DES MOINES, Iowa — "Do you like green eggs and ham?" To answer the enduring question and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham, The National Pork Board teamed up with celebrity chefs and food experts to bring the story to life, with tasty new recipes inspired by the book. Thanks to chefs Michael Symon and Melissa d'Arabian, the time-honored Seussian classic will be in the hearts and on the plates of families this fall.
"Celebrating five decades of Green Eggs and Ham is a great excuse to get hammy and cook together," says Pamela "Pam-For-Ham-I-Am" Johnson, director of consumer communications for the National Pork Board. "No matter how you slice it, the savory-sweet flavor combination of juicy ham cannot be beat, especially when it comes to creating meals the whole family will love."
Ham is a versatile option for breakfast, lunch or dinner since it pairs well with many flavors. From bone-in to boneless, from fully-cooked to fresh, whipping up deliciously good, healthful meals is a snap.
Green Eggs and Ham … Five Decades Later
Looking for recipes that families will want to eat on a boat, in the rain, or on a train? Check out these green eggs and ham creations with a 21st century spin:
•Ham Sandwich with Greens and Eggs, courtesy of Michael Symon: Wake up to a warm breakfast sandwich that combines crisped Black Forest Ham with a fried egg, melted cheese, pesto and greens.
•Ham and Green Egg Mini Tartlets, courtesy of Melissa d'Arabian: These surprisingly easy-to-make ham and egg spinach tartlets, with bread instead of pie crust, can be made ahead of time for an on-the-go meal.
•Ham and Avocado Deviled Eggs, courtesy of Mitzi Dulan, RD, CSSD: Deviled eggs made green with avocado and accented with ham are ideal for after-school snacks or to serve at a party.
•Ham and Green Egg Sushi, courtesy of Jaden Hair: This recipe turns the traditional ham and spinach omelet into a sushi roll – a great way to teach kids about different cooking techniques and cuisines.
More Ways to "HAM It Up"
Random House Children's Books and Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. have launched the "HAM It Up" video contest in honor of the beloved children's book anniversary. From now until November 3, 2010, visit http://greeneggscontest.seussville.com/greeneggsham to vote for which entrants best tapped their inner "Sam-I-Am." The grand prize winner will receive $2,000 and other prizes and ten runner-ups will receive a $100 grocery gift card from the National Pork Board plus additional prizes.
For more information, including more about the Green Eggs and Ham recipes, visit www.TheOtherWhiteMeat.com. You can also follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheOtherWhiteMeat and @allaboutpork on Twitter.
The National Pork Board has responsibility for Checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information projects and for communicating with pork producers and the public. Through a legislative national Pork Checkoff, pork producers invest $0.40 for each $100 value of hogs sold. The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in advertising, consumer information, retail and foodservice marketing, export market promotion, production improvement, technology, swine health, pork safety and environmental management.
Random House Children's Books is the world's largest English-language children's trade book publisher. Creating books for preschool children through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books and novels, Random House Children's Books brings together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and multimillion-copy series. In 1957, Random House pioneered the beginning reader genre when it launched the Beginner Books series with Dr. Seuss's classic The Cat in the Hat. Each year, Random House Children's Books, along with Dr. Seuss, proudly supports the National Education Association's Read Across America initiative, which calls on America's children to celebrate the joys of reading in conjunction with Dr. Seuss's birthday, March 2. Random House Children's Books is a division of Random House, Inc., whose parent company is Bertelsmann AG, a leading international media company. Visit www.seussville.com, for more information about Dr. Seuss and his books.
The primary focus of the Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. is to protect the integrity of the Dr. Seuss books while expanding beyond books into ancillary areas. This effort is a strategic part of the overall mission to nurture and protect the relationship consumers have with Dr. Seuss characters. Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) said he never wanted to license his characters to anyone who would "round out the edges." That is one of the guiding philosophies of Dr. Seuss Enterprises. Audrey S. Geisel, the widow of Dr. Seuss, heads Dr. Seuss Enterprises as President.
Source: National Pork Board