Sunday, August 25, 2019

GAME DAY - HAM AND SQUASH


The only way we get through a long HOT Florida summer is by looking forward to GATOR FOOTBALL !!  Those of us here, dream about it all summer. We watch Classic SEC Football on ESPN, we pull prerecorded games from our DVD library and watch them. We can't wait for the season to begins. 



But to be totally honest I view football as "hey, basketball season is just around the corner." 


 
You can take the boy out of Indiana, but you can't take take the basketball out of the boy. 




So, we begin our quest for a few good GAME DAY recipes that you can enjoy before, during or after the game.

And may your team win.

Today we are going to make two simple recipes. They are easy to make, tastes great, and is LOW CARB

Yes I said low carb. We got back on that wagon a few weeks ago. But don't worry, I have a few good recipes I have not blogged about yet. So we'll squeeze those in as we go along.

First lets cook up a nice baked ham. Damn, this is so EASY.


Get a Picnic Ham Shoulder




Pre Heat Oven To 350

Remove wrapper and put it in a pan



Add 1 Cup of water

Cover tightly with Aluminum Foil



Bake for 2 hours

Check temp. You want 160 degrees (You DO have a THEMO PEN??)


Remove and cool.



Remove the fat.




Cut it up and serve it.






To go along with our Ham, let's make some spaghetti squash. I never thought I would eat something like this, but the boss (Penny) suggested it as a substitute for pasta.


Here's how it goes

SPAGHETTI SQUASH



Pre Heat oven to 350

Cut off the ends of the squash



Cut Squash in half – LENGTHWISE 



Scrape out the seeds
 

Place the half pieces cut side down on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper



Bake at 350 degrees for one hour

HAVE A BEER !! 



Remove Squash and flip the pieces over to cool.




When warm enough to handle remove the squash using a fork as a scraper


Grease your casserole dish with Veg Oil (PAM)


Put a couple of spoonfuls of sauce on the bottom of the pan(s) 


Put the shredded squash into the dish.

Pour a jar of Marinara sauce (of your choice) over the squash and mix



Add ½ tsp of Garlic Salt

Add ½ tsp of Italian Herb mix


Add ¼ Cup of Parmesan cheese

Stir
 I put it all in a big bowl, mixed it then added to the pans. You can do this either way.

Now you can add your toppings



Mushrooms, and Mozzarella cheese were my choices (Amounts to your liking)

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes 

Here is the squash baking along with the ham. I put the squash in after the ham had cooked for an hour

Remove the ham to cool

Remove foil on the squash, turn off oven and leave dish in oven for 10 minutes or so



Serve and ENJOY.



DON'T FORGET THE SALAD !!!

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have your honor.

WINNER WINNER GAME DAY DINNER

I was shocked at how nice this dish came out. The squash itself has little if no taste and the marinara sauce mixed well with it. And with the mushrooms and cheese, it was G R E A T.

And it was SO EASY to put together. Most of your time is waiting on the oven to do its thing. Gives you more time for a refreshing adult beverage. 


 
And time to play with the president.

 PRESIDENT GROVER CLEVELAND

Dinner out of the way, it's time to settle in for some Gator Football. The season begins.



It was a great game. Miami was better than I thought they would be, and we showed the typical first game blues.


But in the end, The Gators came out on top 24-20 to start their season.


LIVE LONG AND PROSPER

and 

GO GATORS !!!!