Easy Funeral Potatoes

 I have posted two other recipes for Funeral Potatoes on here.  They are all a little different.  I made this recipe for our Easter dinner this year and we really liked it.  It's made with frozen hashbrowns, making for a quick and easy preparation.

Easter dinner

Easy Funeral Potatoes

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1-pint sour cream

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1 onion, minced

1 32 oz package frozen shredded or diced hash browns, thawed

1 cup crushed potato chips on top

More grated cheese on top if desired

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the soup, sour cream, cheese, and onion in a large bowl.  Add the hash browns and mix well.  Pour into a greased 13x9 and top with the crushed potato chips.  Bake for about 45 minutes until the top is browned and the crisp.

Ham and Ham Sauce

I got this recipe many years ago from my sister who got it from her mother-in-law, who is a wonderful cook- in her 90s and still going strong.  It is our Easter tradition to have this ham and sauce with Funeral potatoes, asparagus, rolls, and strawberry pie for our Easter feast.  We have it for Christmas sometimes, too. 

I

Glazed Ham

Large bone-in ham, spiral cut is good

Glaze:

1/2 cup vinegar

2 cups orange juice

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon ginger

Mix the glaze ingredients together and pour over the ham.  Bake at 300 for about three hours in a roaster oven or large covered pot(enameled cast iron pot.)  Baste with the glaze while roasting.  Don't turn the heat higher as the glaze may burn!  (Voice of experience!)   Serve with Grandma Stratford's Ham Sauce.

Grandma Stratford's Ham Sauce

Beat 1 egg.  Put it in a 2 quart saucepan.  Add:

5 T. water

5 T. vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 T. flour

1 T. dry mustard

pinch of celery seed

1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Cook on medium heat until thickened.  Cover and cool completely.  

Whip 1/2 cup whipping cream.  Fold it into the above mixture.  Serve with the ham.  

Egg Salad Sandwiches

 This time of year, we always have egg salad sandwiches made with all of those Easter eggs.  I tried this recipe from one of those cooking videos on Facebook.  It is delicious!  So, here it is, just in time for Easter.  Try it; you'll like it!
Egg Salad Sandwiches
6 large eggs, hard boiled
4 strips bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)
2 T. dried chives
1/3 cup shredded cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise (you may want to add a bit more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mash together with a potato masher: Cream cheese, mayonnaise, chives, salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, mash the cooled, boiled eggs.  Add the bacon, cheese, and cream cheese mixture.  Mash all together.  Serve on bread, roll, or croissant. 

Beans and Ham Soup

Beans and Ham

One of our favorite wintertime soups is beans and ham.  I had the ham bone from our Christmas ham frozen and wanted to make beans and ham with it.   In Japan, I had a hard time finding dry beans like I was used to.  I usually use white navy beans, but couldn’t find any white beans at all.  I could only find red beans and little black, round beans.  I bought the black beans.  They were absolutely delicious.  I have never tasted a better bean in my life.  I soaked them overnight, then cooked them with the ham bone and vegetables.  It’s hard to describe, but their texture was smooth and creamy and just delicious.  At home I usually use white beans or pinto beans.  But now I know that black works, too!  You can also make this with a ham steak, and I have many times.

2 cups beans (navy, pinto, black or a mixture)

1 meaty ham bone or a ham steak

Bay Leaf

1 onion, chopped

2 or 3 carrots, chopped

2 or 3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped

About 2 quarts water or chicken stock

Wash and sort the beans, throwing out any bad ones.  Put them in a bowl and soak them overnight.  In the morning, or several hours before you want to eat them the next day, drain them and add the 2 quarts water and the vegetables.  You can do this in a pot on the stove or in a crock pot.  Put the ham bone( if you’re using a ham steak, you can add it later.)  Cook until the beans are soft (the time it takes varies by what beans you use.)  Remove the bone and take off the meat and chop.  Discard the bone.  Add the meat back into the soup.  Serve hot. 

This is the same dish made with white beans in America:

I like to serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches or slices of homemade bread.  

Scotcharoos

Every Easter/ Spring Break, we have to have Scotcharoos. I got this recipe years ago from my sister-in-law, Ada and we've been making it every Easter since.
2cups sugar
2 cups light corn syrup
2 cups peanut butter
1 13oz box rice krispies
1 pkg. chocolate chips (semi sweet)
1 pkg. butterscotch chips
Butter two large sided cookie sheets ( you know the kind all Mormons have) (or you can use two 9 x 13. The scotcharoos will be thicker.)
Combine sugar and syrup in a large pan (needs to be at least 3 qt) Cook until mixture begins to bubble, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; Stir in peanut butter. Mix well. Add cereal and stir until your arm falls off. Press into the prepared pans. Melt the chips in the microwave (don't burn it) Stir and spread over the cereal bars. Cool in fridge until topping is set. Cut and eat with family and friends on your Easter picnic!