If you are anything like me, your holiday seasons are jam packed with Christmas shopping, seasonal events, casual and formal parties and more, and there’s not a whole lot of time on hand to spend in the kitchen whipping up complicated, labor-intensive recipes for any occasion, not even the big ones. That’s why I like to stick to simple holiday recipes that while delicious, are as hassle free as possible—so that I can spend time together with my loved ones, instead of alone in the kitchen.
Kristi’s Super Simple Holiday Recipes
Christmas Ham with Brown Sugar and Honey Glaze
When it’s my turn to have people over for Christmas dinner, or for dinner parties during this winter season, I am a big fan of the Christmas ham as my main dish. Hams are easy, delicious, and look pretty gorgeous and formal on the dinner table. Though it might seem impressive, it’s the easiest thing to make—prep is ridiculously easy and with just three ingredients, it’s one of my most simple holiday recipes of all. It’s your best bet when it comes to wowing your guests. Here’s my go-to recipe! Enjoy!
1 18-20 lb. smoked ham
4 cups of light brown sugar, packed
2 cups of honey
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Unwrap the ham and rinse under running water. Place on a rack over a large roasting pan in the oven and cover loosely with foil. Bake for approximately an hour and a half.
While the ham bakes, heat the honey in a small saucepan over low heat and slowly add in the sugar. Heat until the glaze is smooth and the sugar dissolves.
Pour the mixture over the ham, continue baking for another hour and a half. Use a baster to keep pouring the glaze at the bottom of the pan over the ham as it bakes. Insert a meat thermometer to test, the ham is finished baking when it reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Easiest Eggnog In The World
Eggnog season is here! Eggnog, despite the funky name, is my winter drink and one of my favorite aspects of the holiday season. If I’m at home, you can catch me sipping it in the late evenings in front of the Christmas tree and feeling pretty full of holiday cheer in doing so. I’ve even served it to guests, to rave reviews. So even though it may sound pretty unsophisticated, I think you’ll love it, because everyone does.
2 large eggs, beaten
3 tbsp. sugar
3 cups of light milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 dash of ground nutmeg
1 dash of cinnamon
A bottle of your favorite rum, measured out in shots. I use Appleton Estate or Zaya, which I can usually find at BevMo.
Use a blender to blend all of the ingredients together. Pour out into glasses and add a shot of rum per cup of eggnog. Cheers! Serves 3.
Maple Glazed Carrots
(Recipe adapted from Saveur.com. Find the original recipe here.)
If you love carrots, you’ll absolutely adore these maple-glazed carrots. The maple syrup brings out the natural sweet flavor of the carrots. People will think you worked hard to make these, but they’re actually very easy and simple. Especially when you use a bag of baby carrots instead of chopping up larger ones, like I do.
1 lb. bag of organic baby carrots
6 tbsp. of unsalted butter
½ cup real maple syrup
¼ cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat. Add carrots and stir for 20 to 30 minutes. Increase heat to medium and stir in maple syrup and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and sprinkle with thyme. Serves 6-8.
