A Ham Of A Tradition

 Every family has dishes and recipes that have been passed down between generations. Some of them are easily understood by others, and some don't make sense outside the family. But that's okay because if you love them, and they conjure up happy memories, that's all that matters. 

This is one of those things that I couldn't truly appreciate until I was an adult. I wasn't a picky eater as a kid, so I can't explain why I didn't enjoy it, but as I've gotten older, it's definitely something I can't imagine not serving with every ham I make. 

This comes to you via me of course, but like so many of my treasured recipes, it originated from my Grammy, my dad's mom. And when I say my daddy can NOT eat a beautiful holiday ham without it, I mean it. It's truly one of his favorite combinations in the world. 

If you try it, it won't take long before you realize well. The citrus flavor pairs so well with ham, the raisins turn into plump little bursts of flavor and the hint of cloves give it a true holiday essence. 

I don't mind making this any time I have a big glazed ham on the menu because one of the best things about it is you can make it ahead and simply rewarm it! I have made it up to 2 days before and it's still perfect. It does thicken as it sits, so sometimes it needs thinned back out, but see the note below on how I handle that.

The last time I made this for my dad he said we probably use way more on each piece of ham than what was intended. Oops. We slather our ham in it. I am pretty sure you're supposed to slightly dip, but oh well. We want ton enjoy it! 

If you're planning a Christmas ham, I would love if you included a family tradition of mine with your holiday meal. I would be honored, in fact!

Orange Raisin Sauce

1 c. water

1 c. orange juice

1 c. raisins

1/4 c. sugar

2 TBS flour

1/4 tsp. salt

Dash of cloves

In a small sauce pan, bring 1/2 cup water, juice and raisins to boil. Dissolve flour in other 1/2 cup water. Whisk into juice mixture. Add sugar, salt and cloves. Bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook until thick, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately or allow to cool and refrigerate. *NOTE* This is a great make ahead. It can be refrigerated up to 2 days before serving and reheated in microwave. It will become thicker as it sits, so simply add some water or juice to thin it back out.

 

 

 

Roadhouse At Home

Raise your hand if you immediately start to drool when I say "Texas Roadhouse rolls and butter." Yeah, me too. Hold on a sec, the keyboard is a little wet.

If your family is anything like ours, it's always a free for all when the basket of warm, fluffy rolls gets put on the table. And by the time your entree comes, you are usually half full from all the rolls you just gobbled up.

As if the rolls themselves weren't decadent enough, they always come with a ramekin of their famous cinnamon butter! This stuff truly puts them over the top.

If you haven't heard, it's one of the most simple copycat recipes around too! Literally 3 ingredients, in the food processor and bam you're done!

This sweet and savory butter is of course delicious on dinner rolls, but we love it on biscuits, bagels, English muffins, toast, sandwich bread...who are we kidding? Just pass us a spoon!

Once you mix this up, it's the perfect consistency, soft and spreadable. I like to keep my leftovers in the fridge and just let it come back to room temp again before using. Usually though, this is the perfect amount for one "sitting" and there aren't any leftovers.

Oh, and if you have never figured it out, this is the same butter they serve with their baked sweet potatoes too, so now you have two inspirations for the price of one.

I bet you have the ingredients on hand to make this tasty copycat recipe right now! You know you want to go check!

Copycat Texas Roadhouse Butter

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. honey

Place all ingredients in food processor and mix until well combined and smooth. Serve immediately. Store leftovers in fridge.

 

Shared at Weekend Potluck

Even Better Biscuits

Do you eat with three utensils or four? I know many of you are thinking...pondering...counting on your fingers. Don't worry. I haven't created a new piece of cutlery. What I'm referring to is bread. See, in our family, you have the knife, fork, spoon, and with 99% of meals, some sort of bread product. Biscuits, rolls, sliced bread, muffins, etc...they show up so often we just consider them another utensil to get the food in our mouths.

Even when we go out to eat, some of our favorite go-to places are those we know we will be served complimentary rolls or bread before the meal. What can I say? We are carb lovin' people. And one of those which we enjoy the most are the rolls and butter at a certain steak house. I probably don't even have to say the name. Ya'll know exactly which one I'm talking about. The warm, butter topped rolls with this amazing flavored butter that only makes them "more melt in your mouth" fantastic.

This is so simple, the food processor does all the work for you! Plus, it holds up in the fridge really well. I think it would make a great addition to your Easter table as well. Sure, your guests will be excited with fresh baked rolls, but imagine how giddy they will be when they find this to top them with!

If your family has to have some variety of bread with almost every meal, almost more than they need that spoon, give them a little something extra special to go with it!

Cinnamon Honey Butter

1 stick butter, room temp

1/4 c. honey

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in food processor. Pulse until creamy and combined. Use on biscuits, rolls, bread, toast, etc. Refrigerate leftovers.

Shared on The Country Cook April 4, 2014

 

We Are Steak People

Yep. That's a fact. As much as my family loves our veggies, we could never  be vegetarians. And that's not judging those out there who are, more power to you! It's simply a statement of how much we love, no make that adore, meat!

All kinds of meat, from all walks of life. If it comes from a cow, pig, chicken, fish, buffalo, pheasant...I could go on, but I won't, we will eat it! We are most definitely carnivores.

Now, here is a little secret. When I was growing up, I wasn't that big of a beef fan. It wasn't until Adam came along (Mr. give me my steak as rare as it can be. Seriously, I'm talking, show it the grill and walk away!) and showed me there were other ways to eat steak other than "well done", that I really started to enjoy it. See, like many kids, I never had my own steak, I usually shared with my mom. And like many women out there, she was a big fan of "cook it til it's dead"! And that's okay. She liked her steaks well done, and a little bit crispy around the edges, so that's the only way I ate steak for many years. Then Adam explained this wonderful thing called medium rare, and to this day, that is how I love my steaks. In fact, we've even converted mom a little, and she is now a medium steak gal. We learned that many times, you can take a steak that is tender and fabulous and cook it that long, the flavor gets ruined, becoming tough and dry. This is especially true if ordering in a restaurant. If a steakhouse knows they are going to cook it that long, that will choose a piece of "substandard" meat, so to speak. (I am saying this as a former employee of a restaurant.) But if you order one that is less cooked, they know it better come out juicy and tender, so they choice a nicer piece of beef.

And we have passed this beef love onto our son, of course. Now, when he was younger, I will admit, I made sure his meat was very well done. But as he has gotten older and his stomach has "grown up" a little, I allow him to have one that is cooked a little more like ours. (Trust me though, he never eats one that is still mooing, like his father!) Alex needs one thing for his steak....steak sauce! He likes the bottled version just fine (He gets that from his Pa Pa...another meat lover!) but I thought making a homemade version might be fun.

With grilling season in full swing for a lot of us, it's the perfect time to have something yummy to dip that perfectly cooked steak into...rather it's well done (and if that's you, I respect that!)...or pink inside for me....or practically walking off the plate like my husband!

Homemade Steak Sauce

1/2 c. ketchup

1 TBS brown sugar

1 TBS soy sauce

1/2 TBS onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 c. water

1/8 c. lemon juice

1/8 c. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 TBS yellow mustard

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered,  for 15-20 minutes until thickened. Allow to cool and then refrigerate until serving. If it thickens too much, just add a little warm water to thin. Serve with your favorite steak!

Shared on Make Ahead Meals May 13, 2013
Shared on Mandy's Recipe Box May 14, 2013
Shared on Lady Behind The Curtain May 15, 2013
Shared on The Country Cook May 17, 2013

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A Fishy Celebration

Each late summer/early fall for the past few years, we gather with Adam's family and have a huge fish fry! A ginormous spread full of fried fish, fried veggies, salads, deviled eggs, sweets...it's a feast! It's something everyone looks forward to each year, and last year when we had to skip it, we were all pretty disappointed. I know what you are asking "If everyone enjoys it so much, why would you skip it?" Well, we had very good reasons. See, on August 23, 2011 Adam's younger brother underwent a stem cell transplant to fight the leukemia he had been diagnosed with earlier in May. And thanks be to God, Adam was a 100% match and able to be his donor. But after a procedure like that, isolation is very important to prevent infection, so to ensure his brother's health, the fish fry was canceled. Fast forward 12 months, and we were ready to gather again; and this year we had so much to celebrate. See, that transplant was absolutely our miracle from above. It was 100% successful and during the one year bone marrow biopsy, NO leukemia was detected. Adam's brother is healthy, happy and actually on his way to getting married this December to the love of his life, whom he met during this hellish ordeal! Our family is so grateful, so thankful and we know God does answer prayers and is SO good all the time. So this year the fish fry was so much more, and it was a celebration to behold. Now of course, my Deviled Eggs were requested, but I also took my Ranch Dip for those yummy fried veggies (just like at any county fair!) and if we were going to have a "dipper" for the veggies, we needed one for the fish too. Can't have them feeling left out. So, I made some of my super quick tartar sauce that I've been making for years. I love it because it can literally be made in 5 minutes with things most of us have on hand, and tastes so much better than bottled. If you love fried fish, try this next time! Our family has so much to rejoice in and celebrate this year, and this fish fry was just the beginning!

Tartar Sauce
1 c. mayo
1 c. sweet relish
1 tsp. onion powder
2 TBS lemon juice

Place all ingredients in bowl and stir well to combine. Serve immediately or chill until ready.

Shared on Lady Behind The Curtain Sept. 5, 2012
Shared on Miz Helen's Country Cottage Sept. 6, 2012
Shared on The Country Cook Sept. 7, 2012

Fish at Very Good Recipes
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