Bourbon Glazed Smoked Ham 

So, last October, I decided I want to invest in a smoker. I was in Costco and of course it was a day they had demonstrators there for Traeger. We bought a little smoker previously that required a lot of babysitting, so I wasn’t as interested. The gentleman stopped us and asked if we’d had one. I explained that we did, but it was the kind you had to adjust the little chimney for the heat, and make sure the wood chips kept smoldering. He saw that I didn’t like it.

He then explained to me how these pellet smokers worked. I was intrigued because it reminded me of an oven! Plain and simple! The only difference was that you’d smoke your food for a little while, then you’d kick up the thermostat (this is what grasped my attention) to the temperature you needed, and roast away!

So… I grabbed one, and headed home! Surprised my husband a little because he thought we wouldn’t make much use it. We put it together and set that baby up!

First project… smoke some burgers! Most people aren’t aware, but I have a beef allergy *sigh*. Yes, those juicy, flavorful patties make me drool when I watch as my husband enjoys his. So, my go to for burger is, you guessed it… turkey burgers. *Blah* Yep, those patties that dry up the moment you set it on the grill. The ones you push yourself to eat, because you’re starving!

So, we popped them on the grill (beef and turkey) and let them smoke for about 15 minutes. We cranked up the heat to what you’d normally grill some burgers at, and grilled away.

Because I was curious as to how juicy it would end up, I smothered my bun with just a little bit of condiments. I took my first bite, and just melted! It was perfect! I’m guessing the smoke just might have set the juices in from the little crust it formed while on smoke.

I have not been able to stop talking about smoked burgers ever since!

So, onto the star of the show… HAM!

I’m sure most of y’all have received a Christmas ham before… and they’ve ended up in the freezer. Well, we received TWO this last Christmas, AND we still had one in there from LAST year! So, a few days before Christmas, I pulled last years out and decided to smoke it on the grill.

I didn’t want to follow a recipe; I wanted to make my own glaze for that beauty and wing it. I decided to make a bourbon glaze. I placed some pineapple rings on the bottom of the pan and pinned some on the outside as well. It turned out SO delicious, that my family hardly ate any of our side dishes! They just devoured the ham! Now, we have 3 adults, 2 younger kids (9 and 11) who are bottomless pits, and a 10 month old grandson. You’d figure that there’d be PLENTY of leftovers (because it always seems like there is with ham), but NOPE! The leftovers from that 9½ pound ham were minuscule, and devoured within about 5 days. It was perfect cold, and not a single dry piece!

So, everyone loved it so much, they requested more. I pulled one of the remaining hams from the freezer and did it all over again!

So I’m sharing a short and sweet video here that shows the process of creating a perfectly cooked ham.

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Hope you enjoy! Can't wait to hear your feedback!

Stacy - How The Blondie Made It!  

DIY Lip Scrub

Smooth and juicy lips, isn’t that what we all want in the winter time? Lips that just scream 'Kiss Me'? We all do, right? Some of you might have been born lucky with soft supple lips, but are you one of those who are born with super dry lips *raises hand*?

My poor lips require quite a bit of maintenance to bring them back to life. If I don’t, I get a little OCD and “pick” at my lips *OUCH* ! It’s probably because I’m embarrassed to show my flaky chapped lips, but then of course this just makes them look worse.

I’ve discovered I can still achieve kissable, pouty lips by doing something very important… exfoliate! Hello lustrous lips!

If you’re on a budget, and don’t want to spend a lot of money for those premade lip scrubs *not to mention they have added junk*, here’s a little DIY project to help get rid of those pesky flakes! Well pucker up baby, there IS a way for those pouty, luscious lips!

Lip scrubs are quick and easy to use, not to mention how delicious they could be. Lip scrubs are hands down my favorites! They remove the dead skin, and the oils in them help nourish the lips to make them soft and smooth. Just rub some of the product onto your dry lips, enjoy the smooth aftermath, and enjoy the yummy flavor too.

Now, what’s the process you ask?

Well, it involves a steaming (but not too hot) washcloth, a soft toothbrush, some lip balm (I prefer Blistex Medicated), and some Aquaphor. I like the Aquaphor because it keeps the moisture in your lips, while allowing much needed oxygen to your lips.

·       First, apply some lip balm to serve as barrier.

·       Then take your steamy washcloth (remember, you DON’T want it too hot, because you may burn your lips *been there, done that and it’s not pleasant*). Place the washcloth over your lips and hold it until it start to cool down. The heat helps soften the dead skin and preps the lips for the next step.

·       Next is exfoliation. Take a soft toothbrush (you may just use your finger or damp washcloth too) and start to gently rub it over your lips. This will remove all the flakes and you will be left with uber soft, smooth, kissable, pouty lips. Please note, just make sure you don’t rub too much! Otherwise you just end up with raw and sore lips.

·       After you’re done brushing, *you’ll be tempted to eat the mixture – it’s pretty darn tasty* rinse your lips with warm water.

·       Next, take your Aquaphor (or your favorite lip balm) and apply generously.

This little potion of perfection that I love, consists of brown sugar, honey, coconut, and a few drops of your favorite essential oils. You can omit the essential oils and still achieve luscious lips, but I like the healing properties they give as well.

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

1 tablespoon of honey (I prefer local, raw honey)

*mix these two until they form a homogenous mixture*

2 teaspoons of brown sugar

*Mix everything together and if you need to, you can add some more coconut oil to smooth out and blend the mixture better.*

At this point, I recommend adding about 3 drops of doTERRA peppermint oil. Feel free to change your essential oils to suit your taste, but ONLY use those that are certified as pure essential oils, and ONLY ones that are suitable for ingestion (you can tell by looking at your bottle and if it has nutrition facts, then you know it’s okay to ingest).. I recommend doTERRA and you can order them from my website here.

You can even add about 5 drops of pure vanilla extract, to giver yours a light vanilla mint flavor!

*Want to make them even more pouty? You can even add a dash of cinnamon, or cayenne if you want to naturally “plump” your lips!*

Now that you’re done mixing, you just need to transfer to a little container.

The benefits of using honey and coconut oil is because they are known for their moisturizing properties and the brown sugar helps gently remove the dead skin.

Pucker up baby! This is all you need to achieve the perfect, soft, smooth lips! Rub some lip scrub, gently brush your lips, pop on some lip balm and embrace your new, irresistibly pouty lips!

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy this! I’d love to see your before and after photo’s if you try this!

Stacy