Glazed Ham with Pecan Crust

Looking for the perfect menu to entertain guests this Easter? Holiday meals are known for their classic dishes and these have a delicious twist!  Just wait until you taste this classic Glazed Ham with Pecan Crust – you don’t have to make an extra trip to the ham store. And of course with my sweet tooth I have to include a dessert!  The Tropical Yam Trifle is an incredible finish to your meal and includes the fabulous Louisiana yams.

Glazed Ham with Pecan Crust from Holly Clegg’s trim&TERRIFIC Home Entertaining the Easy Way

No need to buy a honey baked ham at the store with this stunning ham with incredible taste, yet, so simply prepared.

Makes 20 – 25 (5-ounce) servings

1 10-pound fully cooked bone in ham

2 cups apple cider

1 cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.  Insert meat thermometer into center of ham without touching bone.  Place ham in baking dish, pour cider over.
2. Roast in oven, basting with cider every 30 minutes for total cooking time of 12 – 15 minutes per pound or until thermometer registers 140°F.
3. Meanwhile, in bowl, combine brown sugar, mustard and pecans.  Remove ham from oven last 40 minutes, firmly pat sugar pecan mixture all over ham.  Return to oven, continue roasting until crust is brown and ham is done.
4. Slice and serve with sauce.  Some of topping falls into sauce making it the perfect accompaniment to ham.

Nutritional information per serving:

Calories 306, Protein (g) 35, Carbohydrate (g) 12, Fat (g) 13, Calories from fat (%) 38, Saturated Fat (g) 3, Dietary Fiber (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 75, Sodium (mg) 1824, Diabetic Exchanges: 5 lean meat, 1 other carbohydrate

Terrific Tip:  Garnish ham with crab apples or pomegranates while in season.

Planning your Easter Meal – Glazed Ham with Pecan Crust

Warm up with this easy to make family favorite.  Beginning with ground sirloin and just adding convenience items, the kids will gravitate to the burger style soup.  Packed with an abundance of flavors and ingredients, this chunky soup has chili characteristics, being hearty and satisfying.  The Louisiana yams add a natural sweetness contrasting with the southwestern seasonings.  Thumbs up!

My new addiction is the Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake which deserves a post of  its own. This sensational cake begins with a spice cake mix with easy ingredients including light eggnog to give it that holiday taste.  When you take a bite of this moist cake with butterscotch and pecans, you melt.

WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE COOKING SEGMENT:  WBRZ Holly December

Southwestern Soup and Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake-Two Winter Favorites

These are time saver recipes combining favorite holiday recipes into one dish.  Looking for a new twist to dressing…check out this easy combination of Louisiana yams and cornbread for the ultimate Yam Cornbread Dressing-diabetic friendly!  Also, Yam Pecan Pie with Gingersnap Crust!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Recipes from:  Holly Clegg’s trim&Terrific Too Hot in the Kitchen:  Secrets To Sizzle At Any Age

Time-Saver Sweet Potato Recipes featuring Louisiana Yams: Yam Cornbread Dressing and Yam Pecan Pie Cooking Video

Out of Oven Room-Prepare This Festive Wild Rice Holiday Side

 For a quick and easy holiday side, I love to throw this dish together. Perfect to make when your oven is busy and there is no oven space left, since it’s cooked on top of the stove. While the rice is cooking, sauté the peppers and toss together in no time at all. For an even quicker version, try instant wild rice; it tastes just as good. Wild Rice adds a delicious nutty flavor to the dish, while the peppers add a natural sweetness. Did you know that all peppers are loaded with Vitamin C, and red peppers even have more Vitamin C than an orange?  And, with pecans having more antioxidants than any other nut, this satisfying and nutritious dish is a delectable and colorful side on any holiday table.  

 Wild Rice with Peppers and Toasted Pecans from Holly Clegg trim&TERRIFIC Diabetic Cooking

The colorful peppers liven up this festive side while the toasty pecans add a nice toasty crunch.

 8 servings/serving size: 1 cup

 1 cup chopped onion

1 cup wild rice

1/2 cup rice

3 1/4 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Salt and pepper to taste

 1. In medium nonstick saucepot, bring onion, wild rice, rice, broth, and thyme to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 25 minutes or until rice is done.

2. Meanwhile, in nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, sauté peppers for 5–7 minutes or until tender. When rice is done, stir in peppers and pecans and season to taste

 Nutritional information per serving

Calories 159, Protein (g) 6, Carbohydrate (g) 29, Fat (g) 3, Calories from Fat (%) 27, Saturated Fat (g) 0, Dietary Fiber (g) 3, Sugars (g) 3, Cholesterol (mg) 0, Sodium (mg) 28, Diabetic Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat

No More Oven Space-Try Festive Wild Rice Side

Sweet Potatoes or Yams?

 Tis the season of the yams!  We know our holiday table wouldn’t be complete without a bubbling hot rich sweet potato casserole. Or is it a yam casserole and what is the difference?  Well, a true yam actually is a tuber grown in the tropics, and a true sweet potato is an enlarged root of the sweet potato plant that is starchy when harvested but becomes sweeter after storage.  In the 1930′s, as Louisiana sweet potatoes were shipped to the eastern states, the consumer recognized that Louisiana sweet potatoes were moist, sweet and soft when baked.  Thus, “Louisiana Yams” (yam comes from African word “nyami” means “to eat”) became the trademark of the Louisiana sweet potato distinguishing them as the sweetest and most moist variety. 

 Here’s one of my favorite Louisiana yam recipes that I have no willpower–natural sweetness of yams, tart cranberries and a toasty pecan praline topping.

Sweet Potato Coffee Cake with Praline Topping from Holly Clegg trim&TERRIFIC Freezer Friendly Meals

Versatility and new yam ideas!  This nutritional vegetable packed with antioxidants and fiber adds a natural sweetness to any recipe from soups, stews, casseroles and breads. 

 Terrific Yam Tidbits:

 1 (15-ounce) can sweet potatoes (yams) drained and mashed equals 1 cup.

• 1 medium sweet potato, cooked equals 1 cup mashed
• If a recipe calls for canned sweet potatoes, fresh cooked sweet potatoes may be used.
• Bake sweet potatoes, wrap well, and freeze to pull out for a quick dinner side.
• Sweet potatoes (yams) should not be refrigerated unless cooked.
• Look for Louisiana yams in your grocery!

Sweet Potatoes or Yams?

OK – time for a splurge with a recipe I just had to include so serve with seasonable fruit to help justify this unbelievable baked brie.  The nuts, brown sugar, and coffee liqueur make quite a topping.  Remember to watch your portions at times like this.

Glazed Brie from The New Holly Clegg Trim & TERRIFIC Cookbook

Makes 20 servings

1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup coffee liqueur
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (14-ounce) round brie
Assorted crackers
Pear slices, apple slices

1.  Preheat oven 325 degrees.
2.   In small saucepan, cook pecans until golden brown, about 5 minutes, stirring.  Stir in liqueur, brown sugar, and vanilla; set aside.  3.  Remove the top rind of the brie.  Place brie in shallow baking dish.  Top with pecan mixture.
4.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until brie is soft and heated through.  Serve immediately with assorted crackers and fruit slices.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories 96, Protein (g) 4, Carbohydrate (g) 4, Fat (g) 6, Calories from Fat (%) 60, Saturated Fat (g) 4, Dietary Fiber (g) 0, Cholesterol (mg) 20, Sodium (mg) 126, Diabetic Exchanges: 0.5 high-fat meat, 0.5 other carbohydrate, 0.5 fat

Glazed Brie

A family recipe that makes our holiday table every year. If you don’t like squash, this casserole will win you over…you won’t realize it even includes squash.
Ingredients
2 pounds fresh yellow squash, thinly sliced
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 (15-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup cornmeal
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions
1.  Preheat  oven 350°F.   Coat 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2.  Cook squash until very tender on stove in 1/4 cup water 10 minutes or in microwave; drain. Mash or purée squash in food processor.
3.  In nonstick skillet, sauté green pepper and onion in oil until tender.
4.  In bowl, combine puréed squash, onion mixture, corn, sugar, and cornmeal.  Season to taste.
5.  Transfer to prepared dish.  In small bowl, combine bread crumbs, pecans and butter; sprinkle on top.   Bake 30 minutes, or until bubbly and thoroughly heated.

Makes 6- 8 servings
Food Facts

Calories 200
Protein (g) 4
Carbohydrate (g) 29
Fat (g) 9
Calories from Fat (%) 41
Saturated Fat (g) 1
Dietary Fiber (g) 5
Sugars (g) 8
Cholesterol (mg) 2
Sodium (mg) 276
Diabetic Exchanges: 1.5 starch, 1.5 vegetable, 2 fat

Creamy Squash Casserole with Pecan Crumble