I can’t be the only person who feels like they’re spending a ridiculous amount of time cooking; or if not cooking, then worrying about what to cook next. I’d got a bit tired of that, so this week I deliberately chose food which I could cook for one dinner, but which would provide several different meals on subsequent days.
Genius! Why did it take so long for me to get here?
This post is all about a joint of unsmoked Gammon. My local supermarket has these joints in several sizes, and although there’s only 2 of us at home these days, I bought a 2kg boneless joint.
You can bake or boil these, I usually boil mine as per the instructions, then bake it for 30 minutes with a dark Muscovado sugar, mustard and honey topping..
Dinner No 1: a delicious Bacon and Cabbage Irish Dinner – complete with Champ – Mr Saturday Night’s favourite.
With most of a joint of cold ham leftover – what were my options?
A couple of lunches: A slice of cold ham, on toasted Sourdough, with a perfectly fried egg on top:
Dinner No2:
Another of Mr SN’s favourites: Pasta Surprise
https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/spaghetti-surprise/
He likes reheated leftovers of this for lunch too, so happy days..
While I was making this, I cubed a bit more of the ham, and froze it, for Pasta Surprise another day.
Another day, another Lunch: Proper Ham sandwiches, with sliced tomato and a sprinkle of garlic salt – the way my dad liked them 
Dinner No 3:
Add some Ham to your home-made Pizza. The kids will enjoy ‘helping’ to knead the dough, and decorating their own Pizzas
https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/home-made-pizza-a-little-effort-but-well-worth-it/
And finally, after 4 days, I added a little shredded ham to my already-delicious Vegetable and Lentil soup – it makes it much more of a meal, and the ham adds a lovely extra layer of flavour.
https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/lentil-and-vegetable-soup/
There are so many ways you can use up this ham – any number of pasta dishes which would benefit from this extra ingredient – Check out the recipes on Eating for Ireland, for more ham-based inspiration!
Try this great old recipe to use up the very last of the ham- or even the bits that you froze the other day!https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/spicy-mexican-gammon/
Next time, I’m going to give you several days of Chicken dinners using either a packet of Chicken breasts or the remains of a roast Chicken dinner!
I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx