Don’t spend your time slaving over a hot oven. Visit Ukrop’s Bakery and let us make all your Christmas treats. You’ll find all sorts of seasonal delights in store including:

Our Famous Rainbow Cookies
This time of year we make them in red and green for a festive twist on a customer favorite.

Butterstar Cookies
Again, we make them in red and green for the holiday season. Pick up a tub to snack on during your holiday celebration.

Christmas Tree Coffee Cakes
Our traditional gooey, delicious coffee cake shaped like a Christmas tree and finished with red and green icing. Serve it after opening gifts on Christmas morning.

Freshly Baked Pies
We’re still using our original Dot’s Pastry Shop recipes! You’ll find Chocolate Fudge, Pecan, Coconut, Lemon Fudge and more.

Elegant Cakes
Check out the bakery case for European-style cakes that will add style to any celebration. Try our Dobosh cake (pictured above) with layers of fudgy frosting, our extra festive Yule Log Cake, or any of the other creations our bakers have cooked up.

A few weeks ago the Ukrop’s team headed to Smithfield, Va., to learn about the world-class hams that are cured just beyond our doorstep. With the exception of a few technological advances, Genuine Smithfield hams have been made the same way since the colonists settled in Smithfield in the 1700’s and cured meat to ensure it would last a long time and be safe to eat. Today, Smithfield hams are sent all over the world and are praised as one of the best types of pork in the world.

As we toured the facility, the people at Smithfield mentioned a favorite way to prepare a pre-cooked country ham that utilized Coke to sweeten and tenderize the meat. We created the following recipe based on their suggestions. It’s the perfect way to try a country ham if you haven’t before, as pre-cooked spiral-sliced country hams tend to be less salty than a traditional country or Smithfield ham. Also, because they’re smoked, they only need to be heated until they are warm, making for a shorter cooking time than your average Christmas main course.

Coke-Cured and Glazed Country Ham

1 half spiral-sliced, smoked country ham (we used a Williamsburg ham, which is also made in Smithfield)
2 16.9-ounce bottles of Coca-Cola Classic
2 Tbsps. mustard
 1 tsp. ground cloves
¼ cup brown sugar
2 Tbsps. cornstarch

The night before you plan to make your ham, unwrap it and place it in large bowl or pan. Gently slide a table knife into ham between every few slices to separate slices and make slits that will allow liquid to get between layers of meat. Pour 1 bottle of Coke over meat, then fill empty bottle with water and pour over meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

When you are ready to cook ham, preheat oven to 350 degrees. While oven is heating, whisk together remaining coke and other ingredients. Place ham in a roasting pan. Pour glaze over top. Cover with foil and bake for 8-10 minutes per pound, just until ham is heated, basting with liquid about every 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook. About 15 minutes before ham is finished, remove foil to allow top of ham to get brown and crispy. Once hot, remove from oven. Remove ham to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, stir the cornstarch with 2 Tbsps. water until smooth. Pour liquid from the bottom of the pan into a saucepan, scraping any brown bits off roasting pan and into liquid. Heat over medium-high heat and whisk in cornstarch mixture. Cook until liquid is blended and has thickened into a sauce. Serve alongside ham.

Creamy, old-fashioned oyster stew is a Christmas tradition in many homes. This indulgent stew is easy to make and possesses a uniquely delicious flavor. Why not try serving it to your family this year?

Our recipe comes straight from the Bevans family, the owners of Bevans Oyster company in Kinsale, Va., where we get our fresh oysters. The Bevans family describes their oyster stew recipe as “A new version of an old standard.”

Bevans oysters are grown, caught, shucked and packaged with care to provide you with the freshest, best-tasting local oysters. Click here to see a YouTube video about Bevans Oysters.

Oyster stew is a perfect way to try cooking with oysters for the first time.

Oyster Stew

1 cup water
3 green onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups whole milk
3 Tbsps. flour
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 cup evaporated milk
4 Tbsps. butter
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 ½ tsps. salt
1 quart Bevans Shucked Oysters (and their liquid)

In a large pot, heat water to boiling. Once boiling, add celery and onions and boil for 5 minutes. Add milk and butter, then whisk in dry ingredients and reduce heat slightly. Cook until hot but not boiling. Add oysters and cook just until edges curl.

Shrimp trays are a standard at almost every holiday party. Make guests rave about your party tray when you serve Ukrop’s All-Natural Shrimp with savory, unique dipping sauces.

Our shrimp is the best around. Back in the early 1990’s, James Ukrop launched a search for the freshest, best-tasting all-natural shrimp. He found it in South America. Today, Ukrop’s All-Natural Shrimp are grown exclusively for us in Honduras. They’re chemical-free and raised specifically to meet our high expectations. The best part: you can buy them pre-cooked and ready to eat in our meat department. If you’re using 21/25 cooked shrimp, plan on four shrimp per person. While you’re in the store, grab one of our flavor-infused Joe’s Market cocktail sauces like
Meyer Lemon & Shallot or Cilantro & Key Lime. Then, mix up the two sauces below; arrange everything on a serving platter, and your ready to go!

Cajun Horseradish Sauce
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup prepared horseradish
1/2 cup light cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 tsps. Creole seasoning
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbsps. chopped parsley

Stir together breadcrumbs, horseradish, cream and salt in a medium bowl. Let mixture sit for 3 minutes so breadcrumbs can absorb cream. Break up breadcrumbs with a fork. Stir in cayenne pepper, Creole seasoning, lemon juice and sour cream. Spoon into a serving bowl and garnish with fresh parsley.

Easy Rémoulade Sauce
¾ cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsps. ketchup
1 Tbsp. Creole mustard
3 Tbsps. chopped celery (look for the pre-chopped celery in Ukrop’s produce department)
1 ½ Tbsps. chopped fresh parsley
½ Tbsp. chopped scallion
1 tsp. lemon juice
3 dashed Tobasco (optional)
Black pepper to taste 

Stir all ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasonings. Spoon into a serving bowl.

Make it Lighter:
Substitute the sour cream in the first recipe with reduced fat sour cream and use reduced fat mayonnaise in place of full-fat in the second one.

Keep this snack around the house for guests to munch on, or package it in pretty bags and hand it out to friends and family for an affordable holiday gift.

Joe’s Market Barbecue Snack Mix
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour | Yield: 14 cups

Ingredients:

4 cups Corn Chex cereal
4 cups Wheat Chex cereal
2 cups square-shaped cheese crackers
2 cups pretzel sticks or snaps
1 container Joe’s Market Deluxe Nut Mix
½ cup butter
5 Tbsps. Joe’s Market Southern Barbecue Sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a large roasting pan, mix together cereal, crackers, pretzels and nuts. In a small saucepan, melt butter then stir in barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce and salt until well blended. Pour over cereal mixture and stir to coat. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.