Hoppin' John

In our small town, we are blessed with one of the best pharmacists!  She is always looking for ways to save my family money on prescriptions, since we have always had a high deductible insurance.  They also have the cutest gift shop where you can find some of the best wedding and baby gifts as well and a selection of seasonal items.  If you are ever traveling Highway 75 through Neodesha, I highly recommend a stop to check out the gift selection.  They carry some great items to keep kids of all ages busy that I have used during meeting season with my kids. I highly recommend the Porter Drugs Facebook Page for timely information or just health information in general. 

If you stop at the right time in the morning, you can grab a cup of coffee or a coke in the back of the store and catch up on all the news in town. 

Just a quick tidbit about the store's history. The building was originally a theater which had the red arrows pointing toward the door.  A few years back the sidewalk had to be replaced and Paula had the arrows replaced. Not with a regular sidewalk but she paid to have the arrows put back in!  The community loved that she kept the name of the owner before her for the store when she purchased the store as well.  :)

Hoppin' John

1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound of cooked ham
1 can black eyed peas, well rinsed and drained or small box of steamed black eyed peas 
                from the produce aisle
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies
3 cups cooked rice

Cook rice according to package or use Paula's suggestion of using leftover beef broth for most of the water and don't add any salt or butter/oil.

Saute chopped onion in the butter.  After about two minutes, add in the ham pieces and continue to saute on medium/high heat for another five minutes.  Lower heat to medium and add black eyed peas and Ro-tel.  Simmer together for five minutes or until rice is done.

Breakfast Hash

Thanks for my friend Beth Gaines for providing this What's For Dinner Wednesday.  I am super busy keeping up with my kids and all the new calves that are being born.  It's great to have friends that help out when I am busy!  And this lady knows what busy is with 3 kids in sports and 4-H and she is foster mom to a litter of piglets and a bottle lamb.  

Farm family breakfasts can be big deals – or no big deals.  This dish totally falls in the latter category. I grew up eating this hearty, one-dish breakfast as a kid – and now my kids do too.  Its name is nothing special.  In fact, it’s downright humble.  We call it “hash.”  And raising a few pigs – we love the fact that it includes ham.

This breakfast hash is not the kind of corn-beef or red flannel hash that has southern roots – but it’s good all the same.  The ingredients are few – and often on hand – and leftovers work great.

You’ll need:

1 package frozen hasbrowns.  Mr. Dell’s are my favorite.  If you like onions and peppers – the O’brien style are great – although my family is not a fan.

Chopped ham.  This is where the left-0ver part comes in. About 2 cups.

6 eggs – whisked together like scrambled eggs.

Salt and pepper to taste.

I like to use a large non-stick skillet.  Add about ¼ cup of oil in pan and turn up heat.  Add hasbrowns and cook till beginning to brown and crisp.  ( I usually throw these in and go about the morning routine – checking them ever so often.  Generally takes 10-15 minutes  for the frozen hasbrowns  to cook.)

Add the ham and cook till warm.  Once done – add the eggs.  I like to make a well in the middle of the hasbrowns and let the eggs set a  little bit before stirring them throughout the pan.

Cook until the eggs are done – and no longer wet.  About five minutes or so.

Top with shredded cheese or ketchup.  Yumm!  A hot, hearty, one-pan breakfast with no fuss!!

Enjoy!  From our farm to your home!!

Thanks so much to Beth and her family!  Beth and her son Kyle also shared his recipe for Easy, Beefy, Cheesy Burritos last summer when I was busy with wheat harvest.

-A Kansas Farm Mom