Leftovers? What Leftovers?

First off, let me apologize for my blogging hiatus. Yes, I am still alive :) Sometimes the cooking gets in the way of the blogging! That and an extended Easter weekend in Houston. Here's my sister and brother and law at the Gingerman in Rice Village being silly- fun times had by all!

Anyway, Easter was a pretty simple affair this year. Hash brown casserole, seared asparagus, grilled pineapple, and of course, ham. We like to get the huge ham for our small gatherings and then fight over the leftovers (I get as much as I can for new meals, and my brother in law Brian wants to get as many ham sandwiches out of it as possible). I came away with a pretty sizable bag of ham, which I happily dreamed up recipes for on my drive back to Austin.

First up, two massive Hawaiian pizzas after a long night of tennis. Thanks to my mom for buying a second pineapple so I could make this beauty!

Hawaiian Pizza

2 regular crust pizza doughs
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cups munster cheese
4 cups ham, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cups pineapple, diced

Roll out pizza dough on two large baking sheets. Spread 1/2 cup sauce over each pie, then sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Place 2 cups ham and 2 cups pineapple on each pie and bake about 18 minutes until the crust is golden. Enjoy!

Take two was a comforting fettuccine recipe with crisp asparagus- we all scarfed it down!

Ham and Asparagus Fettuccine

24 ounces dry fettuccine
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
3/4 cup milk
1 cup gruyere cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends snapped off and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups ham, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch scallions, diced
8 fresh basil leaves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh mint, minced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Place a large pot of water to boil, salt and add fettuccine. While fettuccine cooks, melt butter in a medium sauce pan, whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in milk and cook over medium low heat until milk thickens, about 8 minutes. Stir in gruyere and set aside. Drain fettuccine.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add oil and saute asparagus about 5 minutes. Add ham and warm, then remove pan from heat. Add fettuccine, cheese sauce and salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine. Top with scallions, fresh herbs and parmesan cheese and toss. Serve and enjoy!