I made this super yummy ham tonight, and it was super, duper easy. I highly recommend it. Here's the recipe:

Slow Cooker Ham

Ingredients
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 (8 pound) cured, bone-in picnic ham

Directions
Spread about 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar on the bottom of the slow cooker crock. Place the ham flat side down into the slow cooker - you might have to trim it a little to make it fit. Use your hands to rub the remaining brown sugar onto the ham. Cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours.


It's amazingly easy! I made this recipe exactly how it was written, and it was perfect. The ham just falls apart and is super tender. My family, little kids included, all raved about it. I will definitely make this again and again.

8 lbs. is a ton of ham though, so invite company or plan to eat it all week long. And just as a side note, I have a large crock pot and the 8 lb. ham fit in it perfectly. So if you have a smaller one, you're going to want to cut this recipe in half.

Also, I lined my crock pot with a crock pot liner (found at the grocery store by the tin foil) and I'm super glad I did. I pulled the ham out, left the bone and grease/juice behind, and tossed the bag in the garbage when we were done.

There are a lot of things I love about Valentine's Day, but one of those things is SUGAR COOKIES!! Although I like ALL sugar cookies, I like the soft puffy ones better than the crispy flat ones.

My sister Erin has the best sugar cookie recipe, and only because I want to share the love (and calories) will I share this with you. Enjoy!!


Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS

¼ c butter

1 ½ c sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 ½ c flour

1 c sour cream

2 eggs

2 teaspoons soda

½ teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs. Mix well. Sift together dry ingredients; add alternately with sour cream, mixing well after each addition. Chill for at least one hour. Roll out on a floured surface. Cut out with cookie cutters. Bake at 425 about 7-9 minutes. Sit on sheet for 2 minutes and then move to cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

Cakes present an interesting dilemma. If I make one for just my little family, we end up throwing half of it away because we never eat everything. Too much cake and too few mouths to eat it. But if I make cake for company, I have no clue what it tastes like until I serve it. And since I always get the last piece, most people are done eating before I know if its good enough to serve.

We were invited to have dinner at a friends house tonight and I was asked to bring a dessert. So, even though serving cake to guests freaks me out, I decided I would make this yummy chocolate cake that I love. You're supposed to make it a day in advance and put it in the fridge because then it becomes very fudgelike.

Well I don't know what in the world happened, but it turned out to be the world's ugliest cake. It fell in the center, which I thought I could save. Then even though my pans were the exact same size, somehow the cakes are not the same size, which I thought I could save too. Then I started to frost it and processed to create this enormous mess of frosting everywhere. I don't know what my deal was! Issues!!

Regardless, I'm making some cookies today that I can taste before I serve. My family will get to enjoy the cake and throw away the uneaten leftovers. It's not pumpkin, Crissa, but you're welcome to come enjoy a piece. Just don't make fun of its ugliness. :)

So I made the pumpkin-apple muffins yesterday and they were worth the wait (and the weight). So tasty and perfect for the slightly cooler weather we've been having. I'd love to try these warm, straight from the oven with a glass of hot cider!!

Here's the recipe for those who want to try it out:

Pumpkin-Apple Muffins with Streusel Topping

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups finely chopped peeled apples (This is about 2 apples. I used yellow Washington apples.)
TOPPING:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
3 tablespoons rolled oats

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Combine eggs, pumpkin and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apples. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. For topping, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and oats. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle 1 teaspoon over each muffin. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

P.S. So a former friend of mine said that pumpkin tastes like puke...which is the reason that he is a former friend. I hope that no one else out there detests pumpkin, becuase I like you all and want to continue to enjoy your friendship.

So I don't do much in the way of gourmet cooking. I like my food to be edible for the entire family, and Things 1, 2 and 3 aren't going to dig lobster and such. However, I really enjoy fish and since I'm always looking for a good fish recipe, I'm willing to try just about anything that's supposed to be good.

So I was given this recipe and made it again for dinner tonight. It was YUMMY, and since it took as long as a fancy gourmet meal, I'm calling it one.

I share this recipe with you with two warnings:
1. It takes a while to prepare, but it worth it. Its not hard, just a little time consuming. If you prep all the ingredients befor eyou start cooking, its a lot easier.
2. If you are watching your weight, resist the urge to bathe in the sauce. Its good enough to do so, but its fattening. I chose to put a small puddle on my plate and dip rather than pour it over the fish.

Almond-Crusted Halibut Crystal Symphony

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup heavy cream
10 tablespoons unsalted butter - chilled, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
6 (6 ounce) fillets halibut
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
2/3 cup minced blanched almonds
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS
1. Make beurre blanc: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine wine, vinegar, shallots, thyme and bay leaf. Boil until liquid has evaporated. Stir in cream, and boil until liquid is reduced by half; decrease heat to low. Whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, adding each new piece before previous one has melted completely. Do not allow sauce to simmer, or it may separate.

2. Strain sauce through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl. Stir in chives, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Keep warm by setting bowl in a larger container of hot water.

3. Preheat oven on broiler setting. Pat fillets dry, and season with salt and pepper.

4. Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute halibut fillets for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned, and just cooked through. Transfer to a baking sheet, and cool 5 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together bread crumbs, almonds and 1 tablespoon melted butter. Brush tops of fillets with egg, and spread with almond mixture.

5. Broil fillets 1 to 2 minutes, or until browned (watch closely - every broiler has its own personality!). Place fillets on individual plates, and spoon beurre blanc around it.

So, I really enjoy food. Cooking it is almost as fun as eating it (provided I don't have a 1 year old clinging to my leg as I move around the kitchen). In my love for cooking, I tend to have phases (some what like the moody phases of my adolescence -- sorry mom and dad).

My current phase is pumpkin! With tomorrow being the first official day of fall, I am already ready to go. I made some yummy pumpkin cookies, which I blame for the weight I gained last week. And today I made some delightful Pumpkin Pancakes and Cinnamon Creme Syrup. Oy vey! They were yummy.

Ryan said that they were something that you'd eat on a cold Thanksgiving or Christmas morning. I think I'll make them again when we head up to my parent's cabin in a couple of weeks. I hope its a cold morning!

I should have taken a picture to post since its by first official blog post, but alas, I didn't know I'd be starting a blog when I was scarfing down my pancakes. (This is sort of a lame topic for a first post but it was on my brain. Sorry!)

So for anyone who wants to join me on my crusade to eat lots of pumpkin (which is a "superfood" by the way), here is the recipe for the pancakes and syrup. I'll be trying a recipe for Pumpkin Apple Muffins later this week. Bon appetit!


Pumpkin Pancakes

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
(I also sprinkled in some chocolate chips, which made them even yummier!)


DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.


Cinnamon Cream Syrup

INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk

DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan, combine the first four ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Stir in milk. Serve over pancakes, waffles or French toast.
NOTE: I recommend dipping your pancakes in this syrup rather than just pouring it all over the top. It soaks is too well and you don't enjoy it as much as you do when you dip.