This Old Chef

Sound the trumpets!  There’s a new addition to the HAMAPALOOZA Hall of Fame!

And it could NOT be easier.

1 C (more or less) chopped Easter ham

¾ C (more or less) peeled fava beans 

1 lb. short pasta

Smoked…

While I realize that not everyone lives in a home where ham is the ONLY acceptable Easter dinner, I am not one of them. Easter may be the only time I make a ham, but there is never any question…

Warm up the bowls for this Hamapalooza Flashback from 2023!

With the cool, wet Spring going on this May (we had a fire in the fireplace last night!), I'm reminded of one more blessing from Easter 2018...

Ham Chowder!

I’ve…

Here's an Easter Ham Adventure from a couple of years ago and it was a totally new one for us:  ham, pea, and caraway risotto...

Oh boy!  Home run!

I cubed about a cup of the ham, and fried it…

This is one of those dishes people write to me about all the time!  You got this... I've even laid out my learning curve so you can see where you'll go with just a little practice.  Enjoy!

So I froze…

Here's a Hamapalooza 2015 recipe that's sure to tickle your hambone!

When you reach that point with your Easter ham that you have...

Shall we say...

Odds and ends... Pieces that are still really good, but way too irregular to…

Eanie Beanie, Chili Beanie, The Hamapalooza Spirits Are About to Speak!

I had some gorgeous heirloom beans from Deb in L.A. ...

Good Mother Stallards (on the left) and Snow Caps (on the right)…

I also had some absolutely delicious…

Just another reminder that some of the most delicious meals come from trying something you haven't cooked before!  Here I am with a memorable bit of ham from 2014...

It's experiment time... again.  I'm always on the lookout for new…

You know I hate waste.

You know I'm cheap.

You know throwing food away makes me crazy.

And you know I really hate the word "leftovers."  Could there possibly be a less appetizing descriptor for a meal?  Who would want…

A while back, when I was still learning my way around an Easter ham, I decided to head in an Eastern direction...

Asian food.

Pork.  Pork.  Pork.  Pork.  Ham.

Yes?

I cubed a cup of ham.... and now that I'm…

So... a couple of years ago, I somehow got confused and experimented with making a boned and rolled turkey breast... four days before Easter. 

I therefore ended up with both turkey and ham starting Easter Monday. 

As you all know…

Just checking on prior posts for Easter nuggets to share and came across this one from 2016...  The arrival of Charlie's new hip helped me realize that even the best traditions need some tweaking when under duress!

So.  He was…

I'm not at all sure how this happened... but it's Easter... already!

I hope you and yours have a wonderful day together, and, to help make that Sunday (and the days thereafter) a bit easier, here are some of This…

This is truly not the glamorous part of cooking... but it’s a really valuable one. 

If your family is in the Ham-at-Easter camp, on Easter Monday, you get ready to break down all that's left of that pig taking up…

So… A couple of years ago, Charlie wanted chicken on St. Patrick’s Day, a radical deviation as salmon has been our go-to for years now.  On went the thinking cap.  Chicken is very Irish… as is cream.  Then I started…