Apple Butter Ham

Does this sound good or what??? I am all for the pineapple and little red cherries but when I saw this recipe I knew I would have to try it. This is my other dish for the reunion. It just sounds so perfect for a fall day and ham is a great take along dish.

This is a recipe I adapted from a cookbook put out by the ladies of the Junior League of Evansville, Indiana. It is called Once Upon A Time, Recipes and Recollections From a River City, in 2003.

Ingredients:

1 (8-12 pound) fully cooked ham
24 whole cloves
16 oz. apple butter (I'm using a pint of my homemade)
1 1/2 C. ginger ale
1 C. real maple syrup
1/2 C. French Mustard

Score the fat on the ham into a diamond design and stud the scored fat with the cloves. Place the ham fat side up in a slightly greased 9 x 13" baking dish. Combine the apple butter, ginger ale, maple syrup, and French mustard in a bowl and stir well. Pour evenly over the ham. 

Bake at 350 degrees on the lower rack of the oven for 2 1/2 hours, basting with the pan juices every 20 minutes or thereabouts. Cool 20 minutes before slicing. Yield 20 servings.

Note: If your dinner plans were for fewer just use a half of a fully cooked ham (4-6 pounds) and cut the ingredients in half. I expect the cooking time would be about a hour and a half but there is usually a baking recommendation on the packaging. So check there too should you need to.