I was really worried about my decision to have ham for Easter this year, not the meat of choice. When I saw all the fat in this one after I took it out of the oven, I was really upset that all the fat I saw was all that was in there , it didn't look too appetizing! To my surprise, it was super delicious, melted in our mouth, soft tender and sweet, a great start to the Easter dinner with a few good men! It was luckilly only on one side~ This is a tough crowd to please when it comes to being critical, very spoiled (wink, wink) if you know what I mean~
Nemo in the green shirt,is my husband , my two sons on the right, Curt in the beige shirt, my youngest and Chad in the Yankee shirt in back is the oldest son. Toasting tonight for being thankful for great family, good health and food, and hoping for the first win of the season for the Yanks tonight. All are big Yankee fans here.. sorry no fancy table today, no time, but it's Easter and we are together....that's ALL that matters :) xxxooo.
Our traditional Easter Dinner is Homemade Cavatelli, Leg of Lamb, Rice Almondine Marsala, Broccoli Casserole, Italian Cassata Cheesecake, Italian Soft Cookies. Since I had to work this year, I had to prepare yesterday for Sunday, so all I had to do is heat things up when I got home. Just a simple quick dinner for four. The reason besides working on Easter this year I didn't cook the traditional foods today, is that my whole family from Upstate NY is coming in two weeks, so we will have our "real" Easter reunion dinner late. I am so excited to see all of them. Most of this crew of twenty, haven't been here since 1999. Wow, time flys! Most everything is already made and in the freezer waiting for them to all get here!
The ham was lean everywhere else but that one spot. The honey caramelized top and pineapple made this a perfect coating. Of course if you like a real kick to your ham you might want to try the Bourbon Ham
Style Recipe. I usually take to all my picnics, and is a big hit.
GLAZE FOR SPIRAL CUT HAM:
1 10 pound spiral cut ham
1 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
3 tablespoons honey
1 can chunk pineapple
Enough pineapple juice to make it spread
Put in 350 (basting occasionally), follow directions on spiral cut ham per pound cooking times. Do not carve the ham for 20 minutes.
Amaretto Sweet Potatoes
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
1 medium head garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Drizzle garlic with olive oil, then wrap in aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and chop. Stir in butter, milk, salt and pepper.
Remove the garlic from the oven, and cut in half. Squeeze the softened cloves into the potatoes. Blend potatoes with an electric mixer until desired consistency is achieved.
Country Style Apples
4 c. sliced apples
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. flour
1 stick butter
1/2 c. water
Pinch of salt
Dash of cinnamon
Place apples in baking dish 9x13. Mix sugar, flour and butter until crumbly; sprinkle over apples. Add water, salt and cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees until done and slightly brown.
Macadamia Caramel Toffee Cheesecake
GLAZE FOR SPIRAL CUT HAM:
1 10 pound spiral cut ham
1 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
3 tablespoons honey
1 can chunk pineapple
Enough pineapple juice to make it spread
Put in 350 (basting occasionally), follow directions on spiral cut ham per pound cooking times. Do not carve the ham for 20 minutes.
Amaretto Sweet Potatoes 
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes1 medium head garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Drizzle garlic with olive oil, then wrap in aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and chop. Stir in butter, milk, salt and pepper.
Remove the garlic from the oven, and cut in half. Squeeze the softened cloves into the potatoes. Blend potatoes with an electric mixer until desired consistency is achieved.
Country Style Apples4 c. sliced apples
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. flour
1 stick butter
1/2 c. water
Pinch of salt
Dash of cinnamon
Place apples in baking dish 9x13. Mix sugar, flour and butter until crumbly; sprinkle over apples. Add water, salt and cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees until done and slightly brown.
Macadamia Caramel Toffee Cheesecake
The cheesecake was a huge hit with all of them, our usual tradition was broken but only temporary, we normally have
Italian Style Ricotta Cheesecake, check back, we will have a large feast in a few weeks....thanks for reading :) Buona Pasqua~
