A Honey Baked Ham for New Year’s Day

    I grew up in a family that ate collard greens, black-eyed peas, and cornbread every New Year’s Day for lunch.  The meat varied from year to year, usually smoked ham or ribs, but the three side dishes always remained consistent.  As I child, I was told that the collard greens represented paper money and the black-eyed peas represented coins.   I was encouraged to eat as many greens and peas as I could hold, because this would bring me wealth in the New Year.  My brother and I would thoroughly douse our greens in vinegar and choke down a large helping of black-eyed peas.  Honestly, as a kid, I wasn’t crazy about the greens and peas.  Oh how my taste buds have changed!  This year we partook in the traditional New Year’s Day lunch of ham, collard greens, and black-eyed peas.  I failed to make cornbread because I figured we had enough food without it.  The ham I baked was actually the first ham I have ever made.  My dad smokes the most delicious brown sugar rubbed hams around Christmas and New Year’s.  Therefore, I have never had any reason to make a ham myself.  This year was the first time I have not eaten New Year’s lunch with my parents in 25 years.  Mama and Daddy were in South Carolina visiting my grandparents, but I cooked as though they were coming – plus about eight other people.  J.T. and I ate ham, collard greens, and black-eyed peas for a week, before we finally finished them up!  Everything turned out so good that we never got tired of eating the same thing – over and over again.  I even made some cornbread later on in the week J

Ingredients

·         5 lb. semi-boneless smoked ham

·         4 garlic cloves

·         ¼ cup pure clover honey

·         ¼ cup Dijon mustard

·         ½ teaspoon dried thyme

·         Water

Directions

1.      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Pat the ham dry with a paper towels and place in a large roasting pan. 

2.      Use a garlic press to mince the garlic.  Stir together the minced garlic, honey, Dijon mustard, and thyme.  Spoon the glaze on the ham, coating all sides.  Fill the bottom of the roasting pan with 1-inch of water.  Bake for 1 hour.  Check the ham occasionally and add more water if necessary.  

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