Ham and Eggs (and Pintos, too)

Top to bottom: pan fried ham, scrambled eggs, pinto beans.

Holy cow, I've enjoyed my meals since cooking that ham and those beans. But, I think my favorite of all was when I used the ham for breakfast and fried it nice and brown along with eggs nicely scrambled and some of those wonderful pinto beans.

I know this photo isn't the prettiest. Our plates aren't made to display our meals and there was more juice in the beans than I'd meant there to be, so what you see surrounding the eggs is that juice that ran across the plate. (My daughter bought all of our plates at Dollar Tree because she liked the colors and how sturdy they are. My set of white plates is unused in storage.)

Well, I enjoyed this breakfast so much that I just had it again for supper (or dinner, depending on where you live). The slices of ham were nicely crisped, the eggs had picked up the ham drippings (this time I cooked them AFTER the ham) and the beans were as good as they were the first time. I didn't even have bread or a tortilla with this. It was satisfying just as it was.

I wish my daughter would eat ham (not counting deli ham which she will eat). I could have it more often. But, by the same token, I can have more of it since she doesn't like it. 

Now, I'm wondering, and maybe someone reading this could advise me, about making ham gravy. I'm not talking about redeye gravy or the milk gravy you make from the ham drippings (love it!!), but ham gravy in the sense of sausage gravy or dried beef gravy. These slices are too thick to really do it justice like dried beef could, but there's so much flavor in this ham, I was wondering if I could grind some of the ham up (one time through the grinder) and then sizzle the ground ham until it begins to get color before adding my fat, flour and milk. Do you think that would work? I'm really craving a milk gravy with that kind of salty kick that sausage or dried beef would give it. I'll take any suggestions!

Oh, and even after eating beans for four meals, I still had enough left to freeze two pints of them. Well, they're not frozen yet, but they will be once the containers cool off. Good for making chili or burritos.

Zucchini and Eggplant

Zucchini, Wikimedia Commons

I may have written about zucchini before, but considering how abundantly it grows, it is probably a topic that can be revisited more than once. I'm including eggplant because I've found that what you can do with one you can usually do with the other.

Fried Eggplant, courtesy Wikimedia Commons

I grew up eating fried zucchini slices and fried eggplant spears. I love both of them. I wouldn't eat either one of them stewed, but I ate them hungrily when Mom made them. I still love both of them fried. Mom would dip them in an egg wash and then into seasoned bread crumbs before pan frying them and draining them on paper towels. Salted with a side of ketchup and we were set to go. I honestly can't remember what else we had because my focus was on those veggies. 

Eggplant being sweated, Wikimedia Commons

Eggplant tends to be more bitter than zucchini which might be a turnoff for some, but I think if you buy them young (or use white eggplant) or be sure to sweat them prior to breading them (salting them to leach the excess liquid), a good portion of that bitterness is eliminated.

Homestyle Eggplant Parm

Mom also made eggplant Parmesan, which isn't exactly Parmesan since it has no Parmesan cheese, but what she made differs significantly from what is served in most restaurants. Hers was mostly like eggplant lasagna, but using fried slices of eggplant instead of lasagna noodles. What restaurants serve is individually fried slices topped with cheese and sauce with a side of pasta. I love both. But, if you have an abundance of zucchini, you can do the same thing - just slice it thicker than you normally do and layer it accordingly (or serve ala restaurant). They're both just so delicious!!


I have since discovered that I love grilled zucchini that is seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil before being grilled. Oh my gosh - I never thought I could enjoy it like that, but it seems that your tastes do change as you mature. Or maybe it's the tastes that mature because I can be pretty childish at times. 


I also like zucchini sauteed in marinara sauce. I still don't like it steamed, but in the marinara I can enjoy it. And, not too long ago, I tried Baba Ghanoush, which is a Middle Eastern appetizer dip that is made from roasted eggplant and garlic. Now, I had my doubts because I do NOT like garlic, but I was pleasantly surprised. I did add salt to mine, and it was served cold, but I did like it and would order it again. I'm wondering how it would taste if served warm because I think I'd like it that way even more.


So, that's the end of my April A-Z Challenge posts. I wish I could post as often without a challenge, but I'm still glad it was there. Maybe I'll do some Googling to see if there are other blog challenges out there. It keeps me motivated. I hope you've enjoyed reading my posts, though. I've enjoyed writing them.

G is for Greasy Food

You know, there once was a time when I simply loved greasy food. And, once in a while, I still do. But, I have found that as I get older, I don't enjoy these things like I used to. That's not a bad thing, mind you. But, I didn't stop eating it because it was bad - just because I stopped finding pleasure in it.

Fried Seafood Platter

I don't eat some fried foods like I used to. I do still like my seafood fried, but I don't eat fried chicken like I used to. And, if it's particularly greasy, I am prone to avoid it. I think it's a combination of the flavor too much grease imparts and the fact that the grease gets everywhere! 

I grew up where Wise potato chips began as a regional chip and my favorites were the ones that stayed in the fat longer than the rest. You know which ones - they were glossy and still looked wet. I felt the same way about fries - extra greasy, please, with lots of crunch. While I no longer care much for greasy chips, I do still pick out the greasiest fries to eat first. However, I can't eat many because I just don't digest potatoes as well as I used to.

Pizza still in the pan of grease

I used to love Pizza Hut pizza. I couldn't figure out what it was about it that I liked so much. Then, I didn't have it for several years and went back once looking forward to enjoying it again. I was actually grossed out by how greasy it was - I realized that they basically deep-fry their pizza by putting the dough in a deep dish full of oil and then baking it. The last time I had some, it seemed less greasy, so maybe they've cut back on that. But, I was surprised that I no longer liked it like I used to. My tastes had changed.

Bacon in a buffet pan

Bacon is greasy, but I love it - but don't give me bacon that has been sitting in its own grease, please. Yes, I love bacon, but when the fat melts and then you place the cooked slice on a paper towel to absorb the excess, it's not really so bad. However, in a buffet setting, they make mass quantities of bacon and pile them in the pan awaiting customers. They're really great when you get the top pieces, but as you get closer to the bottom, all the grease that has dripped off the upper layers now coats the bacon on the bottom. Thanks, but I'll avoid that.


This isn't really all that informative, but I know most will understand what I'm talking about. We do need fat in our diets because fat soluble vitamins require it. But, I do think that our bodies sometimes tell us what's good and what isn't, so if we're listening, we might just learn what to cut back on without actually eliminating it. Yet, despite all this, a hamburger just isn't worth eating if it's not at least a little greasy. 

Junk Food: Another Perspective

According to Wikipedia, Junk Food is “an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value (i.e. containing "empty calories"); to products with nutritional value, but also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all.” Wow! That’s quite the definition. So what kinds of foods ARE perceived to be junk foods? 


Most of us do have our own perceptions of what junk food is. Things like potato chips, pretzels, candy, cookies, carnival and boardwalk treats, even pizza, can be viewed as junk. Pretty much anything we don’t sit down to eat at one of the three meals of the day can be, and often is, perceived as a junk food; something that isn’t nutritionally sound. High in sugar. High in fat. “Empty” calories.


Jamie Oliver's Fight against Junky School Lunches

I’d like to focus on the word “perceived” here. According to the 4th definition on Webster’s Online Dictionary, perceive is: To take intellectual cognizance of; to apprehend by the mind; to be convinced of by direct intuition; to note; to remark; to discern; to see; to understand. I think we all know that people’s perceptions can vary widely; just look at the US’s current political atmosphere!


So, can any of the perceived junk foods actually be part of a balanced diet? Take pizza, for example. My mother could never understand people who considered pizza a valid meal choice. Oh, she liked pizza. Even if she’d just eaten, if a fresh pizza walked through the door, she’d end up snagging a slice for herself. But, she would not have considered having pizza for dinner prior to her final year or two. For her, it was a treat.

Pizza Supreme (pepperoni, black olive, peppers, mushrooms) -Wikimedia Commons

But, if you plan your meal around the pizza, it can be a perfectly good meal idea. If you’ve got a combo or supreme pizza (sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms, black olives, cheese), then you have bread, vegetables, meat, and dairy. Add a salad on the side and a quality beverage and you’ve got a meal that really isn’t all that terrible. Granted, the fat contact may be high depending on the toppings and the cheese. That can be controlled if you make your own pizza.


How about snack foods? Obviously, potato chips are not the best choice if you like to snack often. There are baked chips now, but there’s nothing quite as tasty as a really greasy, blistery deep fried potato chip (crisps in the UK). And, as the brand name says, bet you can’t just eat one! That doesn’t mean you can’t account for them in your diet by limiting how many of them you permit yourself to have.

Utz brand kettle cooked chips -Wikimedia Commons

If you crave chips but want more nutritional value you can try some of the new vegetable chips on the market. I’ve tried Terra brand myself and thought they were excellent. While you can’t swap out dinner vegetables for these snacks, you can still give yourself permission to enjoy the occasional crunchy delight without seriously diminishing the nutritional factor. Obviously, you need to be aware of your sodium intake with any processed snack.


Make Your Own Vegetable Chips
Baked Vegetable Crisps


Ice cream!! Summer is approaching and the ice cream man is already wending his way through neighborhoods with that annoyingly loud melody that attracts kids like a light draws moths. Naturally, you don’t want live on a diet of nothing but ice cream (or maybe you do, but you know better). Still, that doesn’t mean ice cream is something that can’t be part of a balanced diet. In fact, if you have a child (or even an adult) in the family who simply will not drink milk, you can use ice cream as the means to add dairy to their diet. Again, moderation is the key. To them, it can appear to be a grand treat, but to you it is a source of calcium.

White Mocha Ice Cream -Wikimedia Commons

Other snacks, or junk foods, are harder to justify. For example, candy simply cannot be incorporated into a “balanced” diet as offering anything of nutritional value. No matter how much we may like it, it has no dietary value. With diabetes and obesity on the rise, candy is something that should not be viewed as a daily item. I know that dark chocolate has beneficial properties, but I’m talking more about hard candies, gummies, nougats, jellies, and other almost pure sugar confections.

Candy displays seem the same worldwide! And always at a child's eye level!!! -Wikimedia Commons

Pretzels, because they are baked, could be part of a balanced diet as a bread (in part). Of course, the larger soft pretzels so popular in the Philadelphia metro area are so large and filling, they could replace your bread for the day, theoretically. As long as you account for them in your daily plan, you should be OK.

Pretzels are a traditional bread treat in Germany; here being sold at the Christmas Market. -Wikimedia

Anyway, my point is that perception and reality do not always walk hand in hand. Many foods considered to be junk can easily be included into a balanced diet plan. Other foods, if they can be called food, cannot be. The key is being aware of what you’re eating. By allowing yourself to have periodic pleasure foods, moderating your intake and not beating yourself up over the occasional overindulgence you can literally have your cake and eat it, too.