How you doin’? It’s holiday time and people all over the U.S. are preparing for Easter dinner. What is it going to be this year?... turkey, roast beef or a Spiral-Cut Ham? Personally, I’m a big fan of Honey Baked Hams (they are not a sponsor of this blog). I’ve never had a clunker from this company, but honestly, it’s not that complicated to make your own… and undoubtedly less expensive.
 
If you’re wondering how to cook a spiral ham—read along—here’s everything you need to know! 
 
Cooking a copycat Honey Baked Spiral Ham is so easy that it practically cooks itself. Everyone will love your efforts for this popular Easter dinner served up with whipped or scalloped potatoes and green beans. Spiral-Cut hams come fully cooked, all you have to do is heat and serve. What could be easier?
 
Spiral-Cut Hams are typically between 8 and 11 pounds and, as I said, are fully cooked (make sure your package says pre-cooked). This means when cooking ham, heat it all the way through. The best way to do this is to cook it at a moderate temperature so the outside doesn’t dry out before the inside is heated through.
 
To cook a spiral ham without it drying out make sure you use a meat thermometer to reach 140° F and do not overcook it. I usually remove it around 135°F and keep an eye on the thermometer to ensure it reaches 140°F. It will continue to cook for a bit after you remove it from the oven.
 
Depending on the size allow 12-15 minutes per pound at 325° F. I have cooked Spiral-Cut Hams both with and without covering it with foil. Uncovered will give a slightly crisper exterior and need a longer cooking time. Cooking covered will be shorter cooking time with an undeveloped crisp exterior. My preferred way to cook is to keep it covered with foil and then remove the foil once the glaze is added for the last 20 minutes or so. If your ham is done early, remove it from the oven and let it cool a little, so it doesn’t keep cooking beyond the desired temperature. Once slightly cooled, cover with foil and don’t carve until ready to serve.
 
By the way, no two hams are shaped the same and the shape of your ham can affect cooking time. A larger rounder ham may need a little extra cooking time compared to a flatter shaped ham.
 
If you’re glazing your ham, it should be added at the end, so it doesn’t burn. I don’t use the glaze that comes with my ham; I opt for an easy homemade glaze. See ChefSecret below. Simply brush it on during the last 20 minutes. I sometimes turn the oven up or give it a broil for a couple of minutes to make the glaze good and sticky.
 
Spiral hams are made by one continuous cut from one end to the other and come apart very easily whether they are served warm or cold.
 
A typical serving is about 6 ounces per person, so an 8-pound ham will yield about 20 servings. But who can eat just one slice?
 
This easy baked ham is moist, tender and delicious inside while the outside is brushed with a brown sugar glaze and caramelized for a hint of sweetness. I serve this baked ham for special occasions (like Easter and Christmas) but it’s simple enough to make any time of year!
 
ChefSecret:  Brown Sugar-Honey Glaze for Spiral-Cut Ham
 
Baking a ham is not hard, you just need to watch the temperature to make sure it heats through without over cooking. Adding a brown sugar glaze to baked ham takes it to the next level without being overly sweet.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours – check your thermometer
Yield:  20 servings

Ingredients
8 to 10-pound bone-in smoked ham (with water added)
1-1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup clover honey
 
Directions

1. Adjust the oven racks to accommodate a large roasting pan.
2. Fit the pan with a shallow roasting rack.
3. Preheat the oven to 325° F.
4. Unwrap the ham and rinse it under cold water.
5. Place it on the rack in the roasting pan.
6. Cover with foil and bake 1 hour 40 minutes.
7. Combine the brown sugar and honey in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the mixture is smooth, and the sugar has dissolved.
8. Pour the brown sugar glaze over the ham and continue roasting 1 hour 40 minutes more, basting at least twice with the drippings in the roaster. (To adjust the total roasting time for a smaller or larger ham, calculate 20 minutes per pound.)
9. Check for doneness by inserting a meat thermometer into a meaty spot (not into fat or touching the bone)… it should register 140° F.
10. Let the ham stand 15 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to set.

-------------------------------------------

ChefSecret:  You can make the ham up to 2 hours ahead; tent with foil and serve at room temperature.

Quip of the Day:  One Easter, a father was teaching his son to drive when out of nowhere a rabbit jumped on the road. Slamming on the brakes, the son said, "I nearly ruined Easter. I almost ran over the Easter Bunny." His father replied, "It's okay son—you missed it by a hare."
-------------------------------------------
Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Entree #EasterDinner #HoneyBakedHam #SpiralHam #EasterSundayDinner #Dinner #HolidayDinner #PerspectivesOnFood #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                                               ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? Back in January of 2023, dear reader, I introduced you to Miss Swander, the “Cafeteria Lady” from Beverly Hills High. She made a mean casserole, and she was a hell of a baker, too. She turned out this coffee cake twice a week.
 
Nothing is better than getting a slab of this coffee cake at a morning break… except maybe her cinnamon rolls that she made the other 3 days of the week.
 
You could always grab a slab of this style coffee cake at the Original Farmer’s Market on Fairfax or at Royal Bakery on La Cienega Boulevard where it was sold by the pound. Miss Swander claimed that this was her grandmother’s secret recipe that she made every Sunday for breakfast.
 
While my recipe is reminiscent of a pound cake, this deliciously moist and buttery coffee cake is anything but dry! Between the cinnamon swirl layer and the generous amount of streusel topping, every bite is a perfect combination of flavor and texture. You can whip up this easy and affordable morning cake without having to make a special trip to the bakery.

Today's is National Coffee Cake Day... whip this up to celebrate!
 
Prep time:  25 minutes
Bake time:  40 minutes
Additional time:  30 minutes
Yield:  12 serving / 1 9 X 13-inch coffee cake
 
Ingredients 
For the cinnamon layer
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
 
For the streusel topping
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter (not melted)
 
For the cake
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/2 cups granulated (white) sugar 
1 cup softened unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
8 ounces sour cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
 
Directions
1.      Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2.      Lightly grease a 9 X 13-inch baking dish; set aside.
To make the cinnamon layer
3.      Stir the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon together in a small bowl until well combined; set aside.
To make the streusel topping
4.      Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.
5.      Add the butter and almond extract; stir with a fork until mixture is crumbly; set aside.
To make the cake
6.      Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
7.      Beat the sugar and butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
8.      Turn the mixer on low speed and beat in the eggs until well blended.
9.      Gradually mix in the flour mixture and milk.
10. Add sour cream and vanilla and beat for 30 seconds.
11. Pour 1/2 of the batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the cinnamon layer over the batter, then pour the remaining batter over top.
12.  Spread the chunky streusel topping evenly over the cake, pressing very lightly so it adheres to the batter.
13. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.
14. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before serving, about 30 minutes.

ChefSecret:  Coffee cake is so called not because it has coffee as an ingredient, but because it is intended to be enjoyed with coffee.

Quip of the Day:  Why did the coffee cake kill himself? Because his life was so crumby!
-------------------------------------------
Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Baking #Dessert #NationalCoffeeCakeDay #CoffeeCake #Streusel #Breakfast #Brunch #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
                                                                                ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? When you own your own chocolate company you get to “play” around with all sorts of recipes that use chocolate. Joan and I used to own the premium chocolate company, Choclatique, and we were always creating new concoctions with chocolate… so many, in fact, that I wrote the book on chocolate desserts… Choclatique--150 Simply Elegant Desserts.
 
As the Chocolate Doctor, I made a crushed cacao and salt coated prime rib, s’mores pizza, cocoa braised short ribs and Mexican Chocolate Oatmeal. Believe it or not they all tasted great!
 
My mother was of the generation that if you didn’t have a good hot meal to start off the day, it wouldn’t be a good day. There was no room for Tony the Tiger or Snap, Crackle or Pop in our house. My brother and I were destined to have a hot cereal breakfast every weekday morning. 
 
I was never that fond of hot cereal. I guess the Cream of Wheat was better than most, but hot gloppy oatmeal was the worst. I discovered in my preteen days that chocolate helps the oats go down. I started by spilling a little bit of my stronger than normal hot chocolate in the bowl of oatmeal and mixing it up really well to get the chocolate flavor.  Then I started to sneak in some chocolate chips that melted into the mix.  Then I graduated to this recipe to start everybody’s day in the pink or chocolate brown.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  15 minutes
Yield:  2 servings
 
Ingredients 
1 cup old-fashioned oats (I prefer Quaker Oats)
2 cups milk, divided (you can use any kind of milk)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (salt enhances the flavor of chocolate)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (or honey)
1/4 cup grated dark chocolate, save a little for topping
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping of choice
 
Directions

1. Combine the oats and 1-1/2 cups of the milk in a saucepan and place over medium-low heat.  
2. Add the salt and cinnamon and stir to combine.
3. Cook for 15 minutes (stir to prevent burning) until the oats are creamy.
4. Remove the oats from the heat and immediately stir in the cocoa powder, sugar, chocolate and the last half cup of milk.  
5. Stir in the vanilla extract.
6. Top with the remaining grated chocolate.
7. Optional toppings—Sliced bananas, berries, nuts or marshmallows. ​

-------------------------------------------
ChefSecret:  You can accelerate the cooking time of the oats significantly by using 1- or 3-minute oats.  After all, it isn’t about the quality of the oats, but the quality of the chocolate. 

Quip of the Day:  The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nuns wrote a note and posted it on the apple tray: "Take only ONE. God is watching."

Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of fresh oatmeal raisin cookies. A child added a handwritten note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples."
-------------------------------------------
Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food.
----------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Entrees #MexicanChocolateOatmeal #ChocolateOatmeal #Oats #Breakfast #B'fast #HotCereal #QuakerOats #PerspectivesOnFood #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  

                                                             ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025