Easter came a little early this year for our family. My husband had to go out of town for training so we decided to have our own mini-Easter celebration before he left. It’s just the two of us now-a-days, so it wasn’t that big of a deal to shuffle the celebration.
Of course in years past when the kids were around, that just wouldn’t have worked. But us “empty-nesters” did just fine. A nice church service and a lovely, easy might I say SIMPLE Easter dinner was just perfect!
Simply Essential Ham
We always have ham for Easter, I just change up my glazes to suit my mood. This year I added essential oils!
Ingredients:
6 pound ham w/ bone
1 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 can pineapple rings
2 drops Cinnamon essential oil
2 drops Clove essential oil
3 drops Wild Orange essential oil
Directions:
1. Combine honey, brown sugar, and pineapple juice in a double boiler. Stir until combined.
2. Take off heat, add essential oils.
3. Line pan with foil, place ham in baking dish.
4. Pour glaze over top.
5. Cook ham as directed on package. For the last hour of cooking, baste glaze on bottom of pan. Repeat until ham is cooked thoroughly.
6. For last 15 minutes of cooking, turn oven to broil. Baste ham last time and broil for 15 minutes until ham is a dark, golden brown color.
7. Enjoy glaze from bottom of pan as a sauce!
Some Ham Glaze Variations for you:
Citrus Jalapeno
Ingredients:
One 8- to 10-pound bone-in, smoked, fully-cooked ham, butt or shank portion
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
1/2 cup hot pepper jelly
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 jalapeno, halved, seeded and sliced
Directions:
Let the ham sit at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Trim off any skin from the ham if needed. Score the ham through the fat in a diagonal crosshatch pattern without cutting into the meat. Place the ham, flat-side down, on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour 1/4 inch of water into the bottom of the pan. Roast the ham until it reaches an internal temperature of about 130 degrees F, about 2 1/2 hours or 15 minutes per pound.
Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon and lime juices, pepper jelly, Worcestershire sauce and jalapeno in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and reduce until thickened to about 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes.
Remove the ham from the oven when it has reached 130 degrees F internally. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Spoon or brush half of the glaze all over the ham. Add water as needed to the bottom of the pan. Return the ham to the oven and roast, basting every 10 minutes with the remaining glaze until glossy, glazed and well browned, about 45 minutes more.
Double Mustard Herb Crusted
Ingredients:
muOne 8- to 10-pound bone-in, smoked, fully-cooked ham, butt or shank portion
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup whole grain mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
Let the ham sit at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Trim off any skin from the ham if needed. Score the ham through the fat in a diagonal crosshatch pattern without cutting into the meat. Place the ham, flat-side down, on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour 1/4 inch of water into the bottom of the pan. Roast the ham until it reaches an internal temperature of about 130 degrees F, about 2 1/2 hours or 15 minutes per pound.
Meanwhile, mix the mustards and honey together in a small bowl. Mix together the breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme and olive oil together in another bowl.
Remove the ham from the oven when it has reached 130 degrees F internally. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Spoon or brush the mustard mixture all over the ham. Carefully pat the crumbs all over the ham. Add water as needed to the bottom of the pan. Return the ham to the oven and roast until the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 25 minutes more.
Plus 8 more…
1. Honey and Brown Sugar Ham Glaze
2/3 cup Brown Sugar
3 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp Prepared Mustard
2. Orange Glaze
1 cup Orange Juice
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup Honey
2 tsp Soy Sauce
3. Baked Ham Maple Glaze
1 tbsp Mustard
2/3 cup Real Maple Syrup
4. Brown Sugar Glaze
1½ cups Brown Sugar
1½ tsp Dry Mustard Powder
3/4 tsp Ground Cloves
5. Marmalade Glaze
1/4 cup Orange Marmalade
1/2 tsp Dry Mustard
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Flour
Pineapple Juice (enough to create a thick paste)
6. Pineapple Glaze
1½ tsp Dry Mustard
1½ cups Brown Sugar
3/4 cup Crushed Pineapple, well drained
7. Chinese Glaze Recipe by Sophia Young
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 finely chopped garlic clove
1 tsp finely grated ginger
8. Ginger Glaze
1 tsp Dry Ginger
1 tsp Dry Mustard
1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
Canned Pear or Peach Syrup (to make thick paste)
1 tsp Lemon Juice
Directions (For All Recipes):
First, you need to make a slit in the rind of the ham.
Trim the rind and fat at the same time, leaving 1/4 inch layer of fat on ham.
Make diagonal cuts along the surface of the ham, on the fat layer, making sure not to penetrate the meat.
Now, make diagonal cuts in the opposite direction, forming diamond shapes in the fat layer.
Take a bowl and put all the ingredients in it (this works for all the above mentioned recipes)
Mix the ingredients well and brush over the ham.
As the ham cooks, occasionally brush it with the extra glaze .
Courtesy of Party Blue Prints Blog
Ready for potatoes y’all? How about Crock Pot Potatoes!
Crock-pot Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
5 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
Directions:
Turn potatoes into a buttered slow cooker.
Combine butter, flour, salt and pepper together in saucepan over medium low heat.
Whisk in milk gradually until no lumps remain. Heat and stir until bubbly and thickened.
Stir in cheese to melt.
Put sliced potatoes in crock-pot; pour cheese sauce over.
Cover and cook on low 5 to 7 hours.
Serves 4.
p.s. this turns out fantastic!! Watch it so the cheese doesn’t burn, I turned my down to “Keep Warm” for the last hour.
Here is some Worship music to keep you company as you cook this lovely simple dinner…enjoy.
And from our family to yours…Happy Easter!
This article is hopping around the following Blog Hops:
Homestead Barn Hop, Wildcrafting Wednesday, From the Farm Fridays, Simple Saturdays Blog Hop, Simple Life Sunday Blog Hop.
Copyright:
This article may be contributed to third-party sites, but it is COPYRIGHTED, and it may not be USED in any form or shared without my written permission. If you are interested in this article or any of Simply Living Simply articles, please contact Kat Yorba; Author and owner of Simply Living Simply directly for republishing information.
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Medical Disclaimer:
Nothing in this post is to be construed as medical advice, simply a sharing of things that have worked for me & my family. If you have any symptoms of serious illness, taking medication, pregnant or nursing, or have never worked with herbal materials or essential oils before, please consider consulting a medical professional before use. I am unable to offer advise for your particular medical situation; please ask your Doctor, Nurse Practitioner or Naturopath for further guidance. The statements made here have not been approved by the Food & Drug Administration. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act.
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