Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style

Sparkling Orange-Almond Sipper
1. 2 C water
2. 1 6-oz can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
3. 1 1-oz bottle pure almond extract
4. 1/2 gallon orange sherbet, softened
5. 2 2-liter bottles ginger ale, chilled
Orange slices and curls (optional)

Directions:
1. In a pitcher combine water, lemonade concentrate, and almond extract; mix well. cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.
2. To serve, place spoonfuls of sherbet in a punch bowl. Add lemonade mixture. Slowly add ginger ale; stir gently. Serve immediately. If desired, garnish with orange slices and curls. Makes about 6.5 quarts.

Orange-Glazed Ham
1. 1/2 C packed brown sugar
2. 1 tsp finely shredded fresh orange peel
3. 2 tbsp orange juice
4. 1 tsp ground mustard
5. 3-lb cooked boneless ham
6. whole cloves

Directions:
1. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, orange peel, orange juice, and mustard. Set aside.
2. Score ham by making diagonal cuts in a diamond pattern. Stud with whole cloves. Place ham on a rack in a shallow baking pan.
3. Bake in a 325 oven for 1-1 1/4 hrs or until a thermometer registers 140, basting occasionally with orange juice mixture the last 30 minutes of baking. Makes 8 servings.

Baked Candied Sweet Potatoes
1. 1/2 C packed brown sugar
2. 2 tbsp orange juice
3. 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
4. 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
5. 3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-1.5 in chunks (7-8 cups)
6. 2 tbsp butter or margarine, cut up

Directions:
1. In a large bowl combine brown sugar, orange juice, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. Add sweet potatoes; toss to coat. Transfer to a 3-qt rectangular baking dish. Dot with butter.
2. bake, covered, in a 350 oven for 40 min. Remove from oven and stir gently, spooning syrup over potatoes. Bake, uncovered, for 15-20 min more until potatoes are tender. Makes 8-10 servings.

All recipes were taken from the McCormick Flavors of the Season Holiday Cooking and Entertaining Made Easy cookbook.

For more holiday recipes visit Overwhelmed With Joy