Keto Hawaiian Pizza

One of the things I miss when following keto is pineapple. Its very high in sugar so you can't have very much of it. Hawaiian pizza is my favorite kind of pizza but I have being forgoing it for pepperoni or vegetarian pizza. I was sooooo excited when I came up with a way to have Hawaiian pizza and keep the carbs really low! It's all about what to use as a crust. I went with a Schneider's ham steak. yep, that's right.... ham crust! Best. Decision. Ever.

According to MyFitnessPal the nutritional counts (makes 2 servings) are: 214 calories, 11 fat, 7 carbs, 0 fiber, 22 protein. That's 7 net carbs for a big serving of pizza! 

Keto Hawaiian Pizza

Ingredients

1 ham steak (I used Schneiders)

1/4 cup Raos pizza sauce

2 Tbsp onion, diced

1/4 cup cup pineapple chunks

1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside. 

Cut ham steak in half, as per photo below.

Then cut each half in half again, this time horizontally, as per photo below. Open ham out to form circle.

Cook at 350 for about 10 minutes, until heated through.

Top both rounds with sauce, onion, and pineapple. 

Then top with the mozzarella cheese. 

Place back in oven and cook until cheese is melted, about another 10 minutes. 

Serve hot!

You can eat with a fork and knife but it is sturdy enough to pick up. 

I added a keto coleslaw alongside to get some more veggies in and *voila* delicious and filling keto meal. 1/4 cup of pineapple chunks may not seem like a lot but it is just right! Very pineapple-y and yet still low carb! FYI - This makes 2 generous servings and is super simple to double or triple. 

Ham Salad Sliders

Everyone needs a good ham salad recipe in their life. A way to turn leftover ham or even canned ham into the best sandwich filling EVER. 

Our recipe has been a family favorite forever and is super simple to whip up. Got ten minutes? Then you have time to make this ridiculously easy and delicious yet soon to be favorite recipe. 

We love these on our homemade Focaccia Slider Buns (Recipe HERE) but this filling is delicious on pretty much any bread or buns or even with veggies. 

Ham Salad Spread

Ingredients

2 cups ham, diced small (or 2 small cans)

1/4 cup onion, diced small

2 green onions, diced small

1 Tbsp prepared mustard

4 Tbsp mayo

salt & pepper

1 pickle, diced small

To make sliders

mayo

mustard

pickle slices

Directions

Place ham, onion, green onion, mustard, mayo, salt & pepper, and pickle in a bowl and stir to combine.

Divide mixture in half and place half in a blender or food processor. 

Process until smooth and creamy, scraping sides of blender as necessary. 

Add back to the bowl with the reserved ingredients. 

Stir together. Add in a little more mayo, if needed, to make sure it is nice and creamy. 

Spread a little more mustard and mayo onto the bread or buns you are using. Then top with ham spread. 

Place pickle slice in the sandwich OR on top of the bun for serving. 

Don't assemble the sandwiches until ready to serve. The pickle slice will make your bread soggy if it sits too long. The ham spread can be made up ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to use.

Ham salad is a great way to use up leftover ham after the holidays. Planning snacks for game day or kids after school snacks? Tired of egg salad or tuna salad? 

*Tah-Dah*

Problem solved. 

Cuban Sandwich

Sue and I eat a lot of sandwiches. Sandwiches are awesome. 

What is weird is that we haven't shared a lot of sandwiches on our blog. 

We definitely need to fix that. I'm going to start right now by sharing one of our favorites. A Cuban sandwich. You can make this on normal bread but if you want it to taste like a super de duper delicious Cuban sandwich then you need to make it on Cuban bread (pan cubano). Homemade bread is a little consuming but always worthwhile in the end! FYI - This is a great way to use up leftover pork roast. 

Cuban Sandwich

Pan Cubano

1 1/4 cup hot water

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

4 tsp sugar

3 cups flour

2 tsp salt

4 Tbsp lard (can use butter), melted

Sandwich

butter

yellow mustard

Swiss cheese

deli ham

pork roast 

pickle

Directions

Prepare bread - In a small bowl, whisk together water, yeast, and sugar. Let bloom for 5 minutes. 

In another bowl, put in flour, salt, and melted lard (or butter). Stir in the active yeast. 

Knead dough for 5 minutes, until smooth. Add in a little more flour if dough is too sticky. 

Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and place somewhere warm to rise for an hour. 

After dough has risen: punch down and divide into 6 logs. Let rest for 15 minutes. Then shape the pieces of dough into 8 inch logs with tapered ends. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with a clean tea towel, and let rise somewhere warm for another hour. 

After buns have risen: preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray the buns with water (or very gently brush water on with a basting brush) With a very sharp blade, place a slash down the center of each bun, leaving about an inch on each end not cut. 

Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes, until buns are golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Prepare sandwiches - Cut Cuban buns in half and place on work surface. 

Spread one half of each bun with butter. Then spread both halves generously with yellow mustard. 

Top both sides with a slice or two of Swiss cheese. Then layer on the ham, pork roast, and pickle.

Close sandwich and admire how beautiful it is. 

Now slather the top with a generous amount of butter. 

Place sandwich in tinfoil. I like to put a smear of butter under the sandwich as well. 

Wrap the sandwich in the tinfoil (see photo for clarification).

To cook the Cuban sandwich - heat BBQ grill to medium/low heat. Place wrapped sandwich on the grill and top with something heavy, like a cast iron skillet. Grill for 5 minutes. Flip sandwich over and repeat on other side for 5 minutes.

Unwrap the sandwich and grill for 2 - 3 more minutes on each side. 

If you do not have a grill - You can cook the sandwiches in a frying pan on the stove top. You do not need to wrap them in foil to do this. Simply get the stage where you cover the top and and bottom with butter, then place in a frying pan over medium/low heat. Place something heavy, like a cast iron skillet, on top and cook for about 5 minutes on each side. You want the cheese to be melted and the sandwich to be heated through. 

You can add more cheese if you want things gooier, of course. 

I didn't have a lot of pork roast leftover so I diced mine so it would go further. If you want to leave it in thin slices then that works great too. Even shredded pork roast is fabulous on a Cuban sandwich. 

Like a grilled cheese but a magic, otherworldly grilled cheese. 

I recommend making the bread up before you need it and freezing it. 

You can easily double the recipe for 12 buns instead of 6. 

Hawaiian Pizza

Where do you stand on the whole pineapple-on-pizza thing? 

If you're a "no pineapple" person.... you should probably just carry on.... things are about to get pineappley. 

I'm guessing by this point in your life you have had a Hawaiian pizza. I hope. It's amazing. Sue disagrees... but I still love her. 

Anyway, we wanted to share a super easy recipe for our version of Hawaiian pizza so you can make it at home. You'll never order take out again! (okay, who are we kidding, take out is amazing too, but maybe you'll also make it at home because it's delicious and fun.)

Hawaiian Pizza (A la Jo and Sue)

Ingredients

Crust

3/4 cup hot tap water

1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

2 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp dried parsley

1 - 3 cups flour

Toppings

1/2 to 1 cup pizza sauce (tomato sauce)

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1 1/2 cups mozza cheese, shredded

1 cup deli ham, sliced

1 can pineapple chunks (or crushed), drained well

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/2 cup onion, diced

Directions

Prepare crust - In a mixing bowl, combine hot water, yeast, and sugar. Set aside and let bloom for 5 minutes. 

After yeast has bloomed, add in oil and salt and parsley and stir. Slowly add in flour until a stiff but soft dough forms. Knead for 1 - 2 minutes, until dough is no longer sticky - you may need to add a spoonful or two of flour. 

Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel, and set somewhere warm to rise for an hour. 

After dough has risen, press out into a pizza pan, or, if you don't have a pizza pan, onto a cookie sheet. I line my pans with parchment but this is optional. If you have a pizza stone you can go ahead and use it. 

Have your toppings ready to go. Preheat oven to 425. 

Cook the crust for about 5 - 7 minutes. Just enough that it starts to puff up a bit, no longer. 

Remove from heat and spread on the pizza sauce, then half of the cheese, then the ham, pineapple, pepper, and onion. 

FYI - keep in mind you can use more or less of the ingredients as you prefer! 

Top with remaining cheese. 

Place back in 425 oven and cook until cheese is all melty and crust is brown on the bottom. 

Let sit for a couple of minutes before slicing. 

Best Hawaiian pizza ever. Some people would argue that green pepper doesn't belong on a Hawaiian but I'm going to respectfully disagree. You don't want a lot on there but you still need a little bit. 

If you want to make this up ahead of time and freeze it for later you can! Just follow the instructions up to where you parbake the crust. When you take it out of the oven let it cool completely before placing the toppings on it. Then cover it in plastic wrap and a layer of tinfoil (or double plastic wrap) and freeze it. 

When you want to cook it, preheat the oven to 425 and pop it in frozen for about 15 or so minutes - until cheese is melty and crust is brown! Easy peasy and way tastier than store bought frozen pizzas! 

Easy Overnight Hashbrown Casserole

Way way back in 2011 Sue and I shared some of our favorite breakfast casserole ideas. There was a crock pot tater tot casserole, a blueberry and cream cheese french toast casserole, and a wifesaver french toast. Check those recipes out HERE. This is another breakfast casserole that you make the night before, making it perfect for the holidays or even super busy mornings. All you do is pop it in the oven in the morning and you are done! 

This recipe is great for picky eaters as it is a very simple and basic dish - meaning it is not spicy and it does not have any "weird" ingredients in it. That doesn't mean you can't customize it though! You can totally add in your favorite ingredients or spice it up, as you prefer!

Just a quick note - while this requires almost no effort, it does require time to cook! Give yourself a good hour and a half for it to cook. Don't try to rush it! 

Easy Overnight Hashbrown Casserole

Ingredients

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup onion, diced

3 Tbsp chives, finely chopped

1 kg pkg frozen hashbrowns (cubed)

1 1/2 cups finely diced ham

2 cups shredded, aged cheddar cheese

12 eggs

3/4 cup whole milk

salt and pepper

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried parsley

Directions

In a large bowl, stir together the cherry tomatoes, onion, chives, frozen hashbrowns, and cheese. Spread into a 9 X 13 pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray. 

In the bowl you just used, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt & pepper, garlic salt, onion powder, and dried parsley. Pour evenly over the hashbrowns in the pan. 

Cover with tin foil and place in fridge overnight OR, you can cook immediately. 

When ready to cook - place casserole on counter while oven preheats to 375. 

Bake, covered, in 375 oven for one hour. Remove tin foil and continue to bake until casserole is lightly brown on top and set in the center - about another 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it. (NOTE - I usually rotate the pan at the 45 minute mark.) If you find the edges browning too quickly and the center is still not set, turn the heat down to 350 and continue cooking. 

The center does take a long time to be cooked through. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. 

Remember, if this seems a little too simple for you, feel free to jazz it up however you like! Add in some chopped green pepper or black beans, stir in some hot sauce, use different flavors of cheeses, minced garlic, bacon or sausage instead of ham... you can see there are tons of options here! 

I usually serve it with a little ketchup, just in case it gets a little dry from over cooking. If you find you need to keep it warm in the oven, be sure to cover it with tinfoil again to help prevent it drying out. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave. 

10 minutes of prep the night before and you a get a no muss, no fuss breakfast for your guests. (You can cook it immediately after making it too, if you want.) 

FYI - If I remember correctly, you should get 12 good sized servings out of this recipe. You could stretch it out to a few more if you served it with some toast or fruit! 

InstaPot Split Pea Soup

Sue and I shared our Crock Pot Split Pea Soup recipe (HERE)  and it turned into a family favorite. 

It just made sense when Sue bought me an InstaPot this year for our birthday to try it in the new machine. It's basically the exact same recipe with a few slight adjustments to fit the new cooking method. In the pressure cooker you go from start to finish in under 40 minutes. 

I usually use green split peas but our local grocery store was out so I used yellow split peas. It actually is a much prettier color than the green. The taste is the same though, in case you were wondering. 

InstaPot Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

3 Tbsp butter

1 onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

3 medium carrots, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 ham bone

1 lb split peas, rinsed

6 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp thyme

2 bay leaves

salt & pepper

Directions

Turn InstaPot to saute. Melt the butter and saute the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic for about 5 minutes - until vegetables soften. 

Add in the ham bone, split peas, chicken broth, thyme, bay leaves, and salt & pepper. 

Cover the InstaPot and set to manual high for 17 minutes. 

When complete, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.

Remove ham bone from the pot and cut off any ham from the bone.

I like to then take a hand blender and puree the soup for a few seconds. You want to leave some chunks so a few pulses in the soup should do the trick. (You don't have to do this, I just like the texture better.) Now place the ham back into the soup and discard the bone.

Serve hot with a little hot sauce, if desired.

Remember to save your ham bone from the next big dinner so you can make a batch of this! It freezes very well too so no need to worry about making too much. 

My favorite way to eat it? With soooo many crackers, of course. 

Split pea soup is hearty and healthy and delicious and inexpensive. It's also a great recipe to introduce you to cooking in an InstaPot. 

The perfect cold weather meal!

Chicken Cheeseball

Sue and I made this last year for Easter (See our Easter 2017 roundup HERE) and I just realized I never shared the recipe and how-to. Better late than never I always say..... anyways, Easter is almost here again so no time like the present. 

Not only is this little chicken adorable (and perfect for a farm theme party too!) it's delicious and pretty darned easy to make. I think I might make her again this year because the kids absolutely loved it. Serve her with crackers, bread, or even veggies. 

Chicken Cheeseball

Ingredients

2 bricks (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup shredded, aged cheddar

2 cans of canned ham (about 3/4 to 1 cup total)

1/3 cup finely diced onion

2 - 3 generous dashed of Worcestershire sauce

For decorating

2 cups shredded mozza cheese

1/4 to 1/2 a red pepper

4 large carrot round slices

edible google eyes

Directions

In a mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, cheddar, ham, onion, and Worcestershire sauce until well combined. Place mixture on a flat surface and shape into a pyramid shape. Place on a serving tray. Note - if mixture is too sticky to work with, simply place in fridge for 20 minutes to firm up a little. 

Once you have a nice pyramid shape, cover with the shredded mozza cheese and press gently to get it to stick. Place in fridge while you cut out 4 "tulip bulb" shapes for the wings and feet from the carrot - and a triangle beak, and the wattle from the red pepper. 

Place them on the chicken, pressing firmly to get them to adhere. Press on the eyes as well. 

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve. 

Such a cute table centerpiece, am I right?

She only takes about 15 minutes to make but everyone will think you spent a lot more time on her. The recipe is very simple but the flavor is very good. This is our go-to cheese ball recipe and wherever we take it we always get asked for the recipe! You could, of course, make it with your favorite cheese ball recipe/mix if it's just the chicken shape you are after. 

Be sure to check out Carol's Chatter for more fun foodie links!