consumption may reduce inflammation markers. It may naturally lower your blood pressure, reducing the strain on your heart.  Eating it daily, as I do, provides you with a steady supply of vitamin K that supports bone density and strength. Imagine! All of these benefits, and it’s relatively low in cost as well.

When the late Mr. O-P and I were working in Dublin, we would take an early afternoon break to meet up at a local pub for lunch. It became our favorite dining spot not only because the food was quite good, but also because of the fascinating characters that we would run into along the way. One thing of theirs that I particularly liked was the cream of celery soup. I would get a cup of that as often as possible, vowing to try to replicate the recipe when we got home. One day I asked Mr. O-P if he would like to taste it. He did. I asked him how he liked it, and he said (I could not believe this response), “It sets my teeth on edge.” I grappled with that comment, I can tell you. I don’t think I have ever eaten anything that has actually set my teeth on edge. Suffice it to say, I never pursued my interest in replicating that recipe. Now that I’m on my own, and inspired by a recipe that I saw in The Cozy Christmas Cookbook, I decided to give it a shot. Am I ever pleased with the results! This is warm, soothing, and delicately delicious.

Cream of Celery Soup
Inspired by The Cozy Christmas Cookbook

¼ c. butter
1 large head celery, washed and thinly sliced
2 6-oz. pkgs. Melissa’s cleaned and sliced leeks
2 small Melissa’s celeriac bulbs (about 10 oz. total after peeling)
½ lb. Melissa’s baby Dutch yellow potatoes, halved
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. vegetable broth
½ c. chopped fresh parsley, plus more to garnish
2 c. half ‘n half
½ t. sea salt
½ t. freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add celery, leek, celeriac (a.k.a. celery root), and potatoes. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened and lightly caramelized.

Add the garlic; stir for 30 seconds.

Add the broth, and turn up the heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat a simmer, and cook for 15 more minutes until the celery and potatoes are fork tender. Add parsley and stir to incorporate.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until creamy. Stir in half-and-half. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately garnished with slices of fresh celery, and chopped parsley.

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My 2024 Christmas Card

 

I know that due to the expense it’s become less popular to send cards. That’s a shame. I don’t think there is anything better than getting something personal in the mail. When you think about it, that someone will come to your home, pick up a card or letter, and take it anywhere in the country that you desire for only 73¢, has to be one of the best bargains in the world. For me, a good part of the joy of Christmas is designing my own Christmas cards, decorating envelopes, writing notes, and putting them into the mail. I got a bit nostalgic this year, using a picture of vintage salt and pepper shakers that belonged to my mother on the cover. Every card I design has a special meaning for me. I suppose I should gather them together into a book of sorts because, combined, they tell a story of my life.I decided to do something different with the envelope this year and do an open collage. I’m not sure that I like it. I’m also not sure that it’s going to get through the mail intact, which is why I’m including a photo of it here so that, should the recipients receive something a bit battered, at least they’ll know what it looked like when it began its journey.

If you’d like to take a look at what I’ve done in the past, here are cards from 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Santa in the Snow Tablescape

 

This will be my last tablescape for 2024. It will not be the last table that I set, but with the holidays coming up, and all of the activity that surrounds them, I won’t be able to share any more. 

This one is a lot of fun. It started with the fabric that I absolutely fell in love with. I bought 2 yards of it, put it over the table, and went from there.

The “placemats,” for lack of a better word, I found a number of years ago at Pier One. I’m sorry that I only bought four of them because I love them so much. The nubby-edged red plates are also from Pier One.

The holly leaf salad plates I got from Pottery Barn last year. I really like these because, with such a simple design, they can be paired with almost anything, and yet they have a big impact.

On top of them is a Fitz and Floyd Santa mug (that you last saw here), doing double duty as a candle holder. It was a snap to put this together. I used a bit of floral foam in the bottom to hold the candle in place, then it was just a question of adding some dried Spanish moss, some greenery, a few berries, and I was done. I think it makes a nice impact considering the minutes it took to put together.

 The script greeting at each place setting I found here. The clear snowflake Irish coffee-style mugs that I fell in love with are new this year. I found them here. They will get a lot of use this year holding hot drinks and boozy coffees.

 

The wooden snowflakes are favorites, and are used all over the house during the holidays, including on the tree.

 

The deep green stemware makes a nice impact here. When you have a table covering as bold as this one, you have to have equally bold dinnerware.

I found the red napkins here, and struggled to decide which type of flatware to use. I tried, McKenzie-Child’s “Courtly Check,” gold, and ultimately ended up with this very versatile black flatware that makes a statement while being understated.

The Santa in the center riding the bicycle I inherited from my mother. She used to collect Santas of all kinds and had them running down the center of her dining table. I have all of them, of course, but tend to use just one at a time. The tree I’ve had forever, it is illuminated with tiny string lights.

 

I hope this finds you all thoroughly enjoying your holiday prep. Don’t wear yourselves out!

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 This post is linked to: Tablescape Thursday

Santa All the Way Tablescape

 

This is a riff on last week’s Christmassy non-Christmas table. Many things remain in place, I just swapped out a few to get an entirely different look. If you are hosting a number of parties over the holiday season, there’s no need to go crazy digging out all of your dinnerware when a few changes can make such an impactful difference.

The hunter green tablecloth is the same, as is the yardage that I used as a runner. Similarly, the chargers and dinner plates are the same. I have come to learn that while placemats and chargers make up the overall look, people pay less attention to these background items than they do the specialty pieces. Because of this, it is so easy to change a table by only removing an item or two.

I kept the bold lime green napkins the same, as well as the Milano red flatware by Ginkgo International in the Le Pris pattern, but swapped out last week’s apple napkin rings for these Santa napkin rings that I inherited from my mother.

Instead of the apple items that made up the focal point of my last table, this one is Santas all the way. The same nubby-edged red plates from Pier One are in place, but I topped them with these darling Santa salad/dessert plates that I inherited from my mother as well. On top of those are these wonderful “Ho! Ho! Ho!” soup bowls that I also got at Pier One, and I love them! I was lucky enough to get these two, as these sold out almost immediately.

The Fiestaware pitcher from last week has been replaced with a Fitz and Floyd Santa pitcher that does double duty as the centerpiece. He sits on top of, and is surrounded by a variety of faux greenery (I used this and this) and berries.

 The coffee mugs match the pitcher and so are also by Fitz and Floyd. This set is very early Fitz and Floyd, and one of the first things of theirs that I collected. I still remember buying this at a gourmet shop (The Second Story at Plaza Frontenac for locals) in an upscale mall here in the area back in 1978. I guess that makes this vintage.

Finishing up the table I used simple black candlesticks filled with these wonderful battery operated pine tree candles.

This whimsical and colorful table is surely one that will delight young and old.

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This post is linked to: Tablescape Thursday

Parmesan Baked Cod

The tasty fish recipe of the week is this wonderful baked cod. It was so good that I was sorry I had only made one piece for myself because I quite easily could’ve eaten two. This recipe will not work with dried herbs, so don’t even think about it. It’s fresh herbs, or nothing. In the doing, and following the instructions carefully, this is company worthy.

Parmesan Baked Cod

Adapted from laurenslatest.com

 2 cod fillets

¼ c. Duke’s mayonnaise

¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan

 2 T. minced fresh flat leaf parsley

 2 T. minced fresh basil

 1 clove garlic, grated

 Sea salt to taste

 Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

A whisper of Old Bay

  Preheat oven to 450°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Place fish fillets onto the prepared baking sheet; set aside.

In a small bowl stir together mayonnaise, cheese, fresh herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper until combined. Spread evenly over the top of the fillets. Sprinkle lightly with Old Bay.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until fish starts looking opaque and flakes.

Switch oven to broiler and brown the tops of the fish until lightly golden, about 1-2 minutes, watching it carefully so it doesn't burn.

 Remove from oven and serve warm with wedges of lemon.

Serves 2

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