April 23 Cooking

Well I haven't decided whether I want to do the OAMC this month.   I only have this weekend before we'll have the granddaughters for 3 weeks.  I'm trying to decide whether to do OAMC or to just plan a menu and cook every day.    They are fairly picky eaters, which I never really had a problem with that when my kids were growing up.  So...thinking of spaghetti, chicken nuggets, hamburgers, meatloaf, fried chicken, hot dogs....so....kid friendly menus!  may not be too bad. 

This weekend I do have quite a bit of cooking to do anyway.  Our church is having Brunch before our church services on Sunday.  So I'm going to make a couple of breakfast casseroles and some popovers.  Then our children and grandchildren and a few friends will be her for Easter dinner.  So I will make Ham, scalloped potatoes, dinner rolls, and a dessert!  MMmm

Here is one of the breakfast casserole I will be making for Sunday brunch.  I made it a lot when my kids were small...I haven't made it for many many years, so I'm hoping it will turn out and I remember what all my notes meant that I have on the recipe card.  :-) 

FARMER'S BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

This recipe serves 18. 

12 Bread slices, crusts removed
3 cups of frozen hash browns
2 1/4 cups diced ham
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
9 eggs
3 cups evaporated milk
3/4 t onion powder
1 1/2 t dry mustard

Spray a 9" square or round baking pan, or other heat proof baking dish with cooking spray.  cut the bread slices into cubes and place 1/2 of the bread cubes in the dish.  Over the bread cubes, layer half of the hash browns, half of the diced ham, half of the green peppers, half of the chopped onions, half of the tomatoes, and half of each shredded cheese.  Repeat all the layers ending with a layer of cheese.  The pan will be very full.  Beat the remaining ingredients together and pour over the pan.  Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 

The morning to serve, remove and discard plastic wrap.  Bake in 375 degree preheated oven for 35 - 40 minutes.  Cool 5-10 minutes before slicing to serve. 

Here is a recipe for a glaze for the ham that I will be serving for Easter Dinner.

CHERRY OR RASPBERRY HAM GLAZE

This is for a 5 lb ham...obviously double for a 10 lb ham or trip for a 15 lb ham...etc..

1/4 cup water
6 T white vinegar
3 T Honey
18 oz Cherry or raspberry preserves
1 t Cinnamon
1 t Ground cloves
1 t ground nutmeg

In a saucepan, use a whisk to combine water, vinegar, honey, preserves, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. 

Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 2 mintues.  Remove from heat and allow to cool. 

Cook ham according to instruction on packaging.  During last 30 minutes of cooking, pour 1/4 cup of the glaze over the ham.  Remove ham from oven.  Stir ham drippings into remaining glaze and serve with ham. 

I'm also going to be making popovers for the brunch AND dinner rolls for dinner.  My husband is trying to talk me into making a French Toast Casserold.  The problem with it is that is best served warm and not sure if we will have access to an oven to warm it.  I will keep you informed of the info and let you know whether he is successful in talking me into making it. 

So with Sunday being a full day...(fitting in two easter egg hunts and some games)...Monday, as usual, I will work my full 8 hour day and do my normal Monday housework.  Then Tuesday...we have a vacation day...and we are taking Amber to Denver to the airport to fly out to South Africa.  She flies from Denver to Dallas; Dallas to Chicago; Chicago to London Heathrow for an 8 hour layover; then from London to Johannesburg; and then Johannesburg to Cape Town.  She arrives there I think something like sometime Thursday!  We will have the granddaughters for the 3 weeks she is gone.  So we will have their school activities and the extra curricular activities to take part in.   Helping them with homework and getting Rilynn to soccer practice and then to soccer games.  Church activities.   WOW   are we out of the practice of having little ones around all day...everyday.  Actually in most ways we are looking forward to it.   I'm worried about getting them up and around and to daycare and myself to work  on time.  I have enough trouble getting myself up and around and to work on time...now to add a 4 yr old and a 6 yr old to the mix.   Could be some interesting mornings.    We are planning on going to Burlington to Old Town one Saturday, and to the Goodland High Plains Museum one Saturday.  wonder if the plans will work out!  I don't think it'll be the girls that cause the plans to not work out...it'll be grandma I'm sure.  She will "poop" out I'm sure.  BUT for certain we will go to Burlington Old Town...we can go to the High Plains Museum anytime.  I'm trying to talk Grandpa into taking the girls to Denver with us when we go out on the 19th of May to pick Amber up!  I think they'd enjoy that so much! 

I'm also in the process of starting up a Coupon exchange Group.  If anyone has coupons that they don't/won't use, give them to me and if anyone wants a coupon they can go through the coupons and take what they need and will use.  As far as I'm concerned, I think the Once A Month Cooking that my girls and I do, and the "extreme couponing" concept, and the buying in Bulk that we do.....WOW....we will save money.... I HOPE!    So if you want to be in the coupon group, just let me know.  I will keep track of the coupons we have and you can pick out what you want and what you could use!  How does that sound???

Well I must close as it is 10:30 p.m. here and I have been off work the last two days due to being ill.  I finally started feeling much better about 5 or 6 tonight.  So I am going back to work tomorrow! 

Well more later on.  Hope you are enjoying this.