Crisp Holiday Ham

Crisp Holiday Ham 

Well the holiday season is finally here, along with all the food. And this is how I make our holiday ham.

I know what your thinking. "It's burnt, not crisp! Way past burnt." That's what I said  as well when I first saw how Mama ruby ( my mother-in-law) made the holiday ham. I was very young and I did not really know how to cook. I did know how to dance, I was a really good dancer at parties, I do remember that. 

When I first got married almost 19 years ago, I was fascinated with Ruby's cooking. Her techniques are very old school and its done by eyeballing it. She don't do recipes. She just tastes until its good. Sunday dinner at her house was at 2 pm sharp and if you weren't there, you were in trouble. When my husband's brother and his family comes to town, they call ahead and say " I'm coming in town tomorrow. I will be there around 3 pm. I want fried chicken and mom the kids want poofé." ( almost like beignets.) It was announced to everyone in the family  That charlie was coming in town and "I'm cooking so be here at three."

 I must admit I was never happy getting the whole family together. It was nothing but fake friendliness, jealousy, and sarcasm left and right. Everyone felt uncomfortable except for Ruby and Butch. ( my father-in-law) But one thing was for sure. The food was unreal. Fantastic. It was like her food was laced with happy serum. Everybody liked each other for a few minutes. It was strange. So she has passed a lot of her cooking ways down to me and I will never go back. After I tried her holiday ham the first time, I was a true believer in crispy, sweet ham.

This ham may seem burnt to others, but to my family, this is the only way it is fit to call it holiday ham. If I cook it any less, they call it lunchmeat. I'm sure that the sugars have something to do with it, or the fact that I cook it for two hours.

Either way, it's awesome. So if you decide to give this a try, please let me know what you think.

8 pound half ham shank

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup pineapple juice

Sliced pineapples

Maraschino cherries

I begin by scoring the outside skin of the ham in a diamond pattern. 

I then mix the sugar, syrup, and pineapple juice in a bowl until glaze is combined. 

I then brush on the glaze with a pastry brush, making sure to get it all over the ham and I give it two coats. 

Place ham in oven that is set at 350 degrees for two hours. 

After the first hour, I take out the ham and baste it again with the glaze, then I place pineapple slices and cherries on the ham, securing them with toothpicks. 

Place ham back in oven for remaining hour. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I will be making a few more leftover meals using this ham. First up: Ham and string bean stew. Then ham bone and butterbean soup. So stay tuned, I will keep you posted!

Eggplant Meatloaf Parmesan

My family loves meatloaf and lasagna!

So I saw an episode of giada deLaurentis with this recipe for eggplant meatloaf Parmesan , and I made my own version that the kids went nuts for!

We eat everything Italian in my house, and I must say this meatloaf meets both my Italian cravings and American favorites! The only thing that is REALLY bothering me is that I seem to be losing some natural light. But I managed to pull this one off! It was really tasty and you will find yourself munching on leftovers for sure!

The bacon and onion smell is intoxicating!

My husband stole some and put it in a slice of bread.

Makes for a hearty meal!

Ingredients

Meatloaf:

2 pounds ground beef

2/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

2/3 cup jarred marinara sauce

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large eggs

1 small onion, finely chopped

4 strips of bacon

Eggplant: 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 ground black pepper

1/3 cup of marinara

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella 

First chop onion and bacon strips and place in a skillet and cook on medium until bacon is browned and onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Remove from skillet, drain and set mixture aside. In a large bowl combine ground beef, Parmesan, marinara sauce, salt, black pepper, garlic, eggs, and cooked onion-bacon mixture. Mix well to combine. Dump mixture out onto a nonstick or lightly greased sheet pan and shape into a loaf. I shaped mine a bit flat, so that the eggplant can sit well. Place in oven and bake until cooked through for about 30 until Internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.

While meatloaf is in oven, slice a medium eggplant into 4-6 slices about 1/2 inch in thickness. Season on both sides with salt, black pepper. Spay a skillet with a bit of cooking spray and cook eggplant on medium-high heat until a bit browned about 2-3 minutes per side. Spoon 1/3 cup of marinara over meatloaf and arrange eggplant slices on top of meatloaf. I was only able to fit four, so that's what I went with. Spoon a bit more sauce on top of each slice of eggplant and top with mozzarella cheese. Place bake in oven to finish melting cheese about 5-7 minutes. Enjoy!