Easter Ham (from PW)

We really liked this Easter ham recipe from Pioneer Woman. It turned out a lot better than last year's ham for us, so I wanted to save it so we could try it again next year.

Ingredients

• 1 whole Fully Cooked Bone-in Ham (15-18 Pounds)
•  Whole Cloves
• 3 cups Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Spicy Brown Mustard
• 1 can Dr Pepper Or Coke
• 3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Score the surface of the ham in a diamond pattern about 1/8-inch deep. Place cloves in the middle of each diamond. Place the ham in a large roasting pan with a rack, tent it with foil, and bake for 2 to 2/12 hours---or longer, depending on the package directions. (Some hams may require 3 to 3 1/2 hours at a lower temp; just check the package.)

Heat the brown sugar, mustard, vinegar and soda in a small saucepan until bubbly. Cook until reduced and a bit thicker, about 15 minutes.

After about 2 hours of baking time, remove the foil and brush the glaze on the ham in 20 minutes intervals (put the ham back in the oven, uncovered, in between) until it's nice and glossy. Remove from the oven and allow to rest 15-20 minutes before carving.

Black Bean Soup (with dry beans and lime)

We had a bunch of dry beans we were looking to use up before we move, and I found this recipe from the Food Network website that looked good. And we really liked it--it was a lot better than some other black bean soups we've tried, just with the extra flavor of the ham and jalapeno and green pepper. Delicious! The only suggestion I would make is to simmer it even a little longer than the recipe suggests. The beans were fine once I pureed a lot of them, but they still seemed a little dry at first.

Black Bean Soup
Ingredients

1 pound dried black beans
4 cloves garlic
2 onions, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 sprigs fresh oregano
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 smoked ham hock
1 jalapeno, split
1 3/4 quarts low-sodium chicken stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons lime zest
Lime wedges, for garnish
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Directions

Pick through the beans and discard any debris - wash under cold running water. In a food processor, add garlic, onion, bell pepper, and cilantro.

Set a large pot over medium heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Add the oregano and cumin. Add vegetable puree and saute until just fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. Add beans, ham hock, jalapeno, and stock. Slightly cover and simmer for 2 hours until beans are tender.

When cooked, remove bay leaves and take out ham hock. Cut ham meat off the bone, cut into pieces and set aside.

Using a blender or immersion blender, puree just enough of the beans and stock (about a third of the total pot) to thicken up the soup and bring everything together. Season with salt and pepper and fold ham meat back into the soup.

Make the crema by combining sour cream and zest. Serve each soup with a spoonful of lime crema, a squeeze of lime and some fresh cilantro.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/black-bean-soup-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback