Less Stressed Dinner: Crockpot Ham

A friend shared this great tip with me recently and I have used it TWICE since then ..great tip for a family who LOVES ham and mashed potatoes!

It has gone on sale recently for us, so I had to pick up several of them to make sure we had a great supply for the next few months. Only problem, you usually have to think about cooking it 1.5-2 hours in the oven.  I dunno, for some reason adding foil just adds stress to the whole process for me :)

BUT...I LOVE the less stress version of cooking a ham because I can put it in the pot first thing in the morning or late afternoon on high, and avoid trying to manage something in the oven for a couple of hours at the peak hours of our craziness. My friend puts sprinkles the bottom of her crock pot with brown sugar and then places her ham, bone side down in the pot ..that is all.

After about 4 hours it is awesome, hot, falling apart of oh, so yummy!

Now, because we love it and I got a good deal on the price we have been making some large hams lately.  To avoid the same meal over and over again, I have used this way yummy ham in a few different ways ...

Ham and Cheese Chowder

Chopped or shredded ham, about 2 cups

2 cups of milk

Cream of Chicken Soup, 1 can

4 medium potatoes, cubed

celery, some, sliced

onion, some chopped

corn, 15oz can

garlic powder

8 oz of cubed velveeta cheese

I just heated up the milk/soup, added the potatoes, onions, and celery. Cook until potatoes are tender, add corn, ham and cheese. Season to taste with garlic powder, kosher salt or whatever you have in the pantry. 

Also, I grew up on beans and rice. Nothing makes a pot of (super cheap) pinto beans yummier than a leftover ham bone! I always take this into account when I am slicing up my ham, making sure to leave a good amount of ham stuck to the bone. I usually put this in a ziplock and save for later when we arent "hammed" out :)

To make a pot of ...

Beans and Ham

1lb dry pinto beans

1 ham bone with some meat

Some shakes of cumin, garlic and kosher salt

Again, I use the crock pot! I put the beans in the crock pot, cover with water til the beans are covered about an inch or so. Soak beans for about an hour (if you have time, if not no worries).  Add ham bone right in the middle of the beans, it can even be still frozen. Turn crock pot on low for the day, or high for 4 or so hours.  We usually serve over rice for a yummy and super filling dinner!

What else do you do with your leftover ham? ...we also love ham sandwiches ...yum!