Maybe there was a 6th sense keeping me from really planning Christmas - family being rushed here

M

music-city-missy

Well-known member
to hospital. She's been in the hospital in Mississippi for a couple weeks the last being in ICU. She has a rare autoimmune disease - Wegener's Granulamatosis and luckily there was a specialist that moved here from Mayo. No specialist any closer to MS. So now I have family decending but they will all be at hospital so I am now needing to think about what to fix that is easily kept warm or reheated and taken to the hospital for my uncle and cousin that refuse to leave her side. They are very plain folks - nothing too fancy, too hot or spicy. Need something for supper tonight and I have some ham in the fridge so I'm thinking about Joe's ham and potato gratin. I'm just going blank - trying to clean everything up - I was already behind because of DH being sick and giving a light case of it to me, his 'project' continuing to spread dust throughout the house and I just don't have the mood this year. I had no real menu planned nor all of my shopping done and now this.... And to top it off, I planned to have this family and friends cookbook project at least ready for draft printing to give to my stepsons and mom on Christmas day and I haven't made it to the paper shops to get the paper and still have a stack of recipes still to enter.

 
For your ham

So sorry to hear about your troubles!! smileys/frown.gif
This should be quick and easy. Hope everything works out ok. Prayers!

Artichoke and Ham Strata

3 English muffins, split and quartered
cooking spray
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1 cup chopped lean ham (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (I used scallions)
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (12 ounce) can fat-free evaporated milk
3 large eggs
3 large egg whites
(I used four eggs and skipped the whites)

Arrange muffin pieces, crust sides down, in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray; drizzle with butter.

Arrange ham and next 4 ingredients (ham through garlic) over muffin pieces.

Combine nutmeg and remaining ingredients (I also whisked in a tablespoon of dijon mustard) in a bowl; stir well with a whisk. Pour over muffin mixture. Cover; chill 8 hours or overnight.

Bake in oven preheated to 375 for 50-55 minutes, or until set. Let it rest for 10 minutes and serve warm.


Recipe Zaar #161796/Cooking Light March 2006

 
Comfort Food....

-Beef Stroganoff
-Meat Loaf
-Chicken Divan...(I think that is the name, very '70s, w/ brocolli)
-For the Ham; A Hungarian dish that is often made, true comfort food is cook small bacon pieces, remove, add small ham pieces to the fat, cook, add to large cooked broad noodles, use parm cheese/sour cream to add/mix together...PURE COMFORT! (If you like bacon!) Note: not at all healthy!!

Sorry you are going through this difficult time...

Best,
Barb

 
"Best laid plans...." I like Melissa's soup and corn bread muffins --

do you have a ham bone? Make bean soup with it, and have the muffins ready -- it can be waiting in the crock pot. You could take hot tomato soup in vacuum coffee mugs and packages of crackers to the hospital. A fruit basket in her room (if allowed) for visitors to munch on. Apples, tangerines, even bananas -- good energy lifting foods transportable and easily handled.

This is your Christmas gift to your family -- bless your heart for being there for them.

 
Ditto to soups, sammies, and easy foods - and gifts after the big day are great! Then they can be

treasured on their own.

 
Mel, my gratin would only work at home, it that comes up, it's a great crowd pleaser, but

what about ham sandwiches on biscuits? Irresistable, hot or cold. Or ham salad sandwiches (cold) on bread or bisquits, Split pea soup (easier to keep hot than a casserole).

Good luck! Don't worry about deadlines. The cookbook will be just as nice as a New Year's gift.

 
It's my uncle's wife that is sick and first meals were delivered last night....

she got her and started improving so for the first time in about two weeks my uncle and their youngest son left her side (rest of the family is still in Mississippi - sick and with young children) to go across the street and get her a Krispy Kreme donut that she asked for.

I took two large tupperware plates with assorted foods hoping to hit on something that would appeal to my uncle who's been so worried he hasn't been eating - turnip greens, ropa vieja, enchilda casserole, fried chicken wings, ham and potato gratin, ham slices, Irish beef and stout pie over mashed potatoes (mostly things I had frozen in individual portions)

She didn't sleep well but is feeling better and actually ate breakfast(she's been on breathing machine and being fed through tube until now). She loves my pappa e pomodoro soup and Gretchen's sausage and corn chowder so I have everything set to make those - one today and one tomorrow. Thanks to whoever suggested the thermos of soup - I wasn't thinking clearly and didn't think about the soups until I read your posts.

As for the rest of the family, especially the stepsons, they are going to live with whatever I feel like doing. I do have the half of my large thanksgiving turkey thawing and will roast that but I'm just going to take it easy and relax - thanks to you all. I thought Christmas meal had to be traditional with ALL the trimmings but I was wrong.

 
That's the true spirit of Christmas. Family cookbook can wait, I'm sure they'll

appreciate it whenever they get it. After the holidays might even be better, because they'll have time to actually cook some of your goodies :eek:)

 
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