Brown Sugar Orange Glazed Spiral Ham

Photo from The Chunky
Chef

There are two things that I've never cooked in all my years of cooking for myself; meatloaf and ham. No reason really, other than ham isn't a go to for me for holiday meals. 

With being a bit out of it this year, I relied heavily on family and friends to help make Christmas dinner. Janet already had a ham, so she's bringing that, along with scalloped potatoes and an appetizer. Oh and the pie/cookies for dessert. 

For my part, I'm doing a broccoli salad (easy to make) and I wanted to try this glaze. Super easy to throw together and it sounds delicious.

The ham turned out so good. I can't really say I tasted much of the glaze, but there was a hint of orange every now and then. 

Brown Sugar Orange Glazed Spiral Ham

Recipe from The Chunky Chef

Serves 12

8 – 10 lb. bone-in fully cooked spiral-sliced ham

1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup orange marmalade

3 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Preheat

Preheat oven to 325°F and lightly grease a 9×13" baking dish, or roasting pan.

Place ham in the baking dish, with the large and flat side down (you can cook it on it's side if you prefer it that way).

Make glaze

In a small saucepan, add brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, orange juice, orange marmalade and dijon mustard.

Whisk to combine, and heat over MED heat until simmering. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Set aside, off the heat.

Glaze and first bake

Spoon about half of the glaze over the top of the ham. Cover loosely with foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Baste and second bake

After 40 minutes, uncover the ham and baste with a bit more of the glaze, recover with the foil, then return to the oven for another 20 minutes.

Baste and final bake

Uncover the ham and discard the foil. Baste with the rest of the glaze, and return to the oven, uncovered, and bake the final 20 minutes.

Optional broil

If you'd like extra caramelized edges, feel free to broil for a few minutes to really get the glaze nice and sticky. Just be sure to watch closely so the ham doesn't burn.

Rest and serve

Allow the ham to rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Baste with some of the juices from the pan if desired, then serve warm.

The Best Broccoli Salad

Photo from To Simply Inspire

I think any broccoli salad is the best broccoli salad, so the title for this one is kinda a gimme. 

I needed to keep Christmas dinner low key so opted to make a simple broccoli salad. This one has a few more ingredients than my normal salad does, but I think it'll add a nice change to it. 

Turned out this was so amazingly delicious. I could have eaten the whole bowl. It'll be made again for sure. 

The Best Broccoli Salad

Recipe from To Simply Inspire

Serves 8

For the dressing:

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 ½ tablespoon white sugar
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

For the salad:

• ½ cup bacon bits
• 8 cups broccoli florets diced in bite-sized pieces
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup red onion diced
• ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 ½ tablespoon white sugar,
• 1 cup mayonnaise, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup bacon bits
• 8 cups broccoli florets, ½ cup dried cranberries, ¼ cup red onion,
• ⅓ cup sunflower seeds

Make the dressing

In a medium bowl, add the apple cider vinegar, sugar, mayonnaise, salt, and black pepper and mix together well. Place n the refrigerator.

Make the Salad

Add the bacon bits to a skillet or cast iron pan and cook the bacon for about 8-10 minutes until crispy.

In a large serving bowl, add the broccoli, cranberries, red onion, cooked bacon bits and sunflower seeds and toss together.

Then pour the dressing over top and stir to coat all the ingredients well.

Place in the refrigerator chill for at least 1 hour for the flavors to blend together.

Apple Nachos

This was THE BEST snack ever. I saw this on instagram and knew I had to make it. I'm a bit laid up at the moment and can't drive, but Amazon Fresh will deliver anything. I made a quick order and had this by the time for a snack in the afternoon. 

It's super easy and is so delicious. 

I used granny smith apples and I only did a half. One whole apple might have been too much for a snack. 

Apple Nachos

Instagram

1 Apple, sliced thin

1 T peanut butter; melted

1 tsp mini chocolate chips

Melt the peanut butter a little in the microwave. 

Arrange the apple slices, drizzle the peanut butter and then sprinkle with chocolate chips. 

Salami Boursin Roll Ups

I'm always looking for a lower carb snack or appetizer. For Book club this month I was up for the appetizer. I thought this would be a nice, easy and delicious appetizer. I was right. 

It's a bit of pain in the arse to make. My rolling skills are not what they should be. Cutting it was a pain as well. When I make this again for myself, or for some occasion, I'll simply roll each salami with the cheese and olives and put a toothpick through them. It might be easier. 

Salami Boursin Roll Ups

Recipe found on Instagram

Makes as many as you want

Salami

Boursin or cream cheese

Green olives, chopped tomatoes, for center are optional

 Lay out a large piece of cling film on a flat surface

Layer 200g salami on top - with each piece overlapping the next - until you form a rectangle

Carefully roll a rolling pin over everything to smush it together a bit

Spread cheese on top - right to the edges

Sprinkle with veg of choice

Carefully roll it up, and wrap tightly in the clingfilm

Refrigerate until needed - a few hours minimum is great but overnight is even better!

When ready to eat - simply slice up with a sharp knife

You can serve on crackers or put skewers through each slice

Firehouse Green Beans with Bacon

I love canned green beans. I can't explain why, and I'm not even going to bother trying. I don't, often, eat the French cut green beans. I find them too stringy sometimes. ahem. 

At any rate, this recipe seemed super simple and bumps up the green beans a little for a side dish. 

Photo from Julie Blanner blog

Turns out this was fantastic. I'd make it again in a heart beat. Though, if I'm being honest, I'd use cut green beans. They're my favorite. 

Firehouse Green Beans with Bacon

Recipe from Julieblanner.com

Serves 4

• 3 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ½ shallot minced
• 2 ounces bacon 1/2 pkg real bacon pieces
• 29 ounce green beans 2 cans French cut, strained
• ½ cup parmesan grated

On medium low heat, add butter, garlic, shallot and bacon to pan. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add green beans, increase heat to medium, stirring frequently until hot.

Garnish with parmesan and serve.

Serve the beans immediately.

Baked Steak and Gravy

The Pantry Goat is coming to dinner tonight. I like to make something that will have leftovers then send a serving home with her. I saw this recipe on The Kitchen recently and thought it sounded good. It's not all that different from how mom made country fried steaks (that I now make for Hunting Wives dinner). Mom makes her gravy after, where as this one has the gravy made for the steaks to cook in.

Photo from Food Network

This was good. The cooking in the gravy was an interesting way to do this and it really made the gravy delicious. I will still continue to cook mom's the way that mom cooked mom's, but I might step out occasionally too. 

Baked Steak and Gravy

Recipe from The Food Network

Serves 4-6

• 6 cube steaks (about 1 1/2 pounds; see Cook’s Note)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon beef bouillon, optional
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee, optional
• Mashed potatoes, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Season both sides of the cube steaks with salt and pepper. In a shallow dish, combine the onion powder with 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lightly dredge each steak in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess.

In a large skillet, melt the butter and oil over medium heat. Brown the steaks in the butter mixture until golden, about 3 minutes per side. (This should be done in batches if needed, so as not to overcrowd the pan.) Transfer the steaks to a 9-by13-inch baking dish. Add the remaining 1/4 cup flour to the fat left in the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, about 3 minutes. Whisk in 4 cups water. Add the beef bouillon and instant coffee, if using, and 1 teaspoon salt. Increase the heat to a simmer, then let cook until it begins to thicken to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

Pour the gravy over the steaks in the baking dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake until the steak is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Check about halfway through and if the gravy is getting low, add another cup of water.

Serve immediately with mashed potatoes.