Ham With Cola and Maple Glaze

This baked ham is made with a tasty glaze composed of Cola and Maple Syrup . . . making for a wonderful sweet combination . . . a wonderful dish for any meal and special enough for a holiday or special occasion.

And makes for excellent leftovers . . . like ham green bean and potato soup!

Ham With Cola and Maple Glaze

1 Fully Cooked Ham, About 6 To 8 Pounds
Whole Cloves, Optional
1/2 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Cola
1 Tablespoon Brown Or Dijon Mustard
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon


Place ham, fat side up, in a foil-line roasting pan (makes for easier clean-up).  

Score fat and stud with cloves. 






Cook at 325° for about 18 minutes per pound.  Meat should be 148° when done.

Combine maple syrup, brown sugar, cola, mustard, ginger, and cinnamon in saucepan; bring to a simmer and continue cooking over low heat for about 2 minutes. 

About 20 minutes before the ham is done, spoon about half of the glaze over top of ham, then about 10 minutes before done, spread remaining glaze over ham.

Remove from oven and let rest for 10 - 15 minutes.  Make sure to remove all of the cloves before serving.  I can tell you from personal experience that biting into a clove kind of ruins the ham eating experience.

Serves 8 to 10.

Salted Maple Pecan Pie

This pie is fancy shmancy, rich and amazing.  The additional sea salt sprinkled on top give it a wonderful salty sweet aspect.  And as if all that wasn't good enough it's easy as pie to make . . . get it?  Pie?  

Salted Maple Pecan Pie

1 Pie Crust

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Pure Maple Syrup

1/4 Cup Butter

8 Oz Extra Firm Silken Tofu 

1/4 Cup Cold Milk

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 Cups Pecan Halves

1 Teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Press pie crust into pie plate and set aside.

In a 2 quart sauce pan, mix together sugars and maple syrup. Heat over medium heat, stirring often with a whisk. Once small bubbles start rapidly forming, keep stirring for about 10 minutes. The mixture should become thick and syrupy. If the mixture starts climbing the walls of the pan in big bubbles then lower the heat a little.

Add the butter, and stir to melt. Turn the heat off, transfer mixture to a mixing bowl. 

In the meantime, prepare the rest of the filling.  Make sure to work quickly so that the caramel doesn't completely set.


Crumble the tofu into a blender or food processor, along with the milk, cornstarch and salt. Puree until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender to make sure you get everything.

With the caramel still warm in the mixing bowl, add in the tofu mixture and the vanilla, and mix well. Fold in the pecans to incorporate.

Transfer to the prepared pie crust.  Cover edge of pie crust with foil to prevent over browning.  

Bake pie for 40 minutes. Don't worry if the pie is jiggly, it will set.

Let cool for a few hours, then sprinkle the top with 1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt.

Slice and serve!

Maple Chocolate Chip Cookies

Maple Chocolate Chip Cookies


2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Powdered Non-Dairy Coffee Creamer 
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Melted Butter 
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed 
1/3 Cup White Sugar
1 Large Egg
1 Large Egg Yolk
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts Or 1/2 Cup Pecans


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper (I prefer parchment paper).

In a bowl mix together the flour with powdered coffee creamer, baking soda and salt.



In a mixing bowl beat the melted butter with maple extract and both sugars until blended.

Add in the whole egg and yolk; continue beating for 3 minutes.  The mixture will look like thick caramel.

Add in the flour mixture and beat until just blended.

Mix in chocolate chips and nuts.

Place in the dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheet about 2" apart.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes then transfer to wire racks.

Maple, Apple, and Cheddar Pie

I love cheddar cheese on my apple pie . . . it's a salty/sweet kind of thing.  This recipe bakes the cheddar right into the pie with a touch of maple syrup . . . served with a scoop of ice cream and you'll have it all goin' on!

Maple, Apple, and Cheddar Pie


1 Pie Crust
1 Tube Crescent Rolls
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
4 Medium Cortland Apples
1 1/2 Cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup 


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Place the pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan or plate and set aside.

Peel and thinly slice the apples; set aside..






In a large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add apples; toss gently to coat. Add cheese and the 1/4 cup maple syrup; toss gently to combine. Transfer filling to pastry-lined pie pan.  

Trim pastry even with edge of pie pan. Place crescent roll triangle on the top leaving slit-sized gaps between triangles, you will have to trim them a bit so that they don't overlap to much.  

Fold crescent roll edge under bottom pastry. Crimp edge as desired.  Use crescent roll scraps to make a design on the top, if desired.

Cover the pie loosely with foil to prevent over browning.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack. Brush with the 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Cool for 1 hour. Serve slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

New Brew Thursday - Rogue Voodoo Doughnut

If I've said it once I've said it a hundred times . . . Rogue is one of my favorite breweries.  They have an amazing variety of fantastic beers with creative themes and labeling.  Rogue beer simply rocks!

So, when I spotted Voodoo Doughnut in it's bright pink bottle with the creepy dark eyed fellow on the label surrounded by little piggies it required further investigation.  What did this closer inspection reveal?  Maple and . . . OH MY LORD . . . BACON! 

Bacon Maple Ale . . . I sh!t you not!  I think I just died and went to heaven.

Needless to say a snagged a bottle (or three) . . . at $15 a bottle.

The timing of the discovery of Rogue Voodoo was fortuitous.  

Hubby and I go camping every year in the fall.  A tradition for us is that after we set up camp and are all settled in we share a beer . . . preferably a really good beer.  

Voodoo was it!  Ah, but would it meet our expectations . . . bacon maple beer?  How could it not?  What's not to love.

Voodoo Doughnut pours amber with an average head.  I could clearly smell the maple and bacon and couldn't wait to take a sip.  A smoky bacon flavor is prevalent but doesn't dominate or overwhelm the ale.  The maple is more subtle which was surprsing considering how strong it is in the aroma.  Voodoo is smooth and full bodied . . . I just wanted to eat it up.

I'm not a huge fan of smoked beers but this one rules!  It's not too smoky, not too bitter, not too sweet . . . all of the flavor are really nicely balanced and the overall taste is quite remarkable.  

I would rate Rogue Voodoo as excellent.  I can't wait to pop open another bottle!

On a side note, I wish we'd had better cups  . . . i.e. a proper glass . . . to drink Voodoo from, but it was still really really delicious.  As the label says, it pairs well with doughnuts and pork . . . from my perspective it goes perfect with camping and my homemade bacon infused bourbon.  Delish!

By the way . . . I don't know what a Voodoo Doughnut is but I have friends in the Seattle area that will drive an hour for these puppies so they must be good.

(5.6% ABV)




Visit Rogue's website or check them out on Facebook.

Lick-the-Plate-Clean Chicken

Lick-the-Plate-Clean Chicken

This chicken has got it all going on . . . sweet, savory, tangy.  You'll be tempted to lick the plate once the chicken is all eaten up . . . oh, go ahead, no one is looking!


1 1/2 - 2 Lbs Chicken Parts
1/2 Cup Dijon or Rustic Mustard 
1/4 Cup REAL Maple Syrup
1 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar


Preheat oven to 400ºF. 

Place chicken into an oven-proof baking dish. I used boneless, skinless thighs and chicken breasts. Season chicken with your favorite seasoned salt and pepper. 

In a small bowl, mix together mustard, maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Pour mixture over the the chicken, turning each piece to fully coat.

Place the chicken into the preheated oven, and let bake for 40 minutes; baste after 20 minutes. 

After 40 minutes, take the chicken out of the oven and baste again with the sauce.  Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Print Recipe
 

Firewater Friday - The tower of power, too sweet to be sour, ohhhh yeahh!

Have you ever experienced what could best be described as a puckering of the salivary glands when you eat something?  The pain is right at the very back of the jaw where it hinges with the skull. It feels sort of like the glands going from zero to OMG-here-comes-a-lemon! in half a second.

This pain is usually comes on when the first bite of food hits your tongue and only lasts a couple of seconds.  Sometimes it happens when you smell a certain food or even when you do nothing more than think about it.  

It is commonly, but not necessarily, something sour that causes this reaction.   

This is what that is . . . when you eat something sour your mouth waters.  That is, saliva is being pumped into your mouth by the salivary glands. The parotids, two of your primary salivary glands, are located on your cheeks, near the jaw.  The pain is caused by the inability of the glands to discharge the saliva they are producing quickly enough.

Normally, this is a natural reaction to the foods you are eating.  However, it can also be caused by parotitis, which is a low level inflammation of the gland which most often requires no treatment. 

But I’m not a doctor . . . so what do I know?

Absolut® Orient Apple Vermont


OMG! good . . . very delicious . . . very dangerous!

2 Parts Absolut Orient Apple

1-2 Teaspoons Real Maple Syrup

2 Dashes Bitters

Garnish: Orange Zest

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.  Stir and strain into a martini glass. 

The tower of power, too sweet to be sour, ohhhh yeahh!
Macho Man Randy Savage