When it comes to creating special moments as a family, sharing a meal together is one of the first things that comes to my mind--I guess because I come from a family that loves to cook and loves to eat (LOL)! So as we head into the Christmas season, a time when families gather for some of the most special meals of the year, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to share some delicious holiday recipes. In fact, I have an entire meal here for you today, made entirely of recipes from the Dainty Jewells blog!
First up, a new addition to the blog... the Best Ever Holiday Ham! My mom got this recipe from a lady at church after she brought this ham to a "Friendsgiving" gathering at church last month. My mom said it was the best ham she'd ever had--which prompted her to ask for the recipe--and boy, she wasn't exaggerating! We made it for Thanksgiving this year and it was SO GOOD! Check out the recipe below, and then keep reading for more recipe recommendations from the blog!
The Best Ever Holiday Ham
Ingredients:
- 1 spiral ham
- 2 jars of pineapple preserves
- Famous Dave's Rib Rub
- Honey
Instructions:
- Unwrap the ham and throw away the glaze it comes with (you won't need this!), then lay the unwrapped ham on its side on a cutting board before applying both jars of pineapple preserves all over the ham.
- Once the ham is fully covered with the preserves, apply a generous coating of Famous Dave's Rib Rub all over the ham--top, bottom, all around and in between the layers.
- This ham is intended to be cooked in a smoker, but if you don't have a smoker, you could bake it in the oven instead (at 325 degrees for 2-3 hours, while following the directions below). But if you are using a smoker, you will need to preheat the smoker to 225-230 degrees.
- Once the smoker has reached the proper temperature, place the ham in a disposable metal pan atop the rack. Leave the ham in the smoker until it reaches an internal temp of 110 degrees, then brush on a generous amount of honey to glaze it. Continue cooking the ham until the internal temp reaches 120-125 degrees, then cover the ham with foil and let it continue cooking until it reaches an internal temp of 160 degrees.
- Slice the ham and enjoy!
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Now that you have the main entree taken care of, you need some appetizers and side dishes to go with it! And let's not forget about dessert!
Appetizers:
Side Dishes:
- Loaded Baked Potato Casserole
Desserts:
Photo by Nicole Michalou
