December 22, 1945 • The end of World War II in 1945 allowed the United States to ease most of its food restrictions. Sugar was the only commodity still rationed by this time, which might explain why recipe author and High Point resident Mrs. J.D. Brame used sweet potatoes in this holiday dish.

This Ready-to-Bake ham is just another version of our traditional 16 lb—whole bone-in Country Ham. A Country Ham baked with the skin on requires that the skin and extra fat be removed between the baking and glazing stages. It is the most time-consuming and messy part of preparing a holiday feast. We bake the Ready-to-Bake ham in a nylon bag, which serves many of the same cooking functions as baking with the skin in place.

If you’re not Southern, you may not have heard of cracklings or better yet, crackling cornbread.  Outside the south pork skins are more readily available than cracklings, but with the rise of low carb, Keto and similar eating plans there has been an expansion of availability and cracklings are more readily available for folks looking for higher fat and lower carb foods. 

The Monte Cristo, a version of the original French croque monsieur, is a bit savory married with a tad of sweet. Appearing in American cookbooks around the 1930’s, history tells us it really made its debut on the culinary scene when one of California Disney’s restaurants featured on their menu.