Daisy Chains and Picnics

  I got this Christmas movie cookbook during our 2022 holiday to LA see  here  and I still haven't made anything from it, so for our Christmas in July, I thought I would try the Hickory-Honey ham from the movie Christmas with The Kranks. Scenes from the movie where Nora is running towards the last ham in the store, only to be outsmarted by an elderly lady. I managed to get a couple of reduced shoulder hams from woolies back in May so this gave me an excuse to try a recipe from the book. We also got some Hickory smoking chips for the BBQ. It is a ham that has been smoked over Hickory wood chips for several hours, served with a honey gravy, not out of a tin which it is in the movie. Ingredients 8 cups hickory or other hardwood chips 2 large aluminum foil pans 1 (4kg) fully cooked  bone in ham 1/4 cup salted butter 1 shallot, minced 1/3 cup honey 1/4 cup dark brown sugar 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard 1 tsp ground ginger 1/...

  I made this ham for our 2023 Christmas day lunch. It was really tasty, I would certainly make it again. Ingredients 3 ripe yellow peaches 1/2 cup Pimms 1 cup water 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 Tbsp caster sugar 1 cinnamon stick 1/2 tsp ground ginger cloves to garnish 5kg ham on the bone Method 1.  Using a sharp knife, cut a small cross on the base of each peach. Place peaches in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 1 minute. Drain, set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove and discard skin, cut in half, discard the stones, roughly chop. 2.  Place chopped peaches, 1 cup water, Pimms, sugars, cinnamon and ginger in a medium pan over a medium-high heat, stirring for 5 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 40-45 minutes until peach has broken down and mixture has thickened. Remove and discard cinnamon. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool slightly. 3.  Preheat ove...

  We went for a large ham this year, (well, that was part of the reason, the main reason is, there weren't many hams left in the supermarket), I like to freeze the leftovers and use them through the year. I make a ham every year for Christmas dinner, I like to try various flavours and glazes, I went for a Scottish themed flavoured glaze this year, infusing two traditional Scottish drinks together, Whisky and Irn Bru. 4.8 kg bone in half leg ham For the glaze 1 Tbsp honey 2 tbsp Irn Bru 1 Tbsp Whisky 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp brown sugar Method 1.  Remove ham from fridge 1 hour before cooking. 2.  Preheat oven to 160° C fan forced. Mix all glaze ingredients in a small bowl, set aside. 3. U sing a small sharp knife, cut around ham rind, 8cm from shank end. Starting at the opposite end to the shank, run your thumb under the rind to separate it from the fat. Peel back and discard the rind. Wrap shank end in tinfoil, then place ham in a large roasting pan. Add a 1/4 cup wate...

Another recipe from The Golden Girls Cookbook, this time it's Rose's mum Alma's soup recipe. Rose's mum, Alma, learned a lot more on the farm than how to play poker and carve a gun out of soap. She also learned how to make hearty soups in big enough quantities to freeze some for another meal. When "winter" comes to Florida, Rose digs out this recipe and brings a little bit of Minnesota dairy-farm life to the girls' Miami kitchen. Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil bone from one semi-boneless  smoked ham with meat attached or 3 large ham hocks 2 ribs celery, trimmed, diced 1 onion, peeled, diced 1 medium carrot, peeled, diced 3 cloves garlic, crushed 3 sprigs thyme 455g split yellow peas 6 cups chicken stock lemon wedges Method 1.  Heat oil in a 5 litre pot over a low heat until heated up. Add the bone or ham hocks and cook, turning frequently, until lightly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. 2.  Add celery, onion and carrot to the pot. Cook stirring occasio...

I made this for Christmas dinner 2021. I bought a leg ham portion from Coles as there was an offer on. Ingredients 1/2 cup honey 2 tbsp brown sugar, packed 2 tbsp sriracha sauce 1 garlic clove, minced  2.8kg leg ham portion Method 1.  Preheat oven to 180°c (160°C fan.) 2.  Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk until blended. Set aside. 3.  Meanwhile, run a small sharp knife under the rind around edge of ham. Gently lift the rind off in one piece by running your fingers between the rind and fat. Score the fat in a diamond pattern about 5mm deep.  4.  Brush 1/3rd of the glaze on the ham. Transfer to a prepared baking dish. 5.  Cooking time is approx 20-25 minutes for each 450g but check manufacturers cooking instructions on packaging. 6.  Baste with remaining glaze every 15 minutes.

I made this for Christmas lunch 2020, the recipe was in the Woolworths fresh ideas magazine, this is the exact recipe but as I had a smaller 1/2 leg of ham, I used less ingredients and cooked the ham as instructed on the packaging. We have a ham every Christmas and I like to use various different recipes so that we have a different flavoured ham to enjoy. I added some glace cherries along with the star anise as I had some in the cupboard to use up. Ingredients 3 x 425g pineapple slices in juice 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 1/2 cup rum 2 limes, zested & juiced 12 star anise 8kg whole leg ham Method 1.  Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan forced. 2.  Drain pineapple, reserving juice from 2 cans. Place pineapple juice in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sugar, rum, zest & lime juice, cook, stirring for 4 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Add 3 star anise and bring to the boil. Boil for 8 minutes or until syrupy. 3.  Meanwhile, using a small sharp knife, cut arou...

This years Christmas ham was glazed with ginger beer glaze which I found on delicious Australia website. We had a smaller ham so I reduced the ingredients by half. Ingredients 4-5 kg whole leg ham on the bone Ginger beer glaze Ingredients 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup soy sauce 3 whole cloves 1 cm piece ginger, peeled, sliced 3/4 cup ginger beer 2 kaffir lime leaves 1 1/2 star anise 1/2 cinnamon stick 5 cloves garlic, halved 1/2 cup red wine 1 tsp mustard seeds Method 1.  For the glaze, combine all ingredients in a saucepan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for 40 minutes or until reduced by 2/3rds. Set aside to cool completely. Strain glaze into a bowl, discarding solids. 2.  Preheat oven to 160° C. fan. Using a small sharp knife, cut around ham shank in a zigzag pattern, then carefully run knife under skin, around the edges of the ham. 3.  Gently lift off the sk...

We always have a ham on Christmas day. We have tried various glazes and recipes and I am always on the look out for new Ideas.. I got this recipes in the Coles 2018 Christmas magazine and decided to give it a go. It was delicious, one I would certainly use again. Ingredients 1/2 cup cherry jam 1/2 cup orange marmalade 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup brandy or orange juice 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard 2 tbsp Dijon mustard 1/2 tsp fennel seeds 1/2 tsp mixed spice Full leg ham bone in 2 tbsp whole cloves Method 1.  Preheat oven to 180°C. Combine the jam, marmalade, sugar, maple syrup and brandy or orange juice in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl and discard the solids. Add the wholegrain mustard, Dijon mustard, fennel seeds and mixed spice and stir to combine. Set aside to cool...