When a Glazed Ham Really Isn't

Since I sell a fabulous spiral ham with a crunchy sweet glaze on top, I find myself purchasing other products that have similar labeling. This past Christmas, my neighborhood gourmet grocer sold a glazed spiral ham in their refrigerated bin so I gave it a try.

It appears the USDA does not have any labeling rules on the word glazed because that ham had neither a visible glaze coating nor a separate glaze packet. This ham may be fine for some that plan on embellishing it themselves, but for those that thought they had a simple meal solution, they were inevitably disappointed.

A good rule of thumb might be that a ham with a crunchy glaze on it sold at a market or grocery store should probably be in a box. It would make sense that the crispy glaze would crack too much if it was thrown around in a bin with the other hams.

And don't even get me started on meat quality!

I Highly Recommend the Green Bags

Have you tried the green bags yet - the ones that are supposed to keep your fruit and vegetables fresh for longer? They really do work! According the the package, they work by absorbing and removing the ethylene gas that fruits, veggies (and fresh flowers) produce.

Mary convinced me to get them because she did her own experiment with bananas. She bought two bunches at the same time and placed one of the bunches in the green bag. It lasted 5 days longer than the other bunch bought on the same day. That was enough for me and I've been using them ever since. I haven't done any experiments but I do know that I've been using up my fruit instead of throwing it away.

Since the package I bought had 20 in it (10 large and 10 small), I passed a couple along to Lynda so now she can tell two friends...

Peppermint Bark Makes Good Use of all Those Leftover Candy Canes

I had some yummy peppermint bark at Kelly's house during the pre-holiday snow day. I'm neither a peppermint fan nor a white chocolate fan so it was surprising to me how addicting that bark was for me. I've since then discovered that you can subsitute dark chocolate (or a swirl of the white and the dark). I may eat the entire batch myself if I had that combination in front of me.

We have at least 20 extra candy canes floating around here post-holiday so my family and friends will be enjoying lots of peppermint bark a la Coles.

You know my preference is toward homemade simple foods but this one has to top the charts for simplicity. And think how much you're saving instead of buying it at a specialty store!

Simple Peppermint Bark Recipe
1 package white chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips (or half a bag of each if you want to swirl)
4 crushed candy canes
1 T. peppermint extract (not mint -PEPPERMINT - otherwise it'll taste like toothpaste)

Instructions: melt chocolate chips per package instructions. I did mine in the microwave and it took less than 2 minutes. Keep a close eye on it though as microwave temps vary. Once melted, stir in the peppermint extract. Spread it out on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Place (or smush would be a more descriptive term) the crushed peppermint into the peppermint chocolate mixture. Place in a freezer - or outside if it's cold enough - for about 10 minutes to harden. Then just break it apart and start eating.

Also makes a great food gift. Buy some of those tins 80% off after the holiday and plan to make this next year.