Our meal will be made in the crockpot because let's face it: our ovens will be packed to the brim with other delicious recipes such as green bean casserole, candied yams, and homemade pies. In my opinion, it helps to have a free crockpot to make things in come the holidays. Before we begin, I want to state that the ham will take 6 hours to cook, so please allow yourself and your family and friends time to celebrate, consume hors d'oeuvres, and enjoy a few mugs of cider.
Slow Cooker Glazed Ham
Cook Time: 6 Hours, 15 Minutes
You will need:
- 1 fully cooked ham (any size will work)
- 1.25 cups brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup spicy brown mustard
- ¾ cup dr. pepper
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- Score ham by using a sharp knife to cut lines into ham in a criss-cross pattern.
- Fill slow cooker with about 1 inch of water.
- Place ham in slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- An hour before serving, prepare the sauce.
- Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a medium sauce pan.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to thicken for 5-10 minutes.
- Drain water and ham juices from slow cooker.
- Pour sauce over ham inside the slow cooker, being sure to cover the whole ham.
- Cover and cook another 30 minutes.
- Place ham on serving dish.
- Carve/slice the ham and spoon the remaining sauce from the slow cooker over the ham.
- Serve warm.
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Apple Pie Spiced Cider
Yields 6 Servings
You will need:
- 1.25 quarts apple cider
- 3 tablespoons firmly packed light-brown sugar
- 7 whole cinnamon sticks, (6 sticks for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- Ground cloves
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Salt
- 1/2 cup Calvados, or other brandy
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together cider, sugar, spices, and salt.
- Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
- Remove from heat; pour in brandy.
- Strain into a pitcher; discard solids.
- Serve in mugs, garnished with cinnamon sticks.
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Pumpkin Mousse Pie
Yields 8 Servings
You will need:
- 1 ready pie crust, baked and cooled
- 1 package cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- If using a pie crust dough, defrost one sheet of dough and place in a pie plate.
- Crimp edges, prick the bottom with a fork and bake in 400 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crust is golden.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese for 30 seconds.
- Add brown sugar and beat until smooth.
- Add vanilla, spices and pumpkin puree.
- Beat until well mixed and smooth.
- In another mixing bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks form.
- Using a rubber spatula, add 1/3 of whipped cream to the pumpkin cream cheese mixture and gently fold in (do not whisk or mix).
- Add the rest of the whipped cream and fold in gently, until no white streaks remain in the filling.
- Scoop the filling out onto the cooled crust.
- Spread with an offset spatula.
- Make decorative swirls or peaks.
- Place the pie in refrigerator for at least 2 hours to set. You can also refrigerate it overnight.
- Keep the leftovers chilled for up to 2 days.
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Okay ladies and gentlemen, I'll be back soon with another recipe. I won't ramble on here. Happy blogging, and I'll catch you on the flip side!
-Mandie
