Mitford Ham Recipe

This recipe is from Jan Karon"s Mitford Kitchen book: (the picture is mine ;-) This is a large turkey plate!)

Father Tim's Baked Ham

oil for greasing the pan
1 cup brown sugar (hmm, I may have accidently used 1/2 cup--not sure!)
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup bourbon
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustare
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 (6-8 pound) smoked ham

Directions"
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking dish and set aside. Combine the brown sugar and molasses in small saucepan and melt over low heat. Remove from the heat, add the bourbon, orange juice, mustard, and cloves, and mix well.

Remove the skin and fat from the ham and place in the baking dish. (I used a Smithfield Smoked Shoulder of 9 pounds and after removing the skin and fat I parboiled it for 25 minutes in covered water, before placing it in the baking dish). Make 1/4 inch cuts in the ham in a diamond pattern. Pour the glaze over the ham.

Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until thermometer in thickest portion registers 140 degrees---I did 160 since that is what the cover on the ham said and my thermometers said to cook to 160.---basting every 15 minutes with the glaze.

Remove the ham from the oven and cool in the pan. (I let it cool for 15 minutes or so before putting in frig) . Remove from the pan and refrigerate. Pour the pan drippings into a bowl and refrigerate.

When ready to serve the ham, remove the fat from the top of the drippings, remove the whole cloves, warm it up , and serve it with the ham.

This was delicious, but it would not be as good without the bourbon--that is what gives it most of its flavor. It was one of the best flavored hams I have tasted and was wonderful with the crock pot sweet potato recipe below.

NOTE--for those of you needing to be GLUTEN FREE READ HERE ABOUT BOURBON http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/GlutenFreeAlcohol/f/Is-Bourbon-Gluten-Free.htm

Another VERY EASY crockpot Ham recipe that was delicious too was this recipe:http://nannykimsrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/12/ham-in-crock-pot-brown-sugar-and-cloves.html

Fluke Chicken crock pot

This pic is of the left overs--but I really loved this.

3 good sized (can use more there is tons of sauce)-boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can of lower salt chicken broth

1 can of stewed (I think Italian--not sure) plum tomatoes

1/8 cup minced dried onions

ginger, garlic, black pepper, and paprikia--I just sprinkled into the sauce before adding chicken (probably about tsp. ginger and garlic less of pepper and paprika

cooked on high for 3 hours and on low 1 (just cook until cicken reaches safe internal temp)

Serve on rice

crockpot sweet potatoes

5-8 sweet potatoes (cooked and mashed)

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 stick butter melted

1 tsp grated orange peel

1/4tsp allspice or pumpkin pie spice

salt and white pepper to taste

brown sugar to taste

8 oz crushed pineapple

2 eggs well beaten

(pecans at end)

Beat (the drained and mashed) potatoes with all other ingredients except eggs and nuts. Then beat in the previously beaten eggs. Pour in greased crock pot and cook on high 1 hour and low 2 to 3 hours. Sprinkle with pecans at the end

7 layer casserole--man's meal

This is definetly a cold weather recipe because of the length of time to cook. We really liked it. It comes from http://joyfullycooking.blogspot.com/ You can find it here: http://joyfullycooking.blogspot.com/2007/09/seven-layer-casserole-mans-meal.html If you use turkey bacon and lean hamburger meat then use more sauce (or maybe mix some extra sauce in the meat otherwise it will be dry).

1 and 1/2 cups uncooked rice
1 can corn drained
salt/pepper
2 cans 8 ounce tomato sauce (use more)
3/4 cups water
1/2 cup chopped onion (use more)
1/2 cup chopped green pepper (use more)
1 and 1/2 pound ground beef
package of bacon

1. 9 by 13 inch pan--put in 1 and 1/2 cups uncooked rice
2. Add 1 can drained corn--spread on top of rice
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper
4. Pour 1 (8 oz) can tom. sauce over corn with back of spoon
5. Evenly distribute 1/2 cup water on top of sauce
6. Add 1/2 cup onion (use more)
7. Add 1 and 1/2 lbs ground beef on top--about a half inch thick
8. salt and pepper
9. Pour 8 oz sauce over
10. 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper over (use more)
11. 1/4 cup water over
12. cover with bacon (use plenty)

Cover pan with foil. oven 350--bake 1 hour. Remove foil and bake 30 more minutes. If fatty (which it isn't if you use lean hamburger and turkey bacon) dump greese. Cool 10-15 min. Then serve with ketchup if desired.

Ps. If you want another man's dish--or a comfy dish try Shepherd's pie here: http://nannykimsrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/08/shepherd-pie.html

Maple Cookies!

Maple cookies

These are wonderful if you like maple!! Got this from http://kellishouse.blogspot.com/

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 lg egg yolk

3 cups flour

Cream butter and suga. Add syrup and yolk--gradually add flour. Divide in half and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat 350. Roll out to thickness you like (I like around 1/4 inch). Cut with Maple leaf cutters and acorns or whatever. Cook around 10 minutes--depends on thickness (some of mine took longer)-we liked them better when they were not brown on the bottoms.)

Frosting-

2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tabl soft butter

1/8 cup maple syrup

3 Tab of milk.

Can also add pipping. Around the edges.

Hunter's Minestrone

From tyler florence foodnetwork show (basically)

2 Qts chicken stock
1 head garlic, halved (this is the entire head and you use both halves)
1/2 pound small rigatoni (used macaroni)
olive oil
8 fresh sage leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
3/4 pound loose sweet Italian pork sausage
2 medium carrots, chopped roughly (the carrots, celery, onion will be turned to mush in processor)
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 (28 ounce) can crushed plum tomatoes (I just used crushed tomatoes)
1 bay leaf
2 (28 ounce each) cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 bunch fresh parsley leaves, finely minced
Coarsely ground black pepper
12 slices baguette
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Combine the stock and halved garlic head in a big sauce pan and simmer for about 15 minutes to give the stock a nice, garlicky taste; strain out the garlic. Keep warm.

Cook pasta in water.

Pour 1/4 cup oil in large saucepan. Add the sage, rosemary and thyme and warm the oil over medium heat to infuse it with the flavor of the herbs 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the sausage with the side of a big spoon until well browned. Chop the carrots, celery, and onion in a food processor till mush. Add to the saucepan and cook for 3 to 4 min, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.

To the pan with the sausage stir in the crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, beans, and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 min stirring occasionally.

Stir cooked pasta into soup (pasta should be slightly under done)/ (if using with gluten then kim does not add this--does it into indiv. bowls and pasta is done). Add the parsley and salt and coarsely ground black pepper, to taste. Discard the bay leaf and herb sprigs.

To serve , preheat broiler--put baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil and parm chees--broil til cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 3 min. Ladle soup into bowls (add macaroni to ones having it in soup).--float cut up baguette slices in soup.

Makes 6 servings.

Special Grill CHeese

a great sandwhich--from foodnetwork show>

Take some good country type white bread
White cheddar cheese VT.
Bacon (cooked)
Thinly slice apple
a bit of Dijon mustard

Assemble the sandwich with the cheese slices, cooked bacon, thinly sliced apple, and dijon mustard.Butter the outside of the bread and grill about 4 minutes per side with the cheese side down first--great--but don't forget the Dijon--adds real flavor!

First time we had this was with Bob's cousin Pat and her husband; watching Panther football (we won)--and having a good time of fellowship with them and gram and gramp. Served Hunter's minestrone too.