Basket 411

{Just a reminder there are only only 2 more days to enter our GIVEAWAY...}

It's not too early to be planning my Christmas dinner is it? 

Because I totally have it planned and it's all centered around these babies; Ham Stuffed Apples. 

My husband loves the whole ham, potatoes, sweet potatoes, roll, kind of holiday meal and I just don't. I make it (or truthfully, my sister in law makes it) cause it makes him happy.  But with these babies, we'll both be HAPPY! 

I would suggest having the ingredients for these around so that the minute you get your basket on Saturday morning (which always seems to have apples), you can whip these up and make yourself and your loved ones happy as well. 

I already warned my husband that we might be eating these weekly.  Yes, I liked them that much. 

Here's the original recipe and here's what I did:

Ingredients:

6 apples (I used Jonathan)

2 cups cubed cooked ham

1/3 C craisins

3 T brown sugar

1/3 C chopped pecans, toasted

2 T butter, cut into pea sized pieces

apple juice

 

1. Cut the tops off the apples and scoop out the core reserving some of the fruit, Be sure to leave a thick shell to hold the stuffing. I used a teaspoon to do this. 
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Put approximately 1 cup of the removed apple, cut into small pieces, in a mixing bowl and combine it with the ham, butter, raisins, pecans and brown sugar; mixing the ingredients well.
4. Spoon this mixture into the cored apples, pushing it down into the apple. Place them in a baking dish that has been coated with non-stick spray. Use a tablespoon to put more of the mixture on top so that they are heaping.
5. Pour the juice over the apples and bake for 35 minutes, basting occasionally with the juice.

Serve mashed, roasted, baked?, BB potatoes/sweet potatoes and a green salad. I made mashed potatoes.  The secret to those is to add a little reduced calorie cream cheese along with a little butter and milk. 

And just so you know, these taste just as good for breakfast. I know because I had one this morning.  :)