Guest Author - Rhonda Cliett

The aroma of ham baking in the oven is enticing and inviting. Fortunately, even for larger families, there is likely to be some ham leftover. Here are some methods for extending the life of your leftover ham.

1. Use the ham bone to make a soup base.
   
2. Pan fry slices of ham and serve with scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast.
   
3. Pan fry slices of ham and serve with scalloped potatoes.
   
4. Use ham to make a quiche.
   
5. Add chopped ham to alfredo sauce and serve with spaghetti.
   
6. Cut into thin slices and place on top of bread slices along with a slice of cheese. Broil in oven until cheese is melted. Serve with fresh fruit.
   
7. Add ham to homemade pinto beans and serve with cornbread.
   
8. Make Ham and Bean Soup - Recipe from the Bellaonline Home Cooking Site.
   
9. Make one of the recipes below using the leftover ham.
   

Ham and Cheese Calzones
2 tubes (10 oz each) refrigerated pizza crust
1 cup ricotta cheese
6 oz pepperoni slices
2 cups diced fully cooked ham
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried basil
2 cups spaghetti sauce

Unroll pizza crust and gently stretch to form a 13-in x 10-in rectangle. On half of the dough, spread half of the ricotta to within 1 in. of the edges. Top with half of the pepperoni, ham, mozzarella and parmesan. Fold the unfilled side of dough over the filled side and press the edges together firmly to seal. Repeat with the remaining half of the ingredients. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Mix basil and spaghetti sauce and heat in microwave. Serve the sauce with calzones.

Quick Ham Calzones
Canned biscuits
Leftover ham, chopped
Grated cheese

Press each biscuit into a 5 in. round. Top the center of biscuit with ham and cheese. Fold biscuit so that the edges are together. Seal the edges with a fork. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-13 minutes.

Ham-Rice Dish
1 ½ cup ham, chopped
1 ½ TBL minced onion
½ cup chopped green pepper
1 cup raw regular rice
2 TBL vegetable oil
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 ½ cup water

Pour vegetable oil in pan. Add ham, minced onion, green pepper and rice. Cook until green pepper is softened, stirring occasionally. Add tomato sauce and water. Cover and simmer for 25 – 30 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is done.

Other articles you might enjoy:
Extending the Life of Leftovers
Leftover Magic with Chicken

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