It’s a HAM-ERGENCY!

Easter Sunday is over and done — but what's a Lutheran lady to do with all that leftover ham?

In this Iron Ladle Challenge, Sarah, Erin, and Rachel (together with dozens of ladies from the Lutheran Ladies Lounge Facebook group) are coming to the rescue, with a smorgasbord of recipe ideas all involving ham.

Will you use your leftover ham in savory Cuban sandwiches? Fluffy crustless quiche? Hawaiian-inspired ham musubi? Ham empanadas? Korean bahn mi sandwiches? Ham-and-bean soup? Ham-and-potato casserole? Devilled ham? Ham salad? Ham balls? Whatever recipe you choose, the fridge (and the table) will be empty when you’re done.

Cuban Sandwich (Sarah's Favorite)

For a full recipe, see seriouseats.com/cuban-sandwich-recipe.

• Cuban bread (can be substituted with French bread)
• Mayo
• Mustard
• Ham
• Mojo roasted/pulled pork
• Swiss cheese
• Salami (optional)
• Dill pickles

Can be hot-pressed for an even better eating experience.

Rachel’s Fluffy Ham-and-Cheese Quiche

Begin with Crustless Quiche - Ham and Cheese | RecipeTin Eats

Adjustments:

• Grease pans with bacon grease
• Use cream for sure (not milk)
• Use six eggs per quiche (not four)
• Do not feel limited to just two cups of add-ins. So long as one cup is cheese, you can add extra “add-ins” — sauteed onions, green peppers, kale, mushrooms, asparagus (so many options) — without ruining the quiche

HAMBALLS AND SAUCE, from Cristin Otte and Ann Otte (in a church cookbook, via Debbie Larson)

For the ham balls:

• 1 lb. ground ham
• 2 lbs. hamburger
• 3/4 c. bread crumbs
• 3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 can tomato soup
• 3/4 c. water

For the sauce:

• 2 cans tomato soup
• 1/2 c. water
• 4 T. brown sugar
• 4 T. vinegar
• 2 T. mustard

Mix the ham ball ingredients together and form into balls. Mix the sauce ingredients and pour over balls. Bake at 325 to 350 degrees for 1 ½ to 2 hours.

A variation on this from Victoria Maaske: Ham balls meatloaf style with a ketchup and grape jam sauce.

More HAM-ERGENCY recipes:

• Ham Loaf- https://www.spendwithpennies.com/glazed-ham-loaf/
• Masubi- (sub ham for spam) https://omnivorescookbook.com/spam-musubi/
• Kimbap- korean seaweed rice rolls- https://mykoreankitchen.com/easy-kimbap/
• Bahn Mi- vietnamese sandwiches- https://omnivorescookbook.com/ham-banh-mi/
• Vegetable hash- (sub diced ham for pancetta) https://smittenkitchen.com/2010/05/spring-asparagus-pancetta-hash/
• Baked ham and dijon sandwich-https://www.food.com/recipe/easy-delicious-ham-and-dijon-sandwiches-108947
• Ham empanada recipe from Uruguay. But they are in spanish, so you will need to be clever if you want to make them.

Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!

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