Pineapple Puff Pastry Pinwheels With Cheese and Ham

PUFF PASTRY PINWHEELS ARE SUPER SIMPLE to make, yet look so fancy and fussy. They are perfect for parties and get togethers.

I usually buy frozen puff pastry which I find to be rather expensive, and the price kept me from using it as often as I would have liked.  Recently, I discovered a new item at my grocery store; a refrigerated puff pastry which was much more reasonably priced and didn't require thawing (aka planning ahead).

I made these pinwheels with pineapple, cheese, and ham. I have always loved the taste of pineapple and cheese together. I used to eat pineapple and cheese sandwiches as a girl. I love that glorious baked pineapple casserole.

Once I made these, I discovered the new puff pastry performed perfectly--many flaky layers and delicious taste. And oh so easy to use. It even comes with its own parchment paper for baking.

I will be making more of these pinwheels and have many ideas about how to fill them.

• sun dried tomato cream cheese and turkey
• cream cheese and pimiento stuffed olives
• spinach, artichoke, and Parmesan
• cheddar, pimiento, and pecan
• pizza sauce, basil, and mozzarella
• pesto, spinach, and feta
• mango chutney and aged English cheddar

Pineapple Puff Pastry Pinwheels with Cheese and Ham

1 sheet puff pastry
1 cup fresh pineapple, finely chopped
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces your favorite deli sliced ham, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Unroll pastry sheet on a floured surface. Spread pineapple evenly over the pastry, followed by the shredded cheese, then the chopped ham. Roll into a log started from one of the long sides. Using a serrated knife, slice into 12 pieces. Place on parchment lined sheet pan, cut side up.

Bake 20 - 30 minutes until golden.

Split Pea Soup

JUST BECAUSE IT IS SPRING DOES NOT MEAN it is warm. It took me a while to figure that out when I moved to these mountains years ago. In fact, on the first official day of spring, this year, we had snow. It is a time of year I don't plan too many meals in advance. I may want a salad for dinner or I may want a bowl of warming soup. I try to stay flexible.

I love split pea soup but I don't cook it that often because Pritchard Parker doesn't love it. He will eat it; he thinks it is OK. I made the soup this day for a couple of reasons, one being I had some leftover ham in the freezer I wanted to go ahead and use. Plus I had everything else on hand and wouldn't need to go out to the store.

To start the soup, I got out my soup pot, 2 medium-large potatoes, 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, a jumbo onion,the frozen ham, and a one pound package of green split peas. I looked at all this and asked myself, "How many people are you making soup for"? I replied, "Two, and one of them is not even that crazy about it". I exchanged my big soup pot for a smaller one, put away one of the potatoes, one carrot, and one of the celery stalks. I used half the onion, half the package of split peas, and half the ham.

Split Pea Soup
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 medium-large potato, peeled and diced
1/2 lb. green split peas
3 ounces (approximate) ham, to taste (optional)
Salt and freshly grated black pepper to taste
1 bay leaf

Over medium heat, saute the onion, celery, carrot, and potatoes in the olive oil, until beginning to become tender. Add salt and pepper. Stir in the split peas, add the ham and bay leaf. Cover the mixture with water to about 1 inch above the vegetables. Bring to a boil then lower heat; cover and simmer for 2 - 3 hours, stirring occasionally and adding more water when needed.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot.

Monte Cristo Quesadillas

EACH YEAR AFTER THANKSGIVING, we make Monte Cristo sandwiches, using slices of turkey, ham, and Swiss cheese. The sandwiches are dipped in an egg mixture and cooked in a hot skillet, much like French toast. The sandwiches are then sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with cranberry sauce.

These Monte Cristo quesadillas are not made with Thanksgiving leftovers because I don't yet have any. But I did have some tortillas I wanted to use, left from making Pot Roast Quesadillas. I used deli sliced turkey, ham, and Swiss cheese and served them with homemade Strawberry Ginger Jam.

I did not dip these quesadillas in custard before cooking but I did consider it. . .

Monte Cristo Quesadillas
2 large tortillas
2 - 3 oz. sliced turkey
2 - 3 oz. sliced ham
2 - 3 oz. sliced Swiss cheese
Powdered sugar
Butter for pan

Layer turkey, ham, and cheese slices on one tortilla. Top with the other tortilla.

Heat a pat or two of butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Put the stacked tortillas into the skillet and cook until well browned then flip over and cook the other side until browned and the cheese is melted.

Remove from skillet and dust with powdered sugar. Cut into wedges and serve with berry jam or maple syrup.

Repeat steps for additional quesadillas..

Crock Pot Pulled Ham

ADMITTEDLY, WHEN PRESENTING A PLATTER OF PULLED HAM at Easter Brunch, you miss the dramatic effect of a glistening ham perfectly scored into a diamond pattern each of which has been carefully dotted with whole cloves, and basted with the perfect glaze. Or one of those with the pineapple rings and cherries. Even a spiral sliced ham with the perfect slices all fanned out.

Even when served on a beautiful heirloom platter which belonged to my great-grandmother, it still looks like a pile of shredded meat. But don't let its humble appearance fool you, this is the most succulent and flavorful ham I have ever eaten. I think I have a crush on it and my mind has been reeling with leftover possibilities.

And it is ridiculously  easy to cook with only two ingredients--ham and water. You can make some kind of sauce if you wish, but we didn't find that it needed it, being so intensely ham flavored on its on.

This ham is also very economical. We used a bone-in smoked picnic ham which comes in shank or butt halves and found in the regular grocery store.

Crock Pot Pulled Ham
1 bone-in ham which will fit in your crock pot
Water, to come up 1-inch

Place ham, fat side up, in cooker and add water. Cover pot and turn it on low. Let cook 8-10 hours, until easily shredded with a fork.

Even though you start with only a small amount of liquid, more will form in the pot throughout the day. If it does not, lower the heat and add a little more water if necessary.

When done, take it carefully out of the crock pot and place on a large meat board or rimmed platter. Remove the fat and bone then shred the meat using two forks. To keep the shredded meat from drying out, ladle over some of the cooking broth from the pot.

For another menu item, my little 5-year-old assistant helped with another batch of Black Skillet Parker House Rolls. 

We have really been enjoying some little pulled ham sandwiches.