I am a Ham Lover. We’ve had just about every type of ham you can get, and they always turn out well if they are cooked enough with a good glaze. When I was growing up, we always got a 5 lb canned ham. But over the years, even the price of canned ham has risen, which has led us to try spiral cut hams, pre-cooked & sliced hams without the bone, ham steaks, and we’ve even done a roast for Christmas! Ham is the tradition, and I personally never miss out on a holiday where I can have a nice ham.
I do like spiral cut hams, but it’s very important to cook them “low and slow” because you want the internal temp to come high enough to melt the internal fat. It is also important to remove it from the glaze once it’s finished cooking, because the fat will re-solidify and ruin your remaining ham if you don’t remove it from the fat and bone after you finish eating. Some people don’t like canned hams because they seem fake or overly processed, and though that is a good concern and it doesn’t look like real ham anymore, it also has less fat and tends to be an easier eat if you have bad teeth or want a meal that requires less chewing. Processed ham steaks are definitely less food than the other types. They also tend to be a mix in textures being mostly ham-like with it having pieces that seem less processed than canned hams. Each type of ham has a draw back to different people, however most of the problems arise in how the meat is prepped and cooked.
Though it seems old fashioned, I always go with the honey and brown sugar glaze even for my non-holiday hams. I find the sweetness to go so well with the savory aspect of the ham. But, for Christmas, we also top our ham with pineapple and cherries, so when we make up the glaze we also add a bit of acidity by adding some pineapple juice to the honey brown sugar. The acidity does really well to compliment the saltiness of ham. When we make our glaze, we usually do 1:2 Honey to brown sugar. When we make our Christmas ham, we usually go for 60% brown sugar, 30% honey, 2% cherry juice and 8% pineapple juice. You are looking for a consistency where the glaze is mostly solid and won’t run completely off the ham. If it is too liquidy, add more brown sugar and honey, and stir well.
This time of the year has become pretty crazy these last few years. I don’t have experience with that many Christmases since, as a child, I wasn’t terribly aware of the stress and culture that existed around Christmas.
Consumerism
This year like the previous two, Walmart started their Black Friday sales at six o’clock on Thanksgiving night. This action perfectly represents what is happening to our culture related to Christmas: Consumerism. This of course causes stress to different types of people. Some people like to shop, causing stress to their close relationships, because of the inability to stop or consider the consequences of shopping. Others buy gifts to one up other family members and for “bragging rights”. While others overspend hoping to impress, buy the affection of their spouse, or fix the distance in their relationship with their child. Some are in constant stress wondering what bills can be pushed off another month in order to have money to buy gifts, because they live paycheck to paycheck. Parents struggle to afford to buy gifts that will help their child fit in, and others struggle to have food on the table, lights on, and even heat. To some, Christmas has become a hassle and never worth the meaning behind it. Their years of hardship make Christmas a burden, and keep it a burden. Years of striving to out perform last Christmas and rushing for the biggest piles under the tree, ruin any joy that others may experience related to Christmas. The stress is all consuming and is a terrible storm that disorients your heart as well as your mind. I am reminded though of the gift-giving love language from Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages. If we were all able to see and experience giving in that way, I feel the season would be easier. That way, referring to the way those with the love language will give gifts as a sign of love, and in the same way, they are joyful to receive any gift because they see love as a gift, even if it is just a flower, note, or gift of time. But, I suppose the human heart is greedy and not teaching gratitude at such a young age can grow a greedy and even entitled heart.
Remembrance
Besides consumerism, we also see remembrance. Christmas is also a time when we remember those we’ve lost and reflect on the year that passed. Many times Christmas is shrouded is sadness and despair. Memories of past Christmases prevent us from enjoying what we have now, and who we have. The “Ba Humbug” sentiment can still be felt and quietly echos through the lives of someone you may know. Change is usually unwelcome but sometimes the way you react to the change can cause more damage than the acceptance ever would. Flexibility can help with some changes, such as changes to family structures or life events or changes in location/jobs, but others just require acceptance of reality and the finality of life. Remembrance is normal and should be encouraged since there is much to gain from the past and better times, but constantly looping better times and being consumed by the change is not healthy. Remember those you have with you and take time to do things that are good for you, even if you do not fully want to or feel you deserve them.
Generosity, A Hope
However, we are lucky enough to see generosity. It is true that many have a “me” mentality, others still exist with a generous hand they are always willing to offer. Drives this time of year that are gathered within the community they wish to serve are examples of generosity. Toy drives, clothing drives, and even food drives directly benefiting those locally that need help remind us that this season encourages a helping nature and a desire to serve other. Even a simple action like caroling to nursing homes, or delivering cookies to a neighbor can make a large difference to the bleakness some face. One thing that continues to bring joy, is the fact that we are trying to reach our elders and children at this time of year. Christmas is a holiday for everyone. Though not everyone receives help or friendship this time of year from others, the fact that some do, still brings some joy and reassurance that we have not completely lost the spirit of the season.
I could start rambling now about how Christianity fits into all of this, such as Christmas being a day and time to celebrate Jesus’ birth, however, I do not feel I have to do that, because it is in the name. If you celebrate Christmas, than you are celebrating in his name. Even if you do nothing some would consider “generous”, a simple gift to a family member, a co-worker, or a neighbor is an act of generosity, an act of service. Though Christmas has become a time of consumerism and remembrance, Christmas retains the spirit of generosity despite all else that gives a sense of hope that things will get better or we can muster on because we always have. Hope is a great gift to give to others.
If you’ve made it this far, allow me to thank you for reading my Christmas musings.
Shepherd’s Pie is a great way to use up any mashed potatoes or any other Thanksgiving leftovers you have left. I used 1 can of sweet peas and 1 can of sliced carrots, and I added what little corn I had left from Thanksgiving. I used up my leftover veggies, my thanksgiving mashed potatoes, and the remaining turkey that hadn’t been frozen yet. I also used a mixture of light and dark meat. As always, my recipe is very forgiving and versatile, and making it your own is encouraged!
Chop a medium onion (1 cup) and cook in butter/oil (5 Tbsp) until translucent.
Once that is cooked, you can add any uncooked veggies you desire (corn, peas, carrots), cook until soft, then add any other veggies you have left or desire.
Dice up any turkey you have left maxing at about 3 cups for a hearty meal, then add to the veggies. Add 1 Tbsp of ground thyme and dried sage (or any other variety of the 2 herbs).
Add 4 cups of turkey or chicken stock cook until hot, then slowly add flour while stirring to reduce clumping. Add flour until the mixture begins to form thick coating on your spoon (about 5 Tbsp).
Transfer mixture to a casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes and optional grated cheese.
Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Wait for it to cool about 35 minutes to serve.
To see the other recipes I cooked this year, head back to my Thanksgiving: Overview post!
After several days of thanksgiving dinners, we needed a break from the standard thanksgiving flavor, so I decided I would take my usual Chicken stir fry recipe and just substitute in some cooked turkey. If you don’t have Worcestershire sauce, you can use soy sauce and add garlic and onion (powder or minced). Sorry no photos this time! I’m still trying to remember to take some whenever I cook.
1 1/2 cup of cubed turkey
some oil
Worcestershire sauce
Ground ginger
Frozen stir fry veggies
Cooked rice (for serving)
Start by placing 2 Tbsp of oil into a wok or dutch oven and heat to medium-high.
Carefully add the Turkey and cook till you begin to see color
Add the frozen veggies and any ice in the bag. Add 4 Tbsps of Worcestershire sauce, and 1 Tsp of ground ginger. Coat everything in the sauce and cook until veggies are hot.
Serve over rice!
To see the other recipes I cooked this year, head back to my Thanksgiving: Overview post!
Turkey Sandwiches are a staple of thanksgiving leftovers. This was the wrap I made my husband for lunch today, using up the last of the leftovers I had in the fridge. Though everyone makes their sandwiches different, this is the way that I learned. You can make this recipe by heating things up as I do to eat it now, or you can make it cold and reheat it, or you can just eat it cold. I put below the recipe for a sandwich, but you can do the same process (minus mayo) for a wrap. As you can see from my photo, I layered stuffing, turkey, then cranberry sauce.
Toast your bread.
Microwave 1 cup of stuffing, and about 1/2 cup of turkey till warm, about 1 minute.
Mayo both inside faces of your bread if you desire.
Layer turkey on one face and pack stuffing onto other mayo face.
Cut a thin slice of cranberry sauce and place on top of stuffing.
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