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What's For Dinner?
A Perfect Holiday Meal
By Allison Huller McAlister
Ready or not, the holiday season is upon us once again. Somewhere between addressing all those holiday greeting cards and fighting the crowds at the mall in search of that one last elusive toy that's tops on your child's wish list, you're going to have to come up with a menu for your special holiday dinner. Let me give you a head start by sharing with you the basics of my family's traditional Christmas dinner.
The main attractions of this year's meal include my husband's divine ham; our new favorite vegetable side, dish Zucchini Parmesan; the best macaroni and cheese recipe I've found to date; and an easy and delicious pecan pie to top it all off. Of course, being the true foodies that we are, this is not our complete meal. Hwever, these four showcased recipes represent the best of our holiday table.
Happy Holidays!
Mac's Pineapple Honey Ham
Our favorite holiday main course is my husband's own creation: Pineapple Honey Ham. I find this rather ironic when I think back to our third Thanksgiving together. I knew my husband wasn't especially fond of turkey, so I thought that I'd come up with a great alternative to the traditional turkey for Thanksgiving when I bought a ham that year instead. Imagine my disappointment when my husband informed me that he hated ham even more than turkey! Four years later, he decided he wanted to try a ham again and prepared it himself. I think we were both amazed at how absolutely scrumptious it turned out, and we've been having it every year since for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Basically, you can use any type of ham that you'd like for this recipe. Since cooking times will vary based on the type and weight of the ham, simply follow the directions on the package for approximate baking times. We don't really have a set recipe with certain measurements for this dish, since it is so basic. My husband just buys whatever ham strikes his fancy, rubs it down with a generous amount of honey, and pokes as many pieces of pineapple into it as he sees fit. Be sure to baste the ham frequently while it cooks, at least every 30 minutes or so. Despite the flexibility of this recipe, the ham turns out perfectly every time.
