Peanut Butter Gravy

While growing up in our large family of 8 kids, peanut butter gravy was always served whenever ham was on the menu. Mom never worked off of a recipe to fix the gravy. It's one of those "a little bit of this...a little bit of that" kinds of recipes.

We don't know where this "recipe" originated - never thought to ask Mom while she was alive. We've asked other family members, but nobody seems to know where the idea came from. If anyone knows the origin of this unique gravy, we'd be interested in hearing from you.

Following is not a recipe as one would come to expect. It's more of an explanation of the ingredients to use; but you'll need to determine the proportions to fit your taste buds. So, without further ado, here it is:

INGREDIENTS

• Ham, either 1/2 or whole, not precooked since they don't yield very much juice after cooking
• Whole cloves
• Pineapple slices (save the juice)
• Peanut butter (of course!) creamy or chunky - your choice
• Vernors ginger ale. Those of you who have had Vernors know that it has a distinctive taste, like no other ginger ale. If you use anything else, the results won't be the same.

DIRECTIONS

• Insert whole cloves into ham after scoring the ham. Follow package directions for baking time and temperature of ham.
• About 1/2 hour before the ham is done, put the pineapple slices in the pan and drizzle a small amount of the juice over the ham.
• When the ham is fully cooked, remove both the ham and pineapple slices to serving dishes. Put the pan with the ham juices on the stove to make the gravy.
• Add a little more of the leftover pineapple juice.
• Add 2 "glugs" of Vernors (The amount of these glugs depends upon how much you like Vernors).
• Add 2 - 3 "globs" of peanut butter and stir until blended.
• This is where it gets interesting: Is it ready? That depends on how thick you like your gravy, as well as your preference of flavor. Add more Vernors, peanut butter, or pineapple (or any combination thereof) to suit your taste.
• SIDE NOTE: We hope you've made lots of mashed potatoes in case this concoction proves to be a hit with your family or dinner guests. If the peanut butter bombs out, you can always make potato cakes for the next day's meal. The recipe for potato cakes? Stay tuned.....

Despite the humor, this is really not a joke. If you try our recipe, we'd be interested in your review by e-mailing us. Click on the mailbox below:

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