Many Hams come pre-cooked and, really, need no cooking at all. But most Hams will benefit from baking. And if you don’t make big roasts that much (like me), you may need some reminders and tips.  Why bake? It brings out the natural juices and allows you to customize with a glaze, if you choose, to fit your dinner.

For a primer on Ham (the USDA recognizes four distinct classifications of Ham based on water to protein ratio), view this video from Alton Brown’s Food Network show, Good Eats.

After you’ve decided on which type you want to serve — city or country, fresh, bone-in, spiral sliced, etc. – follow these simple steps for the Best Baked Ham Dinner.

1. Buy a quality Ham: Choose well by knowing what you’re buying. Alton Brown does a good job explaining it, but there’s good information on Ham at Wikipedia, too.
2. Read the package: Most Hams you buy in your grocer’s case will come with some basic guidelines and instructions for cooking right on the label.
3. Decide on a glaze: To glaze or not to glaze is a matter of personal taste (and some intense debate). Options range from fruity peach and pineapple, to adventurous honey mustard and hoisin sauce. Experiment with recipes from CDKitchen and Recipetips.com or go with a family favorite.
4. Bake and check for doneness: One of my favorite kitchen tools is a digital probe thermometer. It is readable from outside the oven and alerts me when food is done. Consumer Reports rates them here.
5. Enjoy! Slice and serve with your favorite sides. That’s another post, but please share your top picks with us.

While not exactly a no-brainer, it is easy to make a memorable Ham Dinner, whether it be holiday-related or for Sunday supper.

“Workplace gifts have been shown to boost company success,” according to Rick Kiley, President of gThankYou. “To keep ROI high, it’s essential to engage employees. There’s no better way to do that than with a thoughtful, and useful gift.”

HR Managers and executives can add a personal touch to Employee Gift Certificates that recipients can redeem at any grocery store for a Ham, Groceries or Turkey of their choice. Choose cards that feature a cheerful Singing Bird, a Field of Flowers, Tulips, and a Lamb with Ewe. Each design was created by artist Amy Pierquet of Waterfront Graphic Design, makes these employee gifts memorable and creates a reward program that gets results.

Convenience tops the list of reasons employers choose gThankYou Gift Certificates. Personalization – an added service used by most employers at no additional charge – includes a card design of your choice plus your company name and the recipient’s name printed on the Gift Card.

Order Ham Gift Certificates, Grocery or Turkey Gift Certificates easily online at www.gthankyou.com in $5 denominations from $10 to $30. Certificates are also simple to give, and are often distributed with payroll. Redeeming Certificates is easy, too. Employees can redeem Certificates at any grocery store for the Ham, Groceries or Turkey of their choice.

gThankYou Gift Certificates are the ideal workplace gift. They’re meaningful, affordable and appreciated by the entire family. They also offer the perfect opportunity for leaders to recognize workplace success. Most gThankYou customers give Company Gift Certificates to all employees in the company, division or workgroup at holiday times or the conclusion of a successful project, month or quarter. Learn more at www.gThankYou.com or by calling 888-484-1658.

About gThankYou.com

gThankYou, LLC (www.gthankyou.com) is based in Madison, Wisconsin. Find out more about gThankYou on the company’s website. And read more about how Thanks can boost your company at the gThankYou.com blog (http://blog.gthankyou.com/). Contact: Rick Kiley, President, gThankYou, LLC, info@gthankyou.com, 888-484-1658. gThankYou is a registered trademark of gThankYou, LLC.

These days, traditional Sunday Dinner has mostly gone by the wayside. Busy schedules of smaller families living across the country have made meals of “cheater’s chicken” or carved ham from the grocery hot counter more the norm. But preparing and serving a baked ham from home is really no more expensive or difficult than picking up a pre-cooked meal at the store. It’s all in the mindset.

We had a lot of fun reliving the Sunday Dinner tradition with our baked ham. But the best part was the leftovers, which is really why I baked the ham in the first place.

It’s show and tell time in this installment of Recipe of the Week  where I’ll share the  entrees my family of four devoured (plus sandwiches) from our 10-pound, bone-in ham.  (gThankYou to all noted for these recipes.)

1. Ham & Bean Soup: This fantastic version published recently in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that I made is from the  Bogus Creek Cafe & Bakery in Stockholm, Wisconsin. This eatery was also written up by Jane and Michael Stern of Road Food, Gourmet Magazine and Splendid Table fame. Seriously good.
2. Ham & Cheese Crêpes: Julia Child’s influence lives on in my kitchen as I continue to find new ways to serve her crêpes. This time,  it was Ham & Cheese Crêpes I found at Cookography.
3. Ham & Cheese Quiche: I score extra points anytime I can sneak spinch into a dish. This Ham, Swiss & Spinache Quiche went down just fine.

Rediscover Sunday Dinner, and all the rewards that follow. It’s worth every minute.

First, a couple of notes on ingredients.

Cabbage has been called one of the world’s healthiest foods. It’s also cheap, plentiful, economical, and versatile, as demonstrated in cabbage-based dishes  from about every cuisine (kimchi anyone?). Cabbage has become among our favorite ingredients for satisfying winter meals, with availability at its peak during the colder months.

Ham hocks are fabulous flavor boosters, often added to enhance soups and to make substantial stocks. They’re smoky and rich, and according to Recipezaar come from the lower part of a pig’s hind leg.

gThankYou for these recipes:

• Jamie Olver cooks up a simple Ham & Spring Greens dish featuring cabbage in this video.
• Another version of Cabbage Soup from Emeril Lagasse.
• Ham Hock & Cabbage Soup from the Cavemanfood blog.
• Culinary Disasters throws in potatoes in its recipe here.
• And That’s My Home offers a lentil soup using cabbage and ham hocks.

An added benefit: Making these soups can be as rewarding as eating them. Enjoy!

This recent post from Career Builder advises companies how to attract and win over ideal job candidates. The list includes lots of perks that range widely:

• Offering a healthy work/life balance
• Having flexible or alternative work schedules
• Corporate volunteering groups and efforts
• Cross-training opportunities
• A “Green” facility
• Tuition reimbursement
• Health benefits for an employee and his/her family
• Casual dress
• Dogs in the office
• Employee trips
• Candy at the reception desk
• Free yoga
• In-house massage
• Learning opportunities
• Fun contests to promote recognition
• 15 days off during the holiday season
• Profit sharing

Missing from this list, arguably, is the key strategy of engaging current employees and offering them a tangible system that helps them set, achieve and celebrate goals. Employees under your roof now are your greatest asset, and best advertising tool to boost your ranks with top-performing people. Best to start the year right by setting a policy and agenda toward employee engagement for a sustainable organization.

As discussed in this recent post from Jo Confino, executive at the London-based Guardian, employee engagement is not really rocket science, but more a matter of communication. Says Jo:

“We are delighted that our most recent employee survey has shown that our staff engagement programme has led to a dramatic uplift in the scores on sustainability, compared with the same survey the previous year.”

According to Career Builder, the job forecast for the upcoming period is improving. It’s probably a good time  to shore up employee engagement to build a truly sustainable and productive workforce.

To help you through the process of using your gThankYou certificate, I’ve created this handy primer designed to answer any questions. Since I, too, was the recent recipient of my first gThankYou Turkey Gift Certificate, I thought there no better way to help than to share my own experience

Told that my gThankYou Turkey Gift Certificate would cover $20 toward the purchase of any Turkey of my choice from any grocer, I went shopping. Here’s how it worked.

After settling on the exact Turkey I wanted – Kosher this year – I planned where to shop for the perfect size Turkey at a good price. I found the perfect bird at Trader Joe’s, a national specialty food retail chain that caters to the foodie crowd. The bird fit my criteria, and those spelled out on the certificate (it needed to cost at least $20).

Certificate in hand, I advanced toward the check-out. After I presented the certificate, my checker examined it and began reading the instructions. He was a first-timer too, having never seen a Certificate from gThankYou. A manager responded, and after he read the certificate instructions, completed my transaction.

After hardly the bat of an eye, I was done. It worked just like a coupon presented during the check out process. But this was better, because I was fulfilling a reward.

A few tips:

1. Pay attention to the specifics. Details on your certificate will tell you what the gift covers: Turkey, Ham or Groceries and for how much.
2. Certificates will have a good-through date. Use the certificate by this day to ensure you receive the full benefit of your gift.
3. Expect to wait a minute or two for verification from a store manager. Shopping during a slower time of day on a slower store traffic day will minimize your wait.
4. If you run into stores with questions, there’s a toll-free number on the certificate that managers or clerks can call on the spot.
5. Rest assured that the certificates are usable for any specified item at any store, even if they’ve never (as was my experience) processed a gThankYou certificate. It’s the real deal.

It was truly an unexpected thrill to receive a gThankYou Gift Certificate. I felt proud using it, and enjoyed serving the Turkey I purchased with it, which this year had more of a story. Share your experience getting and using gThankYou certificates, and serving the resulting meals.

Thanks to a recent New York Times piece, “In Month of Giving, A Healthy Reward,” by Tara Parker-Pope, whose Well columns have this year has become some of my favorite Google Reader picks, I know a lot more about the gifts of giving. During this season, it’s important to be mindful of those rewards.

There are real reasons we feel good giving people gifts, whether they’re gifts of time, talent or a treasured trinket. It’s particularly interesting that scientific studies confirm that giving is, indeed, good for you.

Quoted in the piece, Stephen Post, who wrote “Why Good Things Happen to Good People”  says that giving and helping provides benefits that last years.

“It turns out that giving — far more than receiving — is a surprisingly potent force whose impact reverberates across an entire lifetime, nourishing health and happiness in astonishing ways.”

Post directs the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care and Bioethics at Stony Brook University, which  has compiled evidence of the good of giving in 50 studies.

So, as we near the end of the year – the end of the decade, in fact – and thoughts turn toward incremental ways you can change your daily life for greater happiness, health and good, keep in mind the power behind a simple Thank You and other little ways to include giving in your daily life. You could be the greatest benefactor.

Plus, there are a wide variety of types and cuts of Ham to choose with terminology that adds intrigue: Country Ham, City Ham, fresh Ham, cured, cottage Ham, spiral cut . What does it all mean? In the interest of clearing up any confusion, we offer this guide for choosing the best Holiday Ham for your table, along with the best recipes for the two primary Ham types.

With his knack for explaining culinary matters, TV cook Alton Brown has the best definition of ham styles:  “A city ham is basically any brined ham that’s packed in a plastic bag, held in a refrigerated case and marked ‘ready to cook’, “partially cooked” or ‘ready to serve’. Better city hams are also labeled ‘ham in natural juices’ “

These references will help sort out the other terminology:

• Ham 101 with a gThankYou! to What’s Cooking America.
• gThankYou! for About.com’s Ham Varieies and Terminology, which provides a comperehensive overview.
• How to Choose a Ham with a gThankYou! to the “ask me” experts at Mahalo.com.
• Country Ham recipe, which includes the odd ingredient Dr. Pepper, with a gThankYou! to Alton Brown and Food Network.
• Finally, gThankYou! again to AB, who  also has a fantastic recipe for City Ham.

Knowing more about Ham and the difference in varieties lets you be in control of the cooking, or reheating, whichever you choose!

Peter Warr and Guy Capperto’s new book “The Joy of Work?” is among the work being presented on this hot topic. We spend one quarter of our lives at work, so it’s important to make the best of it, says Warr, emeritus professor a the UK-based Institute of Work Psychology. It’s important, Warr explains in a New York Times article, to focus on job satisfaction or finding meaning in your work, describing nine necessary elements of happiness in work and life. These include: having some sense of empowerment, using and expanding your skills.

There’s more:

• Consultant and author Alexander Kjerulf (self-dubbed Chief Happiness Officer) offers 10 reasons happiness at work is the top productivity booster. Among the benefits of workplace happiness Kjerulf cites: less complaining, more energy, higher optimism, increased motivation and fewer sick days.

• Performance Coach Arvind Devalia chimes in with his 12 steps to workplace happiness. He cites a  UK survey that found that two out of three people are dissatisfied with thier jobs and encourages workers to “See your work as a game. Life is meant to be fun and if you are going to spend a third of it at work, you might as well enjoy the game.”

• Finally, author Gretchen Rubin of the Happiness Project shares 16 practical tips for feeling happier at work.

This offers more proof that employees, and companies, gain from thankfulness and appreciation.

Rick Kiley is President of gThankYou, LLC, based in Madison, WI.  gThankYou® Certificates of Gratitude™ are one way  savvy companies demonstrate commitment to valued employees. The company is best known for its Turkey Gift Certificates, Ham Gift Certificates, and Grocery Gift Cards.

Festive Yule Tree

gThankYou.com has added dazzling new enclosure card designs to help personalize Turkey Gift Certificates, Ham and Grocery Gift Certificates. Designs include a colorful string of lights, a wrapped gift topped with vibrant and frilly ribbon, and a plump snowman sporting a top hat and scarf. Each design available at gThankYou® (www.gthankyou.com), created by artist Amy Pierquet of Waterfront Graphic Design, makes traditional year-end employee gifts more special.

“Time and time again, we run into research that stresses the role that conveying Thank You to your employees plays in company success,” said Rick Kiley, President of gThankYou.com. “Our Gift Certificates add modern convenience and a personal touch to a time-honored tradition that companies have used to say Thank You to employees this time of year.”

While convenience is the top reason employers choose gThankYou Gift Certificates, most opt to personalize their gifts by choosing a festive enclosure card and have the Gift Card printed with their company name and the name of the recipients. These services are offered at no extra charge. Personalization adds that special touch employees notice; a boon for companies seeking to keep employees engaged with rewards programs that get results.

Easily order Turkey Gift Certificates, Ham or Grocery Gift Certificates online at www.gthankyou.com in $5 denominations from $10 to $30.Certificates are a breeze to give, often distributed with payroll, and loved by employees who can redeem them at almost any grocery store for the Turkey, Ham or Groceries of their choice.

A popular choice for end-of-quarter and seasonal employee gifts, gThankYou Gift Certificates help companies celebrate success combining the time-honored tradition of providing a Turkey for the table with modern-day ease of online buying. Find out more at www.gThankYou.com or by calling 888-484-1658.

About gThankYou.com

The ideal employee gift, gThankYou Gift Certificates are meaningful, affordable and appreciated by the entire family. Convenience is the top reason companies say they choose gThankYou Gift Certificates as the perfect opportunity for workplace leaders to recognize success. Most gThankYou customers give Company Gift Certificates to all employees in the company, division or workgroup at holiday times or the conclusion of a successful project, month or quarter.

gThankYou, LLC (www.gthankyou.com ) is based in Madison, Wisconsin. Find out more about gThankYou on the company’s website. And read more about how Thanks can boost your company at the gThankYou.com blog. Contact: Rick Kiley, President, gThankYou, LLC, info@gthankyou.com, 888-484-1658.

“gThankYou” is a registered trademark of gThankYou, LLC.

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