Category Archives: EASTER DINNER RECIPES

CREAMY MASHED SWEET POTATOES

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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I love sweet potatoes. Love them! And this year for Christmas I served ham. And along with the ham I wanted to serve some type of sweet potato dish because ham and sweet potatoes are just a fabulous combination. But I didn’t want a pecan topping on my sweet potatoes this time, because I was serving a salad (Roasted Beets, Candied Pecans, and Feta Cheese Salad with a Balsamic Vinegar Dressing) which included pecans as an ingredient. So, my Sweet Potato Casserole with Butter Pecan Crumble Topping would have been just a bit too much pecan.

I decided instead, to just prepare the sweet potato part and leave the pecan topped version for another dinner. And oh am I glad I made this dish to serve along-side the ham. Sweet and delicious, and a perfect creamy textural compliment to the crunchy pecans in the salad. I also tried a new cornbread muffin recipe to complete the menu. You will not be seeing that recipe on this site because the muffins simply did not live up to my expectations. (See, I can be polite when I choose to be!)

So, for all of you out there who love sweet potatoes, give this simple recipe a try. It can be prepared a day or two in advance, so it is perfect for dinner parties, or holiday meals, or anytime preparing a dish ahead of time helps keep chaos in check on the day of the event.

As always, keep smiling and stay positive. And stay tolerant of your own foibles, as well as those of your family members. After all, it’s those idiosyncrasies that make us human. And ultimately make us lovable. Peace and love to all. And HAPPY NEW YEAR.  

2 very lg. ruby or garnet sweet potatoes (sometimes labeled incorrectly as yams)

⅓ c. brown sugar, packed

2 T. whole milk

¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 lg. egg

½ tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. kosher salt

Bake sweet potatoes in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for about 90 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool to touch. Remove peel and throw the flesh into your food processor. Add the brown sugar, milk, butter, egg, vanilla, and salt. Whirl until smooth. Pour mixture into a buttered baking dish.

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degrees for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes before serving.

 

BOURBON, BROWN SUGAR, AND DIJON MUSTARD GLAZED HAM

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One of my favorite Christmas day dinner menus begins with a spiral cut half ham. Including ham on the menu reduces my work by a considerable amount. And after playing Mrs. Santa for a month, and therefore tired of baking, shopping, wrapping, sending, delivering, cooking something special for Christmas eve etc., etc., this old gal is ready for a break on Christmas day. So, what can be easier or more delicious than a big old ham for the Christmas dinner entrée? Nothing I know of, that’s for sure.

So, when it was going to be just the two of us at table this Christmas, we decided a 10-pound ham was not out of the question. After all, we could always pawn some off on our neighbors Mark and Vicki. And then there was scrambled eggs with chopped ham, green onion, and sharp cheddar cheese for breakfasts for the next 6 weeks. And of course, Navy Bean Soup. And leftover ham freezes beautifully. So, it made good sense at the time.

In retrospect, it may not have been my best idea since we still don’t have a new freezer even after waiting for over 9 months! But I think there’s still a bit of room in our garage refrigerator/freezer. So, it should be OK. But I sure don’t regret fixing the ham with this new glaze recipe. It made for some pretty-fine eating. Not overly sweet. Just a perfect combination of flavors.

So, next time you want to serve guests (you remember the good old days of having company for dinner, right?), think about serving ham with this glaze.

I don’t know about you, but I only think about ham for holiday dinners. Why is that? It’s a wonderful pork product. So as soon as it’s once again safe to entertain, I plan to have a big old dinner party, and you can bet your last package of pork rinds, the star of the show is going to be ham!

Speaking of which, the ham bone that is currently in residence in our refrigerator is calling to me. Along with some dried Navy beans, an onion, and a few stalks of celery, I hear my name being bantered about in the kitchen by a few of the main soup ingredients. So, I better end this post and get my own butt in gear. There is soup to be made. (And ingredients to appease!)

As always, have fun in your kitchen. Experiment with different flavor combinations, and if something doesn’t work, don’t get discouraged.

If you only knew how many times my cooking experiments weren’t successful. But, of course, you couldn’t possibly know because you will never find my less than sterling attempts on this site. Simply know that in many cases, to achieve a great dish, there have been a succession of modifications along the way. But when I do find that magic combination that makes my taste buds sing, that’s what makes cooking so fun for me! May it be the same for you. Peace and love to all.

9-10 lb. spiral sliced half ham (butt end if possible*)

¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter

½ c. brown sugar, packed

3 T. Dijon mustard

3 T. bourbon

¼ tsp. ground cloves

freshly ground black pepper

Remove the ham from packaging and let sit 1 hour before proceeding. (If the ham comes with a glaze packet, throw it away.) Wrap the ham tightly in foil and bake approximately 10 minutes per pound in a pre-heated 325-degree oven.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and whisk in the brown sugar, mustard, bourbon, ground cloves, and black pepper.

Remove ham from oven, carefully remove the foil, and spread about ¾ of the glaze over the entire ham. Pull apart the ham slices and slather the glaze between the slices too. Place ham back in the oven and let bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Slather the remaining glaze over the top and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the glaze is slightly brown and crispy.

Remove from oven, tent loosely with foil, and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

*I prefer the butt end of a ham. But most of the time the butt end and shank end aren’t marked on the package. The meat on the shank end (leg portion) tends to be leaner. The meat on the butt end is more tender and fatty which results in a richer flavor. But when push comes to shove, I purchase what’s available. And butt or shank end, I’m never disappointed.   

  

CREAMY CARAMELIZED LEEKS AND PEAS

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So, how about those pearl onions? What, no frozen pearl onions in the grocery store! What?!?! So there goes another plan shot to hell. OK, I’m a crafty cook, I can improvise. So, that’s just what I did.

Armed with 2 lovely organic leeks, and a pound of frozen peas, we still enjoyed one of our favorite dishes for Thanksgiving.  Just a little variation from the normal choice, but still within the allium family. So Creamy Caramelized Leeks and Peas instead of Creamy Caramelized Pearl Onions and Petite Peas. But you know what? We really enjoyed the subtle flavor of the leeks as opposed to big old bites of onion. But either way, onion (in whatever form) and peas are a match made in heaven. And either of these two recipes are perfect veggie dishes for the holidays or anytime a savory, creamy veggie dish is required.

So, I’m not going to spend too much time on this post. Just like it doesn’t take me a long time to build this delicious dish. Just know that when a creamy, veggie dish is just what your menu requires, you have multiple options from which to choose. 

As always, keep thinking delicious, keep thinking quick and easy to prepare, and keep loving your kitchen. It’s going to be a few more months before it will once again be safe to get together with friends, enjoy meals with our loved ones, and safely share the bounty of this great land with each other. In the meantime, stay happy, stay healthy, and stay informed. Peace and love to all.

2 leeks

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. unsalted butter

½ c. heavy cream

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

freshly ground nutmeg

1 (1 lb.) pkg. frozen petite peas

Remove the tough dark green ends and the root end from the leeks. Discard. Slice each leek in half lengthwise. Then cut into thin half-moons. Add the cut leeks to a big bowl of cold water and swish to release the dirt, which should sink to the bottom. Scoop out the leeks and pat them dry. (If there doesn’t appear to be any dirt, I don’t bother swishing the cut pieces. But look carefully before you make a decision.) 

Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. And the leeks and stir fry for several minutes, or until the leeks are a lovely golden brown and soft. Reduce heat; pour in cream and slowly simmer until cream is thickened. Season with salt, pepper, and a bit of nutmeg.

Just before serving, place frozen peas in a small colander and rinse under cold water to remove any ice crystals. Drain and gently stir in with the leeks. Heat the mixture only until the peas are hot*. Add additional cream if necessary if the sauce is too thick. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

*You don’t really want or need to cook the peas. They are much tastier when served just heated through. In fact, when I make Pea Salad (another wonderful Thanksgiving side dish by-the-way) I don’t cook the peas at all. They are basically right out of the freezer when I add them to the other ingredients.

GRAPE AND PECAN SALAD

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This recipe is a spin off combination from a salad our dear friends Mark and Vicki introduced us to. And also from a simple brown sugar and sour cream sauce I make to top fresh strawberries. So keeping both dishes in mind, I whipped up this delicious salad to serve yesterday for a family dinner.

Now granted, there are many recipes out there for grape salad and they were my inspiration for this recipe. (Thanks to Vicki, that is!) And my recipe is not that different from all the others out there. Except, that I have greatly reduced the amount of sugar used in this dish. I have also used both granulated and brown sugar in the dressing itself.  And frankly, I think the combination of sugars makes for a much tastier flavor than using granulated sugar alone. The granulated sugar gives the salad the sweetness it requires, while the brown sugar gives the dressing an almost caramel richness.

So instead of sprinkling brown sugar on top as a garnish, which seems to be regarded as the proper way to use brown sugar in this salad, I decided to add it in with the other dressing ingredients. (I’ve always been a bit avant-garde when it comes to culinary integrity, so why change now?) Suffice it to say, the salad was well received yesterday and I am happy to share the recipe with you today.

And before I release you to continue browsing the internet or in some way perform a task much more beneficial than reading my ramblings, I must tell you, even though you can quickly glean the information by simply reading the recipe below, this dish is way easy to make. Nuff said!

4 oz. cream cheese, room temp.

½ c. sour cream

1 T. granulated sugar

1 T. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 lb. seedless red grapes (cut in half if really large)

1 lb. seedless green grapes (cut in half if really large)

½ c. toasted roughly chopped pecan pieces

In a medium mixing bowl, blend the cream cheese, sour cream, sugars, and vanilla together until creamy and smooth. Add the grapes and carefully stir until the grapes are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Just before serving stir in ¾ of the pecans and transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining pecan pieces on top for garnish.   

TWICE BAKED POTATOES

So who do you know that doesn’t like baked potatoes, bacon, and sharp cheddar cheese? And when you put them in combination, well there just ain’t nothing finer. And yes I know twice baked potatoes are full of calories. But remember, not everyone thinks about calories and nutrition all the time. For example: ask any 6 year old to name his or her favorite restaurant. I’m willing to bet you a 10 lb. bag of Yukon Golds that there is a clown, golden arches and a PlayPlace somewhere on the premises! Children don’t think about what they are eating, and once in a while, we should let our inner child come out and not worry either. Life is short! And I know it can be shortened by eating the wrong food. But once in awhile and especially when it’s a holiday get-together, take a break from counting calories and measuring fat content. After all, chances are you’ve stayed up half the night dying eggs, and putting together Easter baskets. Then early Easter morning you get to hide eggs in your house or yard, prepare a feast for your family and friends, and supervise the whole search and rescue Easter egg mission. I do believe you deserve a treat, and twice baked potatoes are definitely a treat!

I will be thinking of you on Easter as I enjoy the day with 3 of the people I love most in this world, my husband and our dear friends Jim and Margo. And since the 4 of us will not be spending the day with any grandchildren, grand nieces and nephews, etc., there will be nary an Easter egg in site, chocolate or otherwise. I’m really OK with that! Oh, one little piece of advice for those of you hosting Easter egg hunts. Count the dyed eggs before you hide them, especially if they are going to be hidden in your home. Also count the “found” eggs and make sure the number is the same. This is not difficult to do. 21 eggs hidden, 21 eggs found. But if the score is 21 to 20, I’d advise you to go into full blown search mode. Get the other adults involved too. For the children offer a small chocolate reward to whoever finds the last egg. For the adults, a larger chocolate reward, like a pound of See’s candy. If you’re lucky, the egg will be found by an adult who likes to share! Happy Easter to all.

  • 3 medium-large russet potatoes
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 3-6 slices lean bacon, chopped
  • 1 c. sour cream
  • 1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 T. fresh chopped or dehydrated chives
  • milk
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • paprika

Wash potatoes, dry and rub with oil. Pierce skin with fork a couple of times and sprinkle with salt. Bake potatoes in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 60 minutes or until flesh is soft. Remove from oven and cut in half. Let sit for a few minutes to cool. Meanwhile cook bacon until crisp. Drain. Set aside. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove as much of the flesh as possible paying attention not to break the skin. (If you pierce the skin it is not the end of the world.) Mash the potato flesh with the cooked bacon, sour cream, cheese, and chives. Add enough milk to make a stiff mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Place potato skins on a baking sheet, skin side down. Scoop potato mixture into the skins and sprinkle with paprika. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until very hot and starting to get crisp and brown on top. Serves 6. These are wonderful with ham at Easter. I love them because you can make them ahead of time and just pop them in the oven about 45 minutes before you plan to serve dinner.

 

STUFFED BONELESS LEG OF LAMB

Once upon a time (I have always wanted to start a preface to a recipe or story with this ever so rarely used story opener) there was a really good Italian restaurant in Redmond, Washington that offered cooking classes. For the life of me I can’t remember the name of the restaurant and in my defense, I did take the class along with my dear friend Jim 16 or 17 years ago. Anyway, the restaurant is long gone! What remains is this fabulous recipe. Now I am a lamb lover. I love grilled ground lamb patties served with Tzatziki, lamb curry, rack of lamb, marinated and grilled lamb chops; basically all things lamb. But my favorite all time way to cook lamb is this stuffed leg recipe.

The first time I made it for guests was for a cooking club that has been going, more off than on unfortunately, for over a decade. The thing that stands out most about serving this dish was the reaction I received from my 2 cooking buddies Ken and Paul. (And yes it does seem like all my best cooking pals are male. My mom never raised no dummy!) But back to my story. The leg of lamb was happily resting under its aluminum foil blanket and it was time to make the sauce. The first thing you need to know about this lamb preparation is that it produces just about the best sauce you will ever taste. And this evening’s sauce was no exception. I actually invited the guys to try the sauce/gravy as it was reducing. I wanted to demonstrate the difference a touch of lemon juice could make to the overall flavor of the sauce when it was added just before serving. Well, that was one of the worst mistakes I ever made! The guys were eating spoonfuls of the sauce before it ever got to the table. They even asked if I had any straws! They wanted to suck it up right out of the pan!

Now I have to be honest with you. This recipe is easy once you build the demi-glace. But making demi-glace is a pain in the bucket. It’s not hard to make, it’s just time consuming. So when I make it, I make about 4 cups and that usually lasts me for an entire year, if not longer. But making your own demi-glace beats the heck out of buying it. You want to experience sticker shock, go on line and figure out what a cup of demi-glace costs.  Of course, if you’re super rich, no problem. But if you are ordinary folk like Mr. C. and me, well suffice it to say, I build my own. I usually make it when I know I am going to be futzing around the kitchen for several hours anyway. That way I can periodically give it a check while I perform whatever other cooking projects happen to be in the works. (It also helps that I have an outdoor kitchen. I can put my pot of bones, meat, veggies and water on to boil outside and not have to worry about messing up my kitchen.) So next time you want to prepare a dish that will knock the socks off your guests, give this baby a try. You will not be disappointed. Well maybe just a little. Leftovers for next evening’s meal are simply not going to happen.

  • 1 medium sized boneless leg of lamb
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 T. finely chopped fresh sage
  • 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 7-8 slices prosciutto
  • 2 T. vegetable oil
  • 1 c. Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris, your choice (Both come from the same grape, but are made differently.  Italian style Pinot Grigio is typically lighter-bodied, crisp, fresh tasting, with a vibrant stone fruit flavor, floral aroma, and a touch of spice. Pinot Gris, from the Alsace region in France, is more full-bodied, richer, spicier, and has a higher viscosity.)
  • 1 c. demi-glace (see recipe under This & That Recipes)
  • ½ c. heavy cream
  • additional wine, if necessary (so don’t drink the rest of the bottle while the lamb is cooking)
  • ¼ tsp. fresh lemon juice

If the leg of lamb came in a sweet little mesh blanket bag, carefully slide the lamb out of the netting and set aside. Open lamb out on a cutting board and taking a sharp meat knife carefully slice the boned side of the meat here and there to achieve an even thickness. (I used to pound the meat with a mallet, but I have found slicing the meat here and there works better. Doesn’t leave the meat kind of mushy.) Rub the meat with a moderate amount of salt and pepper and sprinkle with the garlic, sage, and rosemary. Lay prosciutto on top. Roll the meat to approximately the same shape it was before you started messing with it. Tie with string so it keeps its shape while braising, or carefully stuff it back into the wire mesh bag. Heat oil in a heavy lidded roasting pan or Dutch oven. Brown the meat on all sides in the hot oil. Remove from heat and add the wine and demi-glace. Cover and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes. Remove lid, reduce heat to 325 degrees, insert instant read thermometer and continue roasting until meat reaches an internal temperature of 140-145 for medium rare. Remove meat from oven, transfer to a cutting board, remove string or mesh bag, and tent gently with aluminum foil. Let rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing into ½-inch pieces. Meanwhile, add an additional fourth to half cup of wine to roasting pan if there is less than a half cup of liquid remaining after the roast was removed. Add the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer a few minutes or until the sauce has reduced to a medium thick consistency. Adjust seasoning and add lemon juice. Remove from heat. Arrange 1 or 2 slices of meat on each plate. Spoon a small amount of sauce over each slice. (Don’t be too generous. The sauce is really, really rich. I usually serve whatever sauce is left in a small gravy boat and place it on the dining table for guests to help themselves.)

Side Dish Suggestions: Oven Roasted Fingerling Potatoes (recipe below), a steamed veggie like green beans or broccoli, a salad such as Winter Fruit Salad or Coleslaw, and a nice homemade Beer Bread. And for dessert – how about Cherries Jubilee or French vanilla ice cream with Spiced Rum Sauce (recipe found under Bread Pudding with Spiced Rum Sauce)

Wine Suggestion: Let’s see, how about starting with the left over Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris that has been happily waiting for you in the refrigerator? Or if that’s already gone, open another of the same!

Oven Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

  • 2 lbs. fingerling potatoes
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • seasoned or kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely minced

Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour on just enough olive oil to coat the potatoes lightly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add rosemary, and garlic. Mix with your hands. Bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. (Your potatoes can be roasting while your leg of lamb is resting.)

 

 

 

 

 

CREAMY GREEN BEANS WITH MUSHROOMS

For holiday dinners a plain veggie is almost always ignored especially if the meat and other side dishes are also fairly simple. After all, it’s a holiday meal. And inherent with holiday dinners is the absolute need for something rich on your plate that you might not otherwise eat. And if that lovely mouth feel that comes from a dish containing butter and half and half happens to also include a vegetable, it’s a win-win situation! For example, this recipe would be perfect if you were planning to serve Maple Syrup Glazed Spiral Ham and Refrigerator Mashed Potatoes. Neither recipe has so high a fat content that creamy green beans would be too rich served as an accompaniment. However, if you were planning to serve Stuffed Leg of Lamb (recipe to be posted in a day or two) and Baked Red Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Sauce, a simple dish of steamed green beans would be a much better choice. Taste buds are picky and they are easily overwhelmed. They seem to be particularly happy when they have a variety of plain and rich flavors to visit and revisit at leisure. So when planning a dinner party, think about variety in both taste and texture, plain preparations versus rich, and color presentation. Color is all too often neglected when choosing what dishes to serve together. And I’m not saying that you have to obey the rules of the color wheel. But who doesn’t prefer to see a pop of bright green, red, or yellow on their otherwise mono-chromatic plate of food? Remember, parsley wasn’t invented to provide a last minute burst of fresh flavor to almost any savory dish, or because of its high vitamin content. It was invented for the sole purpose of bringing a splash of color to an otherwise dreary plate! A little story:  I will never forget one of the dinners we were served when my former husband and I took our 3 youngest children to Europe for 5 weeks in 1978. One of the places we stayed in England actually served us poached white fish, boiled peeled potatoes and way over cooked plain cauliflower. And on a white plate, of course! Now, in the world of home decoration white on white is terribly sophisticated. On a plate placed before three children ages 10, 11, and 12, who were used to a very eclectic assortment of food at home, this all white presentation was not well received. In retrospect it was really quite funny to watch all three little faces turn to me at the same time with expressions that clearly read “mom, do I have to eat this”? And truly, who could expect them, or anyone for that matter to eat something so unappealing. If I remember correctly, none of us ate that dinner. Instead I think we found the nearest Indian restaurant. (We ate quite a bit of Indian food for the two weeks we travelled around England, Scotland, and Wales and were never disappointed!) So, moral of the story; have fun planning your Easter dinner. Just remember – too much of a good thing is not appealing, crunch is your friend, and white on white is stunning in the home of a “dazzling urbanite” (to quote Jim (Gene Wilder) in Blazing Saddles), but on a plate, not so much!

  • 2 T. butter
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 8-oz. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 c. half and half
  • ½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 T. chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 lb. fresh green beans, cut in bite size pieces and steamed until crisp tender

Melt butter in a medium sized fry pan over medium low heat. Add the onions and sauté until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Sauté for about a minute or until garlic releases its aroma. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they start to turn a light golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. (This dish can be prepared up to this point ahead of time and set aside. Just before ready to serve, place back over heat and follow instruction as written.) Add the half and half and Parmesan cheese. Simmer until the sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Adjust seasoning. Gently stir in the green beans and parsley. Serve immediately. This green bean dish is based on a recipe from the blog entitled Closet Cooking; a great source of fun recipes, by the way.

 

SCALLOPED POTATOES

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Of all the side dishes that seem to be a favorite of everyone, scalloped potatoes must be near the top of the list. And really, what’s not to love? Thin slices of potatoes baked in a lovely cheese sauce. Well, I’ll tell you what’s not to love! The time it takes to bake most scalloped potato recipes. Holy cow, it’s holiday time and you already have several dishes that need anywhere from several hours in a slow oven to 45 minutes in a hotter oven to re-warm. So then comes along your big old lovely casserole of potatoes. How the heck are you going to make room for a dish that requires 1 ½ – 2 hours in a 350 degree oven? Well dear readers, I’m still slightly aghast that it took me until about 8 years ago before my internal incandescent light bulb, which I had always assumed had at least a wattage rating of 100, came on in my brain and shed some light, so to speak, on the subject. (Either my wattage is less than I originally believed it to be, or my wire filaments aren’t burning as hot as they should! And yes, I still have an internal incandescent light bulb. I was born way before there was an option to be hard wired with a CFL – Compact Fluorescent Lamp)! So if you are looking for a simple way to make an old favorite, give this recipe a try. There is no flavor lost when you partially cook the potatoes ahead of time. And the peace of mind from knowing that your potatoes won’t possibly be crunchy when you are ready to serve is worth more than you’ll save from switching from incandescent to CFL or LED (light-emitting diode) lighting!

  • 1 lb. Yukon Gold or russet potatoes
  • 1 T. butter
  • ½ tsp. paprika, plus more for sprinkling
  • 1 T. cornstarch
  • 1 c. whole milk
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 c. shredded cheese (sharp cheddar, aged Gouda, etc.)

Peel potatoes and cut in half. (And yes I peel my potatoes for this recipe, because boiled potato skins tend to become tough.) Then slice each half potato into 1/3-inch slices. Place in a covered pan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add a goodly amount of kosher salt, cover and cook until just about tender. (You don’t want mushy potatoes, so watch carefully). Drain. Meanwhile, brown butter in a medium sized saucepan. Add paprika and cornstarch and let burble in pan for about a minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the cheese. Adjust seasoning. (The sauce will be very thick.) Carefully add the cheese sauce to the potatoes. Scoop mixture into a lightly buttered casserole pan and sprinkle lightly with additional paprika. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until the top is starting to brown and the sauce is bubbling around the edges of the casserole dish. Let sit a few minutes before serving. Note: Don’t be afraid to mix and match the cheeses for this recipe. This dish is a perfect way to use up those bits and pieces of cheese that aren’t aging gracefully! Also, this recipe doubles and triples beautifully.

WINTER FRUIT SALAD

I am not the biggest fruit lover in the world. I think it’s because sweet food has never been my favorite. But I know what you are thinking. Fruit is good for you and you need several servings a day. I know! I too read all the press about healthy eating. But I just can’t make myself wake up in the morning yearning for my first piece of fruit! Actually that’s not quite true. There is one fruit I always wake up thinking about, and that is the seed of the coffee plant. And yes, coffee seeds or pits (incorrectly named as beans because of their resemblance to the true beans that grow in long pods on certain leguminous plants) grow inside the round red or purple cherry fruit of tropical evergreen shrubs. So I guess if I were to press the point to the ridiculous, which is how I seem to be hard-wired to do anyway, each morning when I consume a cup of processed (to free the seeds from the cherry), roasted (to enhance the flavors locked inside) finely ground and brewed coffee, I am getting my first serving of fruit for the day! I can live with that. And another thing I can live with in the morning, or for lunch or dinner, is this fruit salad. I don’t know why, but fruit that has been cut up tastes better to me. And then when you add a simple dressing which further enhances the flavor of the fruit, even I become a devoted fan. There’s hope for the old gal yet! Speaking of hope, I hope you enjoy the new Easter recipes I will be posting the rest of this week and the ones that are already on my blog under Easter Dinner Recipes. I’m especially fond of the Deviled Eggs recipe. And really, after your children have hunt for and found the colored hard boiled eggs lovingly placed in your yard awaiting their discovery, what else are you going to do with them? Your kids are never going to want them all for themselves. After all, they’re children. And what child is going to choose a rabbit egg (that’s just wrong to begin with) over a chocolate egg or a marshmallow peep? (Now peeps are really sick and wrong, yet I know intelligent men like my dear friends Nich and Steve who actually horde them!) With your children’s permission of course, don’t delay turning those dyed eggs into Deviled Eggs. I say don’t delay, because you truly don’t want them to go bad hidden in the back of a child’s closet. (Trust me on this one. I have first-hand knowledge of organic items being hidden in a closet.)

  • 2 T. fresh lime juice (don’t even think about using that stuff that comes in a cute little plastic lime look-alike container)
  • 2 T. honey
  • ¼ c. vanilla yogurt
  • ¼ tsp. poppy seeds
  • 1 tart apple, cored and cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 oranges, peeled and sections cut in two
  • 2 c. red or green seedless grapes
  • 2 kiwi peeled, cut in half and each half cut into half-moon shaped pieces
  • 2 bananas, sliced
  • 2-3 sprigs of fresh mint, opt.

Combine lime juice, honey, vanilla yogurt, and poppy seeds in the bottom of a pretty bowl. (Glass is nice if you have one.) Add the fruit and stir gently. Garnish with sprigs of mint. Serve immediately. Note: the dressing can be made ahead or time, but don’t add the fruit until you are ready to serve. You can use any combination of fruit you like. With the amount of dressing this recipe makes, about 7-8 cups of fruit is just about right. You don’t want a soggy salad. Also, I use no more than 5 different kinds of fruit when I make fruit salad.  I think if the salad contains more than five varieties your mouth can’t fully appreciate the unique qualities of each.

 

 

MAPLE SYRUP GLAZED SPIRAL HAM

So, I never intended this blog to be holiday specific, but things sometimes take on a life of their own. And my blog seems to be doing just that. It thinks that since Easter is just about here, I ought to offer up some of my favorite Easter recipes. Well, who am I to argue with my blog when it is so obviously correct! So for the next few days, I am going to post a few of our family’s favorite Easter recipes. And the obvious first choice for me is the star of most of our Easter dinners – baked ham. Now I believe I have alluded to the fact that I love almost all things pork! (I do draw the line at pickled pig’s feet and pork rinds, but most other piggy products are high on my beloved foods list.) And for the most bang for the buck and ease of preparation, spiral ham is a really good choice. I just slap it in the oven, prepare a simple glaze, slap that on just before I’m ready to serve, and call it good. Actually, what I really should be calling “good” is this recipe! I found this Dave Lieberman (I really like his recipes, by the way) masterpiece on-line when I wanted a new way to prepare baked ham to serve in addition to turkey last Christmas. I immediately knew that this was now going to be my favorite way to prepare ham. I absolutely loved the flavor of the glaze as did all the rest of my family. And the ham sandwiches the next day were just over the top wonderful. You know, ham is really versatile. You can serve it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Which makes me wonder why I don’t buy it more often? So I decided to do a little research on ham. It turns out that most lean ham is about 5% fat, 2% of which is saturated. Not too bad. But the killer, so to speak, is the sodium content. For an average 3-oz. portion, there is roughly 1170 mg of sodium. Yikes, that’s more than I should eat for the whole day! And only 3 ounces? I could no more stick to a 3-oz. portion than I could recite the Gettysburg address from heart!  So, although I love ham and will continue to serve it for holidays, I’m going to have to personally leave it at that. Oh well, life is a game of choice. And because I want to continue eating an occasional piece of bacon, I am going to choose not to research the fat and salt content in bacon. I can only take so much bad news on any given day! So if you will excuse me, I’m going to go start practicing my reciting skills. Fourscore and seven years ago……

  • 1 (9 lb.) partial bone-in spiral cut ham (I use Hemplers spiral hams, butt end (more meat)
  • 3/4 c. water
  • 1/2 c. real maple syrup
  • 1/2 c. dark brown sugar
  • 2 T. whole-grain Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Place ham in a roasting pan and pour water into the pan bottom. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a pre-heated 300 degree oven for about 90 minutes or until heated through. Meanwhile whisk together the maple syrup, brown sugar, mustard, and spices in a saucepan until smooth and heat until simmering. Simmer for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Set aside. When ham is heated through, remove the aluminum foil, and pour or brush the glaze over the top to cover completely. Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees. Return the ham to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until glaze is caramelized and bubbly. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing pieces off bone.