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What to do with that leftover ham

When my husband and I honeymooned in Williamsburg, we brought back with us a smoked Virginia ham. It was wrapped in a cloth bag and we hung it from the ceiling in our small apartment kitchen.

When I unwrapped it four months later on Christmas Eve I was horrified to find out that it not only had spots of mold on it, I needed to scrub it, then soak it overnight, and then scrub it again in the morning with a stiff brush before cooking it.Even worse, I didn't have anything big enough to soak it in, so I ended up scouring the bathtub and soaking it there. If Jim hadn't been around, and that ham hadn't cost so much money, I might have been tempted to "lose" it somehow.Nevertheless, although Christmas dinner was served much later than I had intended, the ham was delicious. What made it even better was the glaze.I never bought another ham like that, but since that first Christmas, I always make a ham and it always has that same, simple glaze.This glaze is just three ingredients, but I wouldn't make a ham without it. It's also great to whip up when you're reheating your ham too, which is exactly what I've done here. Last week's ham is making one more appearance, then the remainder is bound for the freezer, along with the bone, for a comforting batch of split pea soup in the new year.Christmas (and more) Ham Glazecup orange juice1 cup brown sugar1 tablespoon Liquid SmokeStir ingredients together. Glaze should be thick enough to spoon onto the ham. If it's too thin, add more brown sugar.For a whole ham, score the ham. On holidays I add pineapple slices and maraschino cherries. About a half-hour before the ham has finished baking, spoon glaze over the entire surface.If you are making a glaze for leftovers, slice ham into a baking dish and then cover with glaze. Bake at 325 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until ham is heated through.

KAREN CIMMS/TIMES NEWS Left-over Christmas ham baked with pineapples and a simple glaze.