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.

I FINALLY got my Christmas tree up today. Phew! Its sooner than last year, but that's not saying much since I got it up just a couple days before Christmas. It's starting to feel like Christmas is coming. I just a have a little more shopping to do and then I'm done! It's a great feeling. (Maybe I can get caught up on laundry next.)


I even got to bake today. Yippee! I made some Peanut Butter Temptations (recipe below), one of my favorite treats regardless of the time of year. I excited to do some more baking over the next couple of weeks too. Let's hope Christmas is kinder to my weight than Thanksgiving was however. Oy!

Speaking of Peanut Butter Temptations, as soon as I typed that above I had to go get one for myself. They're really that good. If you try them and like them, you'll have to thank my sister Erin for the recipe. She stole it from AllRecipes.com however...the world's greatest cookbook. If you haven't been to the site, you're missing out. Its amazing!



Peanut Butter Temptations
½ cup butter
½ cup white sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup peanut butter
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
36 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream together the brown sugar, white sugar and butter. Stir in the peanut butter, then the egg and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the peanut butter mixture until the dough comes together. Shape into 1 inch balls and press them into the cups of an unprepared mini muffin pan. You can line the pan with papers if you'd like a fancier look. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press a mini chocolate covered peanut butter cup down into the center of each cookie until only the top is showing. Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing from their pans.
* You may want to freeze your peanut butter cups. It makes it so they don't melt in your hands as you press them in.

Instead of making cookies today (to cover for my cake disaster), I made these yummy Caramel Apple Bars. Give them a try. They're yummy!

Caramel Apple Bars

INGREDIENTS
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 1/2 cups apple - peeled, cored and chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/3 cup evaporated milk

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the brown sugar, butter and shortening until smooth. Combine 1 3/4 cups flour, oats, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. Set aside 2 cups of this mixture. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch baking pan.
3. In a medium bowl, toss apples with lemon juice, then toss them with the 3 tablespoons of flour. Spread the apple mixture evenly over the prepared crust.
4. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt caramels with the evaporated milk, stirring frequently until smooth. Pour the melted caramels evenly over the apples. Sprinkle the reserved oat mixture over the top of the apple layer. Press down lightly.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is golden brown and the apples are tender. Cut while slightly warm and refrigerate any leftover bars.

NOTE: I used the caramel bits you can buy in the chocolate chip section. They are the exact same thing, but they are unwrapped and smaller so they melt easier.

Also if you REALLY like caramel, I would double the caramel and milk, so it oozes out the sides. As it is written now, the caramel flavor is there but not in a HUGE way.

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.