So, you've decided on having ham for Christmas dinner this year but you don't want to stick with a plain baked ham? Glazing or spicing up your ham can add just the right festive touch!

Country Baked Ham

1 8 lb. ham
3 quarts sweet cider
2 cups maple sugar (or brown sugar)
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon powdered cloves
1 1/2 cup water
2 cups raisins

Simmer ham in cider for 2 hours; drain. Cover with paste made from sugar, mustard, cloves and water. Place in baking dish. Pour cider over ham. Add raisins to pan bottom. Bake for 2 1/2 hours at 325* basting frequently.

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Glazed Baked Ham

1 12 lb. ham
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard
1/4 cup pineapple juice
6 slices fresh or canned pineapple
6 maraschino cherries

Place ham, fat side up on rack in open roasting pan. Bake in 350* oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Combine sugar, mustard and pineapple juice. Remove ham from oven 45 minutes prior to completed baking time. Pour off excess fat. Spread 1/3 of the glaze on fat side. Arrange pineapple slices and cherries on the glaze, pressing firmly. Return to oven and baste with remaining glaze at 15 minute intervals.

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Crusty Pineapple Ham

1- 3 lb. canned ham
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 flat can pineapple slices
1 can refrigerated flaky biscuits

Remove ham from can and remove jelly. Place in a shallow roasting pan. Mix mustard and cloves with juice drained from pineapple slices; spoon over ham. Roast in preheated 350 F oven for 40 minutes, spooning pan juices over ham every 10 minutes. Remove from oven, top with halved pineapple slices. Open biscuits and separate. Place on pineapple in overlapping rows. Raise oven temperature to 400 F and bake another 20 minutes or until rolls are richly browned. Cut into slices to serve

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Ham With Spiced Fruits
Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook

2 bananas cut into fourths
1 8 oz can sliced peaches
1 8 oz can sliced pears
12 maraschino sherries, halved
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 lb fully cooked boneless smoked ham
1 23 oz can sweet potatoes, drained and halved
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Mix the bananas, peaches and pears (both with syrup), cherries and pumpkin pie spice. Remove 1/2 cup syrup from the fruit mixture and reserve. Refrigerate fruit mixture. Place the ham in an ungreased baking dish. Arrange sweet potatoes around the ham. Mix brown sugar, reserved fruit syrup and the mustard and pour over ham and potatoes. Cook uncovered in 350* oven for 30 minutes - occasionally spooning the sauce onto the ham and potatoes.

Drain fruit mixture and arrange around and on top of ham. Cook uncovered an additional 15 minutes.

Serves 6.

Cindy Sanchez is the Owner and Editor of MomsMenu.com - "Family Cooking Made Easy".