Use up leftover spiral ham for hot Croque-monsieur sandwiches

April 15

Today celebrates National Glazed Spiral Ham Day - an unofficial food holiday celebrated annually on April 15th.

So that means there's going to be a lot of people out there eating spiral hams today. (not to mention the fact that ham is a meat choice for many Easter celebrations.)

But what about the left-overs?

Well I like to make hot Croque-monsieur sandwiches with my left-overs. Instead of putting the cheese on the inside and toasting or frying it like a grill cheese sandwich... put the cheese on the top of the sandwich and melt it on top. Eat it with a fork and eat it hot! These sandwiches are just perfect for breakfast, lunch or supper because you can change it up so easy.

A croque-monsieur is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. From what I could find out it originated in French cafes and bars as a quick snack. Most people use Emmental or Gruyere cheese which is melted on top. Now if your going to eat this for breakfast and put an egg on top then the sandwich is called a croque-madame.

There's all kinds of versions:

• croque provençal (with tomato)
• croque auvergnat (with bleu d'Auvergne cheese)
• croque gagnet (with Gouda cheese and andouille sausage)
• croque norvégien (with smoked salmon instead of ham)
• croque tartiflette (with sliced potatoes and Reblochon cheese)
• croque bolognese / croque Boum-Boum (with Bolognese sauce)
• croque señor (with tomato salsa)
• croque Hawaiian (with a slice of pineapple)

Wikipedia says The sandwich's first recorded appearance on a Parisian café menu was in 1910. Its earliest mention in literature appears to be in volume two of Proust's In Search of Lost Time in 1918.
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Glaze Recipes
For those of you who are glazing a spiral ham today there's 6 glaze recipes at the bottom of this cute little Easter fact sheet.

• Egg-citing-Easter-Facts
• Types of Sandwiches

Mark your calendar... here's a holiday to remember

Robinson (Jackie) Day - April 15

Jackie Robinson Day is celebrated throughout Major League Baseball (MLB) in honor of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play professional baseball in the MLB. In the first half of the 20th century, baseball was segregated. Robinson and other African Americans played in the Negro Leagues, but discrimination prevented them from playing in the MLB. On April 15, 1947, Robinson played his first professional game for the Brooklyn Dodgers... resource

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If you have a ham glaze recipe tell me about it. If you have a great way to use up leftover ham then tell me about that too. I'm always interested in knowing how to use leftovers.