Before and after Easter, the markets were running hams at greatly reduced pricing, so I bought one as my guys all really like ham and will eat it in many forms (I also like ham, but I draw the line at "hamloaf," "ham balls," and such; and yes, I can hear you all gasp with your collective breath out there in Iowa, probably the land of origin of the "hamloaf/ham ball" cuisine).
Since Aunt Nan was cooking the Easter ham at her home in Cincinnati this year, we were not going to be eating leftovers here, so I bought the ham and last week on Thursday I said to Mark, "Oh, I am planning ham for dinner, so you might want to make a lunch choice elsewise" (I know that isn't a word, but I like it anyway). One thing led to another on Thursday, and I did not get around to making the ham. Friday we are meatless (old Catholic habits die hard), so no ham. Saturday, we planned on having ham and then other things came up and we never got to making the ham. Sunday, likewise, as it was A DAY FOR GOLF, and therefore no one wanted to be home for a "sit-down ham dinner." Turns out Monday was also A DAY FOR GOLF, likewise. Tuesday, the boys scheduled a movie outing with a couple of friends during the dinner hour, so Mark and I figured we would not make a ham dinner for just the two of us.
So, now it is Wednesday and I am thinking TONIGHT is going to be ham night. I mentioned this to Mark and he said, "You know, this is a little like "Waiting for Ham." Immediately recognizing this as being an analogy in reference to Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot," I chuckled and thought, "this is one of the reasons I knew I could be married to this man forever...he makes me laugh every single day with something along these lines with his humor"...I love his sense of humor. In "Waiting for Godot," Godot never shows up. The two characters wait for two days and Godot never shows up. Won't Mark be surprised tonight when Ham actually shows up?
And, because this is Spring Break and we are living a life of frivolity around here, we are not cooking anything complicated this week (and, dontchaknow, today is also A DAY FOR GOLF). I am posting the easiest recipe in the world, in case you don't already have it. I am sure this recipe has been around forever, and I can't remember a time in my childhood when we did not have this salad every now and again. If you don't like to cook, this one is for you: it could not be easier. Kids can make this without fuss, and they love using the electric can opener: cook with your kids...or someone else's!