Country Ham | Sweet Potatoes | Peanuts

Steeped in tradition and the ultimate in comfort food, these cozy classics team up to make entertaining easy yet elegant — with a southern flair.

Country Ham Comfort

Country ham producers have their own recipes for curing and/or smoking their hams, so while they are similar none are the same. Country ham can be found today in specialty shops or better grocery stores. Time-strapped cooks can simply make a phone call or go online to order a unique country ham, which can be ordered one day and delivered the next, cooked, sliced and ready to serve!

Notables Notes about nutrition

The velvety sweet flavor of sweet potatoes marries well with savory and salty flavors, and they are packed with nutrition. This year-round vegetable is an excellent source of vitamins A and C; it’s free of fat, cholesterol and sodium. And one cup of cooked sweet potato provides as much beta-carotene as 23 cups of broccoli!

Peanuts and peanut butter, naturally cholesterol-free nutrition powerhouses, add great flavor to appetizers, hearty breads, comforting desserts, trendy sauces and even soups. heart-healthy peanuts and peanut butter contain protein: B vitamins, including folate; Vitamin E; fiber and monounsaturated fats.

Even before the colonies were established sweet potatoes were cultivated in the Carolinas as an essential staple food and an item of trade from the Carolinas to the Northern cities.

Early colonists brought with them the technique for preserving meat by “salting down’ or curing it, but the native North Americans taught them that smoke from hickory, maple or apple wood could add other flavors to the smoked varieties of country ham.

Peanuts arrived in the New World in the 1600’s aboard trade ships and were first grown around the cabins on Southern plantations. Today, peanuts and peanut butter have expanded beyond their Southern heritage to be considered on of the most American of foods.