Whether you slather it with maple at Thanksgiving or bathe it in raspberry at Easter, glazed ham is a holiday tradition. But why save your ham for the holidays? Inspired by leftover baked ham in our freezer (not left from a holiday, I promise…) and a few random additions from our pantry, a “what on earth are we having for dinner?” night turned into a very delicious, quiet (because we were too busy eating to talk) meal. Since cous cous is not only a favorite but a pantry staple for us, that’s what we served our ham over this time around; next time, I think I’ll try it with some sage stuffing and possible a citrus sparkle.

Pan-Glazed Ham and Walnuts

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds baked ham
• 1/3 cup orange juice concentrate
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened strawberry jelly (we prefer Smucker’s Simply Fruit or Polaner All Fruit)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces

Cut ham into bite-sized cubes; set aside. In a large skillet, heat orange juice, jelly, and spices over low heat. Stir constantly until mixture is homogenous and starts to bubble. Add ham and stir to coat. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes or until glaze has thickened considerably. Add walnuts and toss. Continue to cook 1-2 minutes or until ham and walnuts are thoroughly coated and no glaze remains in pan bottom. Serve immediately.

I am a huge fan of can-shaped red goo at the holidays, but I’m always on the lookout for new and exciting cranberry sauce recipes. This definitely fits the bill. Adults will appreciate the sophisticated palate cleanser, and kids love eating “water ice” with their turkey, instead of waiting for dessert.

Cranberry Orange Sorbet

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

Prepare the bowl of your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

In a heavy-bottomed, non-reactive saucepan, whisk together water, sugar, and concentrate. Stir in cranberries. Cover and bring to a boil; cook for about 5 minutes from boil, or until most of the berries have popped. Remove from heat and add thyme; set aside and let steep for 1 hour.

Strain mixture through a fine sieve, pressing to remove as much of the liquid as possible. Discard thyme, berry skins, and fibers. Cover liquid and refrigerate overnight.

Process in ice cream maker.

Serves 8-12 as a side dish or small dessert.

Image by PVerdonk.

Image by Cathy G

It seems only natural to end “Drunk Week” with a bevy of cocktails – screwdrivers, to be exact. There are endless variations on the standard screwdriver cocktail; I’ve listed the most common ones below. I hope you all enjoyed this week as much as I have – I’m off to find the orange juice!

The CTS Ultimate Screwdriver Compendium

To your basic screwdriver (whatever ratio of orange juice to vodka suits your fancy), add:

• 1 ounce Southern Comfort for a Comfortable Screw
• 1 ounce peach schnapps for a Fuzzy Screw
• 1 ounce sloe gin for a Slow Screw
• A splash of galliano for a Screw Against the Wall
• A splash of amaretto for a Screw with a Kiss
• Ice for a Cold, Hard Screw
• Lemon-lime soda for a Screw Up

Combine any of the above to make “compound screws”. For example:

• Slow Comfortable Screw with a Kiss (sloe gin, Southern Comfort, amaretto)
• Cold, Hard Screw Up Against the Wall ( ice, lemon-lime soda, galliano)

You could, of course, combine them all into a Slow, Comfortable, Fuzzy, Cold, Hard Screw Up Against a Wall with a Kiss, but I can’t imagine it would taste very good.
If you have a favorite variant that I missed, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the list!

Some of the best recipes out there are new twists on old foods. This takes the crustless quiche and stands it on its head with the added sweetness of ricotta cheese and orange juice. The result is a cream, fluffy dish that’s sure to be a hit at your next brunch.

Crustless Ricotta Quiche

Ingredients for quiche base:

• 1/4 pound butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Ingredients for ricotta filling:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 pound whole milk ricotta cheese
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

For quiche base: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13″x9″ pan and set aside. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until well-blended. Slowly blend in sour cream and orange juice. Sift together flour and baking powder and stir into the batter. Set aside.

For filling: In a separate bowl, whip the cream and ricotta cheeses until well-combined. Stir in egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla.

Pour half of the quiche base batter into the pre-greased pan. Drop tablespoons of filling mixure onto the batter, spacing them as evenly as possible. Top with remaining batter.

Bake 50-60 minutes, or until center of mixture is set.

Serves 6-8.