Happy Memorial Day Weekend -- May 29, 2016

Nothing about the Bakken in this post; purely a personal post for the granddaughters. If you came here for the Bakken, scroll down or check out the sidebar at the right.

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Yes, she did this all by herself.

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Memorial Day Cooking

Update

May 30, 2016: Today, Memorial Day, I biked to HEB's Central Market in Southlake, an upscale "foodie" market. Ham imported from France: $14.98/lb. The 10-lb ham below would have cost about $150. I guess pork from France is really, really flavorful.

Original Post

 

I went to our grocery store early this morning to get a newspaper for May. I walked to the back of the store to see what the butcher was up to. He took me to his specials he had just placed in the display case. He was particularly proud of a 10-pound spiral ham for 99 cents/pound, telling me if I did not grab it then, it would be "gone" in half an hour.

For the archives: a ham like this would normally be about $30 in this particular grocery store and upwards of $50+ at specialty shops.

It was the only one. I took it home, cut it up to freeze. From the 10-lb 10 ounce spiral ham with bone, I "recovered" 8 pounds 2 ounces.

I then took the meat/bone that was left and made bean/ham soup. I had never done this before but always wanted to try it.

Basic recipe but other vegetables, herbs can be added:

• 3 tablespoons each: Dijon mustard, lemon juice, Worcesterhire sauce 
• 2 teaspoons: pepper
• 1 tablespoon: chili powder
• 1 teaspoon: salt (I tend to use less)
• 1 whole onion

And so, all the work is done, the soup is simmering for the next eight hours, and I'm watching the Indy 500, reading The Syrian-Lebanese In North Dakota (previously discussed), and, catching up on a bit of blogging.