Holiday Main Dish and Dessert Recipes

With Christmas just weeks away, the physicians and staff at Billings OB-GYN Associates are back with more of our favorite holiday recipes. This time we’re bringing you recipes for a couple of main dish options and delectable desserts! From our family to yours, we wish you a very happy and delicious holiday season.

Baked Virginia Ham

• 1 large ham
• whole cloves
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 can sliced pineapple
• 1 jar maraschino cherries

Directions: Turn fat side of ham up in pan.  Score ham and place one whole clove into each square.  Bake ham approximately one hour at 350 degrees.  Mix light brown sugar, pineapple juice and cherry juice in medium bowl.  Add yellow mustard to taste.  Glaze, when mixed, should be just slightly thin (barbeque sauce consistency).  Brush over ham generously.  Bake ham until golden brown.  Remove ham.  Place toothpicks evenly spaced over ham.  Place one pineapple slice on each toothpick.  Put one cherry on each toothpick.  Re-brush with glaze.  Bake again until golden brown.

Note:  Remove cloves before serving.  After removing ham from pan, drippings may be thickened for gravy using water and cornstarch mixture per instruction on the cornstarch box.

Perfect Prime Rib

• 1 prime rib roast (size doesn’t matter)
• ½ cup kosher salt
• ¼ cup rosemary
• ¼ cup horseradish powder
• ¼ cup garlic powder
• 1/8 cup cracked black pepper

Directions: Combine seasonings and rub into roast.  Let sit while oven preheats to 375 degrees.  Place roast in broiling pan, fat side up or bone side up.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Turn oven off for 3 ½ hours.  DO NOT OPEN OVEN!  One hour before serving, turn oven back on for 45 minutes.  Take rib out.  LET RIB STAND FOR 15 MINUTES.  This is VERY important.  It allows the juices to distribute.  Do not carve “ahead of time”.  Scrape off the salt “shell”.  The meat directly underneath that will be very salty but that’s usually the fatty part that no one eats.  Serve with au jus and horseradish sauce as desired.

Holiday Mint Pie

• 1 cup Keebler mint cookies
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 1-6 ounce graham cracker ready crust
• 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 3 ½ cups (8 ounces) cool whip
• 6 – 10 drops green food coloring

Directions: Mix crushed cookies with 3 tbsp. hot water.  Put on bottom of pie pan.  Mix cream cheese, sugar and milk.  Add cool whip and peppermint extract.  Divide into two bowls.  Add green food coloring to one bowl of whipped cream.  Dollop white and then green whipped cream then swirl.  Chill for three hours.

Lucy’s Old Fashioned Sea Foam

“My Grandma Lucy is one of the hardest working, most kind and generous people I know.  She has always accepted people for who they are and never asked them for anything.  She is 82 years old and currently winning the battle against lung cancer.  She has made Christmas candy every year since before I was born.  She makes all kinds of delicious things and sends everyone a box of their favorite treats.  A few years ago, Lucy gave all of us the recipes as well.  It is still better when she does it though!”

-Beth

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup dark corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon baking soda (make sure it doesn’t have lumps!)
• 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 bag milk chocolate chips

In a large pan cook the sugar, corn syrup, and vinegar until 300 degrees on a candy thermometer.  Stir constantly.  Remove from heat and quickly add the baking soda.  Pour into 9x13 pan.  DO NOT spread or disturb until completely cool.  Melt the chips together in the microwave until smooth.  Don’t add any water.  Break the sea foam into chunks and dip into the chocolate.  Let set on aluminum foil until dry and store in airtight container.