The ham we had for Thanksgiving was so tasty there wasn’t much left – just enough for 1 night of leftovers and then just a tad. I almost threw it out but I decided to throw it in the food processor and mince it up for 2 different recipes. I was inspired to make this one when, as I was going through my grandmother’s recipes in search of her pumpkin pie I came across a handwritten sheet of paper with these two recipes on it. It had been so long since I had eaten either, I had completely forgotten about them both.
But first, I have some very exciting news to share! I am a finalist in the 12 Days of Cookies contest put on by our newspaper The Daily Oklahoman. I need your vote please! All you have to do is to click on the picture below this paragraph (the gingerbread man cookie picture) then click on the link “A Gentler Gingerbread Man” then on the next screen scroll down to the bottom to vote. You can vote every day for the next 12 days but I really would appreciate it if you could vote even once. You don’t have to join or put in your email or address or anything – just click on vote for me under the picture of my Gingerbread Men cookies. If I am one of the 12 finalists, my recipe will be featured in the newspaper and I will win a year’s work of milk from Hiland Dairy. Please vote. Thank you in advance.
12 Days of Cookies: Vote for me!
If you are Southern, you have had plenty of pimento cheese and ham biscuits, that’s for sure! I never cared for pimentos and there’s no way Mr. Picky Eater was going to let that cross his lips so I modified this old-fashioned recipe to suit our needs.
First you make the pimento cheese.
Pimento Cheese
Ingredients:
1 eight ounce block of extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 eight ounce block of white Vermont cheddar cheese
1 eight ounce tub of cream cheese and chives (okay, the real recipe called for 1 block of cream cheese)
3 cloves of garlic finely minced
1/4 Cup of chopped pickled Jalapenos (you can use the original 1/4 Cup of Chopped Pimentos here)
1/3 Cup cooked and crumbled bacon
1 tsp. Dill
½ Cup Mayonnaise
Directions:
Grate both cheddar cheeses with box grater or in food processor.
Mix everything in one bowl and place in fridge for an hour or so then enjoy with crackers or in a sandwich or better yet, with ham biscuits!
Now, to mix up those biscuits.
Ham Biscuits
Ingredients:
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1 Cup Cake flour
2 tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 Stick frozen butter
1 Cup Buttermilk (very cold)
1 Cups minced cooked ham but cold
The most important thing I can tell you is treat this dough like it is pie crust dough……everything cold!
The second most important thing is that you should handle the dough as little as possible.
Directions:
Mix together flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Using box grater, grate butter – or put dry ingredients and ¼ inch pats of all butter into food processor and pulse until incorporated.
Set bowl back into fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Take bowl out of fridge and stir in buttermilk and ham but just until mixed. Don’t overwork.
Dump bowl on very lightly floured board and pat into a square.
Using a sharp knife (I used a pizza cutter) and cut into 12 biscuits.
Place in an iron skillet or baking pan with biscuit sides barely touching.
Set in a pre-heated 450F oven and bake 10 – 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Then you can allow them to cool and spread liberally with pimento cheese. Enjoy!
PIMENTO CHEESE
Ingredients
- 1 eight ounce block of extra sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 eight ounce block of white Vermont cheddar cheese
- 1 eight ounce tub of cream cheese and chives okay, the real recipe called for 1 block of cream cheese
- 3 cloves of garlic finely minced
- 1/4 Cup of chopped pickled Jalapenos you can use the original 1/4 Cup of Chopped Pimentos here
- 1/3 Cup cooked and crumbled bacon
- 1 tsp. Dill
- ½ Cup Mayonnaise
Instructions
-
Grate both blocks of cheddar cheese with box grater. It turns out better than cheese that’s already grated.
-
Mix all ingredients in one bowl. Place in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Recipe Notes
Enjoy with crackers or in a sandwich or better yet, with ham biscuits!
Ham Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 Cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Cup Cake flour
- 2 tsp. Baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Stick frozen butter
- 1 Cup Buttermilk very cold
- 1 Cups minced cooked ham but cold
Instructions
-
Mix together flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
-
Using box grater, grate butter – or put dry ingredients and ¼ inch pats of all butter into food processor and pulse until incorporated.
-
Set bowl back into fridge for at least 30 minutes.
-
Take bowl out of fridge and stir in buttermilk and ham but just until mixed. Don’t overwork.
-
Dump bowl on very lightly floured board and pat into a square.
-
Using a sharp knife (I used a pizza cutteand cut into 12 biscuits.
-
Place in an iron skillet or baking pan with biscuit sides barely touching.
-
Set in a pre-heated 450F oven and bake 10 – 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Recipe Notes
Then you can allow them to cool and spread liberally with pimento cheese. Enjoy!
I want to go and vote for you, but I can’t find the picture to click on…..
Click on the picture of the Gingerbread Men Cookies. It’s the second picture in this post. It will take you to the same picture on the newspaper website so scroll down to the bottom and click the “vote for me” link.
Ok, I’m all over it!!! Good luck and I’ll vote for you as many times as I can. 🙂
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it
I voted – I had to register but it’s not a big deal. I’ll try to remember to go back and vote each day.
I would love the ham biscuits.
Lillian
Thanks Lillian! I guess I didn’t have to register because I have a subscription to the newspaper and so they already know who I am! I appreciate your support!
I’ve voted for your lovely gingerbread men! Did you see the little line that says you can add a Vote for Me widget to your website? That would be handy!
I was already delightedly on board for any biscuit filled with pimento cheese and ham but I am even happier to see that the ham is IN the biscuit dough. Sounds absolutely wonderful! Your nana, and I know I’ve said this before, was a very smart woman!
Thank you Stacy! I appreciate your support. We tried to put the widget on yesterday with no luck. But we’ll try again this evening. Yes, Nana was pretty smart to put the ham in the biscuits – in fact, I thought that was how everyone did it! 🙂
I’m sure you will win! As to your biscuits with the cheese filling…that sounds like a winning recipe as well. 🙂
Thank you!
have long been fascinated by pimiento cheese. As a northern girl, I’ve never had. 0-: Thinking that will have to change.
You’ve never had pimento cheese??? Why, I can’t believe it Liz!
Am drooling just thinking about it. Had this as a kid and loved it. Should make it more often.
Thank you! It sure is tasty!
I’ve voted twice. I need to remember to do it every day!
I’m intrigued by these ham biscuits. I’m definitely pinning this for later use… like Christmas leftovers! YUM!
They are the lightest airiest (is that a word?) biscuits you ever ate so if you want plain biscuits, just leave out the ham and cut the buttermilk back to 3/4 Cup!
Thanks for the tip!!
Good grief! I am so behind on my reading. HOpe you had a great Thanksgiving and I love these biscuits. I entered the Tulsa World’s cookie contest at the last minute. It didn’t close until yesterday. I will definitely VOTE for YOU!
Tell me where I can vote for you! I would be thrilled to win a year’s milk!
I voted for you!! Good luck!! Those gingerbread men are adorable. 🙂
Awww….thank you Maggie!
Where are the pimentos for the pimento cheese?
Hi Nancy! You put those in the exact amount instead of the chopped Jalapenos……Sorry I didn’t make that clear in the writing. I have rectified that in the recipe. Thank you!