Chicken and Ham Stew

I generally make a turkey for Christmas and my mom makes ham for Easter, so I don't often find myself with much in the way of leftover ham.  Several years ago, however, I decided to change things up a bit and make ham for Christmas.  We had so much leftover that I was searching for recipes to use the remaining pounds.  I ended up using much of it in this great slow cooker recipe.  Sometimes I think too much ham in one meal is overwhelming, so I love that this strikes a balance with both ham and chicken.  My kids love it, too.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups diced ham
• 2 cups diced boneless chicken
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup frozen onions
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 tsp dried marjoram
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• (2 Tbsp cornstarch)
• (2 Tbsp water)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine soup, ham, chicken, vegetables, and seasonings in slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours or high 1-3 hours.
2. If you like the mixture a bit thicker, mix the cornstarch and water in a bowl, stir it into the slow cooker and cook for 10-15 minutes longer.
3. Serve with warm buttermilk biscuits.

Note:  Because this recipe has ham in it, it does tend to be a touch salty.  If you are able to use low sodium cream of mushroom soup, I would recommend it.

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 15 minutes or less prep, 1-5 hours cooking

Source: Adapted from a Crock Pot Chicken recipe book