In The News
Time-Saving Tips for the Four Days of Thanksgiving
10.21.2006
For many families, Thanksgiving is a four-day marathon of gatherings, cooking and of course, eating. Though turkey holds iconic status on Thursday, its charm wears thin after a few rounds of tired turkey sandwiches on Friday. That's when a creative and thoughtful chef looks beyond turkey for different solutions to feed the hordes.
Cook's Spiral Sliced Bone-In Ham is a fresh and economical alternative to those inevitable turkey leftovers for the four-day holiday weekend. Pre-sliced, Cook's popular spiral sliced hams are the easiest to serve and offer an elegant presentation as a main course or in a buffet for family and friends. Best of all, the natural qualities of bone-in ham offer a lean, nutritious meal with a much better flavor than the typical boneless ham. And, provided the ham leftovers have survived a midnight raid on the fridge, the family chef can create a variety of healthful, tasty dishes using the versatile ham -- and maybe even turkey -- still on hand.
The folks at Cook's Ham have put together four time-saving, stress-alleviating tips for family chefs during the long holiday weekend.
HAM TIP #1
On Friday, use a bone-in spiral sliced ham to fill out the bounty of foil-wrapped leftovers. One spiral sliced half ham (7 to 9 lbs.) feeds up to 12 people, requires very little preparation, and is pre-sliced and easy to serve. Below is a delicious honey glaze recipe to compliment the smoked flavor of the ham.
Maple & Clover Honey Glaze
- Cook's Bone-in Spiral Sliced Half Ham
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup clover honey
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground English mustard
Heat oven to 250ºF. Remove ham from all packaging materials, place face down in shallow roasting pan and cover with foil. Bake for 1 ½ hours. To prepare glaze, combine all ingredients in bowl, mix well and set aside. Remove ham from oven and uncover. Brush glaze evenly over surface of ham. Return to oven and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until internal temperature of ham reaches 160ºF on a meat thermometer. Transfer ham to a carving board; cut around center bone with knife to free as many slices from the bone as desired.
HAM TIP #2
Any leftover ham can reappear easily in the next meal. Because the natural bone and muscles remain undisturbed, Cook's ham is superior in taste and texture, lending itself perfectly to shredding as well as slicing. And of course, family cooks can use the bone as a base for flavorful soups such as split pea or bean.
Hawaiian Ham Medley
- 1 lb. (approx. 2 cups) Cook's ham, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 (14 ½ oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 (20 oz.) can unsweetened pineapple chunks
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Hot Cooked Rice
In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook onion and green pepper for about 20 minutes. Add leftover ham, tomatoes, brown sugar, garlic powder and pepper. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Stir pineapple into ham mixture. Bring to a boil; cook uncovered for 5 minutes. In a bowl, combine cornstarch and reserved pineapple juice until smooth; gradually add to ham mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over rice. Makes 6 servings
HAM TIP #3
On a holiday weekend, meals often go beyond the traditional holiday dinner. Leftover ham is a boon to breakfasts – it’s a naturally lower-fat alternative to other breakfast meats such as bacon and sausage, while still providing a robust flavor. Compared to bacon, ham takes less time to prepare, is less messy and has less fat. Below is a recipe for a delicious breakfast classic.
Eggs Benedict with Ham
- 6 pieces Cook's ham, large enough to fit on bread
- 3 English muffins, halved (or 6 rounds of bread)
- 6 eggs, poached
- Hollandaise sauce (pre-packaged or homemade)
Toast 6 English muffin halves. Cover each with a hot slice of ham. Top each with a poached egg. Serve hot, covered with Hollandaise sauce.
HAM TIP #4
Although ham’s smoked, salty flavor is part of its allure, some people prefer a milder-flavored ham. Cures and saltiness vary among manufacturers and types of ham; spiral sliced bone-in hams typically have a milder flavor than other types of bone-in hams. One way to reduce the salty flavor is to bake the ham 1 to 1 ½ hours according to instructions. Drain off the pan drippings, pour a small bottle of ginger ale or 7-Up over the ham and finish baking.
