Glazed Ham with Pineapple Mustard Sauce

This is a great glaze with a mild mustard sauce

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil for greasing pan
• 1 (8- to 10-pound) partially cooked smoked shank-end ham (preferably Cook's brand)
• 3 cups unsweetened pineapple juice (24 fl ounces)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 cup Dijon mustard (7 ounces)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

• Special equipment: an instant-read thermometer

• Garnish: sprigs of fresh thyme

Directions

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Oil a large roasting pan.

If ham comes wrapped in plastic, rinse ham and pat dry. Cut away and discard any thick skin with a sharp paring knife, leaving a 1-inch band around shank end, then cut away all but about an 1/8-inch layer of fat where possible. Put ham, cut side down, in roasting pan. Pour 3/4 cup pineapple juice around ham and cover pan tightly with foil, then bake 1 hour.

While ham is baking, combine sugar and remaining 2 1/4 cups pineapple juice in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan and gently boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 3/4 cup, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer pineapple syrup to a bowl and cool 5 minutes. Whisk in mustard, salt, and pepper, then pour 1/2 cup into a small bowl and stir in thyme. Reserve remaining mustard mixture for serving.

Discard foil from pan and brush ham with thyme mustard mixture, then bake, basting with pan juices occasionally, until thermometer inserted into center of meat (do not touch bone) registers 145 to 150°F, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. If pan juices evaporate during baking, add 1/2 cup water. Transfer ham to a platter, discarding pan juices, and let stand, uncovered, 15 to 30 minutes before slicing. Serve ham with reserved mustard mixture on the side.

Cooks' notes: ·Pineapple mustard mixture, without thyme, can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
·Ham can be trimmed of skin and fat 8 hours ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from Cathy Lowe via the Food Network.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups chocolate chips, 2 Hershey's chocolate bars, chopped or M&M'S
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl stir together flour, salt, and baking soda.

In another large bowl stir together butter, both sugars, eggs, vanilla and cocoa.

Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until combined.

Stir chocolate chips and walnuts, if using, and stir to distribute evenly.

For cookies: Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets and bake about 10 minutes. Cool on a baking rack.

For bars: Pat dough into a greased 9 inch square baking pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into squares when cooled

Pork Pie

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds lean ground pork
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Crumble the ground pork into a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until evenly browned. Add water and remove from heat, and mix in the fresh bread crumbs. Season with salt, cinnamon, and cloves, and mix well.
3. Press one of the pie crusts into the bottom and up the sides of a pie plate. Fill with the pork mixture. Place the second crust over the top, and pinch the seams to seal. Poke a couple of holes in the top crust to vent steam.
4. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until crust is golden.

Orange Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 60 wafers)
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• FILLING:
• 4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 10 ounces white baking chocolate, melted
• TOPPING:
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 2 cans (11 ounces each) mandarin oranges, well drained

Directions

• Combine the first three ingredients; press onto the bottom and 1-1/2 in up the sides of a greased 10-in. springform pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes; cool completely.
• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and sour cream until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate. Pour into crust. Place pan on a baking sheet
• Bake at 350° for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until center is nearly set. Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
• Combine the sour cream, sugar and extract; spread over filling. Bake at 450° for 5-7 minutes or until set. Chill, uncovered, 1 hour. Arrange oranges on cheesecake. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12-16 servings.

From Taste of Home web site.