One Week From Today - HAM FEST!

But I'm not getting a bone-in ham because the ham people are lazy and don't spiral cut it all the way to the end.  We wind up with about 4 in. of ham that one can't get because it's a solid mass. 

If you're having ham, you really should have Pineapple Dressing to go with it.  This is so easy to make and so simple that I can make it.  If it's that easy, c'mon!

PINEAPPLE DRESSING
one can of 19 oz. crushed pineapple with juice
5 cups cubed bread
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
nutmeg or cinnamon or allspice (use all three - what the hell, right?)

Cream together the butter and sugar and beat in the four eggs, one by one.  Add the breadcrumbs and the pineapple and seasonings.  Mix up well and let it sit for a minute so the bread can absorb the liquids.  Bake in a covered casserole dish until puffy and golden on top.

This is a fairly sweet dish so the vegetable should have a little zing! to it.  Asparagus should be in season now so how about steaming some and serving it with two sauces? 

Lemon Sauce - mix lemon juice into a great clump of mayonnaise and stir well.  Set aside and make Red Sauce which is really more of a salad dressing than anything else.

1 slice Red Onion, finely chopped
2 T capers, finely chopped
olive oil and red wine vinegar
Mix it all up and set it next to the lemon sauce with a big dish of steamed asparagus. 

Asparagus virtually cleans itself when you grasp either end of a spear and bend it - crack!  and the woody end will be gone.  The asparagus knows! 

For more contrast - (box) cornbread with corn kernels and chopped, pickled jalapenos added to the batter.