Wednesday, November 21, 2001

Holiday ever after

Traditions improve at the dinner table

In the season of hustle and bustle, many people are spending extra time in the kitchen to make others' spirits bright. But as winter days shorten, finding time to expand upon traditional holiday meals can be difficult.

Time-honored holiday entrées, such as pre-cooked ham, provide hosts with carefree meal preparation, allowing extra time to try the latest flavors. According to the National Restaurant Association, Americans are seeking local tastes from distant regions. Fresh, artisan ingredients such as Jamaican ginger and Hawaiian guavas already are on area supermarket shelves, affording people convenient ways to explore exotic variations of their favorite dishes.

Even the most conservative cooks can branch out by enhancing familiar recipes with one or two trendy ingredients. By bringing native flavors from abroad and inviting new recipes into their kitchens, apron-wearers across the country are discovering different can be better for their dinner guests and the community.

The following recipe adds tropical flair to your holiday meal and helps spread satisfaction beyond your dinner table. As part of the Hormel Foods "Hams for the Holidays" hunger-relief campaign, most Hormel meat products purchased this October through December help area retailers donate fresh CURE 81 Hams to local nonprofit organizations.

Tropical Glazed CURE 81 Ham

1 CURE 81 half ham

1 cup mango or guava juice

2 tablespoons apricot jam

2 teaspoons spicy steak sauce

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon grated lime peel

Whole cloves

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place ham, face down, in shallow baking pan; score ham in diamond design. Stick 1 whole clove into center of each diamond. Bake according to package directions.

Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in saucepan. Cook over medium heat 15 minutes, or until glaze thickens and coats spoon, stirring often. Thirty minutes before ham is done, uncover and brush with glaze. Serves 8 to 10.

Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 231 Protein: 30g Carbohydrates: 8g Cholesterol: 90mg Fat: 10g Sodium: 1765mg

For more CURE 81 Ham serving suggestions visit the digital recipe book at Hormel.com.

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