What You Need:

1/4 C ketchup

1 T brown sugar

1 T cider vinegar

2 t Worcestershire sauce

1 t + 2 T canola oil

1/4 t pepper

4 (4 oz ea) ham slices, boneless and fully cooked

1 (8.5 oz) can sliced peaches, drained

How to Make It:

Pour the ketchup into a small mixing bowl.

Add the brown sugar and mix until sugar has dissolved.

Pour in the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and 1 t of the oil.

Sprinkle in the pepper and whisk all the ingredients together until well combined.

Brush each ham slice with the ketchup mixture being sure to cover both sides.

Place the remaining canola oil into a large skillet.

Place the ham slices one at a time into the skillet over medium heat.

Cook each slice 7 minutes, turn and continue cooking an additional 4 minutes.

Transfer each cooked slice to a warm platter while cooking the remaining ham.

Once all the ham slices have been cooked lower the temperature to low.

Add the peaches to the skillet and drizzle the remaining ketchup mixture over the top of the peach.

Cover and cook 5 minutes. 

Turn the peaches and cook an additional 2 minutes.

Remove the peaches and place over each ham slice before serving.

Serving Size:  4

This makes an excellent meat for a small holiday dinner.  If you would rather use a canned ham just place the ham in a baking pan.  Place the peaches around the ham and pour the ketchup mixture over the top.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil.  Place in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours or until the ham is cooked through.

For any recipe, begin by gathering your ingredients and utensils. It will feel like a kitchen show; your kids will love that. Show them how to do each step and then let them take over from there.

We mentioned biscuits before. Anything that goes into the oven is a good start for kids:

·         Christmas cookies

·         Breakfast casserole

·         Cakes

·         Rolls

·         Dinner meats

With the dinner meat, you will have to help them carry it to the stove, but they can pour the brown sugar glaze (if you like that) onto the ham, season the outside of the turkey, sprinkle pecans on the sweet potato casserole and many other small tasks.

Your kids will get the hang of baking and stovetop cooking with a little assistance. The holidays are a relaxing and jovial time to let your kids begin cooking with you. Teach them the basics of hygiene, preparation and creating so they will want to cook all of the time.

It is a common myth that kids don’t want anything to do with the kitchen. In fact, kids love to cook. How do you think we got so many wonderful chefs in the world? When you invite them in and give them something to do, kids will jump at the chance to cook in the kitchen.

 No matter what you are cooking (or baking) in the kitchen, the key here is cleanliness. In preparation, buy your child their own apron. Aprons will protect their clothing, giving them a place to wipe their hands. Also, keep plenty of paper towels and hand soap available as they will be washing their hands quite a lot.

Baking is the easiest thing to start with. Let your kids cut their culinary teeth on breakfast. Biscuits are a favorite place where they can learn and not get in trouble for making a mess. As you go from step to step, explain to your kids what you are about to do.

Baking involves most of the work to be done away from the stove. You can set up a work area on the kitchen table or the counter if your kids are tall enough. Let them create there while you prep the stove for the food.

Soups On, or is it Cookies?

Decorative mixes are still a big hit at holiday time. From soups to cookies, the gift receiver can decide when they will use their gift. Already prepared food gifts usually have a time limit.

If the person loves soup, give them a gift basket filled with delicious dry soup mixes that you prepared yourself. Since it is winter, no soup gift basket would be complete without chicken noodle. Include some of their favorites like potato soup, vegetable soup or bean soup.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in layers in the jar. You can use freeze-dried vegetables. Remember to make a label that includes:

·         Name of the soup

·         Recipe ingredients in jar

·         Ingredients still needing to be added

·         Serving size

Cookie recipes work well in the jar too. Properly measure out all of the dry ingredients in layers. Be sure that the jar is dry before adding anything so it doesn’t spoil. Use the same guidelines as the bulleted list above for soups when creating your cookie label.

Condiments

These types of gifts can be used all year round. They include items like flavored vinegars, homemade seasoning mixes and dry rubs. If you like to grow herbs, then a holiday gift of dried herbs is perfect for the cook on your list. Also popular are canned preserves, vegetables and fruits. After the canning process they can keep for as long as you need in the vacuum-sealed jar.

What are you planning to give to others this Christmas? If it is a food gift, use the tips above for gift ideas and also ways to keep it safe to enjoy.

When it comes right down to it, some of the best gifts given at Christmas are given from the heart. What says that you took time and care more than a homemade food gift?

Now, if you want to make food gifts, there are a few tips you need to remember. For safety reasons and liability issues, food gifts not accepted at schools. You can give a gift to your child’s teacher but not to the students.

Safety First

Most food gifts are either dry mixes or desserts that you’ve made. It is rare that people give things like meats but if you do, be sure that the meat was thawed or defrosted at proper temperatures. When you cook it, use a thermometer to tell if it is within temperature limits to be considered done.  Let the meat cool enough before covering it so that there is no condensation on the plastic wrap, aluminum foil or container top.

With all Christmas food gifts, be sure that everything is cooled and as dry as possible before wrapping it up in decorative packaging. You want the recipient to enjoy the food and not end up in the emergency room. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s take a look at some popular Christmas food gifts.