Did you read the title? One of my all time favorite recipes. You got that? That is no lie! My family adores baked ham and it is amazing the recipes you can make from the leftover ham. Including the hambone. I will be showing you this week some delicious ways to make the most out of a ham. 4 meals in all. #1 baked ham on a Sunday night is always wonderful then #2 make you a big old crockpot full of red beans and rice on Monday…here is the link for that awesome recipe …https://cajunmamacookinblog.com/2013/06/20/red-beans-make-me-happy/ . #3 make this dish for breakfast. And then I will give you #4 later in the week. A ham might be a little pricey but not when you find one on sale and freeze it for later. This is one thing my mama taught me that I have found useful over and over again.
I discovered this baby back in 2007 when I had 3 kids, 3 and under and somehow managed to still read Southern Living magazine on a semi regular basis. I was clinging to some normalcy I suppose. Determined to still be the quintessential stay at home mom and wife. Before I had baby #4 aka pappy and gave up the ghost completely. I was still trying so hard to believe I could do it all.

so precious. She did this a lot. But oh a sweet baby girl.

I wanted to. I could not understand how in the world one extra child could possibly throw off the balance so much and change me so completely. I was in bliss having all of these chubby munchkins rule my house, but I was determined I was not going to change. Little did I know how much I had already changed.

It caused me some hard times. Not wanting to admit that baby # 3 aka Madame Toot aka Goose aka Tootie Belle could change things so much. But sometimes we forget that some things are supposed to change us and there is no going back. And aren’t I glad about that? I really am. Lolly says every baby comes
to us to teach us something, to change us into who we are meant to be. I believe that. Madame Toot taught me to love myself as is. She taught me to judge other moms less. She taught me it’s ok to lose control and sometimes winging it is good enough. That even when things are not perfect and there is no control to be had, you can be happy.

I just wish I had given into it long before I did. I wish I had succumbed to being the overwhelmed mom of 3 small kids. I wish I could go back and tell her, “hey sister, you’re overwhelmed and you are supposed to be. Cut yourself some slack.”

one of my favorite pics from that time in my life. True love

But I do know now. By the time Pappy came along, I had started to embrace my chaotic life and gave up pretending, faking my way through it, or acting as if it was all the same. My sweet girl with the big eyes showed me how.

her so precious

The fact that I distinctly remember making these enchiladas and being super proud of myself around the time Goose was about 8 months old, tells me that I was trying hard. And also what a huge accomplishment it was at the rune.. I wanted to reclaim who I was before. I wanted to be able to do all the things I did before…before there were 3, before I was tremendously overwhelmed by life. But I did make them. Somehow I managed to scrape together enough what have you to know “I have leftover ham, this recipe calls for cubed ham, good breakfast recipe…yes, yes I can make these!!! I can make a delicious breakfast. I think I can. I think I can. Babies hanging off of me, one screaming to nurse, but I think I can!!”

Ah mama is so happy and so overwhelmed. Joyful chaos

Little did I know that the time would come for me to feel more like myself. Maybe not exactly the same because these precious people I birthed have changed me forever. Thank God for that. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am still overwhelmed and I am still tired, a lot of the time, but I made these breakfast enchiladas for the first time in a while today and you know what…it was not the feat that it used to be. Ah gotta love progress albeit small.

Which brings me back to one of my all time favorite recipes that I want to share with you. Ya’ll know I like to take a little detour down memory lane before we get to our final destination. These breakfast enchiladas are one of my favorite breakfast dishes to make. It’s one of those things that you wake up in the morning happy to be alive so you can indulge in this true breakfast delight. The beauty in it is that you do almost all of the prep work the night before and then bake them the next morning. Big Daddy thinks I am a culinary genius every time I make them. You will wow your overnight guests if you serve these in the morning and just in general the people in your life will think you are a brilliant cook whenever they get a taste of these. At least that has been my experience. They will make an exhausted overwhelmed mother of 3 small kids feel like she has her stuff together and she can pull anything off when she pulls these out of the oven, even if only for a moment. Ask how I know? So now for what you have all been waiting for…the recipe!

Southern Living breakfast enchiladas

serves about 10

stuff you need~

2 cups cubed cooked ham
8 eggs
2 cups half and half
10 small flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar , divided (pepper jack is nice too if making for only adults)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

what to do with the stuff

THE NIGHT BEFORE…Prepare a 9 x 13 dish by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray.
Next get your work space ready. Tortillas, cut up ham, green onions and cheese. Prepare a place to roll the tortillas. I use a paper plate. Because I am super fancy that way.

Now, lay out a tortilla and place some ham, sprinkle in some green onions and a little cheese down the middle. Remember to reserve about 1/2 cup of the cheese for later.

Roll up tightly and place seam side down in your prepared dish. Do this with the remaining tortillas.

Next, beat eggs and then whisk in half and half, salt and cayenne.

Pour this mixture over the rolled tortillas…

Cover with foil and place in fridge overnight.

The next morning…preheat the oven to 350. Take the enchiladas out of the fridge and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Bake covered for 15-20 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

Return to oven and allow the enchiladas to cook for about 20 more minutes or until egg is set. What I do is turn the oven off after 15 minutes and let them finish like that. You don’t want them dried out but you do want cooked eggs. Runny eggs are a deal breaker for this girl.

oh I love this dish!!

that makes a happy morning

One more pic….

baby girl turns 1 and pappy would be on his way in less than a month.