Bee-Sting Glazed Ham

I enjoy a standard glazed ham as much as the next person, but a friend shared this wonderful Bee-Sting Glaze recipe with me and I don’t think I’ll ever go back. As the name implies, this glaze offers a little “sting” thanks to honey and a touch of cayenne pepper. But fear not, the heat is gentle. Even guests who are opposed to spicy foods will enjoy this tasty ham recipe.

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Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• microplane grater https://amzn.to/3UT4Scy

• honey https://amzn.to/3AVCUWJ

• disposable roasting pan https://amzn.to/3UUPjkN

Bee-Sting Glazed Ham

makes about 20 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 to 8 pound fully cooked, bone-in smoked half ham

• 1 cup honey

• 2/3 cup brown sugar (light or dark)

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• zest of one lemon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F and place rack in lower center position.

2. Place ham, cut side down, in a large roasting pan; score the fat side of the ham in a diamond pattern as shown in the photo above.

3. Pour 1/2 cup water around the ham and and cover the roasting pan well with foil; bake for 1 hour.

4. In a medium saucepan over medium, heat the honey, brown sugar, ginger, cayenne, cloves, and black pepper together, whisking frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved; remove from heat and allow to cool before stirring in the lemon zest.

5. Remove foil from ham and continue baking; brush generously with glaze every 10 minutes, for a total of 50-60 minutes (total cooking time should be about 2 hours).

6. If there is any leftover glaze, stir it into the strained pan drippings and serve with the ham.

Note

• For easy cleanup, use a disposable roasting pan. Be sure to place it on a half sheet pan so you can move it in and out of the oven easily without it collapsing.

Easy Black Bean Soup

Need a busy weeknight dinner idea? This easy, but super delicious black bean soup can be on your table in less than 20 minutes!

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Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• stockpot https://amzn.to/3Z6ROTk

• immersion blender https://amzn.to/48VjduE

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Black Bean Soup

makes 4-6 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/2 cup diced onion

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (I used my homemade) *see note below

• 1 cup salsa (here’s a great salsa recipe)

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice

• garnish: sour cream, scallions, cilantro, tortilla strips, etc.

Directions

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan or stockpot over med-hi heat, saute onions in olive oil until translucent, stirring frequently.

2. Add minced garlic and saute until fragrant, 30-60 seconds.

3. Add black beans, chicken stock, salsa, and cumin; stir well to combine.

4. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup to desired consistency.

5. Lower heat to medium and stir frequently until hot and bubbly, 10-15 minutes.

6. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice and serve.

Notes

• To make this soup vegetarian-friendly, use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock.

• The lime juice really takes this recipe over the top so don’t skip it. I like to keep an emergency stash of lime juice in the freezer for times when I don’t have fresh limes on hand.

• If you don’t have an immersion blender, feel free to blend the soup in a traditional blender or food processor (working in small batches, especially if the soup is hot).

adapted from allrecipes.com