Author: ryank

Top Ten Side Dishes to Serve with an Easter Ham

Easter is a time of celebration, and what better way to celebrate than with a delicious ham as the centerpiece of your meal? Whether you are having a big family gathering or an intimate dinner with friends, a Kentucky Legend ham is a classic choice for Easter. But what are the best side dishes to serve with it? Here are ten options that are sure to please everyone at the table.

1. Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped potatoes are a classic side dish that pairs perfectly with ham. The creamy, cheesy potatoes are a comforting and delicious addition to any Easter meal. Plus, they can be made ahead of time and reheated when needed.

2. Green Beans Almondine

Green beans almondine is a light and flavorful side dish that is easy to prepare. The blanched green beans are sautéed with garlic and almonds for a nutty, savory flavor that complements the sweetness of the ham. If you’re looking for something a little heartier, you could also try our Bacon Green Beans.

3. Glazed Carrots

Carrots are a staple of many Easter meals, and glazed carrots are a popular way to prepare them. The carrots are simmered in a sweet and tangy glaze until they are tender and delicious, then roasted in the oven to add a slight char.

4. Roasted Asparagus

Roasted asparagus is a simple but elegant side dish that pairs well with ham. The tender asparagus spears are seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roasted until they are crispy and delicious.

5. Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is a comfort food favorite that is always a hit at Easter gatherings. The cheesy, creamy pasta is a delicious complement to the smoky, salty flavor of ham. Bless our Southern heart, we’ve got three different mac ‘n’ cheese recipes for you to choose from depending on what cooking apparatus you have available: 1) a slow-cooker version, 2) a skillet option and 3) a casserole dish alternative.

6. Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are a classic appetizer that can also be served as a side dish. The tangy, creamy filling is a delicious contrast to the richness of the ham.

7. Creamed Spinach

Creamed spinach is a decadent side dish that is perfect for Easter. The spinach is cooked with cream, butter, and garlic until it is tender and flavorful.

8. Cornbread

Cornbread is a Southern staple that goes well with ham. The sweet, crumbly bread is a delicious complement to the salty, smoky flavor of the ham.

9. Baked Beans

Baked beans are a classic barbecue side dish that can also be served with ham. The sweet and savory beans are a delicious contrast to the salty ham. Another option is to make this ham and bean stew as an opening course for your Easter meal.

10. Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potato casserole is a comforting and delicious side dish that is perfect for Easter. The sweet, creamy sweet potatoes are topped with a crunchy pecan streusel for added texture and flavor. Alternatively, you could roast sweet potatoes right alongside your ham in a delicious herb and honey glaze.

The best part is, when it comes to Easter sides, there are no wrong choices–only multiple right ones! Any one of these 10 side dishes is sure to complement your Kentucky Legend ham and make your meal a memorable one. Whether you prefer classic comfort foods or more elegant options, there is something here for everyone. Happy Easter!

Kentucky Legend Hosts Spring Clothing Drive

Hey, Owensboro! If you’re cleaning out your closets as part of your annual spring cleaning, why not consider pitching in to our seasonal clothing drive?

During the month of April, drop off any items you’re no longer in the habit of wearing to the Owensboro Convention Center. (There will be donation boxes set up near the front desk in the lobby.)

If you donate 5 or more items, you’ll even receive a voucher for 50% off a Lunch Combo at the Kentucky Legend Café!

All donations received will go on to benefit the Oasis Women’s Shelter and the Help Office of Owensboro.

Thanks for your generosity in advance!

More information and related articles:

https://www.owensborocenter.com/2022-kentucky-legend-spring-cleaning-clothing-drive/?fbclid=IwAR2DTonrdB-pyroKJJBM7HfQhG2DjtqgLrO_pxcqn68Gkwrq8NEYnyujRLA

https://www.messenger-inquirer.com/news/kentucky-legend-spearheading-clothing-drive/article_d2fa598e-14f0-5879-90b8-6d088c0be60a.html

4 Great Holiday Brunch Ideas

Critically acclaimed Chef Ralph Pagano is back at it again on Lifetime’s “The Balancing Act,” showcasing the delicious versatility of Kentucky Legend ham for your holiday brunchfests.

The great thing about Kentucky Legend ham, Chef Pagano points out, is its heat-and-eat readiness, which is a welcome way to take some of the hecticness out of your holiday mealtimes.

Since you’re probably dying to know, Chef Pagano’s four brunch ideas for Kentucky Legend ham are . . .

1. Ham & Waffles with Sour Cherry Glaze
2. Rolled-up Ham & Cheese Biscuits with Gravy
3. Ham, Tomato & Cheese Tart
4. Avocado Toast with Mojo-Basted Ham

If you missed it live and want more details on how to make these great recipes, you can catch the full segment here:

How Sweet (and Savory) It Is!

For a sweet and salty flavor combination that’s out of this world, you need to try Chef Jamie Gwen’s recipe for a Dulce de Leche and Cider glaze on your next Kentucky Legend ham.

Chef Jamie’s been a guest judge on “Master Chef” and a contestant on “Beat Bobby Flay” among many other food show appearances, so she knows an impressive recipe when she sees one—and this Dulce de Leche and Cider Glaze is one of those just-got-to-share kind of recipes.

Dulce de leche is that delicious confection, popular across Latin America and Southeast Asia, that‘s created by boiling milk until it turns into a sweet, caramel dessert sauce. Added to apple cider, apples, onions, some mustard and other spices, it creates a sweet-savory-tangy glaze that’s surprisingly irresistible on Kentucky Legend hams.

Chef Jamie’s recipe makes a glaze for one of our whole hams (~8lbs), though you could easily cut recipe in half to make the right amount for one of our smaller hams.

Watch Chef Jamie’s previous Facebook Live video showing how to make this glaze. Scroll below for full text of recipe.

Dulce de Leche & Apple Cider Glazed Ham

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Dulce de Leche
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups apple cider
• One 8-pound Kentucky Legend Whole Ham
• 2 Honeycrisp apples, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 large sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the Dulce de Leche with the two mustards, the garlic and the cayenne. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the apple cider.
3. Score the exterior of the ham, about 1/4-inch deep, in a diamond pattern. Spread the apple and onion slices onto the bottom of a roasting pan.
4. Set the ham on top and add 1 cup of the apple cider to the pan. Cover the roasting pan with foil and roast the ham for 1 hour.
5. Remove the foil and brush the ham with the Dulce de Leche glaze. Roast the ham for 45 minutes longer, adding additional glaze, or until nicely glazed all over. Transfer the ham to a cutting board and let the ham rest for 15 minutes.
6. Pour the pan drippings into a small saucepan and skim off as much of the fat as possible. Set the roasting pan on top of the stove over medium heat, preferably over two burners.
7. Add the remaining apple cider and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour the deglazed liquid into the saucepan with the pan drippings.
8. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup of Dulce de Leche glaze and bring the mixture to a simmer. Serve the ham with the glaze.

A graduate of both the Culinary Institute of America and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Jamie Gwen is a celebrity chef, syndicated radio host and cookbook author based in southern California. Chef Jamie’s been featured as a guest judge on “Master Chef” and competed on the Food Network show “Beat Bobby Flay.” Her other TV appearances include “The Martha Stewart Show,” “Emeril Live,” The Talk,” HGTV, HSN, Bravo TV, DIY Network and more.

Her favorite ham is Kentucky Legend’s Brown Sugar Ham.

Chef Jamie Gwen Talks 4th of July Meal Ideas

Chef Jamie Gwen’s Recipe for More Fun, Less Food Prep This Summer

Summer’s always been about taking it easy, and Chef Jamie Gwen will show you how to do so without sacrificing legendary flavor at mealtime.

Let’s be honest. Who really wants to stand beside a roaring grill in the season’s heat (okay, a few of us out there!) or roast anything in the oven and risk making the whole house uncomfortably sweaty?

Tune in to your local morning news Wednesday morning, June 30, 2021, for a chance to see celebrity chef, cookbook author and radio host Jamie Gwen reveal one of her favorite recipes for big summer flavor with minimal effort.

Spoiler alert: Chef Jamie Gwen’s magic formula involves combining the deliciousness of Kentucky Legend turkey with the convenience of your slow cooker or crockpot to make BBQ pulled turkey.

Double-smoked just like our bestselling hams, Kentucky Legend Quarter-Sliced Turkey comes with legendary built-in flavor. Cooking them low and slow in your crockpot gets them tantalizingly tender while bringing in the wonderful flavor of your favorite barbecue sauce and, most importantly, freeing you up for more summer fun.

For building meals, Chef Jamie’s BBQ pulled turkey is incredibly versatile. Fold some in a tortilla with coleslaw and pickles for a zesty, creamy wrap. Drop some on a potato bun or pretzel roll for a pulled turkey sandwich. Scoop some onto nachos, tater tots or mac ‘n’ cheese for some ultimate comfort food. Any leftover pulled turkey can be stored in Ziploc bags and frozen for easy, delicious dinners down the road.

When all’s said and done, the only remaining issue is, what are you going to do with all the free time suddenly on your hands? We hope something fun!

Reheating leftover ham? Here’s the best way.

Reheating leftover ham doesn’t need to be a mystery.

One hallmark of high-quality food is how good it tastes the second, third and fourth time around.

Leftover Kentucky Legend ham can be an epic ingredient for assembling sandwiches, salads, casseroles, soups and more. (Need recipe ideas? Click here!)

Since all Kentucky Legend hams are precooked as part of our legendary double-smoking process, you’re really never “cooking” a Kentucky Legend ham for doneness.

In fact, you could cut cold slices right off our hams straight from the store to use for sandwiches or salads if you like.

Rather, when “cooking” a Kentucky Legend ham, you’re really just warming it up to a preferred temperature for texture and flavor.

From that perspective, the best way to reheat leftover ham is the same as the best way to heat it for the first time around.

So what’s the best way to (re)heat a Kentucky Legend ham?

• Place in an oven-safe baking dish.
• Cover top of ham with loosely wrapped aluminum foil to keep moisture in.
• Bake at 275 degrees F at 10 minutes per pound–or until meat thermometer reads 135 – 140 degrees.

While reheating leftover ham with your microwave is possible, microwaves also tend to remove a lot of the moisture, drying ham out. But, if you’re just trying to warm a few slices for a quick bite, who’s going to stop you?

You can also brown individual ham slices in a skillet or frying pan easily and quickly.

Oink for Owensboro 2020

One Last Oink

It’s official: the “Oink for Owensboro” pigs are going out to pasture.

See the Oink for Owensboro Pigs before they’re gone.

Started in 2017, the giant, hand-painted pig statues are part of a philanthropic art project that has raised $100,000 for local non-profits while adding a little local flavor to the city.

“The sculptures are really incredible works of art to have on display downtown,” says Tim Ross, Director of Public Events for the City of Owensboro. “They remind us of the great partnership with Kentucky Legend and the sponsors helping raise so much for local charities.”

After seeing the success of similar projects, like the painted horses of Lexington’s Horse Mania project, Kentucky Legend Brand Manager Brooklyn Maple had the “pig idea” for Owensboro to do its own version as a way to encourage donations for local charities.

To date, 20 larger-than-life fiberglass pigs have been scattered throughout downtown Owensboro and surrounding areas, bringing color to the cityscape and reminding passers-by of Owensboro’s long, rich history of agriculture, meat production and barbecue.

While traditionally hogs have a reputation for being selfish or greedy, the Oink for Owensboro pigs are a symbol of the city’s generosity. Each statue represents a $5,000 contribution from an Owensboro organization to an area non-profit of their choosing.

Upon receiving their unpainted fiberglass statue, each donor had to put more than just lipstick on their pig. Donors were responsible for personifying their pig with a name and artwork before having it placed in a prominent location around town.

Alas, the Oink for Owensboro Project will officially come to a close in October of this year.

“Getting this project up and running was so much fun,” says Brooklyn Maple, Brand Manager for Kentucky Legend. “And we’re super thankful to all the groups that joined in and helped us hit our goal of raising $100,000.”

“While this project is obviously near and dear to our hearts, we’ve decided to move on in order to free ourselves up to consider new ways that Kentucky Legend can support our Owensboro community going forward,” says Maple. “At Kentucky Legend, we’re always brainstorming about that.”

Even though Oink for Owensboro is coming to a close, a number of donors intend to keep their statues on display indefinitely. Even so, the best time to view the pigs on a walking tour is before the end of October, just in case some donors decide to relocate their pigs.

If you’re not a fan of long walks, don’t worry: all 20 “porks of art” will be corralled into one large “Pig Pen” in front of the Owensboro Convention Center from July 2, 2020, to July 7, 2020, for easy viewing.

From July 8, 2020, until the end of October, you can find the pigs at their locations listed below.

Chef Jamie Gwen’s Ham & Melon Summer Skewers

Summer’s here, the weather’s glorious and that means there are tons of opportunities for eating outdoors.

Especially with travel being somewhat iffy this year, small get-togethers with family and friends will become so much more important as many large-scale events get canceled this season.

Whether it’s a backyard barbecue, picnic at the park or some other fun type of al fresco mealtime, Chef Jamie Gwen has an absolutely delicious starter to add to your shindig’s menu.

Chef Jamie’s Ham & Melon Summer Skewers are a riff on a classic prosciutto and melon salad. Threaded on skewers for fun, hands-on eating and better presentation, this recipe features cubes of cantaloupe or honeydew melon, slices of Kentucky Legend ham, leaves of fresh mint and a mustard vinaigrette.

The sweet brightness of melon contrasts wonderfully with the rich, savory flavor of Kentucky Legend ham and fresh herbaceous mint, which is growing like crazy in so many folks’ gardens by this time in summer.

The best part is this appetizer is quick, easy and can be thrown together in advance. Just store the Ham & Melon skewers in the fridge until serving time. They make a great bite to tide everyone over while the hot dogs and hamburgers are still on the grill.

Check out the video below or our Ham & Melon Summer Skewers recipe post for more details on how to make this fabulous seasonal appetizer.

A graduate of both the Culinary Institute of America and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Jamie Gwen is a celebrity chef, syndicated radio host and cookbook author based in southern California. Chef Jamie’s been featured as a guest judge on “Master Chef” and competed on the Food Network show “Beat Bobby Flay.” Her other TV appearances include “The Martha Stewart Show,” “Emeril Live,” The Talk,” HGTV, HSN, Bravo TV, DIY Network and more.

Her favorite ham is Kentucky Legend’s Brown Sugar Ham.

Helping Out However We Can

Grocery stores aren’t the only ones getting hit hard right now.

As measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 have essentially placed numerous industries on pause, the economic ripple-effect has been felt in communities across the country. As a consequence, social services are seeing their resources stretched thin.

That’s why, last week, we put a call out to various social services and religious organizations in our home-region of Owensboro, KY, asking how we could help.

By Friday, April 17, we had coordinated with nine different groups to donate more than 23,000 pounds of our products to the food pantries and homeless shelters they run.

It’s just one small way we can give back, but—for a home community that’s been so supportive of us—we feel fortunate to be able to help out in this way.

“We recognize the stress this crisis has placed upon many families and organizations in our community, and likewise the need for us to pull together and help each other through this time” says Eric Sheiss, the President of Specialty Foods Group, our parent company. “Product donations are just one piece of the puzzle of responding to this national emergency, and we feel fortunate to be able to contribute to our local community in this way.”

The donations, which were largely hams and different types of lunchmeat, were distributed to the Salvation Army of Owensboro, the Help Office of Owensboro, Boulware Mission, St. Benedict’s Homeless Shelter, the Daniel Pitino Shelter, God’s House of Hope, King’s Table Food Pantry, the Christian Food Bank of Hopkins County, and the Senior Community Center of Owensboro-Daviess County.

Jerry Moore, employee at the Daniel Pitino Shelter, which offers housing and meals for those experiencing homelessness, says they’re definitely seeing a spike in visitors: “Our kitchen usually serves between 85 and 100 lunches per day, but lately I’d say we’re averaging about 150, so these food donations are a huge help.”

Shelf-Life Guide

How long is a ham good in the fridge? What about freezer? This helpful graphic shows the expected shelf life for Kentucky Legend products.