Friday Foto Friends...Some Post-Easter Thoughts and Ideas - updated

Daffodils and Easter Bunnies...Happy Post-Easter Blessings...

I wonder how many of you had ham for Easter dinner?  Probably quite a few...

Well, I cooked a ham for Easter dinner, but we really didn't sit down and have an Easter dinner 

per se'.  A lot of unusual stuff was happening in our family last weekend, and so our normal Easter dinner plans had to be put on hold.  Therefore, I had a lot of ham left over.  We tried to eat ham a couple of times during the week, but our at-home family has shrunken in size this past year, and we just don't seem to eat up the leftovers like we used to.  So, I resorted to doing what my Grandma Mursch  (paternal) used to do with leftover ham after Easter or Christmas dinner....make a ham loaf!  Have you ever had ham loaf before?  If not, you have missed a treat.  For my Friday Foto Friends I have decided to show you how to make a ham loaf from start to finish.  

1.  You need something to grind up your leftover, fully cooked ham. I use this ancient meat grinder, which belonged to my mother.  Her notes are written on the plastic bag:

"Used on Clarion Farm 1950-on...Grinder, meats, etc."

(this meat grinder is actually as old as me!)

(The Clarion farm was in Pennsylvania, where I was born. However, we moved to Florida when I was almost six years old...but my mother continued to use this meat grinder until she gave it to me many years later)

2.  Set up the meat grinder by attaching it to the counter top or a table, and place a pan under the grinder to catch the meat as you grind it.

3.  Prepare the ham by trimming off excess fat and skin, and cut it into chunks that will fit into the port on the grinder.

4. Feed the meat into the grinder as you turn the handle...watch out that you don't get your fingers down into the grinder...we don't want "Pam" in the Ham...LOL!!!  (Even if Pam IS a bit of a "ham")

5.  Keep grinding until you have at least two pounds of ground ham.

6.  Oh, this is important: here is my grandmother's recipe.  You will note that it calls for 2 lbs. of ground ham, and 1/2 lb. of ground pork.  Sometimes it is difficult to get the ground fresh pork, so I use ground beef instead, and it turns out just as good.  I think the ground pork or ground beef are needed to add some necessary moisture to the ham (a.k.a fat) to keep it from being too dry.  (also, I think I usually use a little more than just 1/2 lb. of this...it's more like a pound)** NOTE: 4/13/2020: My sweet and smart daughter-in-love Rose has started making this hamloaf for us, and she has improved the recipe by adding ground sausage instead of the ground fresh pork or hamburger. It adds some great flavor, and I believe even my Grandma Mursch would approve!!

7.  Next cube or finely chop up in a food chopper at least 1 cup of bread crumbs.  I have found that using the food chopper makes the crumbs really fine, which is okay, but actually I kind of like using the torn up/cubed bread better...the texture of the loaf is not quite so "packed".

8.  I mix all of the ingredients in the large stainless steel roasting pan...the meat, bread crumbs, 1 cup of milk, and 2 eggs. Also a 1/2 teaspoon of salt (this is optional, as the ham is probably salty enough).

9. Next comes the fun part...pat, pat, pat the meat and ingredients together into a nice fat loaf.  I prefer it to be a little flatter and wider as opposed to a higher loaf.

10.  Keep patting and shaping (I call it "spanking") the loaf until it is compacted well together.

Then put the loaf into the oven at 375 degrees, and set the oven for 1 &1/4 hours.
(1 hour, 15 minutes).

(Here's a side note...while baking the ham loaf it is also a good opportunity to bake some potatoes, scalloped potatoes, or sweet potatoes in the oven at the same time...just a thought to take advantage of that nice hot oven and have a complete meal when done...)

11.  Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the glaze.
3/4 Cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup white vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of prepared mustard. I use the spicy brown mustard.

Stir those ingredients together in a pyrex measuring cup, stirring until the sugar is dissolved pretty well.

12.  When the ham loaf has baked at 375 degrees for 1 & 1/4 hours, pour the glaze mixture over the top of the meat, and baste to be sure all the meat is covered with the glaze.  Reduce the temperature in the oven to 300 or 325, and bake for about 3/4 hour. Keep an eye on it, and baste occasionally. If it is getting too brown or burning, turn down the heat, but also you may be able to take it out of the oven a little sooner.  I have found that 1/2 hour is usually sufficient for the glaze to bake on.

I forgot to take a picture of the ham loaf when it came out of the oven before we cut it and devoured half of it...so here is a picture of the half-eaten ham loaf!

It is so yummy, it is hard to have left-overs, but, I must tell you that the left over ham loaf makes wonderful grilled sandwiches...put a slice of swiss cheese on the slice of meat and grill with your favorite bread...It is also wonderful as a cold sandwich, using a little mayo and maybe some mustard, if you want, on bread or a hamburger bun.  Either way, hot or cold, it makes a great sandwich the next day!!!

This was a Grandma Mursch specialty that my father always asked for, so after my grandmother died, I made it for my father several times. I don't recall my mother ever making it. I think she always let her mother in law do it for the family as one of her specialties.  So now, this is also a Steiner family favorite, as my hubby and sons love it...and I introduced it to my new daughter- in- law after our Christmas dinner, and she already has made it one of their family favorites. The tradition continues on from generation to generation!!** See previous note above regarding how Rose has "improved" this recipe for our family!


Our Post -Easter Table... haven't quite wanted to put the bunnies away yet...and I just found these daffodils at the grocery store today...they are to be a gift to my sister for her birthday when she comes to celebrate this weekend! She LOVES daffodils, and we can't grow them here in Florida...so this is always a special treat...(and part of another family tradition...our mother used to always put a little vase of daffodils in the center of an angel food cake for my sister's birthday cake. Now I bake the cake for my sister, and I always try really hard to find some daffodils to put in the center. Sometimes we can't find them and have to use fake daffodils...but real are so much nicer!!)

And it wouldn't be spring and "Easter" season without a few real "Easter Bunnies" hopping around!

 This one got caught with his mouth full of some kind of plant in my yard...or...maybe he's just giving me a "raspberry"  (a green raspberry) LOL.  Hoppy Spring Time everyone!!

Here are some post-Easter thoughts spoken by our Lord Himself...

Excerpts from Luke 24:36-43

"Peace to you"...

Why are you troubled?

And why do doubts arise in your hearts?

Behold My hands and My feet, 

that it is I, Myself.

Handle Me and see,

for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."

When He had said this, he showed them His hands and His feet.

But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled,

He said to them,

"Have you any food here?"

So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.

And He took it and ate in their presence."

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

And that's what Easter is all about!

Have a blessed "post-Easter" season...and remember that Jesus IS the reason for THIS season too...

Now let's hop over to Deb's place and see what our other Friday Foto Friends are posting this week!!