Sunday Dinner Menu: Brown Sugar Glazed Ham By Brenda Hyde

This is a lovely spring or holiday menu for family and friends. If you have kids or adults who don’t like sweet potatoes add a dish of boiled new potatoes with minced parsley and butter to the menu.

Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze
Ingredients:
1 fully cooked, boneless ham half (4-5 pounds) ( I like bone-in hams best)
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
Grated peel of 1 orange or tsp. dried orange peel
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place ham on a rack in a roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes per pound or until a meat thermometer reaches 125 degrees F. Prepare the glaze: in a small saucepan combine brown sugar, orange juice, orange peel, cloves and allspice; simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Brush the glaze over the ham. Bake the ham for 20 to 30 minutes more or until it reaches 135 degrees F. Allow it to stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Makes 8 servings.

Sweet Potato Biscuits
Ingredients:
2 cups of self rising flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 stick of butter, melted
1 cup of cooked, sweet potatoes, mashed
1/3 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup of milk
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the butter, sweet potatoes, milk, juice and egg. Mix well. Sift the dry ingredients together and stir them into the sweet potato mixture, mixing well. Pour batter into an 8 x 8 inch pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes- spray the pan beforehand with cooking spray. Cool until warm, and cut into 8 squares. Serve with butter. Notes: Cook a large sweet potato in the microwave, like a potato, but about double the time, cool then mash for this recipe, or used leftover fresh or canned sweet potatoes.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
2 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
3 large cloves garlic,minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans
2 tablespoons fresh, minced parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In roasting pan, combine sweet potatoes, garlic, rosemary and oil. Toss to blend well. Roast at 375 degrees F for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, sprinkle with nuts, parsley, salt and pepper. Makes 6-8 servings.

Cabbage Stir Fry
Ingredients:
1 head green cabbage, cut into strips
2 cups red cabbage, cut into strips
1 large sweet onion, sliced thin and halved
2 Granny Smith apples, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (or wine vinegar)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large pan or skillet and sauté over medium heat until the cabbage and apples are tender. Season with salt and pepper again before serving as needed. Serves 8.

Baked Apples and Bananas
Ingredients:
4 apples, peeled,cored and thinly sliced
4 bananas, split lengthwise and cut in half
1 lemon
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 cups apple juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Vanilla Ice Cream or Pound Cake

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Combine the apples and bananas and put into a shallow baking dish. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze both halves over the fruit. Combine the remaining ingredients except vanilla in a saucepan and boil until the sugars are dissolved. Remove from heat, add vanilla, and pour over bananas and apples. Bake in 450 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Cool till warm, and serve over pound cake slices or vanilla ice cream. Top with whipped cream.

About the AuthorBrenda Hyde is a freelance writer and editor of Old Fashioned Living. She lives in the Midwest United States with her husband and three kids.

The very first step in cooking is to read the recipe all the way through, from the name of the dish to the cooling process. Read the recipe again and set out all the ingredients you will need to prepare the recipe. Let your child carry the ingredients to the counter. This not only helps ensure you have everything required on hand, but also provides an opportunity to explain unfamiliar cooking terms to your children.

Talk with your child about how long it will take to make your recipe and determine whether you have adequate time to make the recipe appropriately and patiently. Will you be able to allow it to bake or simmer all the way through? Look at the clock with your child to make certain. This will also help your child learn to tell time.

Remember, expect spills, laugh a lot, and have a great time!

What do you do with all those hard boiled eggs?

Easter Egg Sandwiches

6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
A dash of pepper
Mix all ingredients and spread on bread; makes 6 sandwiches

Welcome to My Country Kitchen, where kids are the guest of honor! Cooking with your kids is an activity that every family should do at least once at week starting about age 3.

BASIC TIPS FOR COOKING WITH KIDS

Begin your child’s kitchen adventure with wooden spoons, plastic or metal mixing bowls, wire whisk, a kid’s cookbook, step stool that will not turn over, big cookie sheets to help with spills, hot pads, plastic nesting measuring cups, and a child sized apron. Plastic bowls and wooden spoons are easier and safer for kids to manage and you may feel more comfortable.

Safety first. Keep young children away from a hot stove, oven, sharp knives and cheese graters. As you cook with your child you will know when they are ready to tackle these areas. However, I do suggest you wait until your child is at least 7 or 8 years old before you teach your children about these areas of cooking.

Allow even the youngest chef to pour the ingredients into a bowl; flour, sugar, eggs etc. Remember to turn the mixer off first. Cracking eggs can be a challenge for little chefs. Have them to practice a bit by cracking the eggs into a separate bowl. This way you can remove any shells before adding the eggs to remaining ingredients.

Keep the recipes simple at first. No bake cookie recipes, fresh fruit salad, smoothies, dips and sandwiches are a great start. Children love to cut sandwiches into different shapes using cookie cutters.

Start with a cookbook that has illustrations to coincide with the instructions. This will develop your child’s to ability to follow instructions.

Purchase, or make an apron that is solely for your little cook to wear. One that will fit them.

Pour on the praise with your little chefs even if the outcome isn’t exactly as expected. Every cooking experience is a learning experience.

Expect a mess…spills will happen. Take it in stride and simply use the opportunity to teach that clean-up is one aspect of cooking. Have a large cookie sheet under the work area of your little chef. This will keep spills from flowing all over the kitchen. Laugh and have fun with your little chef.

Let’s try a recipe.

Critter Crunch

1/4 cup butter or margarine
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups Crispix
1 1/2 cups Cheerios
1 1/2 cups animal crackers
1 1/2 cups bear-shaped honey graham snacks
1 cup bite-size Shredded Wheat
1 cup miniature pretzels

In a saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, heat butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until butter is melted; mix well.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add butter mixture and toss to coat. Place in a greased 15 x 10-inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 300 degrees F for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Store in an airtight container.

Yields about 8 cups.

Enjoy your time in the kitchen! Your little chef will be going off to college in a few short years, so give them the gift that will last a life time. Teach your kids to cook!

Every Easter meal features deviled eggs. My husband loves deviled eggs, so it is used a lot around our home. This recipe can be doubled or tripled to meet your needs.

Deviled Eggs

7 large hard boiled eggs
3/4 teaspoon mustard
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Salt and ground black pepper
Paprika
1 tablespoon dill relish
1 teaspoon sweet relish

Peel eggs and slice each in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to small bowl. Arrange whites on serving platter. Mash yolks with fork until no large lumps remain. Add mustard, mayonnaise, vinegar, relishes, salt and pepper to taste; mix well. Fill egg whites with yolk mixture, using a pastry bag or spoon. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Betty

No matter how we wish for stress-free days, life just happens. After a full day’s work, Mom and Dad come home exhausted, homework needs to be done, kids may need to be off and running to an evening event, the dog needs to be walked, and everyone is hungry! Take out food is so easy and convenient that we often stop on the way home to pick up dinner so we can get home to our second job – our family and home. However, take out food is expensive and may not provide proper nutrition. Nutritionists recommend we prepare our own meals so we can control the ingredients. Financial advisors even recommend that families can help gain financial stability by eating at home more often. Doctors recommend good food choices at home to keep our weight and that of our children in check.

Statistics show that families who eat together at least once a day reap big benefits. They are more likely to have children who have better communication skills, receive better grades in school, teens with fewer eating disorders who are less likely to engage in promiscuity and drug use.

Local entrepreneur and cookbook author, Betty Lynch, strives to bring the family back to the dinner table. Imagine sitting around the table without the TV on, while talking, sharing, learning, and laughing. Create memories that will last a life-time. Back to the Table is dedicated to help you save money, prepare easy meals, help your family slow down, and spend at least thirty quality minutes together every day. The Back to the Table cookbook series will help you re-discover the joy of implementing these traditions.

Eula DeMasi of BringHomeTheSpa.com, states: “Oh Betty, I LOVE IT!!! I’ve never sat down to “read” a cookbook as if it is a best selling novel before! This is wonderful. I’m on page 46 now. I love the inclusion of your conversations with your editor. This is a TRUE cookbook, not just a binder full of recipes and acknowledgements. Actually, I don’t think the word cookbook fits. This is a cooking guide! This is what a cookbook should aspire to be. You did a wonderful job, Congratulations, again. YOU HAVE A HIT ON YOUR HANDS!”

Make the choice to dine in more often with scrumptious meal selections you prepare for your family from the Back to the Table with My Country Kitchen written by Betty Lynch. Visit http://www.mycountrykitchen.com for more information on the cookbook, and register for My Country Kitchen’s newsletter tips and recipe ideas.