New Year's Traditions: Ham and Other Goodies

Photo of a tall-dark-handsome Scottish (has to be Scottish!) stranger at your door for New Years!

Are there any New Year's Day traditions with food your family observes? Since I was small, we've always eaten ham and black-eyed peas on New Year's Day for prosperity. I'm pretty sure the black-eyed pea part started in the South, but I would love to do the research on the ham part of the equation.

And speaking of ham, we had the most delicious ham biscuits (though we actually used small rolls) at the party for my friend's daughter, and everyone kept asking for the recipe. I was cutting corners in terms of ease, so I will let you in on my little secret that worked and worked well. I started at my favorite store...


And if you haven't met Sister Schubert, you need to make friends with her!



Sister's rolls are some of the best, and you can find them in the freezer section of Publix (that's the grocery store) here in Florida. Look for them in your grocery case where you live, and if they don't have them, see if you can get the manager to order them. They are REALLY good, and all you have to do is put them out on the counter to thaw them and then pop them in the oven for a few minutes to have delicious goodness! They come in a tin so you can cook them in that or in foil, either way.

I actualy bought two hams to be sure we had enough. You can freeze the one you don't use for a later date. I bought a large ham, and we went through most of it. The ladies in the cookbook said to get a pound of ham, but I like to have a gracious plenty so I got a nice-sized ham of about nine pounds. We went through quite a bit (several pounds at least), but there was still plenty left for snacking...



After I came home armed with ham, rolls, and a ton of other stuff from Publix (I go crazy in there!), I took out this trusty cookbook of party recipes...



These ladies had another one I loved, and my dear MIL gave me this one when it came out with their latest recipes. And they are good! I wanted some sort of tasty spread to go on the rolls and ham, and I found it in here.

Their recipe actually calls for smoked ham (or turkey) and sweet potato biscuits, but my Honey-Baked ham (bone-in has the most flavor!) and Sister Schubert rolls worked just fine. Here's the recipe everyone was asking for, and it was so easy that Mr. Magpie made it!

Use half a cup of unsalted butter (softened... we softened it in the microwave)
4 scallions minced (we used a portion of a small container of chopped green onions that Publix had already cut up because who wants to smell like an onion before a party! ;-)
A half a cup of mango chutney (we used Cross and Blackwell's)
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard (we used Grey Poupon brand)

You mix all of those ingredients together to make a spread, and then you spread it on the roll, put a ham slice on, heat, serve, and eat! They really are GOOD!

Note that we doubled the recipe, and this is all that was left of the spread [note also that it's hard to photograph food, and this is proof positive because it tastes better than it looks in this picture!]...



...which was just enough to spread on some rolls for us to enjoy! You might want to try it on leftover ham you have from New Year's if that's one of your traditions. AND you might want to try it with sweet potato biscuits if you are an adventurous cook.

One other recipe that some of the younger cooks were begging for is the simplest thing on EARTH and has been around for years! It's artichoke spread, and all you have to remember is one/one/one... one cup of mayonnaise/one cup of Parmesan cheese/one can of artichoke hearts, drained and mashed. Sometimes I add more artichokes. I play with that part, but one can of them will work just fine. I always double and sometimes triple this recipe for a party. Believe me, people eat it like hotcakes!

You simply mix all of those ingredients, sprinkle extra cheese on top, and bake at 350 degrees until it is good and bubbly. Serve with those triangular Trisquits or Carr's crackers or whatever you like. It is delicious! It's no-fail and always popular. There are variations on that theme, but those three ingredients will get you where you need to go -- straight to a hit dish!

Enjoy!

Oh, and Happy New Year! May 2009 bring you blessings abundant!

XO,

Mrs. Magpie (Sheila)