Tag Archives: christmas

‘Tis the Season

Posted on December 17, 2015

Oh, Christmas!

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Yuletide carols being sung by a choir. And folks…clamoring for some traditional Christmas ham?

So it doesn’t rhyme. But it’s true! Christmas ham is an American tradition. Sure, every region does things a little differently, but a staple of an American Christmas – like the trees and the presents – is a sweet, glazed, succulent ham.

Mmm. Our mouth is starting to water just thinking about it! And everyone knows that the best hams, while recipes might vary from family to family, they all have one thing in common: pineapple.

If you’re looking to try out a new recipe or just shake it up a bit, this contest-winning submission from TasteofHome.com is pretty on point.

What you’ll need:

Ingredients

1 boneless fully cooked ham (about 6 pounds)
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 can (20 ounces) sliced pineapple or a fresh Perfect Pineapple
1 cup apricot preserves
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
Maraschino cherries

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 2 hours

MAKES: 16 servings

For a full recipe guide and step-by-step directions, visit TasteofHome.com here.

Enjoy,

Dr. Lloyd

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Posted in Featured, Recipes Tagged christmas, dinner, recipes

Christmas in 1840: What Tree?

Posted on December 12, 2015

ColonialWreath

Happy Saturday!

We stumbled across an interesting story today that we thought would be a neat post to share with our regular readers. Remember when ole’ Dr. Lloyd here told you about the history of the pineapple, or how pineapples were once a status symbol among Europeans?

Well, down in South Carolina, the Historic Columbia Foundation will be sharing similar anecdotes during candlelight tours of the capitol’s historic buildings later this month. The tours will showcase exactly what Christmas in the late 19th century was like for the buildings’ residents. Surprisingly, Christmas trees weren’t common as decoration until after the 1850s. But you know what was? You guessed it – pineapples!

This article by TheState.com gives great insight into what a Christmas celebration would have looked like during the American historical era – and give some reasons as to why the pineapple crazes seems to endure.

To read the full story, click here.

Enjoy!