Written with love, by Sarah-Elizabeth Labelle
There comes a moment in every woman's life where she is faced with her first Thanksgiving as a budding cook. It could be in a tiny apartment with a less than perfect dinner table, it could be helping your mother in her kitchen as a family tradition carries forth, or it could be slaving over your very first pie for the in-laws. You could be in your first home together this year, or celebrating your last year as just the two of you. Thanksgiving takes on numerous roles in our lives, but one thing is for sure, it centers around the food we make and love to eat.
It's your turn to shine this year, it's your turn to slap your husband's hand as he sneaks a taste of the gravy and to smile over your guests enjoying their food. So set the table, pick out those Autumn inspired table cloths we all adore, and roll up those sleeves! This Thanksgiving you'll impress all of your guests with how amazing your food is and they don't even have to know how easy it was!
Ingredients
1. Ham (half of a ham feeds roughly 5 people)
2. 1 cup of brown sugar
3. 1/4 cup of maple syrup
4. 1/4 water
5. 1 cup of diced carrots
6. Five or six strips of bacon
7. 2 cups of potatoes
8. 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
9. 10-12 asparagus stalks
10. 1 tablespoon of olive oil
11. 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper
Gravy Ingredients
1. 1 cup of left over water from potatoes
2. 1/2 cup of chicken (or beef) stock
3. 1 teaspoon of flour
Directions
1. Pre set your oven to 450F
2. Start with peeling and chopping your potatoes for boiling and then set aside
3. In a separate bowl mix 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of maple syrup (honey will also work) and 1/4 water
4. Chop up 1 cup of carrots
5. Lay ham inside of an oven safe dish and add bacon to the top in a weave-like pattern. This not only keeps the moisture inside of the ham but it infuses more taste.
6. Add the carrots to the oven safe dish and pour the maple mixture over everything
7. Place in ham in the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes
8. While the ham begins to cook, more prep can be done. At this point you can clean your asparagus and lay them on a baking sheet to dry off
9. Drizzle the asparagus in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper then set aside.
10. Once the 15 minutes has expired turn the oven temperature down to 350F and set another timer for 45 minutes
11. At this point you can add your chopped potatoes to a pot and start to boil those as well as work on any side bread you'd like to add to your meal
12. In the last 15 minutes of cooking time put the asparagus on the baking tray into the oven
13. Once the potatoes are done boiling, add some milk, butter and a touch of garlic powder while you mash them for a fluffier texture
14. Take out the ham and place on a serving dish, add the carrots and drizzle the maple mixture on top of the ham
15. Lastly remove the asparagus from the oven and serve
16. Don't forget to make the men do the dishes!
Gravy Directions
1. Take 1 cup of left over water from potatoes and mix in 1/2 cup of chicken (or beef) stock
2. Next slowly whisk in 1 teaspoon of flour until the mixture is thick
3. Serve
