Ham is an ideal main event for a meal for a large group—it's easy, you can make it ahead of time, and many people see it as a sign of a celebration.

    • one bone-in ham—budget about ¾ pound per person
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • ¼ cup yellow mustard
    • 2 tablespoons honey or light molasses
    • whole cloves

Preheat oven to 425 F. Rinse the ham and pat it dry. Place in a roasting pan and cover with tin foil. Calculate the total cook time by multiplying 20 minutes by the number of pounds the ham is.

Place the ham in the oven and bake. While the ham is baking, mix the brown sugar, yellow mustard, and honey or molasses in a bowl to create a glaze.

When there is an hour of cooking time left, remove ham from the oven and take off the tin foil. Cut hashmarks in the fat of the ham and insert cloves every half inch or so. Then, brush the entire ham with glaze.

Lower oven heat to 325 F and cook for the remaining hour. If serving immediately, wait 15 minutes to carve to keep the juices in. If serving later, allow to cool completely before refrigerating until you and your guests are ready to eat.

To read about how marathon trainee Eleanor Barkhorn whipped up Easter brunch for 25, click here.