Leftover Ham Recipes

If by some miracle you have some leftover honey ham over the holidays, here is a recipe sure to please you and your guests:

Scalloped Ham and Potaoes

Scalloped Ham and Potatoes

Ingredients:

·         1/4 cup butter, divided

·         2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

·         1 cup white onion, peeled, diced

·         2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

·         3 large russet potatoes, peeled

·         1 1/2 cup cups milk

·         1 cup baby spinach

·         8 pieces Sliced Honey Cured Boneless Ham

Honey Ham

Directions: Heat oven to 350 F. Coat the inside of a 9 x 9 square cake pan with 1 tablespoon butter. With a mandolin, or a knife, slice the russet potatoes 1/8 inch thick; transfer to a bowl filled with cold water. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter; slowly add flour and whisk until smooth. Slowly add milk and whisk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until thickened. In another saucepan, over medium heat, cook diced white onion in remaining tablespoon of butter for 3 minutes or until tender. Add spinach and cook for 1 minute or until wilted; set aside. Drain potatoes. Arrange a single layer of overlapping potatoes to cover the bottom of the cake pan. Pour 1/2 cup of milk mixture over potatoes. Spread with 1/2 cup cheese, 4 slices of ham, and 1/2 cup of spinach and onion mixture. Repeat layering. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and top with remaining cup of cheddar cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes to melt cheese; remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 7.

Red Rocker Candy Butter Crunch Cashew - New Name, Same Great Candy

If you are looking for Red Rocker Candy Cashew Toffee with White Chocolate, it has been renamed to Butter Crunch Cashew. Red Rocker Candy feels this name better reflects what the product is, as it is not a typical toffee. A butter crunch is a crunchy confection that you cook to at least 290 degrees F. It is similar to toffee, a crispy confection that contains a lot of butter and sugar, but butter crunch contains slightly less butter. Still it is the same best-selling product…Imagine crunchy, salted cashews, Grade-AA butter and pure cane sugar all cooked to perfection, topped with a layer of creamy white confection and sprinkled with finely chopped cashews. These wholesome ingredients blend perfectly to create rich, buttery goodness. All natural and gluten free.

Holiday Party Gift Box

Nut Lovers

Winter Magic

We have put the
popular Red Rocker Candy Butter Crunch
Cashew in our gift baskets and boxes again this year.
Here are some examples.

Red Rocker Peppermint Bark for the Holidays

The Red Rocker Cashew Crunch Cashew was a popular new item last year so it will again be in many gift baskets available after Thanksgiving. This year we added Red Rocker Peppermint Bark to many of our gift baskets. Holiday Party and Gingerbread Magic is on the website now but more will be available soon.

Gingerbread Magic

Red Rocker Candy brings you the goodness of old-fashioned candies and chocolates, hand-made in small batches in their factory. The candy you've been waiting for all year is back! Peppermint Bark is the essence of the holiday season. Made with rich, dark Belgian chocolate, non-hydrogenated white confection infused with peppermint oil, and crushed peppermints. The flavors combine to make the perfect intense, creamy, sweet peppermint treat. This year we have added Red Rocker Peppermint Bark to our gourmet gift baskets.

Once the holiday season comes around, peppermint is a key ingredient in many recipes. One reason is probably its red and white color, two of the main colors that represent Christmas. Here ae some interesting facts about peppermint. Peppermint currently is a popular flavoring in hard candy, such as round mints and candy canes, fudge, ice cream and gum. Long before its potent taste was added to confections, peppermint oil was used for medicinal purposes.

Peppermint's Origins
While the origin of peppermint candy is unclear, historical accounts show that peppermint oils have been used since ancient times to calm the stomach and for other remedies. Farmers in Europe began commercially growing the plant, which is a natural cross between watermint and spearmint, in the late 1700s.
Peppermint in Candy
It is not exactly when peppermint-flavored candy first appeared. The confection is mentioned by slaves in the Library of Congress’ American Memory project. Smith Kendon developed Altoids in 1780 to relieve intestinal discomfort, and Life Savers introduced its Pep-O-Mint flavor in 1912. In 1927, Eduard Haas, of Vienna, Austria, invented peppermint Pez candy and the original dispenser.
Peppermint Candy LegendsThere are several legends surrounding peppermint candy canes. For example, an account in “Sweet!” by Ann Love and Jane Drake says that in 1670 a German choirmaster gave out sticks of sugar candy to children to keep them quiet.

September is National Honey Month

Monastery Creamed Honey

National Honey Month is a celebratory and promotional event held annually during the month of September. Its purpose is to promote U.S. beekeeping, the beekeeping industry and honey as a natural and beneficial sweetener.

The awareness month was initiated by The National Honey Board in 1989. September is significant for honey producers as it is the month that marks the end of the honey collection season for many beekeepers in the United States.

Fun fact: to make one pound of honey, a honeybee needs to tap 2 million flowers. That’s roughly equivalent to 55,000 miles of flying. No wonder they’re called worker bees.

Honey has been around since before the dawn of humanity, but we have been relying on it to sweeten our food and drink since we caught on. Some of the earliest references to honey can be found in paintings on cave walls in Spain and Greece.

Did you know that honey many benefits in addition to being a natural sweetener? It is also a beauty product, a natural energy booster and a cough suppressant. The nutritional content of honey includes several vitamins and minerals. Visit the National Honey Board for the full scoop on honey.

Honey Roasted  Peanuts

For more information on the Monastery Creamed Honey we sell, please see our blog: What is Creamed Honey?  We now offer eight flavors of creamed honey, since we added Orange and Blueberry to the Natural, Cinnamon, Brandy, Almond, Raspberry and Lemon we've been selling We also have Creamed Honey in asssortments, gift boxes, gable boxes with just creamed honey or with mixtures of preserves, apple butter and creamed honey. We have gift baskets with just creamed honey, ones with a mixture of preserves and with are other fine Virginia products. 

We also have from The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg deliciousHoney Roasted Peanuts perfectly coated with pure honey and a dash of salt, Sea Salted Caramel Honey Roasted Peanuts, Honey Roasted Caramel Apple Spiced Peanuts and Honey Roasted Chipotle Spiced Peanuts.

Mini Chocolate Peanut Cheese Balls Recipe

Here is an appetizing recipe from The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg using their All Natural Peanut Butter and Handcooked Virginia Peanuts. Both are available from The Virginia Marketplace.

Mini Chocolate Peanut
Cheese Balls

Ingredients:

• 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup Peanut Shop Natural Peanut Butter (smooth)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate morsels, divided
• 1 cup finely chopped or crushed Peanut Shop Handcooked Virginia Peanuts (w/salt)
•  Apple slices, pear slices or graham cracker sticks
• Directions:
  Beat together the cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar and brown sugar until well mixed. Stir in 1/2 cup mini chocolate morsels, reserving remaining chocolate morsels. Chill 30 minutes. Scoop and roll into 1-inch balls; place on a tray. Combine peanuts and remaining 1/4 cup mini chocolate morsels. Roll cheese balls in peanut mixture; chill 1 hour or until set. Serve with apple slices, pear slices or graham cracker sticks. Cover and store in refrigerator. 
  
  Makes: 24 mini cheese balls 
  
  Recipe tip: To crush peanuts, place in a heavy duty quart size self-sealing plastic bag. Crush peanuts with a rolling pin into small pieces.

Beach Fun and Virginia Seafood

In July and August, the beach calls to us. If you are lucky enough to be staying at a beach this summer, we have some ideas of what food to bring along. 

We have many varieties of seafood soup from Blue Crab Bay and Chin

She-Crab Soup

coteague Seafood Company. From Blue Crab Bay, She-Crab, New England Clam Chowder and Cream of Crab. Chincoteague Seafood offers three chowders, New England Clam Chowder, Manhattan Clam Chowder, and Corn Chowder, four crab soups, Vegetable Red Crab, She Crab, Crab and Cheddar, and Cream of Crab, four bisques, Crab and Cheddar Bisque, Lobster Bisque, Lobster and Cheddar Bisque and Clam Bisque.

For snacking, how about a Blue Crab Bay Crab Dip Kit or Clam Dip Kit. Everyone will surely enjoy Chesapeake Bay Snack Mix or some Crab Town Nuts.

Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer

For drinking or cooking with, don't forget the Blue Crab Bay Sting Ray Spicy Bloody Mary Mixer, a thick and rich blend of clam and tomato juices spiced with Blue Crab Bay's Chesapeake Bay Style Seafood Seasoning and freshly grated horseradish.

If you are missing the beach, treat yourself or someone to some food that will surely make you feel like you are eating at the beach, Crab Cakes or Crab Balls. Looking for a gift to send to someone who loves the beach, we have many Seafood Gift Baskets and Gift Boxes also.

Blue Crab Bay's Pamela Barefoot Inducted into Specialty Food Association Hall of Fame

Clam Dip Kit

Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer

Seafood Soups

There’s so much to savor at Blue Crab Bay. the Eastern Shore company started in 1985 by Pamela Barefoot in her farmhouse kitchen. To honor her success, this week the founder and president will be inducted into the Specialty Food Association Hall of Fame at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City. It’s one of the highest honors in her field. The hall of fame’s mission is to honor people like Barefoot whose contributions, innovations and success within the specialty food industry deserve praise and recognition. Virginia is lucky to have her. 

Crab Dip Kit

A year after starting Blue Crab Bay, she proposed a Virginia Pavilion at the Fancy Food Show. She served on the Specialty Food Association Board for eight years. Named Virginia’s Small Business Person and SBA’s Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur, she also received UVA’s Resilience Award. She is a passionate advocate for small business and tourism. We are proud to sell some of her iconic products: Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer, several Seafood Soups and Crab and Clam Dip Kits.

Blue Crab Bay Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer for Father' Day

Blue Crab Bay Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer

Dad’s love Bloody Mary’s! Blue Crab Bay’s Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer is made on the Eastern Shore right here in Virginia. It has a nice twist with the addition of clam juice. It is great alone or as a cooking sauce.

You can get Blue Crab Bay Sting Ray by itself or in one of our Bloody Mary Gift Baskets. You can find the gift baskets in a special Bloody Mary Gift Basket section. Here are just a few examples:

Bloody Mary Brunch

Bloody Mary Brunch Basket also includes Byrd Mill Raspberry Pancake Mix, Puffenbarger Sugar Orchard Pure Maple Syrup, The Peanut Shop Virginia Peanuts, Southern Shores Crab Town Peanuts and Blue Crab Bay New England Clam Chowder.

Southern Gourmet Treasures

Bloody Mary Breakfast also includes three Byrd Mill Baking Mixes, Graves Mountain Apple Butter and Peach Brandy Preserves, Monastery Natural and Brandy Creamed Honeys and Puffenbarger Sugar Orchard Pure Maple Syrup.

Southern Gourmet Treasures also includes Byrd Mill Raspberry Pancake and Waffle Mix, Grave Mountain Peach Brandy Preserves, The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg Hot Southern Peanuts, Virginia Gentlemen Steak Sauce, Blue Crab Bay She-Crab Soup, Monastery Brandy Creamed Honey and Cabin Creek Roasters Colombian Supremo Coffee.

 Virginia Gourmet Treasures also includes Byrd Mill Cinnamon Muffin Mix, Graves Mountain Apple Butter, Pork Barrel Barbecue Sauce, The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg Virginia Peanuts, Cabin Creek Roasters Colombian Supremo Coffee and Blue Crab Bay She-Crab Soup and Crab Dip Kit.A gift that includes Blue Crab Bay Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer makes a great gift for Father’s Day!

Sweet Ideas From Virginia for Mother’s Day

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 8, 2016. Yes, Mom loves chocolate and flowers. Looking for something special, send Mom food she loves from Virginia. At the Virginia Marketplace we have classic favorites such as Virginia Hams and Virginia Peanuts as well as innovative and unusual tastes from the finest Virginia gourmet companies.

Since Mom's so sweet, send her some sweets to enjoy with her Mother's Day breakfast or brunch. We have Graves Mountain Apple Butter, Orange Marmalade and several Preserves as well as 8 flavors of Monastery Creamed Honey. They are available in assortments, in gable boxes and in gift baskets. We have gift baskets of all preserves, all creamed honeys and a mixture of preserves and creamed honey.

From the Heart

We also have gift baskets that include Byrd Mill baking mixes to accompany the preserves and honeys like either of our Fabulous Fruit Baskets or Fabulous Fruit 'N Brandy Basket.  Rise and Shine and From the Heart baskets also include the addition of coffee roasted in Virginia and Virginia Maple Syrup. Spring Delights gift basket gets even sweeter with the addition of Peanut Shop of Williamsburg Milk Chocolate Brittle Bites.

Virginia Spring Brunch Selections 

Assortments of Virginia favorites also come in gift boxes. Our Virginia Spring Gift Box includes Byrd Mill baking mixes, Virginia Maple Syrup and Creamed Honey to go on top, Milk Chocolate Brittle Bites and some coffee to wash it all down. Virginia Spring Brunch Selections Gift Box includes Raspberry Pancake and Waffle Mix and Strawberry Preserves along with seafood selections, Blue Crab Bay Crab Dip and Cream of Crab Soup, and Milk Chocolate Brittle Bites and coffee for dessert.

If it’s all chocolate Mom craves, here are some Chocolate Lover's ideas: Chocolate Lover’s Sampler Gift Box, Dark Chocolate Peanuts, Milk Chocolate Peanuts, Milk Chocolate Brittle Bites, Milk Chocolate Almonds, Milk Chocolate or Dark Chocolate Cashews, Milk Chocolate Malt Balls, or White Chocolate Cashew Toffee.

Looking for more ideas, check out our Mother’s Day section…it’s easy to give Mom or send Mom some Love from Virginia!

Comfort Foods

Smoked Country Sampler

Sausage Links

Spring starts on March 20, but there is still time to enjoy some comfort foods from Smithfield before winter is gone and spring arrives.

The Country Sampler

The perfect way to start the day...bacon, sausage, country ham or some of all of the above. Check out our Bacon and Sausage offerings: Country cured bacon slabs or slices, a country bacon sampler or a thick cut bacon sampler, country bacon slices with no sugar added or country sausage links. With so many choices, we made it easy to try some variety with the Smoked Country Sampler of bacon, ham and sausage.

Feb. 25, 2016 is National Chili Day

National Chili  Day is celebrated the fourth Thursday of February. This year it will be celebrated on Feb. 25. There's nothing better on a cold winter day.

Most historians agree that the earliest written description of chili came from J.C. Clopper, who lived near Houston. While his description never mentions the word chili this is what he wrote of his visit to San Antonio in 1828:  "When they [poor families of San Antonio] have to lay for their meat in the market, a very little is made to suffice for the family; it is generally cut into a kind of hash with nearly as many peppers as there are pieces of meat--this is all stewed together.”

In the 1880s, a market in San Antonio started setting up chili stands from which chili or bowls o'red, as it was called, were sold by women who were called "chili queens." A bowl o'red cost diners such as writer O. Henry and democratic presidential hopeful William Jennings Bryan ten cents and included bread and a glass of water. The fame of chili con carne began to spread and the dish soon became a major tourist attraction. It was featured at the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893 at the San Antonio Chili Stand.

By the 20th century chili joints had made their debut in Texas and became familiar all over the west by the roaring ‘20s. In fact, by the end of that decade, there was hardly a town that didn't have a chili parlor, which were often no more than a shed or a room with a counter and some stools. It’s been said that chili joints meant the difference between starvation and staying alive during the Great Depression since chili was cheap and crackers were free. 

In 1977, chili manufacturers in the state of Texas lobbied the state legislature to have chili proclaimed the official "state food" of Texas “in recognition of the fact that the only real 'bowl of red' is that prepared by Texans.” 

Here’s a recipe for a unique version of chili made with Blue Crab Bay’s Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer which is made with clam juice:Jim's Bloody Mary Chili

 

Ingredients

·    1 lb. ground turkey

·    2 c. Sting Ray® Bloody Mary Mixer

·    2 15 oz. cans chili beans, drained

·    12 oz. jar roasted red peppers

·    6 oz. can tomato paste

·    large yellow onion, diced

·    3 cloves garlic, minced

·    2 tbsp. olive oil

·    1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

·    salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a medium pan, heat olive oil. Sauté onion and garlic until golden brown and remove from pan. Brown turkey in pan, season with salt and pepper if desired. Add onion and garlic back to the pan. Add all other ingredients except cilantro. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, for at least half an hour or until flavors develop. Prior to serving, stir in cilantro or use as a garnish. Serve with your favorite toppings, such as sour cream, grated cheese, hot peppers, etc. Serves 4 to 6. 

Jan 24 is National Peanut Butter Day

Snowy Days

January 24 is National Peanut Butter Day. January is the first full month of winter. In Virginia, we are once again waiting for snow. It’s time to start planning for a wintry snowy day. That is why National Peanut Butter Day is in January.

The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg All Natural Peanut Butter is just that - peanuts and maybe a pinch of salt. It is available for all tastes, smooth, crunchy or salt free. We’ve chosen The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg All Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter for our Snowy Days Gift Basket and Snack Attack Gift Box, both with handy items for a cold, winter day. Both also include Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Peanuts

A delicious way to enjoy your Peanut Butter is covered in Milk Chocolate.The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Peanuts are crispy roasted peanuts covered in creamy peanut butter and double dipped in milk chocolate