If you saw our story on Part 1 of Arlene’s first Christmas special, you know how much work it took to find this missing show. One of the reasons it was worth the effort is because this is the only episode we know of that features Arlene’s dad, Rev. Paul Bobak! Her dad is the older gentleman sitting at the dinner table during the beginning of each show, but this is the only time he appeared next to Arlene during an episode. He doesn’t talk much, but it’s still very sweet to see him. Sadly, this would be their last Christmas together, as he would pass away in 1992. But thankfully the moment was forever captured on TV. ❤️
Part 2 of this Christmas party includes Arlene’s famous apple cider vinegar ham with pineapple, pickled beets and eggs, rotini pasta salad, pecan pie, and a cranberry spritzer drink. Yummy!
Cranberry Spritzer
Ingredients
- cranberry juice, chilled
- lemon/ lime soda (like Sprite), chilled
- 1 lemon, cut in round slices
- 1 lime, cut in round slices
- 8 ice cubes
Instructions
- Place 8 ice cubes in bottom of pitcher.
- Pour enough cranberry Juice over ice cubes to cover by 1 inch.
- Pour soda in and mix to blend.
- Float lemon and lime slices on top. Enjoy!
Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup dark corn syrup
- 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
- dash of salt
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inch)
Instructions
- Beat eggs thoroughly with sugar, dash of salt, corn syrup and melted butter.
- Add pecans and pour into unbaked pastry shell.
- Bake in 350 degree oven 50 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between outside and center of filling comes out clean. Cool. Enjoy!
Rotini Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb Rotini tri-color pasta, cooked, rinsed, drained, and cooled
- 1 cucumber, cleaned and sliced into quarters
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup black olives, drained
- 1/2 cup green olives, drained
- any other meats, vegetables, or cheeses you desire to add
- 1 bottle Zesty Italian dressing (12 oz)
- 1/2 bottle McCormick Salad Supreme seasoning
Instructions
- Combine pasta, vegetables. olives, and any meats or cheeses you desire in a large mixing bowl. Mix well to blend.
- Sprinkle the Salad Supreme over the pasta and mix well again.
- Pour dressing over and mix well again.
Arlene’s Amazing Apple Cider Roast Ham
Ingredients
- 10 lb spiral sliced ham
- 4 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 can pineapple rings
- 1 jar Maraschino cherries
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp corn starch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large roasting pan, place spiral sliced ham. Pour one cup of apple cider vinegar on the top of ham and let it run down the sides. Using toothpicks, attach pineapple rings to the ham, save the juice from the pineapple. Place into oven.
- Every 30 minutes, open the oven to pour another cup of vinegar over ham. This helps remove the "wild" taste of the meat and makes it more tender. Continue basting and roasting for a total of 2 hours.
- While ham is roasting, combine orange juice, cloves, and leftover pineapple juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a low simmer. Combine cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water and stir. While whisking the juice mixture vigorously, slowly pour in cornstarch mixture. Return pan to a simmer. The sauce should thicken. Remove from heat.
- Remove ham from oven, and place on a carving board. Discard leftover ham juices and vinegar in the roasting pan, they cannot be used for gravy. Allow ham to rest for 30 minutes while reheating the sauce. Slice ham, serve with sauce. Enjoy!
Transcript
The transcript from this program is not available.
Thank you so very much for your persistence and diligence and skill in recreating this precious, heartwarming episode.
Awww, thank you! And thank you for watching and enjoying it!