WHY NOT TRY POOR MAN'S HAM SALAD?

Yep, that's what my Mama called it  "Poor Man's Ham Salad".  We were just country folk in my little hometown.  We never went hungry...but we were far from fancy,  but you'd never know it.  Mama made the finest linens for her table,  she made curtains for our windows,  and she made aprons for every occassion and you can bet the HOLIDAY ones were starched stiff and laden down with RIC-RAC and ribbon,  and at least one was trimmed in velvet.  She made them all on her old singer treadle machine from scraps of material she would find at the Salvation Army and neighborhood yard sales.  You would never think us poor because Mama made all my fancy Church dresses with ribbons and bows and they were beautiful.

When it came to food my Mama and Daddy raised most everything we ate or Daddy worked for neighbors who payed him in fresh kills of meat like beef and pork products.  The one thing Mama would never waste was food.  In her eyes those meats were for Sunday dinner.  She would never have made HAM salad...but she did...or at least people thought she did.  The church always asked mama  to make Ham Salad for thier dinners, just as a tie -me- over, or if someone was getting married and wanted a sandwich food  they'd call for Mama's Ham Salad.  As I got older and Mama made Ham Salad I asked her if she was ever going to tell her unsuspecting church members about her secret.  She would just laugh and say "Of course not...it's ham salad...poor man's ham salad."  That means it is made with BOLOGNA.  That's what we called everyday ham LOL.

Down through the years I have made this same dish and people will say"  that's the best Ham Salad I've ever tasted."  Yea I must admit...I don't tell them either.  Just like my Mama I smile and say "I'm glad you like it."

Well my secret is out because I have recieved e-mails from my friends back home asking for my Ham Salad recipe for the Hoilidays...so I thought I'd post it here for your enjoyment.  It makes for a great appetizer....before the real food gets here.

                                       POOR MAN'S HAM SALAD

NO,  I do not buy expensive store brands and this is not a recipe for anyone who eats nothing but BEEF products...because I buy Sav-alot brand of ROLL bologna red package. (Back home it would have been nothing but CAVALIER brand).

1/2 roll of bologna  ( I  always hand ground  mine with the old grinder...I have just recently used one of those pulse grinders...it cut my time in half) .  I grind each item until small consistency.    I use a big bowl and just drop all the ingredients in together,  I use a particular order just for messes sake it helps keep your project running smoothly. Grind 1 Large onion and  1small,   grind 6 boiled eggs (SHELLED  of course).  grind 1 large  block package of  American cheese. grind  7 large dill pickles.  Add Mayonaise or Salad dressing (the mayonaise looking kind not the salad kind of dressing (when Mama said salad dressing I made mine with ranch  it was  horrible but Mama got a kick out of that,  then she laughed and said she thought I knew..I didn't)  The Mayonaise or salad dressing should be added slowly ...too much makes it nasty and waterery when it sets.  There should be enough Mayonaise to make it moist and tasty.  That's always the key to any southern dish...taste it.! Add salt and pepper.  I store mine for about 20 minutes in an air tight container. It makes about 16 sandwhiches cut in half.  I bought store made Ham salad one year for Christmas (Because I was lazy) and while everyone else was enjoying the get together I was in the kitchen making Ham Salad...because they were looking forward to for weeks..  Won't make that mistake again.  Oh yea and it is great on crackers           MMMMMM

Now that should give you a clue  that this blog is all about those good-ole home-cooked meals,  There ain't enough MMM's to begin to tell how I love a good ole recipe. 

Since we are coming upon the holiday season *I thought I might share with you some that  I have enjoyed down through the years.

     My Mama was from the old school where she knew how to make everything without measuring ANYTHING.  When I started high school I took Home-Ec class.  One of my test consisted of finding  a recipe (in the family) and making it at school.  OMGoodness.  Can you imagine the horror for me that all Mama's recipes was in her head.  Now try telling a seventy year old woman you need measurements.  We ventured into trying to put her recipes down on paper.  I could hardly believe that she was able just by looking at something GUESTIMATE how much it was.  She'd say "This is probably a cup...measure it."  I did and sure enough it would be a cup.  She'd pour  something else into a teacup and say that's about 1/3cup...I'd pour it  into a measuring cup and she'd be right on the money.  I don't know how she did it but anyway  we finally put together a few recipes,  and trust me I held onto them for dear life because Mama wasn't pleasant having to stop at each procedure so I could measure.  She'd say" I could have had this done hours ago".  Now I am going to tell you that I can not make crust so unless you know how to do that you're on your own.  Mine from scrathch are either hard as a brick or fall apart before they bake. I cheat with the store bought ones.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful time of the year with your family.   If you have recipes that bring back memories for you I'd love for you to share them with me.  Don't forget your story...We'll all be waiting.

 I know what I am going to enjoy...my favorite...Cranberry salad.

                                                    
      Bessie's Best Pecan Pie

2 eggs beaten well.  Then only the yolk of another beaten in.  Mama called it two and a half eggs.,  !/2 Cup of butter (softened),  1/2 Cup of SORGUM mollasses,  1/2 Cup dark corn syrup,  1/2 Cup of sugar,  dash of salt (never could measure that one.),  1.2 cup crushed pecans for top.    (She did this next step by hand)...I use mixer on medium speed and  beat until a nice creamy texture.  Pour into an 8 inch pie shell and bake for appx. 45 minutes at 350.  Only bake until the mixture appears firm and the crust is golden.  Do not overbake because the pie will  become dryer as it sets and firms more.  Let pie stand about 20 minutes to cool.  Some prefer whipped cream....ME I Want mine topped with VANILLA ice-cream.

                                                    Bessie's       SCRUMPIOUS

                                                    
 STRAWBERRY/RHUBARB PIE

3 Cups of strawberries (cut or sliced),  2 Cups of Rhubarb (clean, chop, and cook until soft consistency  like fried apples),  1 cup to 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar ( stir into rhubarb and taste,  should be tart but not sour.)  1/2 cup of flour.  Mix well by hand and pour into an 8 inch pie shell.  Mama always made a lattice top for this kind of pie.  Bake for appx. 45 minutes at 350.  Pie is done when the crust is brown on top.

                                                    
    Old-fashioned CRANBERRY SALAD

1 package of fresh cranberries( grind or  chop in blender),  add 1/2 cup of sugar and set aside.  Take strawberry, orange, and raspberry jello and add 2 cups of boiling water,  and stir completely.  Set in fridge to jell. Add these ingredients in a large bowl: and mix as you go. 1 orange peeled and cut into small pieces. 1 can of mandarine oranges completely drained, 1 can Pineapples completely drained, (save juices) 2 medium apples chopped,( I use red and yellow).2 cans of whole cranberries.  pour this mixture into the jello after it has jelled a bit.  Add the fresh cranberries and stir. Pour mixture into a long serving dish and cover with saran wrap.  check to see that the mixture is a good firmness but if it seems to be getting too firm in the beginning add touches of the fruit juice to soften.  Pineapple juice will for some reason keep jello from setting if stirred into jello while hot. Chill in refriderator.  Serve topped with cool whip if desired.

Here's to all the excuses we have to try new recipes...IT's the HOLIDAYS...and nothing says holidyas like FOOD.