Orange Glazed Ham

Credit: Taste of Home

1 Fully Cooked Bone-In Ham
1 TBS ground mustard
1tsp ground allspice
3/4 cup orange marmalade


1. Place ham on a roasting rack and score diamonds into the surface 1/2" deep
2. Combine mustard & allspice. Rub all over the ham
3. Bake uncovered at 325 until 140degrees (2-2 1/4 hours)
4. Spread the marmalade on the ham an hour before it is finished cooking.

John's Italian Gumbo

John's Italian-Southern Seafood Gumbo 

Get the stock cooking first in a pressure cooker

·         Fish carcass(This will give your gumbo a definite fishy taste. Leave out the carcass if you don’t want that)

·         2 quartered onion w/skin

·         4 cloves smashed garlic

·         1 Bunch parsley w/stems

·         2 stalks of celery w/leaves cut up coarsely

·         2 peeled carrots cut up coarsely

·         Shrimp heads from 2# of shrimp

·         16 black peppercorns

·         2 bay leaves

·         3 sprigs thyme

·         2 cups white wine

·         2 Quarts of water

While that’s cooking (maybe 30-45 min) prep the Gumbo

·         2 Chopped onions

·         ½ bunch chopped green onions

·         1 red pepper chopped

·         1 green pepper chopped

·         4 celery stalks chopped coarsely

·         2 cloves of garlic chopped

Make the roux

·         ¼ Cup flour to ¼ cup oil

·         Stir up. Microwave 1 min then stir.

·         Microwave and stir every 30 sec until as dark as you want (brown paper bag)

Gumbo Pot

·         Cook down 2 bags of okra in ¾ cup oil

·         When no longer stringy add the following, cooking a bit in between

·         Onions + 2 tsb salt

·         Peppers & Celery

·         Garlic

·         (2) 1#/12oz cans Cento tomatoes (cut a bit in the can and squash as you put them in by hand)

·         Strained stock

·         2 bay leaves

·         Leaves from 6 sprigs of thyme + handful of parsley + green onion

·         1 tsp sea salt + cracked pepper

·         ½ tsp crab boil

·         Roux

·         Seafood (1-2# Crab Meat, 2-3 # peeled shrimp)

·         Add extra seasoning as needed (s&p, hot sauce, etc)

·         Let simmer at least 30 min to an hour

·         Eat w/rice & potato salad. Use chicken bouillon in the water to boil the rice 

Biloxi Slavic Women's Pusharatas

The Slavic Women's Pusharata's are famous here on the Gulf Coast every Christmas time. Here's their recipe if you aren't lucky enough to live here! 

Here's a little history : 

http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2008/12/pusharatas-prsurate-purshunate-aka.html?m=1

Miss Deenie's Pusharatas

• 5 pounds self-rising flour 
• 2-1/2 cups sugar (1/2 cup for the fruit, below; 2 cups for the flour mixture) 
• 2 cups raisins 
• 3 tablespoons nutmeg 
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon 
• 3 tablespoons baking powder 
• 2 tablespoons whiskey 
• 2 tablespoons vanilla 
• 4 large apples 
• 4 large oranges 
• 1 lemon 
• 6 cups chopped pecans 
• 1/2 gallon milk 
• Sugar glaze 

Combine the dry ingredients: flour, 2 cups sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and baking powder. Peel and core the apples. Peel and pit the oranges and lemon. Mince the fruit or run it through a blender or a food processor, but don't liquefy; combine with 1/2 cup sugar. Combine wet ingredients: whiskey, vanilla and milk. Stir wet ingredients into dry. Then mix in fruit, raisins and pecans. 

Heat 1/2 to 1 gallon cooking oil in a deep fryer. Drop balls of dough (the ladies use a special scoop or just a standard coffee teaspoon) into hot fat being careful not to crowd the pieces. Fry until golden brown, then drain on paper towels. Coat with sugar glaze. 

Sugar glaze: Combine 2 or 3 cans of evaporated milk with 6 pounds confectioner's sugar and almond extract to taste. Start with the sifted sugar and add the milk gradually, stirring all the while, till you reach a glaze consistency. Add the extract a small amount at a time, to taste, and remember that the extract adds moisture, too.