mom did a ham on christmas, it came out pretty good. i was lucky to catch her before she went the white trash route and added canned pineapple rings to it i made a nice glaze for it with shallots, bourbon, and honey, very tasty!

i made a divine ham and potato soup with the bone. i covered it with cold water, added the pan drippings, and simmered it with carrots, celery, onion, a few bay leaves, and 3 smashed garlic gloves. a brought it up to a boil, and reduced it to a simmer and let it go really low overnight. i strained the stock through a cheesecloth, and set it aside. in a seperate pot, i sauteed finely chopped carrot, celery, onion, and a minced garlic clove in half a stick of butter until translucent, not carmelized. i then added a few tbsp of flour to make my roux, and cooked it down for a minute.

the ham stock was then added, and whisked briskly to dissolve the roux. i added a few diced yukon gold potatos, and let it bubble away for about an hour. whats nice with this recipe is you don't have to worry about overcooking the potatos, as if they get a little overdone they simply break down and add a nice texture to the soup. towards the end i added diced ham, a cup or so of heavy cream, adjusted the salt/pepper, and let it cook for another 10-15 minutes. hands down the best soup i've done, and i've made plenty both in restarants, and at home. the taste was just as i had envisioned, and thats alot harder to do with food than tv can make it seem as there are just so many different variables to take into consideration!