We love this Broccoli Ham and Cheddar Soup. Does this sound like something that might appeal to you and your family? I usually double or even quadruple the recipe as it freezes well. I use home made broth rather than a bullion cube though. As the recipe notes, it's very flexible in the amounts of ham, mushroom and broccoli you can add so if you have a lot of ham go ahead and throw in extra. Here is a link that might be useful: Broccoli Ham and Cheddar Soup

Posted by arkansas_girl "Wouldn't a piece of meat cooked for two days at such low temps(129F) be spoiled? I don't get those super low temps? The meat certainly looks like it would taste good but doesn't seem hot enough to even kill the bacteria etc." That is a very important question. Very important. Fortunately today with internet, you can check out all kinds of information, and you do need to go to multiple sources to confirm your information. I am not going to be very specific, just some general ideas here. The general guideline given by the authorities are safe to the extreme, they need to account for all those young, old and the immunological challenged. Furthermore, to make things simple, the guidelines do not take into account the time factor. In other words, when they say (again, I am not giving any specific information here, just talking about concepts) 160F is safe for chickens, they are not telling you that is also safe for 150F if you cook at that temperature for 30 minutes, and 140F for 60 minutes. For beef, (for me, may not be for you) it is generally very safe that you can eat raw beef, if the beef is handled properly. Since you can not be sure of if the outside of the beef is handled properly, you can sear/torch using quick high heat to sanitize the outside before you cook the meat in very low temperature. It is entirely not recommended to eat raw ground beef because you cannot sanitize ground beef. There are charts available showing safe temperatures for all kinds of meat based on time and temperature. dcarch

That raspberry chipotle sounds awesome, Trixie! I am adding it to my list of things to look for/try! Here ia just another idea that we enjoy. Garlic Roast Pork Tenderloin 2-1/2 to 3-1/3 lb pork tenderloin 4 cloves garlic, peeld and cut into slivers A few sprigs rosemary Kosher salt to taste Fresh ground black pepper to taste 1/2 c white wine for deglazing Preheat oven to 500F. With the point of a sharp paring knife, make 1/2 inch slits toward the center all around the roast. Insert garlic slivers into the slits along with a sprig of rosemary. Rub roast with salt & pepper. Place in roasting pan and roast for 45-50 minutes or until internal temp reaches 140F. Removee roast to a plate, let rest while preparing the sauce. Place roasting pan on top of stove over high heat. Add wine and let come to a boil. Scrape pan with woodwen spoon to remove browned bits from bottom. Cook until reduced by half. Serve in a sauceboat along side roast. Linda

Fresh ham is simply pork roast. It's the uncured and unsmoked butt/rear leg portion of a pig, so it can be cooked like any pork roast can be cooked. You could grill it, bake it, smoke it, whatever you like. I usually put mine in a pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add a handful of fresh herbs on the top. I like to slice an onion and use it as a "rack" to keep the pork up out of the juices, and some carrots are good here too, as are apples. Add about a cup of apple cider or broth or water, cover with foil, cook until done, I'd say maybe 2 and a half hours at 350F. If you like you can uncover during the last half hour, crank the heat up to 400F or so or make it crisper, that's especially good when there is still skin on the ham. I serve ours with mashed potatoes or twice baked potatoes, butternut squash and sautéed apples, a very yummy autumn/winter meal. It's also good as a cider brined roast, I use this recipe, which came from Epicurious and Cooking light, they're extremely similar, minus the potatoes in Epicurious' version. Cider Brined Pork Roast 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar 1 cup kosher salt plus more 8 bay leaves, divided 3 tablespoons coriander seeds, divided 1 teaspoon black peppercorns plus more freshly ground 1 quart unfiltered apple cider 1 8-bone pork loin roast (about 5 pounds), chine bone removed, rib bones frenched, tied with kitchen twine 6 Yukon Gold potatoes (about 2 pounds), unpeeled, quartered 4 medium red and/or yellow onions, halved, stem ends intact 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided Bring brown sugar, 1 cup salt, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon peppercorns, and 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar and salt dissolve, about 4 minutes. Transfer brine to a large bowl and add cider and 2 cups ice. Let cool. Place pork and brine in a large (2-gallon) resealable plastic bag. Seal bag and chill at least 8 hours. Remove pork from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Let sit at room temperature 1 hour. Toss potatoes and onions with 4 tablespoons oil in a large roasting pan or on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper and set aside. Place rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Using the side of a chef's knife, crush remaining 2 tablespoons coriander seeds. Season pork with salt and pepper and rub all over with crushed coriander. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pork until browned on all sides, 8–10 minutes. Transfer pork to roasting pan and nestle in among vegetables. Tuck remaining 6 bay leaves under kitchen twine over top of pork. Wrap bone tips with foil to prevent burning and roast, turning vegetables halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of pork registers 140°F, 60–75 minutes. Remove foil from bones and transfer pork to a cutting board; let rest 30 minutes before slicing. Annie