Chocolate Orange Caramel Pineapple Glazed Ham

Chocolate Orange Caramel Pineapple Glazed Ham

-1 ham (I was cooking for a crew of people)
-1 pineapple cored and sliced
-the juice and zest on 1 orange
-1 cup of chewy caramels (plastic removed)
-1 dark chocolate bar
-1 milk chocolate bar

Place caramels and the juice and zest of the orange on the stove on low heat and begin to melt the caramels, stir frequently.  Meanwhile slice the pineapple, and get the oven preheating at 350.  Place the ham in a casserole dish.  (cooking for about 45 minutes, less if precooked ham).  In a pot melt the dark chocolate.  Once the caramels have melted and the sauce is thick pour over the ham and pineapple.
Baste the ham with the caramel while it cooks.  Once the ham is cooked, allow to cool.  Pour the dark chocolate over, followed by drizzling milk chocolate over the dark chocolate.

Serve chilled.

Sesame Butternut Squash Soup with Orange and Coconut Milk

I love the autumn, it is a time of year to be eating squash, stews and soup.  This soup is hearty, delicious and fills your home with lovely scent.  I know this is the second orange soup, but it is also that time of year to catch colds.  My full time job is as a nurse and I am always mindful of this time of year.  The flavours of squash and orange compliment each other, then top with sesame seeds to add depth to the dish.

Sesame Butternut Squash Soup with Orange and Coconut  Milk

-1 tablespoon sesame oil
-2 onions chopped
-1 medium butternut squash
-900ml of veggie broth
-1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
-zest and juice on 1 orange
-1 can of coconut milk

roasted sesame seeds to top.

In a pot add oil and onions, on medium heat.  Allow to cook until soft, then add the butternut squash peeled, seeded and cut into chunks, and the veggie broth.  Allow to cook until it is soft, add the ginger and coconut milk, zest the orange and the juice.  Allow to simmer on low, purée until smooth and top with roasted sesame seeds.  It could be cooking in about an hour or left to simmer on low for a few hours.

I could smell the soup down the hallway in my apartment, so I like to let it simmer.

Orange Pineapple Mustard Rum Glazed Ham

This had amazing flavour!

2 tablespoons Grain Dijon Mustard
2 tablespoons maple smoked mustard
1 oz dark rum
4 tablespoons brown sugar
Zest and Juice of 2 oranges
1 fresh pineapple chopped
the ham

-mix the mustards, rum, brown sugar, zest and juice of orange juice together.  You want it to be thick, so you may need to add more brown sugar.  Slice the pineapple and place over the ham.  Bake in the oven at 350 for about an hour (depending on size).  If I had a roasting pan I would have used, but my dutch oven helps me to accomplish everything.

Orange Pumpkin Soup

Orange Pumpkin Soup

-1 tablespoon olive oil or sesame oil
-1 medium pumpkin
-2 large leeks cleaned and chopped
-2 onions chopped
-3 medium carrots chopped
-1 small sweet potato
-900ml veggie broth (tetra pack)  I used organic vegetable, you could use chicken for this
-1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
-2 tablespoons chili powder
-1 cinnamon stick
-1 can coconut milk
-zest and juice of 2 oranges
-salt and pepper to taste

-roasted sesame seeds or roasted almonds to top soup

In a large soup pot on medium heat add oil, onions and leeks.  Cook until they are soft.  While the onions are cooking, gut, chop and peel the pumpkin into small chunks. Peel and dice the carrots and sweet potato.  Once the onions are cooked, add the broth, pumpkin, carrots and sweet potato and allow to come to a boil.  Add the chili powder, cinnamon stick and ginger.  I put probably about 1 teaspoon of fresh pepper in.  Once the veggies are soft add the zest and juices of 2 oranges and the coconut milk.  Allow to simmer.  Purée the soup and top with roasted sesame seeds or almonds seeds.