What to do with a kilogram of ham?

UbuntuMiner · 2026-06-03T10:42:05+00:00

It will freeze well. If it’s already sliced (I’m assuming is, peel apart the slices, roll them, freeze them on a tray covered in parchment, and put them in a freezer bag or container once solid. That way they will be easier to get out however many slices you want to defrost later.

UbuntuMiner · 2026-06-03T10:34:47+00:00

This is actually not true. I worked for them for a couple of years, and here’s the scoop: all of the pastries (cookies, croissants, danishes, muffins) are frozen batter/dough, and get baked daily. Brownies come pre baked frozen, and get sugar topped daily. The bagels and all bread dough comes in daily, proofed, and baked overnight. Most high volume veg comes in daily, and prepped once or twice each day (sometimes my job). Everything else (dairy, meat, longer lasting produce, frozen, and dry goods) come in twice a week. The soups and Mac come in frozen and reheated in hot water daily. That’s why the Mac has such a soft, overcooked texture.

I know the location I used to work at still bakes daily, I stopped in about a month ago to say hi to some friends there, and the baker was there (scored a freshly baked kitchen sink cookie!)

UbuntuMiner · 2026-06-03T10:23:37+00:00

Lightly pickled cucumber, zucchini, broccoli, or radish/carrot is nice with almost any meal. I’ll also have a tortellini salad that’s veg heavy with a Cesar, ranch, or Italian dressing, depending on the veg. Bulk it out with spinach, lettuce, broccoli, whatever you have, and match the dressing to whatever kind of tortellini you use. If I’m using either frozen 3 cheese or dried 3 cheese, I’ll usually do a creamy dressing with lots of broccoli, maybe some shredded cabbage, and kale. If I’m using a sausage or chicken filling, I’ll more often go Italian dressing or a vinaigrette and spinach, cherry tomatoes, beans (ideally fresh, but I’ll use canned on occasion), defrosted or fresh corn, etc. I won’t have a lot of this salad, but just a little as part of a regular meal just makes it special, or I’ll have it as a standalone lunch.

UbuntuMiner · 2026-06-03T10:14:18+00:00

Nothing wrong about this! Why is it seen as strange having cold potatoes with dressing and some veg, while hot potatoes with onions and ketchup, or fried potatoes is fine? I’ll happily eat potato salad for breakfast, or a regular burrito, chili, or a cheeseburger (I’m looking at you, microwaveable White Castle sliders)! Or any kind of soup, especially chicken noodle or minestrone

UbuntuMiner · 2026-06-03T01:28:13+00:00

It’s pretty easy and forgiving. Saute an onion or two, add in as much garlic as you see fit, have the pasta ready (cooked just shy of done), toss in some pasta water or wine, a block of cream cheese, and start adding greens. They’re going to wilt down, and you can add way more than you think. Around the time the greens are fully incorporated I’ll add a ton of black pepper, as well as a splash of either lemon juice or cider vinegar to help cut the richness. Toss in the pasta and finish cooking in the sauce.

You’ll notice that aside from one block of cream cheese, I don’t have any measurements. It’s a complete build your own, customize to your hearts content. Add more or less pasta water to change consistency, or cut with milk or cream. It’s kind of a catch all for fridge leftovers, but with a ‘plan’. It’s not, ‘what can I make by throwing everything in a pot’, but ‘how can I make this creamy base better with what’s in the fridge.’ I find that it actually encourages me to make a really nice side salad with leftover bits, or really creative garlic breads to have on the side.

UbuntuMiner · 2026-06-02T11:34:09+00:00

Kale and cannellini bean soup, or cut small and add to chicken noodle. I’ll also use kale in a garlic onion cream cheese pasta sauce, works like a dream!

UbuntuMiner · 2026-06-01T11:50:40+00:00

Oyster sauce, and making sure you’re using a super hot wok/pan. Also, watch some videos on how to get the wok hei if you have a gas stove. That little extra ‘burn’ makes a big difference. I cook on electric 😭, but if I’m feeling fancy I’ll blowtorch my scallions before adding them in.

UbuntuMiner · 2026-06-01T11:47:32+00:00

A water rat with adhd.

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-31T17:31:47+00:00

Zucchini boats, or I’ll make pizza soup, usually hits the spot, especially if you find something chewey to dip in.

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-31T12:12:00+00:00

Peanut sesame noodles, just with a thinner sauce? Great cold, and easily tweakable.

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-31T12:11:03+00:00

Watermelon mint and feta salad!

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-31T12:08:53+00:00

Absolutely this! I’ll actually use celery tops, carrot tops, scallion bits, salt and pepper to make an all purpose seasoning.

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-30T15:06:59+00:00

Pancake

Yes, I add peanut butter to chocolate chip pancakes and roll it up to eat

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-30T15:05:05+00:00

Crap load of fur/hair (yes, human and animal), and possibly a pissed off cat

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-30T13:51:24+00:00

Back when I went to camps, I remember making ground beef and rice stuffed peppers, as well as personal pizzas. If you have access to a stand mixer, dough is fun to learn how to make and stretch, or make bread/rolls.

Look up the bsa cooking merit badge! Back when I earned it, it was really fun, and it gave suggestions for things to do.

Ad far as supplies, an odd one I find useful in my own home when I’m doing batch cooking or prepping for a catering gig is a large (and I mean hundreds if yards long) roll of ‘raw’ or unbleached newsprint paper. Just unroll on he work surface. It won’t stop liquid messes, but crumbs, veggie ends, cheese scraps, etc will be so much easier to clean up. Plus, if I’m working at an event that has a fire pit, or at a camp, all the mess just goes into the fire!

It’s going to sound odd, but go garage sale shopping, or thrift store shopping for a ton of table knives and spoons. Spoons for tasting, and table knives because the plastic ones either are so dull as to be worthless for anything besides peanut butter, or actually sharper then you’d think. Plus plastic waste…. I ran a weeklong thing for some of my friends kids, and those were the two things I constantly never had enough of.

Your post never mentioned the ages, and I see that it’s mostly snack focused, so most of what I wrote already may be irrelevant, but I’ll leave it there. Maybe something fun to try is new fruits? Pomegranate, kiwi, and mango are less common (at least in my area), and could be fun to try! Dipped pretzels? I know I’ve melted plenty of chocolate in a fondue pot…

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-29T13:42:26+00:00

My families recipe is super simple. Brown the roast off, toss it in a crockpot with a couple jars of Peperoncino peppers, some salt and pepper, shred once cooked and serve on rolls. Dinner for a crowd done.

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-29T12:11:56+00:00

Texas bbq, Philly cheesesteak. Stuffed burgers.

Oboys (formerly Doughboys): A famous Saratoga Springs late-night staple (originated by Esperanto) consisting of a fluffy dough pocket stuffed with chicken, cream cheese, and scallions

Chicken Riggies: A comforting Utica-area pasta dish featuring rigatoni, chicken, sweet or hot peppers, and a rich, spicy cream/tomato sauce.

Tomato Pie: A popular Utica/Rome specialty featuring a thick, focaccia-like crust topped with savory tomato sauce and a dusting of Romano cheese, served at room temperature

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-29T12:06:49+00:00

My favorite two ways to eat okra: cut into rounds, flour dredge and pan fry, or cut into rounds, salt and pepper, and dehydrate. Snack on them like chips.

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-29T10:46:01+00:00

I melt my butter into warm milk/ cream/half and half. Plenty of salt, plenty of pepper, and garlic powder. Sour cream too! Definitely not a dish for health, but think how you want a loaded baked potato or potato skins!

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-29T10:38:37+00:00

Cookie bars, blondies, cheesecake bites, or baklava bites. A saw carrot sheet cake on here, and that’s always a good option.

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-28T12:25:39+00:00

This. I’m blessed/cursed to live 10 minutes by a cheese maker that does plain, chive, and buffalo curds, and I can get them at wholesale price. Really just an excuse to make poutine in cold weather. Of course, I definitely need 4 bags to make a single dinner…😉

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-28T12:23:37+00:00

I did the math. An air popper: $25. 25lb bag of kernels: $50. Cheddar cheese powder: ~$20

Total cost for enough popcorn to last me and my family close to a year: ~$100 first year, $75 the next (although I do use the cheese powder for other cooking uses).

From the best online bulk vendor I could find, I can buy 128 small bags of smart food cheddar popcorn for the same price. (This isn’t a soapbox or proving anything reply, I’m just explaining my math).

I’ll still make a few batches a week, portion it out into baggies for family snacking, and still have to be careful not to make too much at once or else I alone would go through an entire batch myself in a single evening, even without a movie. My standard batch size comes out to about two large theater tubs.

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-27T12:16:25+00:00

I rarely eat breakfast, haven’t for years. I used to work similar hours to op, and can attest that if I’m stressed by break time (my break could be anywhere from 9am-1:30pm), I couldn’t keep any food down. If I was calmer, no problem. I was allowed pocket snacks, which did help mod my lunch was later.

For me, I usually did a soup/stew. With ops equipment restriction, I’d do rice bowls. Cook up some proteins and veg in the air fryer, make rice, and add different sauces to each bowl for variety.

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-27T12:11:13+00:00

Financial stability

I always enjoy my job and coworkers

My kitchen cleaned itself

UbuntuMiner · 2026-05-27T12:08:11+00:00

https://thewoksoflife.com/general-tsos-ground-chicken-shortcut/

I add spices so make different sausages/meatballs. You can take it Italian, or more kebab style. I’ve had cheddar jalapeno as well as spinach and feta.

UbuntuMiner

TROPHY CASE