HAM IN AN INSTANT POT

Ingredients for Glaze:

• 1/2 cup Maple Syrup
• 1/2 cup Honey
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Orange Juice
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1 Bone-In Ham – ours was spiral sliced.
• (Our ham also came with a glaze packet – we used it!)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium and mix the ingredients well. Place the ham in a pressure cooker, add 1 ½ cups of apple juice.  Cook for 13 minutes according to your cooker’s guidelines and use a quick release. Transfer the ham to an oven-safe dish and baste liberally with the glaze. Under a broiler, allow the glaze to caramelize and just slightly char on the edges (this will happen quickly)  For us, it was about 1 minute.

JODI’S EASY POTATO SALAD

• 4-5 cans of potatoes
• 4 boiled eggs, cooled and peeled
• A splash of white vinegar
• Salt
• Onion powder
• Mayonnaise

Slice up and drain the potatoes in a colander, and put in a big pot, then warm them (no water in pot!). In a separate bowl, put the egg yolks and mash them a little.  Add a splash of vinegar and stir. Transfer that yolk mixture into the pot with warm potatoes.   Add salt (to taste) and the chopped up egg whites and mayo.  Use your eye to decide how much mayo.  Carefully stir it.  The light yellow color comes from the yolks – no mustard in the salad.   It’s mild and creamy.

You can add relish if you’d like.  My mother-in-law doesn’t. This is the basic, simple recipe.  Serve warm or chilled.

The Potato Salad Trick that Jodi got from her mother-in-law (Murphy’s Mom) is… Used CANNED potatoes.  Yes, Jodi was also hesitant at first, but it saves so much time and is still delicious! You warm the potatoes in a pot and then drain the water and make the potato salad!

SAM’S FAMILY POTATO SALAD

• 10 lbs of potatoes, cubed and boiled
• 10 eggs, boiled
• dill relish to taste
• 1/2 lb ham, slices cut into small pieces
• 1 quart mayo (put in a little less than 1 quart and add more if needed)
• REAL Bacon bits, to taste
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all together and adjust to your tastes. This recipe makes a lot, so for a small batch just cut it in half.

BEST TASTIN’ BAKED BEANS

• 1 lb bacon, fried and crumbled
• 1 large can of Campbell’s Pork and Beans
• 1 small box of brown sugar
• Ketchup, to taste

Fry 1 lb of bacon, cool the bacon and break into pieces.  Save the bacon grease in the frying pan.  Pour the can of pork and beans into the grease.  Also stir in a small box of brown sugar.  Add a little ketchup and then stir in the bacon pieces. Simmer for about 10 minutes.  Serve and enjoy the sweet/salty side!

TATER TOT CASSEROLE

(Sam’s family loves this one!)

• 1 lb ground pork breakfast sausage
• 1/2 lb bacon, cooked
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 4 eggs
• 2 lbs tater tots

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook bacon in a skillet as you usually do.  Place bacon on paper towels to get most of the grease off and crumble. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet.  Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown.  Drain and remove sausage from skillet.  Spread sausage and crumbled bacon evenly in the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan.  Spread cheese over sausage and bacon. In a large bowl, beat together milk and eggs.  Pour over cheese (may be refrigerated overnight at this point). Top with tater tots. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes.  Cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

NOT REALLY COLE SLAW

• 2 (3oz) pkgs beef flavored ramen noodles, uncooked
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/3 c vegetable oil
• 1/4 c cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 (16 oz) pkg cole slaw
• 1 cup peanuts

Combine seasoning packets from ramen noodles, sugar, oil, vinegar and water in a large bowl. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add slaw. Crumble ramen noodles and add to slaw mixture; toss to coat. Stir in peanuts and sunflower seeds just before serving. You should let this sit in the refrigerator a couple of hours before serving (tastes better that way), but it still tastes great right after you make it.

PEANUT BUTTER PIE

PIE

• 1 chocolate graham cracker crust
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 Tbps peanut butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup Cool Whip

TOPPING

• 1 cup Cool Whip
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• M&Ms, chocolate chips or chocolate shavings

Blend cream cheese and peanut butter.  Add powdered sugar and blend well.  Blend in Cool Whip.  Pour into chocolate crust.  Mix Cool Whip and powdered sugar together for topping and spread on pie.  Decorate with M&Ms, chocolate chips or chocolate shavings.  Refrigerate a bit before serving.

HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER EGGS

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1½ cups creamy peanut butter
• ¼ cup butter or margarine melted
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1-2 Bags milk chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp shortening

Beat together powdered sugar, peanut butter, and butter together. At this point, the dough will be crumbly. Add two tablespoons of milk and continue to beat together until the dough softens. If the dough still seems crumbly that is ok. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to desired thickness. About ½ thickness. You can use egg cookie cutters or with a knife, shape the dough to look like eggs. Place eggs on a cookie sheet and put in the freezer for an hour.

When you are ready to dip them, add the chocolate and 1 Tbsp shortening in a microwave and melt 30 seconds at a time. Stirring it after every 30 seconds and being careful not to cook the chocolate to burn. Dip each egg in chocolate. I used a spoon to help cover in the chocolate. Place them on wax paper to set. If more chocolate is needed, melt the second bag with the shortening. Enjoy!

*Makes approx 20 eggs