Food Friday on Thursday- dairy free soy free cheese sauce

OK. I've been meaning to write this out for some time now. But first I had to make some and measure. I don't measure. Ever. I dump and stir and add and taste until things look and taste... right. So this took FAR too much time. But it's done now.

Ingredients (and this is what I used, but is by no means set in stone)
4 Tablespoons oil
8 Tablespoon flour
4 1/2 cups rice milk (almond would probably taste pretty good, but we can't use that)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (more wouldn't hurt)
1/2 teaspoon pepper (also- more would be fine)
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (I tried to use less- it tasted really bad until I got up to 1/2 teaspoon. More would be fine, too, just not less)
3/4 bag of daiya "cheese". Pepper jack is really yummy in it, cheddar is what I normally use because it's more readily available, mozzarella I've tried but the result was a bit bland.

Heat oil in large pot over med to med/ high heat. Add flour and whisk or stir. Whisking makes it smoother more easily. Add rice milk 1/2 cup at a time whisking/ stirring well in between each addition and adding the next when it gets thick. Once you've added all the milk reduce heat to a low simmer. Add in seasonings. If it's getting too thick add some more rice milk. Once you have it the right texture and the right taste (should be tasty before the addition of the "cheese") add about 3/4 of a bag of Daiya and remove from heat. Stir until cheese is melted and well blended. I let sit in the pot until cooler (or in the fridge) and then I pour into ice cube trays.

This is enough to fill 2 full ice cube trays. Once frozen I pop 'em out and store in a ziplock bag i the freezer. This is AMAZING to have on hand for quick lunches or something. I just make some noodles for Bravo, melt 2 cubes of this in the microwave and add the noddles to the bowl and stir. Also good to use over veggies, it may just need to be thinned out a bit more. This makes good sauce for a baked pasta dish as well. I make the giant pot of it so I only have to make it every so often and I have it ready to use when needed. If I didn't know this didn't taste like cheese (like if I had been dairy free for a while, or like Bravo, for always,) then it would get the cheese sauce job done.

I was so excited when Bravo outgrew his pea allergy because it meant I could use daiya cheese. Wonderful. And superstore even sells it, so it doesn't mean an extra trip to the too expensive store health food store.

Voila.
Tomorrow: diary free cream of mushroom sauce- amazing for meatballs!

Food Friday a day late- ham leftovers

OK, so do you remember this ham recipe? I made it for supper last night and again was surprised by just how good it really is. Matt saw we were having ham and made a face. Then he tried a bite and remembered that it's actually really good! He even told me I could make it once a month. Thanks, Matt!

The downfall with ham (for some, but not me because I love love love ham) is that it leaves a lot of leftovers. And there's only so many ham sandwiches one can eat.
SOOOOO.

What To Do With Left Over Crock Pot Ham.
1. after you cook the ham there will be a pile of wonderful juices in the bottom of the crock pot. Don't throw it out!! After you cut up the ham and take all the meat off, throw the bone back into the crock pot and stick it in the fridge over night (bonus! less dishes to wash!)

2. the next day add a big tin of tomatoes, some chopped up carrots, some mushrooms, some diced onion (I prefer mine to be cooked first- but it doesn't matter), some water, half a bag of barley, some chopped celery, and whatever else you want to add. Like pepper or some extra grainy mustard. Important: don't add anything else with salt!! The first time I used some broth instead of water and the thing was so darn salty I almost died. The ham is salty enough so don't add anything else with salt. And don't add the chopped up left over ham yet. That part comes later. Otherwise all the hammy-ness is lost and it's just not as good.

3. there should be enough water/ liquid to make it look a little like soup. This will all absorb as the barley cooks and it will turn into a delicious ham stew type of dish. Freezes well so you can cook it and make a few meals to save for the "I just don't want to cook" days. Turn on crock pot on low for the day.

4. When you're about to server it add a bunch of chopped up leftover ham. and mix well. For the small people in my life I add in a bunch of frozen veggies to add veggies and to act as ice cubes.

yummy yummy yummy!

Food Friday- best ham ever cooked

Matt hates ham. I love ham. We were at ham odds. But I always won because I cook and he doesn't, so if I want it I cook it. But I really prefer it that people eating my cooking actually LIKE it and don't just take their "thank-you portions". So I went on a ham recipe hunt. I know I know.... how hard is it to cook a ham???

But if you follow this then even ham haters may change their mind. Matt loves this ham, which is saying a lot. If my parents ever make ham now he just leans over and says oh so quietly "your ham is way better."

Plus- it's cooked in a crock pot which takes away so much of the hassle of cooking- like doing it during my every so precious triple threat nap time.

Crock Pot Ham Even Ham-Haters Will Like

5 lb-ish ham.**Not one of those little pretty pre-cooked hams. A real ham with the bone in. But don't forget to take the plastic thing off the end of the bone** try to not buy one so big it won't fit in your crock pot. Because then you have to cut chunks off and stuff it in the sides. Not that I've done that before.
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon mustard (I use grainy- but normal will do if you don't have it)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cloves

Score ham with a knife
Put it in your crock pot
Mix all the dark purple ingredients in a bowl
pour juice over ham
rub the sugar mixture over the ham with your hands
cover and cook on low for about 8 hours. Could be a bit more if you're out of the house and aren't home for 9.
yummy yummy yummy!