Savory Ham Bites - this ham is more than "dude food"...

My saint-of-a-neighbor JoAnn appeared at my door a few days ago with a treasure for me...  PLATES!   I have a thing for unusual plates (actually unusual anything).  This plate was one of her discoveries.  I wish I had the knack of finding treasure in unlikely places.  I'm just not patient enough... Thanks JoAnn...




Suffering from ?ham burnout? after Easter?  Your oversupply of ham gets put to good use with these sweet/sour little bites.  Although these little rounds make an excellent appetizer - they are worthy of starring as your main dish as well.  Served with the slow-cooked sauce they bake in, they?re consumed in a hurry.

I have found several versions of what is called ?Ham Balls? whenever I type in ?leftover Easter ham?...  Containing everything from cream cheese to ground sage - I couldn?t decide which one to spend my time on.  

This recipe (on tasteofhome.com) caught my eye because of one ingredient - shredded wheat.  With ham having such a mixture of flavors (and nitrates) - I thought it would be wise to go natural as much as possible.  But that is probably cancelled out by the addition of even MORE meat - ground fresh pork. 

Ham is a ?man thing? I?ve noticed.  It must come from the fact that it is smoked and aged - definitely dude food...  I enjoy the first slice, but after that I?m finished.  From then on, I only like it as one of several ingredients in other dishes (such as Chinese Style Ham-Fried Rice, Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake, and UNrolled Chicken Cordon Bleu found here on this site...)

When it comes to ?grinding? ham - I do have a meat grinder, but I opted to use my blender.  It made quick work of pulverizing those foreign-looking leftover chunks of ham beyond recognition - a real plus for me.

After I got over the fact that these are not only loaded with fat, but also sugar - I rationalized that these are fine as appetizer fare.  One or two on a buffet plate can?t hurt too much(?)...  It?s only once (or twice) a year - go for it!

For this non-conventional way to use your Easter ham bounty - go to: