Fix-It and Forget-It Holiday Main Dishes and Sides (3 page)

Raspberry-Glazed Ham

Gloria Frey

Lebanon, PA

Makes 16-20 servings

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 4 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 6-qt.

8-10-lb. boneless ham, fully cooked

¼ cup apple juice

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. cornstarch

⅓ cup seedless raspberry jam,
divided

1 Tbsp. butter

1. Place ham in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on Low 2 hours.
   
2. While ham is cooking, blend apple juice, lemon juice, and cornstarch together in saucepan.
   
3. Stir in about half of jam after liquid is well blended.
   
4. Cook and stir until hot and bubbly. Add butter. Stir in remaining jam.
   
5. Spoon glaze over ham after it has cooked 2 hours.
   
6. Cover. Cook 2 more hours on Low.
   
7. Slice ham and serve.
   

Tip:

If you wish, double the amount of glaze. Place half in a serving bowl. Pass alongside ham slices so individuals can add more glaze to the meat if they wish.

Ham with Sweet Potatoes and Oranges

Esther Becker
, Gordonville, PA

Makes 4 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 7-8 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.

2-3 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼” thick

1 large ham slice

3 seedless oranges, peeled and sliced

3 Tbsp. orange juice concentrate

3 Tbsp. honey

½ cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1. Place sweet potato slices in slow cooker.
   
2. Arrange ham and orange slices on top of potatoes.
   
3. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle over ham and oranges.
   
4. Cover. Cook on Low 7-8 hours.
   

Delicious served with a
fruit salad
.

Verenike (or Creamy Lasagna)

Jennifer Yoder Sommers

Harrisonburg, VA

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 5-6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

24 ozs. cottage cheese

3 eggs

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 cup sour cream

2 cups evaporated milk

2 cups cubed cooked ham

7-9 uncooked lasagna noodles

1. Combine all ingredients except noodles in a good-sized mixing bowl.
   
2. Place half of creamy ham mixture in bottom of cooker.
   
3. Stack in uncooked noodles. Break them to fit if you need to.
   
4. Cover with remaining half of creamy ham sauce. Push noodles down so that they are fully submerged in the sauce.
   
5. Cover. Cook on Low 5-6 hours, or until noodles are tender but not mushy.
   

Serve it with
green salad
,
peas
, and
zwiebach
(a favorite Mennonite food), or small
dinner rolls
.

Note:

This is an easy way to make the traditional Russian Mennonite dish—verenike.

Sunday Roast Chicken

Ruth A. Feister

Narvon, PA

Makes 4-5 servings

Prep. Time: 30-35 minutes

Cooking Time: 6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 6- to 7-qt.

Seasoning Mix:

1 Tbsp. salt

2 tsp. paprika

1½ tsp. onion powder

1½ tsp. garlic powder

1½ tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. pepper

½ tsp. dried thyme

½ tsp. savory

¼ stick (2 Tbsp.) butter

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 roasting chicken

¼ cup flour

1-2 cups chicken stock

1. Combine Seasoning Mix ingredients in small bowl.
   
2. Melt butter over high heat in skillet. When butter starts to sizzle, add chopped onions and peppers, and 3 Tbsp. seasoning mix.
   
3. Cook until onions are golden brown. Cool.
   
4. Stuff cavity of chicken with cooled vegetables.
   
5. Sprinkle outside of chicken with 1 Tbsp. seasoning mix. Rub in well so it sticks.
   
6. Place chicken in large slow cooker.
   
7. Cover. Cook on Low 6 hours.
   
8. Empty vegetable stuffing and juices into saucepan. Whisk in flour and 1 cup stock from slow cooker.
   
9. Cook over high heat until thickened. Add more stock if you prefer a thinner gravy.
   

Note:

The first time I served this dish was when we had family visiting us from Mississippi. We had a wonderful time sitting around a large table, sharing many laughs and catching up on the years since our last visit.

Chicken Cacciatore with Spaghetti

Phyllis Pellman Good

Lancaster, PA

Makes 4-5 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.

2 onions, sliced

2½-3 lbs. chicken legs and thighs, skin removed

2 garlic cloves, minced

16-oz. can stewed tomatoes

8-oz. can tomato sauce

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1-2 tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. dried basil

1 bay leaf

¼ cup white wine

1. Place onions in bottom of slow cooker.
   
2. Lay chicken over onions.
   
3. Combine remaining ingredients in a good-sized bowl. Pour over chicken.
   
4. Cover. Cook on Low 4 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
   
5. Remove bay leaf before serving.
   

Serve over hot
buttered spaghetti
,
linguini
, or
fettucini
.