I'm a Ham

Yes, yes. We all know I'm a bit of a ham -- at least when I get on stage. Probably the reason Dave and I work well together. I don't think I know anyone else who commands a stage (at times while admittedly overacting) quite like he does. His special talent, though, is for people to fully realize that he's hamming it up -- but to enjoy it and fall in love with him, regardless. Now, THAT'S talent, people.

But, I digress. This post isn't really about how hammy we (and, so it seems, our son is). It's actually about a ham dinner I made recently.

(crickets chirping)

Yeah, it doesn't get much lamer than that. (And, yeah, it's another "recipe" post. Neener neener. ;-)) But for those of you who wonder what our meals look like -- you know, the GOOD, I had a little time and energy to put into them meals vs. the after-school-meal-grind meals -- here's an example.

We're still doing pretty well with the weekday vegetarian thing, although we don't beat ourselves up if we end up taking a turkey sandwich (because it's all we have in the house for the "main") for lunch or have the occasion meat-inclusive dinner on a random Tuesday. All things in moderation, people, especially moderation. ;-) But, yeah, for us, we're doing pretty well with it.

However, this particular meal was made on a Saturday, so I felt I had a "Get Out of Jail Free" card. I had also thawed a pound of ground beef (grassfed, local) and a thicker-than-I-realized ham steak (also grassfed, local), so no matter what, meat was on the menu. (Needless to say, the beef was used that Sunday.)

All I had to do for the ham was heat it up (in this case using a grill pan) and maybe throw on a maple mustard glaze; quick and easy. It took far more time to prepare the sides, truth be told. You don't need much direction on the rice -- it was just regular, long-grain (non-instant) rice which we cooked while the broccoli was roasting. I'm trying to retrain my patience since I haven't found any organic instant rice. ANYhoo...

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic

2 heads of broccoli (or 1 large head of broccoli) {side note: ours was organic}
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
Drizzle of olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon, juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon (depending on your taste)
S&P
Sprinkle or two of red pepper chili flakes (optional)

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli to uniform sizes (as close as you can; don't obsess) and place on baking sheet. Add the garlic, olive oil, lemon, and salt & pepper and toss well.

Roast in oven for ~20 minutes. (The garlic may brown quite a bit; that's okay.) Taste and season with more S&P if needed, and add some chili flakes, if using. (We didn't because any vegetables I make these days go into the baby's mouth -- a good thing -- and I'd rather not pain him. ;-)) This is also yummy with some Parmesan cheese.


Maple Glazed Ham Steak

1 ham steak (size doesn't really matter; make more of the glaze if you need, make less if you don't seem to need it; cooking's an art, not a science)
2 - 4 Tbsp. REAL maple syrup (not the "pancake syrup" stuff, please, for the love of God!!!)
1 - 3 tsp. dijon mustard
1/2 - 1 tsp. brown sugar (if you have it on hand; I didn't and it was still fine)
Sprinkle or two each of ground clove and nutmeg

Heat your pan (grill or regular) to medium high. Prepare glaze using all the ingredients but the ham. You can either glaze the ham prior to cooking or while cooking (glazing both sides after each is cooked; this creates less burning and more "glazey" flavor than "hammy" flavor).

Either way, since this is a ham steak, you really only want to put a little color on the meat and heat it through (it's already cooked, yay!), so use your judgement. It may need 4 minutes on each side...it may need 6 on the first and less on the second...or five on each. Just be sure to keep an eye on it that the glaze doesn't burn (turn to medium if you're worried about this happening).

* I also did a teensy drizzle of maple syrup over my rice and ham when finished. As Ado Annie says, I CAN'T SAY NO!


So, there you have it. One example of a Saturday evening meal in the ol' hammed-up household. I try to keep it simple these days (since the moment the lil' guy sees me cooking, he starts whining and fussing -- he wants food, and he wants it IMMEDIATELY. We're lucky to have such a great eater, but...), and it's the little things -- Dave loves (...wait for it...) rice. Rice with a meal (or, yes, even AS a meal) and salads, his two favorite things. Well, and maybe a wife who makes them for him without having to ask.