Ham and Banana Pizza (No really, try this!)

Salty (even leftover!) ham is a nice match for sweet banana slices in this unusual pizza. Updated photos, same great recipe.

I am sure someone would think that this pizza falls into the category of Strange But Good.  Ham and banana seems like an unusual pairing to everyone that hears it.

Why is that?  Do the pineapple people have such a good PR machine that no one considers bananas for pizza?  You'd think as tropical fruits they'd all stick together.

I first had this combination on a pizza in Germany.  And I loved it.  I tried it initially because, hey, we were all trying the weird things on the menu.  Come to think of it, I first had corn on a pizza while in Germany.  That combination stuck with me, though, and whenever I have the happy coincidence of ham slices, just-about-to-be-over-ripe bananas, and red sauce I make a pizza.  The family tolerates it, but I love it just like I did the first time I tried it.  It's fast to throw together and tastes delicious.

Note:  if there's any of this pizza left over, pick off the bananas before refrigerating.  You do not want to see them on your pizza the next day.  Trust me.

Slow Cooker Salmon Swiss Chard Artichoke Dip

Salmon combined with swiss chard in a hot artichoke dip, served from a slow cooker? I'm in.

Updated photo, same great recipe!

It's steamy--I could hardly wait to eat a bite!

I still remember the first time I had hot artichoke dip.  It was amazing.  It became a regular on my roster of hot party dips because the key ingredients either could hang out in my pantry or were fridge staples.  Then I moved to Hawaii and my friend Sara served my beloved dip--but with salmon.  It was eye-opening@  Sara had been inspired by a crab version, and a smoked salmon version, but made it her own with a salmon filet and liquid smoke.

I've kept liquid smoke in the pantry ever since.

I never empty the bottle, however.  I keep moving and giving away the open bottle first.  Then I get to discover where the liquid smoke is shelved in a new grocery store and carry on.

Thus was the status of my hot party dip roster (everyone has one of those, right?) until I read Farmgirl Fare's Hot Swiss Chard Artichoke Dip.  Her seamless blending of my most prolific garden green with my favorite dip inspired me to add it to my recipe.

If you have a massive salmon filet, use part of it in this dip and part with oranges on pasta.  I did.  When it's warmer, I have other plans for my salmon filets, so stay tuned.

I've made this with both marinated artichoke hearts and canned (non-marinated) artichoke hearts.  I think it works well both ways.  If I have canned choke hearts I add mayo, and if I have choke hearts in oil I use less mayo.

Swedish Meatballs--A Holiday Tradition

A family recipe for Swedish meatballs. Lightly spiced with allspice and cream, these beef and pork meatballs bake in the oven for a taste of the holidays any time of year.

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Like many Americans, I seem to 'get my heritage on' over the holidays. I eat special foods that I don't normally eat the rest of the year, I make recipes handed down from my foremothers, and I decorate in ways that remind me of my heritage.  Being of Norwegian-Swedish-Scottish heritage, with ties of the heart to Denmark and Finland, my food traditions involve mostly potatoes, butter, meat, fish, and dried fruits. (A departure from the usual Farm Fresh Feast fare).

Growing up, our family Christmas Eve celebration was different than everyone else I knew.  We'd invite a bunch of folks to a smorgasbord supper, followed by a table top Bobby Hull hockey tournament, then a buffet of sweets--assorted cookies, fruit soup, and lefse--and finally we'd attend the candlelight service.

Besides in the comforts of her own kitchen, my mom managed to create this meal in the unlikeliest of settings.  She's done a smorgasbord in an un-winterized beach house, my apartment in Germany, and even broke my first mixer while visiting me in Illinois (they got me a new one which I still have and use!).  I have absorbed many lessons from my mom's shoulder over the years, several of which I impart via this blog.

For today's recipe I've brought in some guest workers--my folks.  I had the privilege of their company recently.  I knew I wanted to do something that I could blog about, but (as usual) I wasn't really sure what.  Mom brought Red River Cereal and we made Red River Rolls (my favorite bun to eat turkey leftovers with!).  I thought about making lefse (a Norwegian potato-based flat bread) but when I hit the grocery store and saw ground pork marked down I knew what to make:  Swedish meatballs.

Conveniently, mom came prepared for anything.  She brought an antique (can we call it that? It's from 1969) cookbook that she helped put together with Oty Rogers' recipe for Swedish meatballs.  Mrs. Rogers was my preschool teacher at the Y.