Orange Marmalade Ginger Ham

 1 C. orange marmalade

2 T. orange juice

1 T. grated ginger root

2 T. Dijon mustard

A ham

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine all ingredients, minus the ham, for the glaze; mix well.

Place ham on a baking rack, add a little water to the bottom, and cover the entire pan with tin foil.

Follow package instructions for cooking the ham.  

Brush glaze on the ham for the last 20 minutes of baking. Return the ham to the oven uncovered.

When the ham is done, remove from the oven, cover, and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes.

Notes: Allow about a cup of glaze for each 8-10 pounds of ham.

For uncooked hams, the internal temperature should reach

160 degrees to be considered done.  If the ham is fully cooked, the temperature should reach 140 degrees.

Cold-Fry Frites

 2 pounds russet potatoes

2.5 quarts vegetable oil

sea salt

Rinse the potatoes, peel them, rinse again, and cut lengthwise into 3/8 inch fries (you don't have to be exact).

Soak the potatoes in a bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes, changing the water when it becomes cloudy, until the water remains clear.  Soaking releases the starch in potatoes, making them less rigid and less likely to stick together while cooking.

Drain the potatoes and wrap them in kitchen towels to dry.  Removing the excess liquid will speed up the cooking time and reduce the likelihood of the potatoes splattering once the oil is hot.

Transfer the potatoes to a saucepan and set it on the stove.  Pour the oil over the potatoes. Do not cover the pot.  Set the heat to high, stirring the potatoes gently with a metal spoon to distribute and prevent sticking.  

The oil should move from a peppy simmer to a boil in about 9 minutes.  When the oil starts to boil, set a timer for 17 minutes.  Stir the potatoes very gently every 3-4 minutes to prevent sticking and ensure even cooking.  Don't worry about overboiling-the oil should boil rapidly and evenly with no need to adjust the heat throughout the entire process.

When the timer rings, the potatoes should have begun to take on color, turning from white to slightly golden, but will still have about 4 minutes remaining until they are fully cooked.  For these last few minutes, watch them closely, stirring gently.  When the fries are a deep golden brown, taste one to make sure they are truly crisp and firm on the outside with a creamy interior.  They should not be the least bit soggy, so resist the urge to remove them from the oil too soon.  When you are happy with the consistency, carefully transfer the rest of the fries with a wire skimmer or slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined tray to drain. Season with salt and serve immediately.

Recipe from Epicurious.

Rosemary Bread

1 T. yeast

1 T. sugar

1 C. warm water

2.5 C. flour

1 t. salt

2 T. rosemary

1 T. butter

Place yeast, sugar, and water in a mixing bowl, and allow mixture to become bubbly.

Mix in butter, salt, and 2 cups of flour.  

Add 1 tablespoon of rosemary and mix well.

Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes in the mixer with the bread attachment, adding more flour if necessary.

Oil a bowl, put the dough in it, and cover with a towel.  Let rise for 1 hour.

Divide dough in half and shape into rounds on a greased or parchmented cookie sheet.  Sprinkle the remaining rosemary over the top and press lightly into the surface.

Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Bake 15-20 minutes at 375.

Remove from oven, brush with butter, and sprinkle a little salt on the top.

So good!

Baked Sweet Potatoes

 

1. Make sure it’s a long sweet potato

Sweet potatoes come in many shapes and sizes.  There are long ones, small ones, fat ones, skinny ones and thick ones.  It’s hard to decide which one to choose.

2. WASH, WASH, WASH! Then wash some more

Once it is clean, I dry it using a paper napkin and let it sit for about 10 minutes. I want to make sure that there is no water left on the skin

3. Poke Holes Into The Potato

Poking holes works! The end. The holes are not deep, just superficial enough to allow an escape route for the steam

4. Lightly Oil The Outside Of The Sweet Potato

I cannot stress the importance of this tip. When I oil the outside of the potato, the skin doesn’t become a dry and crinkled mess. The skin remains smooth and easy to peel once the sweet potato is baked.

5. Cover Up With Sweet Potato’s Best Friend

When I wrap my sweet potato in foil, I wrap it loosely. So, some of the steam still escapes out of the ends of the foil. Most of the heat is contained within the sweet potato and it also cooks the outsides of the potato.

This bakes the potato from the inside and the outside. Therefore, you will notice that sweet potato is baked evenly.

6. Leave It In The Oven

Bake the potato in the oven at 400 degrees for 65 minutes.

Depending on your oven, the bake temperature and time may vary. At about the 45-minute mark, I take a knife to it and see if it is easy to pierce the skin of the potato. If the knife goes through easily, then I turn off the oven and let the sweet potato sit in the rack.

I leave it in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes and then remove it from the oven. 

For loaded potatoes, I open them up, squish them around a little, add some butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, then top with mini marshmallows.  Put under the broiler until the marshmallows get toasty.

Liza's Lasagna

1 pound hamburger
3 cans of cheap spaghetti sauce (I usually use Hunts)
16 oz ricotta
1 egg
a handful of shredded mozzarella
some Parmesan cheese
dried oregano & basil
lasagna noodles-do not cook beforehand
more mozzarella

Brown the hamburger and drain any grease. 
Pour about a third of a can of spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 pan, or if you're really lucky, a roasting pan. Add the remaining sauce, plus the other two cans, to the hamburger and mix well.
Mix ricotta, mozzarella cheese, a healthy sprinkling of Parmesan, the egg, and herbs well. 
Layer lasagna noodles to cover the sauce. Cover with 1/3 of the meat sauce.  Cover that with 1/2 of the cheese mixture.  Noodles, sauce, cheese.  Add one last layer of noodles and cover
with the last third of the meat sauce.  Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella, cover with parchment paper or foil, and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove the covering, make the the noodles are cooked through by sticking a knife down through the center of the noodles.  Bake for another 15 minutes to lightly brown the top.  Let set for about 15 minutes before serving.

Sheri's Baked Beans

1 lb. bacon or real bacon bits
1 onion, chopped
2 cans pork and beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can butter beans
1/2 C, brown sugar
1 C. ketchup
1 T. liquid smoke
3 T. vinegar

Cook the bacon and sauté the onions in the bacon grease.  Or if you're using the bacon bits, sauté the onions in some butter.  Drain the liquid off the kidney beans and butter beans, combine with all the other ingredients.  Cook in a crockpot for about 4 hours, or in the oven at 350 for about an hour.