The original Barefoot Contessa Cookbook has a few recipes that just won't work for my little family of three. They require company. One in particular was enough for an army, and there was only one place that I could make it.
Florida.
Yes, I traveled over 1,200 miles for Spring Break and made a ham when I got there.
My parents relocated there permanently a few years ago. They have made quite a life for themselves and are social butterflies. Seriously. They are never home. It's pretty funny. I'm the one going to sleep at 9:30 at night and they are out and about!
Since they have lots of friends there, and some family members too, they suggested I make the ham down there since they knew it would be eaten.
So, the day after I arrived I was off to buy my very first ham.
I have always loved ham, but never cooked one before. The closest I ever got was heating up a ham steak....Trader Joe's used to carry ones from Niman Ranch that were faaaboulus. Auntie would approve. That was "good" ham! I buy ham in cold cut form, but that is about it in our house as far as ham goes. Once every couple of years my mother-in-law will buy a Honey Baked Ham and serve it for Christmas. That just about sums up my ham history.
When I read the recipe, it looked extremely simple. The biggest obstacle was the amount of servings it provided. Auntie suggested a 14 pound spiral ham. There was no way I was going to make one that big, so I downsized to 10 pounds. Having no ham experience, I was advised to buy one at Costco. After shopping all morning at Costco, Publix and Target, I was ready to get to work.
The ham wasn't the only thing on the menu, but I am not going to talk about the other recipes now. This post is all about HAM!
I'm sorry, I just HAD to put that there. I saw it on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago and it was so ridiculous it had me cracking up. It also got stuck in my head as I was prepping my ham to go into the oven!
This recipe is RIDICULOUSLY easy. First of all, the ham is already cooked. All of the other ingredients (garlic, mango chutney, dijon mustard, brown sugar, orange juice and zest) get thrown into a food processor for a minute and then gets poured over the ham. That is IT! This truly is the answer to Auntie's question..."How easy is thaaaaaat?"
It cooked for about an hour or so, and I could not resist snatching little pieces off of it as soon as it came out of the oven. It is already sliced, so it made it easy to plate. Apparently the bone and bits that cling to it make fantastic soup. I was sorry to have to leave it in my parent's freezer in Florida, but I think TSA would not be likely to let me on the plane with a big ham bone and ice packs. Could you imagine?
Here is the ham in it's shiny red wrapper:
It came with some kind of glaze packet, but I tossed it. No pics of the other ingredients, as I was on vacation and trying to get 2 main courses, 3 side dishes, an appetizer and a cake cooked for the 8 people coming for dinner. Doesn't sound like vacation, does it? It was though. I loved doing this. Besides, my parent's kitchen is bigger than mine and my dad cleans up all of the messes that I make! Now THAT'S a vacation!
I do have a shot of the finished product...
Ham-a-licious. Easy. Makes tons. If you are a ham fan....you need to make this. Another score for Auntie! Here's the recipe : Baked Virginia Ham
Florida.
Yes, I traveled over 1,200 miles for Spring Break and made a ham when I got there.
My parents relocated there permanently a few years ago. They have made quite a life for themselves and are social butterflies. Seriously. They are never home. It's pretty funny. I'm the one going to sleep at 9:30 at night and they are out and about!
Since they have lots of friends there, and some family members too, they suggested I make the ham down there since they knew it would be eaten.
So, the day after I arrived I was off to buy my very first ham.
I have always loved ham, but never cooked one before. The closest I ever got was heating up a ham steak....Trader Joe's used to carry ones from Niman Ranch that were faaaboulus. Auntie would approve. That was "good" ham! I buy ham in cold cut form, but that is about it in our house as far as ham goes. Once every couple of years my mother-in-law will buy a Honey Baked Ham and serve it for Christmas. That just about sums up my ham history.
When I read the recipe, it looked extremely simple. The biggest obstacle was the amount of servings it provided. Auntie suggested a 14 pound spiral ham. There was no way I was going to make one that big, so I downsized to 10 pounds. Having no ham experience, I was advised to buy one at Costco. After shopping all morning at Costco, Publix and Target, I was ready to get to work.
The ham wasn't the only thing on the menu, but I am not going to talk about the other recipes now. This post is all about HAM!
I'm sorry, I just HAD to put that there. I saw it on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago and it was so ridiculous it had me cracking up. It also got stuck in my head as I was prepping my ham to go into the oven!
This recipe is RIDICULOUSLY easy. First of all, the ham is already cooked. All of the other ingredients (garlic, mango chutney, dijon mustard, brown sugar, orange juice and zest) get thrown into a food processor for a minute and then gets poured over the ham. That is IT! This truly is the answer to Auntie's question..."How easy is thaaaaaat?"
It cooked for about an hour or so, and I could not resist snatching little pieces off of it as soon as it came out of the oven. It is already sliced, so it made it easy to plate. Apparently the bone and bits that cling to it make fantastic soup. I was sorry to have to leave it in my parent's freezer in Florida, but I think TSA would not be likely to let me on the plane with a big ham bone and ice packs. Could you imagine?
Here is the ham in it's shiny red wrapper:
It came with some kind of glaze packet, but I tossed it. No pics of the other ingredients, as I was on vacation and trying to get 2 main courses, 3 side dishes, an appetizer and a cake cooked for the 8 people coming for dinner. Doesn't sound like vacation, does it? It was though. I loved doing this. Besides, my parent's kitchen is bigger than mine and my dad cleans up all of the messes that I make! Now THAT'S a vacation!
I do have a shot of the finished product...
Ham-a-licious. Easy. Makes tons. If you are a ham fan....you need to make this. Another score for Auntie! Here's the recipe : Baked Virginia Ham
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