Simple Recipes to Help Make the Holidays Stress Free
I don’t know about you but the holidays, while fun, are also stressful. As I have gotten older I find that putting together elaborate meals doesn’t always work out well for me. I can no longer multi-task well and getting all the hot food on the table while it’s still hot. entertaining family, friends while dogging the grand dog who sits center stage in my kitchen hoping I’ll drop something is beyond my scope.
So if you are anything like me – keep it simple. Enjoy the friends and family, pet the dog, take a sip of wine, and celebrate what is truly important – keeping Christ in Christmas and being together making memories. Here are two recipes that help make that happen.
Baked Ham with Brown Sugar Mustard Glaze
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 1 hr.
Yield: 12 servings with leftovers
Ingredients
1 10-12 lb. already cooked ham
Whole cloves for studding ham
1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
¼ cup prepared mustard (I use Grey Poupon)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar or orange juice
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Score top of ham into diamonds and stud center of each diamond with a clove.
- In a bowl, combine the sugar, mustard and vinegar or orange juice and spread glaze evenly over ham.
- Bake according to directions on ham packaging.
- Transfer ham to a platter and let stand 15 minutes before carving.
Momo’s Cranberry Jello Salad
This is a favorite recipe in our family. Thad’s mother used to make it all the time and not just for the holidays. It’s a great make a head dish and can be served as a salad with an entrée (like a ham) or even as a dessert.
She would serve it along with some sweetened sour cream.
Ingredients
Raspberry Jell-O (2 regular size or 1 lg package)
2.5 cups water
1 can cranberry sauce
1 can crushed pineapple with juice
1 Tbsp. orange juice
1 shaved apple
Directions
1. Mix Jell-O in hot water until dissolved.
2. Add the cranberry sauce, pineapple with juice, orange juice and shaved apple.
3. Pour in 8×8 or 9×9 container and chill until firm.
Wishing you all a blessed, wonderful, safe, happy, and tasty holiday season!