Hot Ham and Cheese Dip

 Ever since the Rams left St. Louis, my interest in football is (I was going to say diminished), really nonexistent. I do have friends who avidly follow football, and I do like the conviviality associated with gathering to watch a football game, and I particularly like the food. Here is a hearty hot ham and cheese dip that will please even the most ravenous of football fans. It’s make ahead, and will keep in the refrigerator for one or two days prior to baking if you want to prepare it in advance. Who doesn’t love hot ham and cheese?

 Hot Ham & Cheese Dip

 1 Melissa’s shallot, finely diced

2 T. butter

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 t. yellow mustard

1½ c. diced deli ham

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

¼ c. whole milk

¼ c. sour cream

2 t. chives

 Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray an 8” x 8“ baking dish (or similarly sized casserole dish) with PAM; set aside.

  In a medium skillet over medium heat, sauté shallot until transparent. Add cream cheese, and stir until it begins to melt; stir in mustard. Add remaining ingredients, turn the heat to low, and stir until everything is combined.

 Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and bake for 20 minutes or until all of the cheeses have melted and the edges are hot and bubbly.

 Serve with crackers, chips, or small slices of toasted rustic bread.

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Shallot, Mushroom, and Ricotta Florentine Egg Skillet

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When I get up in the morning, I generally hit the ground running, mug of coffee in hand. The last thing on my mind is spending time in the kitchen making myself a hearty breakfast. That’s not to say that I don’t like a hearty breakfast, mind you, it just says that I have no one to make it for me. When I’m interested in having breakfast food, I tend to have it more often for dinner than at any other time of the day. If you feel the same, then this delicious egg skillet dish is going to appeal. Outside of chopping, there isn’t a whole lot to it, it goes together in a flash, and is wonderfully tasty, particularly with a slice of ham or a couple of strips of bacon on the side. It reheats well, so if there are only a couple of you, you can have this for dinner one day, and for breakfast the next. You can also have it for breakfast, of course, if you feel inclined to make it.

 

 

Shallot, Mushroom, and Ricotta Florentine Egg Skillet

4 large eggs
¼ c. whole milk
¼ c. ricotta cheese
2 T. cornstarch
¼ t. fine sea salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
Few gratings fresh nutmeg
2 T. butter
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 Melissa’s shallots, sliced
1 c. sliced Cremini mushrooms
½ c. thinly sliced deli ham
 1 c. chopped fresh spinach

 

Preheat oven to 375° F.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until frothy. Add milk, ricotta cheese, cornstarch, salt, cayenne, and nutmeg, and whisk again until there are very small lumps of ricotta and cornstarch.

Melt butter and oil together in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, mushrooms, and ham, and sauté until shallots are soft and translucent, stirring frequently. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about one minute. Remove from heat, spread mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan, and pour egg mixture over the top.

Bake for 15 minutes at 375° F, and then increase the oven temperature to 400° F and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the eggs are puffed and set in the center. Serve immediately.