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Our yard looked like a car lot with family and friends’ cars parked everywhere. As I look back, I realize that was mom’s joy — having her family and friends together to celebrate and share food, fellowship and love. We need more of this camaraderie with friends in our lives today.

THE HAM

Chances are you’ve eaten more cured ham than uncured ham in your lifetime. After all, we love crispy bacon in the morning and country ham for Christmas dinner. Have you ever wondered what the difference between cured and uncured ham is.

On the farm we had an outside building called the “smoke house� or the “meat house� where our meat was stored during the winter. The difference between cured and uncured is the additives that are used to preserve the meat. Cured ham is cured with salt, sugar, nitrates and spices. The salt helps to preserve the meat and keep bacteria away giving the meat a longer shelf life. Uncured ham is still somewhat lightly cured naturally.

Uncured does not contain nitrates and when cooking this ham, you have to put in more time and effort. When fully cooked it will not store as long as the cured ham with its preservatives. The cured ham has a much saltier flavor because of the nitrates and other ingredients used in the curing process and is a dryer meat. You can also smoke the cured ham very easily.

The uncured ham has a milder flavor since they are not smoked or cured in salt. This makes the uncured ham a moist meat since it has more water content. However, you chose to cook your ham and the type of ham you prefer — enjoy that gathering at your table.

First I’m going to start off with a few recipes that were famous back in the 1960s and ‘70s then work my way up to 2024 with an Air Fryer Ham. Let’s go back down memory lane for a ham that used to be a must have at holiday dinners just like that “sherbert holiday punch.� Nothing brings back nostalgia like seeing a ham with cherries and pineapple slices on it.

HOLIDAY HAM

1 cup maple syrup

1 cup orange juice

1 cup ginger ale

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup honey

1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries halved

1 (12 pound) fully-cooked, bone-in ham

1 large heat-resistant nylon oven bag (such as Reynolds Oven Bags)

1 can pineapple slices in juice drained

1 box round wooden toothpicks.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix maple syrup, orange juice, ginger ale, brown sugar, and honey together in a medium bowl. Stir in juice from maraschino cherries, and ½ of the cherries. Score the outer edge of the ham with a sharp knife in a diamond pattern. Cuts should be about ¼ inch deep to allow the ham to soak up the juice. Place ham into an oven bag, and carefully pour the juice mixture over it, keeping all of the juice in the bag. (It may look like there is too much juice, but the ham will soak it up while baking.)

Place pineapple slices on top of ham and secure with toothpicks. Place cherries into the center of pineapple rings, and secure with toothpicks also. Tie the end of the bag closed with the ties provided, place in a large roasting pan, and cut a few small slits in the top of the oven bag. Bake ham for 2 hours in the preheated oven. The internal temperature should be 140 degrees F when done. Be sure not to touch the bone when taking the temperature. Remove ham from bag to a serving plate, and let stand for 10 minutes before carving.

Another staple ham I can remember seeing 50-60 years ago was the pastry wrapped ham. I used to marvel at the way others could prepare this with the pretty golden pastry wrapping.

WRAPPED CHRISTMAS HAM

One 6-pound boneless ham

Two 17.3-ounce packages puff pastry (4 sheets)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Two 8-ounce cans crushed pineapple

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

5 cloves

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 maraschino cherries

For the ham: Arrange two oven racks in the middle and bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Put the ham cut-side down in the middle of one. Lay one sheet of puff pastry on a clean work surface and brush lightly with egg wash. Layer a second sheet on top and brush with egg wash. Repeat with the remaining sheets but do not brush egg wash on the top sheet.

Roll the pastry with a rolling pin so it is 3 inches longer than the length of your ham and wide enough to drape over the ham completely. Cut off the extra 3 inches of pastry and set aside. Using a long sharp knife, score the pastry diagonally one way and then the other to form a diamond pattern, cutting halfway through the pastry layers.

Drape the pastry over the ham, pulling it gently to cover. Trim the excess pastry on the corners and set aside with the 3-inch-wide strip. Brush the wrapped ham with egg wash and bake on the middle rack until the pastry is golden and the ham is hot through (about 140 degrees F), about 2 hours.

Meanwhile, cut the 3-inch-wide pastry strip in half lengthwise on the diagonal so you have 2 long triangles. Cut the other pastry scraps into long thin triangles of various sizes. Transfer to the second prepared baking sheet, brush with egg wash and bake on the bottom rack until golden, rotating front to back half way through, about 30 minutes.

Combine the pineapple, sugar, cloves and vinegar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced and slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Combine the cornstarch with ¼ cup water in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the pineapple sauce, bring back to a boil and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove the cloves.

Transfer the sauce to a small bowl and top with the cherries. Put the ham on a serving platter and arrange the baked triangles at the top of the ham in the shape of a pineapple crown. Serve with the pineapple sauce.

I can remember when the old wood-fed kitchen stoves were slowly replaced with electric ovens, and then electric ovens were slowly replaced by convection ovens. Then the advent of the microwave oven or toaster oven. Now we have Air Fryer ovens. What’s next? I’ve been asking that question when it comes to cooking since 1960.

AIR FRYER HAM

1 small fully cooked ham about 3 pounds

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon orange juice or pineapple juice

1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

Preheat the air fryer to 320°F. Wrap ham in foil, ensuring that the seam is at the top so it can be opened. Place the wrapped ham in the air fryer and cook for 25 minutes. While ham is cooking, combine glaze ingredients. After 25 minutes, unwrap the ham and drizzle glaze over top. Place back in the air fryer (close seam again) and cook an additional 10-15 minutes or until ham reaches 135-140°F. Fold the foil down and cook the ham an additional 5-10 minutes or until the glaze is browned and the ham reaches 145°F. Rest before serving.

More holiday and Christmas recipes coming next week.