Glazed Ham Dinner

I decided to do some cooking for tonight's dinner.  That may sound like an obvious statement since this is a food blog -- but my wife told me she would be home late from dinner, and then we could go straight to the grocery store.  That meant we didn't have much food in the house.  So we were going to "fend for ourselves".  But I had something else in mind.

A quick search of some meal ideas online gave me inspiration for what I could make with what we still had in the refrigerator.  First up I grabbed a small sliced ham.  I decided to make a nice sauce to glaze the meat with.  I mixed Dijon mustard, brown sugar, molasses, vinegar, and a little cloves to make a sweet & tangy sauce.  I covered the meat in the sauce inside a pouch I made from aluminum foil.  Since the ham was already cooked, I didn't want to dry it out.  But I did want to impart the flavor from my sauce.  I also served the sauce over top of the meat just to make sure the flavors were all there.

Next up I sliced a fresh apple and tossed it in balsamic vinegar.  I placed the slices in a single layer in a casserole dish and baked them for over an hour, flipping half-way through.  The roasted apples really heighten their flavor while they cook off.  And the balsamic vinegar gave them a little acidity so they weren't overly sweet, and could read a bit like desert.

I also shredded a sweet potato and folded that in with chopped spinach, dried onions, and a little bit of shredded Parmesan cheese.  Season with a little salt & pepper.  I cooked this in a non-stick skillet in a little butter to get the outside nice and golden-crispy.  I think this was the highlight of the meal.  I now The Mrs. liked them.

Last, but not least, I tried my luck at creamed spinach.  I still had some fresh spinach from the smoothies that I have been making, and I knew I was about to buy another bag at the grocery store.

You will start by making a roux of butter and flour.  Melt the butter over medium heat, then whisk in the flour and stir until it is smooth.  Bring that to a boil and cook off the flour for about a minute.

Remove it from the heat and whisk in some milk.  You want to remove this from the heat so the milk doesn't curdle on you.  It will also help if you have brought the milk up to room temperature.  Next add some salt and nutmeg.  Return this to the heat, bring to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat, and whisk in one egg.  This time you remove it from the heat so you don't scramble your egg.

During this time you should cook your fresh spinach in another pan, covered, for three minutes.  Then remove the lid and finish wilting the spinach for another 2 minutes.  Drain the spinach and chop it before adding it to your sauce.

In this meal I tried to have some salty, some sweet, some tangy, and creamy.  I think I covered the vegetables requirement of all meals with my wife as well.  Be sure not to add too much salt to either of your sides.  It could be an overly salty meal if you're not careful.