Ham & Cheese Loaf

There’s a certain ghost that haunts every college student during their first semester, threatening to destroy their self esteem, ruin their love lives, keep them awake at night, and drive them to the edge of insanity.

Yes, I’m talking about the freshman fifteen.

While I listened to many of my friends freshman year bemoan their slowly expanding thighs and middles, I  had a very different experience. Unlike most of my peers, I dropped ten pounds almost immediately after starting school. It was no surprise to me why this was the case: I was no longer granted the deep and abiding privilege of eating my mother’s cooking, in all it’s buttery glory, on a nightly basis.

Let’s get one thing straight: my mother is the best cook I’ve ever met. But Kate, I know you’re saying, everyone says this about their mom’s cooking. MY mom is the best cook I’VE ever met.

I can tell you definitively that you only say this because you haven’t met Shelly Wildman. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to sample my mother’s recipes understands what I mean. Not one of those fortunate souls ever claim that their mothers are the best cooks, because they know that mine really, truly, and actually IS.

She tastes something in a restaurant, declares three ingredient swaps that would make it better, and goes straight home to create a better version herself. She made her kids' friends want to come over just to sample her food, not to actually spend time with the magnificent daughters she was raising. She makes with ease the rouxs, choux, and stews that would make most cooks tear their hair out in frustration (she can’t make a pie, but we won’t mention this) (oops) (sorry mom).

I mean, for crying out loud, the woman has signature dishes. The kind that people request and discuss and dissect. One such dish? Ham & Cheese Loaf.

This is the dish that my dad requests every. single. birthday. The dish that my sisters and I make sure is on the menu whenever we come home to visit. The dish that works its way into my dreams when I’m stressed and in need of comfort food. The dish that will make her famous. And the dish that may make you gain fifteen pounds when you start eating it by the ton, but will be your new weekday staple. It makes everything better, and it’s worth the fifteen.

Don’t trust me, trust Shelly.

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Ham & Cheese Loaf

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Cups flour
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 packages rapid rise yeast
• 1 Cup water
• 1/4 Cup dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 Cups chopped cooked ham
• 1 Cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 egg, beaten

STEPS

1. Set aside 1 C. four. Mix remaining flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Heat water, mustard and margarine to 125 to 130 degrees; stir into flour mixture. Mix in enough reserved flour to make a soft dough. Knead 4 minutes.
2. On a greased baking sheet, roll dough to a 14" x 12" rectangle.
3. Sprinkle ham and cheese down the center 1/3 of dough.
4. Make cuts from filling to dough edges a 1" intervals along sides of filling. Bring strips from opposite sides of filling together. Twist and place ends at an angle across filling.
5. Cover with towel and let rise by placing pan on top of a large, shallow pan half filled with boiling water. Let rise 15 minutes.
6. Brush with egg wash and bake at 375 for 25 minutes.