Month: December 2020

Merry Christmas 2020

Merry Christmas 2020. It’s been quite an unexpected, interesting year, hasn’t it? Whew. As this year draws to a close, I want to say “thank you” for your encouragement, e-mails, and visits to this blog. I hope you’ve found lots of delicious recipes to prepare for yourself and those you love. They have been fun, and my great honor to share with you!

Merry Christmas greeting from our home to yours.

I will be taking a couple weeks off to enjoy the holiday (and take a break), then look forward to sharing some wonderful and delicious recipes with you in the New Year! In the meantime, if you’re looking for great recipes, be sure to check out my Recipe Index, because it has over 850 categorized recipes I’m confident you will enjoy. 

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year from our home in Oregon to yours. May God bless you and keep you, make His face shine upon you, and give you PEACE.

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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is a delicious, easy-to make treat. The recipe yields two 9×5 loaves, perfect for gift-giving or snacking.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is a delicious, easy-to make treat. The recipe yields two 9x5 loaves, perfect for gift-giving or snacking.

Do you enjoy banana bread? We sure do! Years ago I made some simple tweaks to my mom’s recipe for banana nut bread, and started making golden brown loaves of moist, chocolate chip banana bread (filled with chocolate chips and without the nuts). How can you go wrong by adding chocolate to just about anything? Not sure it’s possible.

Anyways, this simple recipe was born from her recipe. The recipe makes two big loaves of this delicious, moist bread. It hardly takes any time at all to whip up the batter, and then all that is left to do is pop ’em in the oven, and wait for them to be done. Easy Peasy! Here’s how to make this yummy bread, which can be a snack or a breakfast treat. We like to eat our slices warm, with a dab of soft butter on them. YUM. Here’s how to make this bread:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Make The Batter

Making the batter is simple. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar into a large bowl. Stir in the chocolate chips, reserving some (1/4 cup) to add to the top of the loaves before baking. These are the “dry ingredients”.

Dry ingredients are sifted, together then chocolate chips are added.

In a separate bowl, whisk or stir together eggs, oil, lemon juice, and mashed (very ripe) bananas. You will want to use bananas that have brown spots all over the peels (very ripe), because they will be the sweetest, which is perfect for this bread. These are your “wet ingredients”.

Once combined, pour the “wet ingredients” into the bowl with the “dry ingredients”, and stir well, only until all the ingredients are combined. Do not over-mix the batter.

Mashed bananas, eggs, oil, and lemon juice are combined in bowl.The wet ingredients are poured into the bowl of dry ingredients.The banana bread batter is stirred only until ingredients are combined.

Bake The Chocolate Chip Banana Bread 

Now it’s time to bake the chocolate chip banana bread. Spray two 9×5″ loaf pans with non-stick baking spray (bottom and sides). Evenly divide the batter between the two pans. Sprinkle the reserved 1/4 cup of chocolate chips over the top of the bread batter.

Place the loaves on the middle rack in a preheated 350°F oven. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the top comes out clean. I recommend checking the bread at 50 minutes, then again, until done. The chocolate chip banana bread should be golden brown on top. Let the loaves cool for 10-15 minutes (in the pan) on a wire rack, before attempting to remove them from the pans.

Chocolate chip banana bread batter is divided into two loaf pans for baking.Two loaves of chocolate chip banana bread cool on wire racks after baking.

Time To Eat!

Once the loaves have cooled, run a butter knife around the edges of the pan. Place a platter on top of a loaf, and holding both the platter and the loaf pan… invert the loaf upside down. It should come out of the pan easily (if you greased your pan well!).

Slice and serve. Each loaf should give you about 8 slices of this delicious bread. It is delicious slightly warmed, with butter, too! YUM.
NOTE: This bread also freezes very well, if wrapped well, in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.

A view of the inside of the bread, once sliced. Lots of chocolate chips.A slice of the chocolate chip banana bread, sliced and ready to eat.

I hope you enjoy this yummy chocolate chip banana bread. It has been a favorite in our home for many, many years! Thank you for stopping by, and I sincerely hope you will come back soon. Have a wonderful day.

Looking For More “Sweet” Bread Loaf Recipes?

You can find all of my sweetened bread loaf recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few recipes, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
55 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
 

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is a delicious, easy-to make treat. The recipe yields two 9x5 loaves, perfect for gift-giving or snacking.

Category: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate chip banana bread
Servings: 16 (2 loaves)
Calories Per Serving: 386 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips , divided
  • 2 large eggs , slightly beaten
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups mashed VERY RIPE bananas (approx. 4 med. bananas)
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (fresh)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or spray two 9x5 loaf pans with non-stick baking spray.

  2. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar into a large bowl. Stir in chocolate chips (reserving 1/4 cup) to add to the top of loaves before baking.

  3. In a separate bowl, whisk or stir together eggs, oil, lemon juice, and mashed (very ripe) bananas. Once combined, pour it into bowl with the "dry ingredients". Stir well, only until all ingredients are incorporated. Don't over-mix batter.

  4. Evenly divide batter between pans. Sprinkle reserved 1/4 cup chocolate chips over the top. Place loaves on the middle rack of oven. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the top comes out clean. I recommend checking bread at 50 minutes, then again, until done/golden brown on top. Let loaves cool 10-15 minutes (in the pan) on a wire rack, before attempting to remove from pans.

  5. Once cooled, run a butter knife around edges of pan. Place a platter on top of a loaf, and holding both the platter and the pan, invert the loaf upside down. It should come out of the pan easily (if you greased your pan well!). Slice and serve. Each loaf should yield 8 slices. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

If making mini-loaves, you will probably get 5-6 mini-loaves. These should be baked between 30-35 minutes.

Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 386 Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Cholesterol 25mg8%
Sodium 299mg13%
Potassium 371mg11%
Carbohydrates 55g18%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 24g27%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 63IU1%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 67mg7%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is a delicious, easy-to make treat. The recipe yields two 9x5 loaves, perfect for gift-giving or snacking.

Air Fryer Glazed Butternut Squash

Air Fryer Glazed Butternut Squash is an easy veggie dish, with air fried squash cubes covered in a butter, maple syrup and cinnamon glaze.
Air Fryer Glazed Butternut Squash is an easy veggie dish, with air fried squash cubes covered in a butter, maple syrup and cinnamon glaze.

If you have an air fryer and are looking for a great veggie side dish, I would love to recommend this air fryer glazed butternut squash to you. It’s been fun trying so many recipes using the air fryer I got last year.

For this recipe I tweaked one of my recipes for BAKING maple cinnamon butternut squash, and adapted it (through trial and error) for use in an air fryer. This recipe is the result of my experiments. And boy… is it GOOD! Slightly caramelized on the outside, and creamy soft on the inside, this is a delicious, slightly sweet, butternut squash side dish. Here’s how to make it:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Prepare The Butternut Squash

Use a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife, and peel the butternut squash. Cut off a slice of both ends, and discard. Slice the squash lengthwise, and then scoop out all the seeds (discard).

Slice each half squash into 1″ thick crescent-shaped slices, and then cut each slice into bite-sized cubes (about 1½” square). Place all the squash cubes into a large mixing bowl.

A vegetable peeler is used to peel the butternut squash.A butternut squash is sliced in half lengthwise, then seeds are removed.Crescent-shaped slices of the butternut squash are then cut into cubes.

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on the squash cubes, and then sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Stir well, to fully coat the squash with the oil and cinnamon.

Cinnamon and olive oil are sprinkled onto the squash, then stirred in to coat.

Cooking Air Fryer Glazed Butternut Squash

Now it’s time to cook the butternut squash! Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. This will take a couple minutes. When ready, place the squash cubes in the basket of the air fryer, spreading them out in a single layer as much as possible. 

The air frying process is fairly simple. Basically you will cook, shake the basket, cook, shake the basket, cook, shake the basket and then cook until soft. Got that? The occasional “shaking” allows the squash to get browned on all sides from all that “bumping” around.

Once done, the squash will have reduced in size as it cooked, will be slightly caramelized on the outside, and soft on the inside. You can give one a taste test to make sure it is cooked through.

Air fryer basket with cubes of butternut squash, ready to cook.When done, the squash has reduced in size, and is caramelized on the outside.

Time To Glaze And Serve!

Immediately pour the hot butternut squash into a large bowl. Add melted butter, pure maple syrup and a pinch or two more of ground cinnamon. Stir well, to ensure all the squash gets coated with this glaze.

Transfer to a serving plate or bowl, and serve the air fryer glazed butternut squash while HOT! The buttery cinnamon maple flavors give the squash just a bit of delicious sweetness that kids and adults will love! Serve alongside your favorite chicken, pork or beef dish, and enjoy!

Air fryer glazed butternut squash, served in white bowl.

Thank you for stopping by, and trust you will come back for a visit again soon. I hope you have the opportunity to try this air fryer glazed butternut squash. It’s really good, and I’m confident you and those you love will really enjoy it. Have a GREAT day, and may God bless you.

Looking For More Butternut Squash Recipes?

You can find all of my veggie recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have several delicious butternut squash recipes you might be interested in, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

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Air Fryer Glazed Butternut Squash
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 

Air Fryer Glazed Butternut Squash is an easy veggie dish, with air fried squash cubes covered in a butter, maple syrup and cinnamon glaze.

Category: Side Dish, Vegetable Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: air fryer glazed butternut squash
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 134 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 medium butternut squash
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons butter melted
  • 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to peel butternut squash. Cut off a slice at both ends, and ends. Slice squash lengthwise; scoop out seeds (discard). Slice each half into 1½" thick crescent-shaped slices, then cut each slice into bite-sized cubes (about 1½" square).

  2. Place squash into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and then sprinkle with cinnamon. Stir well, to fully coat squash with oil and cinnamon.

  3. Preheat air fryer to 400°F. When ready, place squash cubes in the basket of the air fryer, spreading them in a single layer as much as possible. 

  4. Cook 5 minutes. Shake the basket to move the squash around. Cook 5 minutes. Shake again. Cook 5 minutes. Shake again. Cook for 3-5 more minutes until the squash is caramelized on the outside and is soft to the bite on the inside (taste test). When done, remove basket from air fryer.

  5. Immediately pour squash into a large bowl. Add melted butter, maple syrup and 1-2 pinches of ground cinnamon. Stir well, to ensure squash gets coated with glaze. Transfer to a serving plate or bowl, and serve HOT! Enjoy.

Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Glazed Butternut Squash
Amount Per Serving
Calories 134 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 5mg2%
Sodium 26mg1%
Potassium 671mg19%
Carbohydrates 26g9%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 19994IU400%
Vitamin C 39mg47%
Calcium 95mg10%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Air Fryer Glazed Butternut Squash is an easy veggie dish, with air fried squash cubes covered in a butter, maple syrup and cinnamon glaze.

Crunchy Caramel Corn

Learn how to make yummy, crunchy caramel corn at home! This delicious, easy treat is made with only a few ingredients and will be a big hit!Learn how to make yummy, crunchy caramel corn at home! This delicious, easy treat is made with only a few ingredients and will be a big hit!

Do you enjoy caramel corn? I sure do! I’ve been making it for over 30 years with the same recipe I drag out of my old and tattered recipe box! It is super easy to make, is NOT sticky, and stays crunchy when stored in an airtight container! I am finally getting around to photographing and sharing the process for making it on the ol’ blog today.

The recipe as written makes approximately 24 cups of crunchy caramel corn when all is said and done, and did I mention just how absolutely DELICIOUS it is? Uh huh… addictively YUMMY. I have NO CLUE where the original recipe came from all those years ago. It was handwritten on an old 3×5 card with no source noted. Here’s how to make crunchy caramel corn:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

The Ingredients Needed

The ingredients you will need include popping corn, brown sugar, butter, light corn syrup, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Cream of tartar can be found in grocery stores in the Spices and Seasonings section.

A photo of the ingredients needed to make this recipe for caramel corn.

Pop the Popcorn!

The first thing you will need to do is pop the popcorn! You will need 3/4 cup of UNPOPPED plain popcorn kernels to end up with 6 quarts  of popped corn (approx. 24 cups) , which is necessary for this recipe.

Make the popcorn (in batches) using an air popper, or your own favorite popping method (stovetop/microwave, etc.). Once it is all popped, make sure to remove and discard any uncooked kernels from the batch. Set the popcorn aside in a very LARGE bowl while you make the caramel sauce. NOTE: It’s important to have the popcorn ready, so as soon as the hot caramel sauce is done, it can be added immediately!

Plain popcorn is popped and ready to turn into caramel corn.

Make The Caramel Sauce

Now it’s time to make the yummy caramel sauce for the popcorn. It’s EASY, and no candy thermometer is needed! Melt butter in a large saucepan. Once it’s melted, add brown sugar, light corn syrup, and salt. Stir well, to fully combine ingredients.

Bring the sauce to a boil on medium heat. Once it begins to boil, continue boiling for exactly 5 minutes, stirring the caramel sauce often.

The ingredients for caramel sauce are added to saucepan.Caramel sauce ingredients are cooked in large saucepan.

The sauce for the crunchy caramel corn will get pretty “foamy” as it continues to boil, and will rise a bit in the pan (which is why you start with a large saucepan!). Just keep on stirring! As it gets close to the 5 minute mark, it will darken in color, as well.

Once you’ve boiled it for 5 minutes, remove the pan from the heat. Immediately stir in the baking soda, and a pinch of the cream of tartar. The cream of tartar and the baking soda add air to the sauce, which is what helps create the crunchy texture on the popcorn!

Crunchy caramel corn sauce is boiling in pan.Baking soda is added to the finished caramel sauce.

Pour And MIX, MIX, MIX!

Immediately pour the hot caramel mixture over the popcorn. Use a large spoon and stir and stir, until all the popcorn is well coated in caramel sauce. Just keep stirring! A word of warning: The sauce is VERY HOT, so be careful. This would NOT be a job for the kids!

Pouring the hot caramel sauce over the popcorn in large bowl.Popcorn is stirred until coated with the sauce.

Time To Bake The Crunchy Caramel Corn

Once the popcorn is well-coated with the caramel sauce, spread it out on two large rimmed cookie sheets. Try to keep the popcorn in a single layer, and separate pieces with your fingers, if necessary, to break up any large “globs”.

Bake the caramel corn in a preheated 200°F oven for 90 minutes (1½ hours). Stir the caramel corn every 20 minutes during the baking time.  Stirring it that much is important, because it keeps the pieces moved around and broken up (for even heat distribution). This will also help the caramel to crisp up nice and crunchy, just the way it should be. Here’s what I do: Put on a great movie, set a timer, then just get up to give the caramel corn a stir every 20 minutes. It’s a WIN-WIN!

Once done, remove the pans from the oven, and let the crunchy caramel corn cool to room temperature before serving. Break up any large pieces, once cool. Store the crunchy caramel corn in an airtight container to keep it crunchy and fresh for weeks!

Crunchy caramel corn is baked until very crispy, turning at times during baking.

Crunchy Caramel Corn Is A Yummy Homemade Christmas Gift

Crunchy caramel corn also makes a fantastic food gift to give to those you love during the holidays! I like to buy inexpensive little Christmas goodie bags at the store, and fill them up with this crispy sweet snack!

Good luck staying out of the entire bowl of crunchy caramel corn… it is so incredibly good! It will be hard to stop eating, once you bite into it and get a taste!

Christmas goodie bags, filled with crunchy caramel corn are a fun homemade treat!

Thanks for stopping by! I truly hope you have the opportunity to make some yummy, crunchy caramel corn for yourself or those you love. It’s such a great recipe, and is so easy to make. Come back soon for another visit, and have a great day.

Looking For More CHRISTMAS GOODIE Recipes?

You can find all of my Christmas goodie recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have lots of them you’ll enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Crunchy Caramel Corn
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 40 mins
 

Learn how to make yummy, crunchy caramel corn at home! This delicious, easy treat is made with only a few ingredients and will be a big hit!

Category: Appetizer/Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crunchy caramel corn
Servings: 24 approx.
Calories Per Serving: 177 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup popcorn kernels (UNPOPPED) (to make 6 quarts popped)
  • 2 cups light brown sugar
  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks or 16 Tablespoons)
  • ½ cup light corn syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 pinch cream of tartar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 200°F.

  2. Make popcorn using an air popper, or a favorite popping method (stovetop/microwave, etc.). Once popped, remove/discard any uncooked kernels. Put popcorn in a LARGE bowl; set aside. NOTE: It's important to have popcorn ready before cooking caramel sauce!

  3. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Stir to combine. Bring sauce to a boil on medium heat. Once boiling, continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring often. Sauce will get "foamy" as it cooks, and will rise in the pan (which is why you use a large saucepan). Keep on stirring! Near the 5 minute mark, it will darken in color, as well. Once it's boiled 5 minutes, remove pan from heat. Stir in baking soda and a pinch of cream of tartar (this helps create crunchy texture-don't skip this).

  4. Immediately pour hot caramel over popcorn. Use a large spoon and stir, until all popcorn is well coated in caramel sauce. Just keep stirring! TIP: Sauce is VERY HOT, so be careful.

  5. Spread coated popcorn onto 2 large cookie sheets. Try to keep popcorn in a single layer, separating pieces with your fingers to break up large "globs". Bake at 200°F for 90 minutes (1½ hours), stirring every 20 minutes, to keep pieces moved around and broken up (for even heat distribution). Once done, remove from oven; let caramel corn cool completely. Break up any large pieces before serving. Store in airtight container to keep it crunchy for weeks! Enjoy.

Nutrition Facts
Crunchy Caramel Corn
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 177 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 20mg7%
Sodium 124mg5%
Potassium 48mg1%
Carbohydrates 27g9%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 23g26%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 236IU5%
Calcium 18mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Learn how to make yummy, crunchy caramel corn at home! This delicious, easy treat is made with only a few ingredients and will be a big hit!

Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

Brown Sugar Glazed Ham is perfect for dinners or holiday feasts! A honey, brown sugar, OJ and spice glaze coats the ham (boneless or bone-in).Brown Sugar Glazed Ham is perfect for dinners or holiday feasts! A honey, brown sugar, OJ and spice glaze coats the ham (boneless or bone-in).

My husband LOVES ham! We don’t have it that much during the year, but wow, does he ever love it at Christmas time and at Easter. In the past we’ve bought pre-glazed hams (at Honey-Baked using gift certificates).

We’ve also bought hams at the grocery that come with the cute little glaze package attached (where all you add is water).

Those are all wonderful options, but truthfully, it is sooo easy to make your own homemade brown sugar glazed ham. Today I will show you how you can make your own sauce to baste your holiday ham.

The “recipe” is incredibly simple, and the ham tastes wonderful after being fully glazed at 3 different points during the baking time.

The recipe as written is for a six pound ham, but can be easily adapted for a much larger one, too! Here’s how easy it is to make this delicious glazed ham:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Make The Brown Sugar Glaze

Simple, simple, simple. The sweet glaze is super easy to make! Basically it involves placing the ingredients in a pan and cooking for a couple minutes. That’s it!

Place brown sugar, orange juice, honey, white vinegar, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Whisk the ingredients together. Once combined, bring the sauce to a simmer on medium-low heat.

Let it cook for about 2 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until the sauce has slightly thickened, then remove the pan from the heat source.

Brown sugar, OJ, honey & spices are combined in saucepan to cook the glaze.The brown sugar glaze is cooked for 1-2 minutes until it thickens slightly.

Time To Glaze The Ham – Glaze #1

TIP: Take the ham out of the refrigerator about an hour before beginning, so some of the “chill” can be take off the meat. *It will cook more evenly if you do this.

Lay two large pieces of aluminum foil on counter (overlapping slightly in middle). Place your ham right in the middle of the foil. Use 1/3 of the brown sugar glaze to cover the entire outside surface of the ham.

If you are using a spiral sliced ham, let some of the glaze drizzle down between slices, if desired. Wrap up the ham tightly with the aluminum foil, until it is well sealed.

Place the ham in a large baking dish, flat side of the ham facing down in the dish, then place the dish into a preheated 325°F oven (on a middle rack).

A ham is place on aluminum foil, then coated with brown sugar glaze.Aluminum foil tightly seals the brown sugar glazed ham for baking.

Baking The Brown Sugar Glazed Ham – Glaze #2

Bake the brown sugar glazed ham at 325°F for 15 minutes for every pound of meat you are cooking, OR until the internal temperature of the ham reaches 100-110°F. For example, this 6 pound ham was cooked for 90 minutes. As the weight of your ham may vary, it is important to follow these guidelines to ensure a juicy ham!

Remove the ham from the oven, but TURN up the oven temperature to 400°F, as you remove it. Carefully open the foil wrap, and brush the ham with another 1/3 of the brown sugar glaze all over. Place the ham STILL UNCOVERED back into the now 400°F oven. Cook for 15-20 minutes more. Keeping it uncovered will help the sugar to slightly caramelize on the ham.

Glaze # 3- The Final Glaze

Remove the ham from the oven after 15-20 minutes OR when the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Brush the remaining glaze over the surface of the ham, then tightly seal the foil back up, and let the ham rest for 10 minutes (covered), before slicing.

The ham’s internal juices will redistribute throughout the meat during this 10 minute “resting” time. This will help it to stay juicy when serving. Once “rested”, the ham is ready to slice and eat.

After baking, another coating of glaze is applied to the ham, then cooked longer.Final glaze is applied to ham after baking, then it rests to redistribute internal juices.

Ready To Eat

Slice the ham and serve to your hungry family or guests. This boneless brown sugar glazed ham sliced easily, the meat was fully cooked and juicy, and the glaze added extra flavor!

Boneless brown sugar glazed ham is sliced for serving.

You can also use this glaze for your spiral-sliced bone-in hams, too. The simple, but sweet glaze adds a wonderful layer of extra flavor to any ham.

A spiral-sliced ham can also be used for this recipe.

We enjoyed our delicious ham slices with French-style green beans and maple cinnamon sweet potatoes. It was a simple, but absolutely delicious meal.

The ham leftovers were pretty incredible too, and were used to make ham and cheese scrambled eggs, ham sandwiches, and more. YUM.

Green beans and a sweet potato are served with a brown sugar glazed ham slice.

I hope you will consider trying this simple brown sugar glazed ham. I’m confident you will enjoy it on your favorite variety of ham.

Thank you so much for visiting this blog. May God bless and keep you, and make His face shine upon you. Have a GREAT day, friends.

Looking For More HAM Recipes?

You can find my recipes that use ham (or pork) in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have some delicious recipes, including:

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Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

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Recipe adapted from: Melissa, at: https://www.blessthismessplease.com/brown-sugar-glazed-ham/

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

0 from 0 votes
Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 45 mins
Total Time
1 hr 50 mins
 

Brown Sugar Glazed Ham is perfect for dinners or holiday feasts! A honey, brown sugar, OJ and spice glaze coats the ham (boneless or bone-in).

Category: Entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: brown sugar glazed ham
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 598 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 6 pound ham (bone-in or boneless) pre-cooked (intact or spiral cut)
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar (firmly packed)
  • ¼ cup orange juice
  • 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
  • Tablespoons honey
  • teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
  1. Remove ham from fridge 1 hour before beginning, to take chill off. Preheat oven to 325°F.

  2. Place remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan. Whisk together, to combine, and bring to a simmer on medium-low heat. Cook for 2 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until sauce has slightly thickened. Remove pan from heat source.

  3. Lay two large pieces of aluminum foil on counter (overlapping slightly in middle). Place ham in middle of the foil. Brush 1/3 of the brown sugar glaze on, to cover surface of ham. If using spiral sliced ham, let glaze drizzle down between slices. Wrap ham with foil, until well sealed. Place ham in a large baking dish, flat side down. Place dish on middle rack in 325°F oven.

  4. Bake at 325°F for 15 minutes for every pound of meat you are cooking, OR until the internal temperature of the ham reaches 100-110°F. As ham weights vary, it is important to follow these guidelines to ensure juicy ham! Remove ham from oven, and TURN up oven temperature to 400°F. Carefully open foil, and pull it slightly away from the meat (but leave it in pan); brush ham with another 1/3 of the brown sugar glaze. 

  5. Place ham (STILL UNCOVERED) back into 400°F oven. Cook 15-20 minutes more. Remove ham after 15-20 minutes OR when the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Brush ham with remaining 1/3 glaze; seal the foil back up, and let ham rest for 10 minutes (covered), before slicing to allow juices to redistribute through meat. Once "rested", it's ready to slice and serve.

Nutrition Facts
Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
Amount Per Serving (1 (8 ounce slice))
Calories 598 Calories from Fat 342
% Daily Value*
Fat 38g58%
Saturated Fat 14g88%
Cholesterol 141mg47%
Sodium 2709mg118%
Potassium 671mg19%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 49g98%
Vitamin A 10IU0%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 23mg2%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Brown Sugar Glazed Ham is perfect for dinners or holiday feasts! A honey, brown sugar, OJ and spice glaze coats the ham (boneless or bone-in).

Crispy Homemade Hash Browns

It’s easy to make crispy homemade hash browns to serve with a favorite breakfast. Crunchy on the outside, & soft inside, they’re DELICIOUS!
It's easy to make crispy homemade hash browns to serve with a favorite breakfast. Crunchy on the outside, & soft inside, they're DELICIOUS!

Anyone want hash browns with their breakfast? Me, me, me! My husband and I love crispy hash browns, especially with a good egg breakfast, but don’t have them too often. Most weekday mornings we grab coffee and an English muffin or have granola. HOWEVER… there is nothing like a big hearty breakfast on the weekends!

These crispy homemade hash browns are a wonderful accompaniment to a “full-on” breakfast, and they are very easy to make! They don’t take too much time or effort to make, either. I’ve been making them this way for years, and finally took photos so I could share the recipe with you on my blog!

Golden brown, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, these buttery, shredded potatoes taste amazing! Here’s how to make them:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Prepare The Potatoes

When I make hash browns, I like to use medium-sized Yukon gold or red potatoes. I had a few German butterball potatoes left from our garden (very similar to Yukons), so I used them for the photos. It’s certainly okay to use russets, but I personally like the color and flavor of the other varieties best. If using russets, use one really large or two medium sized potatoes to make two servings (as written in the recipe card)

Peel the potatoes, and then use a box grater to shred them immediately. Be sure to grate the potatoes immediately before cooking, so they don’t turn brown from exposure to air! I always shred them onto several thicknesses of paper towels, to help absorb moisture. Cover the shredded potatoes with several more paper towels, and press firmly to remove as much moisture from the potatoes as possible.

Removing as much moisture as possible will help create CRISPY hash browns. The potatoes will turn crispy while cooking instead of steaming in the additional moisture that was not removed. Trust me.

Potatoes are peeled, then grated onto paper towels.Paper towels are used to press into the grated potatoes to absorb excess moisture.

Time To Cook Crispy Homemade Hash Browns!

Okay… the potatoes are grated, and the excess moisture has been absorbed. Now it’s time to cook some crispy homemade hash browns! Add vegetable oil and butter to a large heavy skillet. TIP: If you have a cast iron skillet, use it! Cook on medium-high heat, stirring until the butter melts, and the skillet is really hot, but not smoking.

Carefully add the shredded potatoes to the hot skillet, evenly distributing them on the bottom of the skillet in a shallow layer. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Once you have the layer of potatoes spread out, do not disturb or move them.

Butter is melted into vegetable oil in large skillet.The hash browns are placed in hot skillet and seasoned.

Flip And Continue Cooking

Cook the crispy homemade hash browns for 3-4 minutes without disturbing them. When you begin to see the bottom edges begin to get golden brown and crispy, carefully turn the hash browns over in one piece, if possible.

Continue cooking an additional 3-4 minutes, occasionally pressing down firmly on the top of the hash browns with the back of a spatula. Flip the hash browns back over to the original side and cook 1-2 more minutes until they are crispy on the outside and lightly browned all over.

The crispy homemade hash browns are cooked, then flipped to cook other side.Seasoned crispy hash browns are fully cooked and ready to serve.

Time To EAT!

Evenly divide the crispy homemade hash browns into two portions and place on plates, keeping each portion intact, if possible.  Serve immediately, adding additional salt and pepper, if desired, to suit your own personal taste.

We enjoyed these hash browns served with a ham and cheese egg scramble and a slice of toast with my homemade strawberry jam. They were crispy, buttery, and absolutely DELICIOUS!

Crispy homemade hash browns, served with scrambled eggs, ham, and toast.

Sure do hope you have a chance to try these delicious crispy homemade hash browns. I’m sure you and those you love will enjoy them, too! Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon… and have a GREAT day!

Looking For More BREAKFAST RECIPES?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few breakfast dishes I think you will enjoy. They include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

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The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Author's signature

5 from 1 vote
Crispy Homemade Hash Browns
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
8 mins
Total Time
13 mins
 

It's easy to make crispy homemade hash browns to serve with a favorite breakfast. Crunchy on the outside, & soft inside, they're DELICIOUS!

Category: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crispy homemade hash browns
Servings: 2
Calories Per Serving: 367 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes (or red) , peeled and grated
  • ½ teaspoon salt/pepper (each) plus more, to taste if desired
  • 1 pinch garlic powder
Instructions
  1. Peel potatoes, and use a box grater to shred them immediately onto several thicknesses of paper towels to absorb moisture. Grate potatoes immediately before cooking, so they don't turn brown from exposure to air! Cover shredded potatoes with more paper towels, and press firmly to remove as much moisture as possible, which helps to create CRISPY hash browns.

  2. Add vegetable oil and butter to a large skillet. TIP: If you have a cast iron skillet, use it! Cook on medium-high heat, stirring until butter melts, and skillet is really hot, but not smoking. Carefully add potatoes to skillet, evenly distributing them in skillet in a shallow layer. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Once you have potatoes spread out, do not disturb or move them.

  3. Cook 3-4 minutes without disturbing. When you see bottom edges turn golden brown and crispy, carefully turn the hash browns over in one piece, if possible. Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes, occasionally pressing down firmly on the top of the hash browns with the back of a spatula. Flip the hash browns back over to the original side and cook 1-2 more minutes until they are crispy on the outside and lightly browned all over.

Nutrition Facts
Crispy Homemade Hash Browns
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 367 Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Saturated Fat 15g94%
Cholesterol 15mg5%
Sodium 647mg28%
Potassium 1074mg31%
Carbohydrates 45g15%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 175IU4%
Vitamin C 50mg61%
Calcium 31mg3%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!It's easy to make crispy homemade hash browns to serve with a favorite breakfast. Crunchy on the outside, & soft inside, they're DELICIOUS!

Chocolate Chip Pecan Brittle

Delicious Chocolate Chip Pecan Brittle is a very “brittle” slab of chocolate chip coconut pecan cookie broken in chunky pieces. EASY & YUMMY!
Delicious Chocolate Chip Pecan Brittle is a very "brittle" slab of chocolate chip coconut pecan cookie broken in chunky pieces. EASY & YUMMY!

If you enjoy chocolate chip cookies, then I can practically guarantee you will LOVE this crispy, crunchy chocolate chip pecan brittle. There is also toasted coconut in this treat, which is a wonderful flavor addition. My husband and I love this simple, but decadent crunchy dessert. I originally found the recipe in one of the Christmas cookbooks I have in my collection. IT’S SO GOOD!

The dough is made, then pressed FIRMLY into a 13×9″ baking pan, then cooked until hard and crunchy. Once done baking, the entire slab of cookie brittle is removed from the pan IN ONE PIECE. It is then broken into irregular shaped pieces for serving. Oh. My. Goodness. This chocolate chip pecan brittle is addictively TASTY! It would also be perfect for gift-giving. Here’s how to make it:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Toast The Coconut And Pecans

First Things First… preheat your oven to 350°F. You will need to lightly “toast” the coconut and pecans before making the dough for the “cookie brittle”. It’s EASY. Simply spread the pecans and coconut out on a large baking sheet.

Bake them at 350°F for 7-8 minutes without disturbing, until the coconut is golden brown. Once done, remove pan from the oven, and set these two ingredients aside to cool for a few minutes before adding to the dough. TIP: While the pecans and coconut are cooling, you can begin making the dough, to save time.

Coconut and pecans are toasted on a baking sheet in the oven.

Make The Dough

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside. In a SEPARATE large bowl, stir together melted (and cooled) butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.

Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the butter mixture, and stir well, combining the ingredients into a soft dough.

Dry ingredients are added to buttery wet ingredients to form a soft dough.

Add the chocolate chips and the cooled, toasted pecans and coconut to the dough mixture. Stir well, until all ingredients are incorporated. The chocolate chip pecan brittle dough will appear to be a bit crumbly, once combined.
Chocolate chips, toasted pecans and coconut are added to the dough.

Pack The Dough Firmly Into The Baking Pan

Lightly spray a 13″x9″ baking sheet with rimmed edges with non-stick baking spray. Using clean hands, firmly press the dough evenly in the pan until it is compacted and tightly packed down. This will ensure a crispy slab of chocolate chip pecan brittle once baked! Press the dough all the way to the edges. 

Chocolate chip pecan brittle dough is pressed firmly into a 13x9" baking pan.

Bake The Chocolate Chip Pecan Brittle

Once dough is firmly compacted in the pan, I take the back of a spatula and go around the edges of the pan, to create a tiny space between the dough and the pan. It helps to shore up the edges of the chocolate chip pecan brittle for a solid slab later.

Pop the tray onto the middle rack of a preheated 350°F oven. Bake for 19-21 minutes. When done, the “brittle” should be golden browned and firmly crisp. You don’t want soft spots, so you might have to cook it a minute or two longer, as oven temperatures can vary. When done, remove baking sheet from the oven to let the slab of brittle cool. Leave the brittle in the pan until it has cooled COMPLETELY.

Dough is separated from sides of pan, then baked until crispy and golden brown.

Time To Bust Out The Chocolate Chip Pecan Brittle!

Once the brittle has completely cooled, it’s time to bust it out of the pan. Remove the entire slab from the pan, and transfer it to a piece of aluminum foil or wax paper. It should be easy to remove in one piece, by lifting one edge, and literally lifting the whole thing out of the pan in a solid slab (as shown below)!

Using your hands, break the slab into individual portions. Yes, the pieces will be non-uniform in size as you break it up, but you should easily be able to get 24 pieces from this recipe.

Baked chocolate chip pecan brittle is so firm it can be removed from pan in one piece.Irregular shaped pieces are broken off of the slab before serving.

Time To Eat!

Once the chocolate chip pecan brittle is broken up into serving size portions, it’s ready to eat. YUMMO. These delicious treats are so good, and it was all we could do to stay out of it! The brittle can also be placed into cute little cannisters or gift boxes to share some love with friends or family for the holidays or a special occasion!

These treats are really crunchy and are amazingly delicious! IF you have any leftovers… be sure to store them in an airtight container to ensure maximum crunchiness for several days!

A white platter full of pieces of chocolate chip pecan brittle.There are many sizes and shapes of chocolate chip pecan brittle on the plate.

I am positive you will really enjoy these decadent treats as much as we do! Hopefully you will have the opportunity and time to make them for those you love.  Thanks for stopping by today. I truly hope you will come back soon. Have a GREAT day.

Looking For More COOKIE Recipes?

You can find all of my cookie recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few delicious ones, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest:
The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram:
jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Original recipe source: “Christmas With Southern Living 2007” Cookbook, published 2007 by Oxmoor House, page 158

0 from 0 votes
Chocolate Chip Pecan Brittle
Prep Time
17 mins
Cook Time
19 mins
Total Time
36 mins
 

Delicious Chocolate Chip Pecan Brittle is a very "brittle" slab of chocolate chip coconut pecan cookie broken in chunky pieces. EASY & YUMMY!

Category: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate chip pecan brittle
Servings: 24
Calories Per Serving: 204 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ cup butter melted & cooled slightly
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (miniature)
  • 1 cup pecan pieces toasted
  • ½ cup sweetened, flaked coconut toasted
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray or grease a 13"x9" rimmed baking sheet; set aside.

  2. Spread pecans and coconut out on a large baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 7-8 minutes undisturbed, until coconut is golden brown. Remove pan from oven, let ingredients cool before adding to dough.

  3. In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside. In a SEPARATE large bowl, stir together melted (cooled) butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir well, combining ingredients into a soft dough. Add chocolate chips and cooled pecans and coconut to dough. Stir well, until all ingredients are incorporated (dough will be a bit crumbly).

  4. Firmly press dough evenly in greased pan until it is compacted and tightly packed down. This will ensure a crispy slab of chocolate chip pecan brittle once baked! Press dough all the way to the edges. Using the back of a spatula, go around edges, creating a tiny space between dough and pan. It helps to shore up the edges of the chocolate chip pecan brittle for a solid slab later.

  5. Place baking sheet on the middle rack of 350°F oven. Bake for 19-21 minutes. When done, "brittle" should be golden brown and very crisp. You don't want soft spots, so you might have to cook it a minute or two longer, as oven temperatures can vary. When done, remove baking sheet from oven. Leave the brittle in the pan until it has cooled COMPLETELY.

  6. Once completely cooled, remove entire slab from the pan. It should be easy to remove in one piece, by lifting up one edge, then lifting the whole thing out of the pan in a solid slab. Break the slab into individual portions. The pieces will be non-uniform in size as you break it up, but you should easily get 24 pieces. Serve, and enjoy! Store leftovers in airtight container.

Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Chip Pecan Brittle
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 204 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 16mg5%
Sodium 94mg4%
Potassium 112mg3%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 185IU4%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 22mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Delicious Chocolate Chip Pecan Brittle is a very "brittle" slab of chocolate chip coconut pecan cookie broken in chunky pieces. EASY & YUMMY!