Chipped Chopped Ham

Photo from Isalys.com

A lot of people look at me weird and ask me why I always call it "chipped chopped ham." I grew up around Pittsburgh, PA and we always got Isaly's at the meat counter in the grocery store. Why is it called "chipped chopped ham?" If you look at the label, you will notice that it is called Chopped Ham. You ask the person behind the counter to get it it chipped, not sliced. You combine all of the words to get what you want, "I would like a pound of chipped chopped ham."

The next question is probably "what is CHIPPED?" That just means that it is cut so very thin that you can almost read a newspaper through it. If you've ever used a deli slicer, it is setting 2. Sliced, is a setting of about 4 or 5. I know, because I used to do that, and cut off the tip of my thumb when cleaning it one time. Chipping ANY meat on a deli slicer makes the FLAVOR come through more in the dish you prepare. Heck, I go to a butcher shop to get my roast beef, bacon, and even chicken breast lunch-meat chipped. I get it that way because I don't have to do it on my own, and they don't charge me to do it. I love true butchers.

Next question is: what recipe do you use when getting ready to watch a Steelers game on a Sunday? Here is what I use, in the crockpot/slow cooker.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup BBQ or chili sauce
• 1 cup Coke (no other brands because they are too sweet)
• 1 - 2 pounds of CHIPPED CHOPPED HAM

Directions:

1. Mix sauce and Coke in a bowl.
2. Place half of the ham in the crockpot/slow cooker.
3. Cover with half of the sauce.
4. Put in remaining ham, cover with the rest of the sauce.
5. Cook on a low setting for 5 hours, stirring often.
6. Serve on a bun.

Add other ingredients (sweet relish, Tabasco, salt, pepper, etc.) if you want a slightly different flavor, it is all up to you. Remember, a recipe is only a guideline. BUT, quit asking me why I call it that unless you find out why...otherwise, yinz wouldn't get a Burgh thing...

Italian JoJo's & Breakfast Burrito for Dinner

Italian JoJo's & Breakfast Burrito for Dinner

With a teenage son around, it is hard enough to keep him fed, let alone find time to blog. So, today I'm putting a personal, easy recipe for Italian JoJo's  and a suggestion they can accompany for a filling dinner. The idea was inspired by my question to him about "what do you want for dinner?" He replied "breakfast for dinner." So here goes, dinner for 2.

Italian JoJo's

• 2 baking potatoes (scrubbed but not peeled)
• mixed Italian herbs
• olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 420° F/ 215° C while you cut the potatoes into 3/8 " (9.5 mm) wedges
2. Put them in a large bowl, cover them with olive oil, and use your bare hands to get them coated with oil
3. Oil a baking dish evenly
4. Put the wedges in the baking dish, standing on their peel side when possible
5. Sprinkle as much Italian herbs over them as you desire
6. Bake 30-35 minutes, keeping an eye on them for the last 5-10, until they are the way you like them

Breakfast Burritos

• 5 eggs
• 5 TBSP milk
• Italian herb mix (as much as you want)
• Sausage links (amount depends on size of each one)
• 4 soft taco sized tortillas (6 inches / 15 cm)

1. Put the sausage links in a cold skillet with enough water to cover the bottom 1/4 of them, turn burner on medium, cover skillet
2. Beat the eggs, milk, and Italian herbs in a bowl
3. Pour the egg mixture into another large skillet (also set to medium)
4. Monitor sausage links and the eggs. Eggs will take 5-8 mins, sausage will depend on the directions on the package, but they need to reach 170° F / 77° C internal temp
5. Fold the egg mixture over on itself halfway through the cooking time, when done, cut into four sections to fit on the tortillas
6. Wrap eggs & links in the tortillas as a breakfast sandwich

Personal Comments

✎ 2 recipes in one blog entry is a bit much, but so is raising a teenaged son. Take them individually if you want, at least you don't have to click any more links to get to them all.
✎ Consider doing "breakfast for dinner" once in a while. Occasionally having scrambled eggs, pancakes, or French toast for dinner and it can be really enjoyable.
✎ Watch your times. Overall, this only takes about 20 minutes to prep the potatoes and get them in, but you have to watch the clock to get the sausage links and eggs done so they all arrive on the buffet.
✎ Make them assemble their own burritos as soon as possible.
✎ Roll the bottom of a burrito / wrap from the bottom first, then the sides. Prevents juices from dripping out of the corners.
✎ Add as many FLAVORS that you want. I add Tabasco and a slice of cheese to mine, but my son didn't want it.
✎ Served with a glass of milk, some cut fresh fruit, and a dessert (as desired), this is awesome!

Cooking according to a recipe is a guideline, not a law book. Use what you DESIRE. That is what my grandmother always told me...

SPAM® (the meat, not the emails)

Hearing the word "SPAM" causes a lot of us to cringe a little, depending on the context of the conversation where it is mentioned. If it is heard at work, that probably means that it refers to a new slew of emails due a computer virus. If it is heard during a conversation about what we are having for dinner, that means something else entirely.

I became acquainted with SPAM® because of my grandfather. As a member of the 8th Army Air Force during WWII (the predecessor of the US Air Force) on a B-17, he endured tinned meat in the rations that he was given. When returning home, he never gave up on making family lunches and dinners from it. SPAM® became a common word spoken when around him. I keep a tin of it in the pantry (due to the extremely LONG expiration date time), and still occasionally make it because I want it. That's why I thought it might be time to pass it on to my son as a family tradition.

Imagine my surprise when grocery shopping and we saw SPAM® now offered as individual SLICES of SPAM® Classic instead of just getting a large tin. I decided to get a simple slice, fry it up and make a fried sandwich with it (topped by cheese and ketchup) to be his introduction to tinned meat (pictured at right). I've eaten it right out of the tin at work, as a sandwich when it has been fried, and cut up to be included in an omelet. There are a LOT more flavors and recipes of SPAM offered today than what I was used to, so I encourage you to try them once in a while. To answer your first question, no, he didn't like it much. But then again, he doesn't like ham in general, which is what SPAM is made of.

Which brings me to my last point of this entry. If you want to know more about SPAM and the recipes that are available, click on the links above. But how does it compare to a similar sized beef hamburger? Here you go. Some nutrients differ, but overall, it is about the same. Keep a tin in your pantry when you need to raid it... your tongue will occasionally appreciate it...

SPAM

Hamburger