A special thanks to Speck for providing the Miss Frugal Mommy blog with their products for free in exchange for an honest review!

About Speck

“Only speck that has been created in accordance with the traditional methods may bear the quality seal of approval Speck Alto Adige P.G.I. Speck Alto Adige P.G.I. owes its supreme quality to the traditional principle “use a little salt, a little smoke and lots of fresh mountain air.” The smoked ham production process in South Tyrol combines two methods into one: the Mediterranean approach and the Northern European one. The unique feature of the Mediterranean method is the dehydration process, which uses salt and air-drying to pull the water out of the ham hock; the result is air-dried ham. The Northern method, on the other hand, utilizes techniques such as salting, seasoning and smoking to conserve the ham.”

As many of you know, our family made the big move from Maine to Georgia earlier this year, leaving behind many of our close friends and family. As the holidays get closer and we begin planning for big events such as Thanksgiving dinner, I am reminded that this will be the first holiday season spent away from our family. What is even more frightening is that this will be the first time that Thanksgiving dinner will be my sole responsibility! No mom to cook the turkey… no great grandma to whip up a delicious potato salad or sisters to bring the deserts. Each and every side dish, desert and even the main course will be my responsibility and I am feeling quite overwhelmed just thinking about it right now. I have also recently ventured into the “crunchy mom scene” and have been more vigilant about the foods I allow our family to eat. Upon discovering Speck cured ham, I was amazed by their quality selection of ham and the amount of effort that goes into providing and miraculous product for their customers. While I have never have the pleasure of serving a cured ham, I was anxious to see what my family would think of this delicious new entree. The package arrived at my door ready to cook and you can be certain we enjoyed it with our meal that very night!

Whenever trying new foods with my children, I always try to keep it simple and not too extravagant or overwhelming. Children take much comfort in routine and tradition, so introducing something new to them has to be done with ease and gentle persuasion. I decided the best choice would to be to cook the ham in the oven for a half hour to ensure it reached the proper internal temperature. I added some water to the baking dish to ensure it wouldn’t overcook or dry out, as it is already a hard meat. Once removed from the oven, you should let it cool and then proceed to remove the fat. I first sectioned the ham into slices so I could easily cut them into squares.

With lots of little hands excited to try out this delicious new ham, we agreed that this would be best served as an appetizer. Appetizers are actually my favorite part about holidays, this is always the best way to slow down, socialize with family and share all of the wonderful recipes from the delicious plates we’ve created. The Speck ham can be cut up into the perfect bite size squares, add some toothpicks and you have the perfect finger food! My kids did not hesitate to eat this and for once there was no persuasion needed, they were more than willing to finish the plate. The Speck ham is filled with such intense flavor, unlike anything I have had the pleasure of trying. They have truly done a fine job preparing the ham so that each and every bite us full of immense flavor and seasoning.

So whether your decide to create one of the Speck recipes for your holiday festivities, or have a simple plate for guests to snack on, you are guaranteed to receive many compliments from the lucky family and friends that you spend the holidays with!

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