I've been ferreting through the ham types for a few years too and when I've dealt with a big ole honking hunk of ham I found that the butt half ham has a nice flavor I've glazed it myself with a silly recipe from Allrecipes and it came out like a Ham-Company ham 1 (15.25 ounce) can sliced pineapple, drained with juice reserved 1 (4 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained 1 cup brown sugar DIRECTIONS: 1. Before baking ham, place pineapple slices on ham with toothpicks and place cherries in center of pineapple. 2. In a medium microwave safe bowl combine brown sugar and reserved pineapple juice. Mix together and microwave for about 5 minutes, until mixture is thick. Pour some of this glaze over the ham about every 15 minutes in the last hour of baking, until all is used. Ive done the spiral and all I found was it was sliced [convenient but...] and exposed to the air and not very tasty. The unsliced lends itself better to future use and soup bones :) And if you want the ham here and now get a ham steak all the ham none of the trimming or deboning. Alot easier than a full cut chunk.

Hello, just wanted to tell you that I made this recipe (with your help - thank you!!) I cut down the celery to 4 stalks, used an 8 oz jar of relish, left out the hot sauce, used smoked ham cut up fine, added a bit of mayo ....AND IT WAS GREAT! Thank you for all your help! As I noted, I don't cook much and I made these for a party for 40 people. The wraps are all gone, they went quickly, were easy to make and looked nice on the plate. They one thing I was add to the recipe was to make sure you roll the wraps tightly, and "seal" the end with a bit of cream cheese to make sure the wrap stays closed. I cut the wraps about an hour before the party, put them on a platter with sprigs of parsley as garnish, then back in the fridge. T'was easy, good & nice addition to lots of cheese & veggie platters. Thank you again for your advice, it is very much appreciated!

I usually just lurk here but I'm attaching a link to an upholstery class in Chicago. I don't know of it's close to you but they might be able to steer you to someone closer to you if they don't work out. I have never upholstered myself but I think it would be in your best interest to practice on a piece first, especially if you are going to be doing antique furniture. It can be easy to split the wood if you don't know what you are doing. As for your tools, does it take staples? When ever I buy staples there are always those marked for upholstery so I assume they get used. Is your fabric specifically for upholstery? If so, then all cotton is great as long as it's rated for high usage (a lot of rubs). You might want to rethink using regular fabric. It won't wear well and won't look as nice on the furniture. I think a hands on class will help to answer a lot of your questions. Here is a link that might be useful: upholstery class in chicago

I too like ham, but not sugar coated ham. AFAIC if you need the honey, syrup, mustard, brown sugar, etc, why not just put it on when it's on your plate instead of condemning everyone to it? Not everyone likes, needs or can eat all that glop. It's like meatloaf, can't you put the 2" of ketchup on it on your plate so the others can enjoy the meat without it if they so prefer? It just never made sense to me. But I know I'm in the minority and people need their sugar fix in and on everything. Ham has to be sugar coated, the sweet potatoes need marshmallows, potatoes have to have cream cheese in it, carrots have to have brown sugar., even coffee has to be filled with sugar... And then they wonder why people are obese. A good ham is a delightful meal. I enjoy it by itself, that is without the glop. For me, save the glop for the pecan pie. Most hams are fully cooked (though not all). So the preparation is to warm it up. Covered in a pan with a little water or broth in a low oven (or better yet an electric roaster) warms it and it won't dry out as long as you don't overcook it. People overcook ham way too often, just like they overcook white meat turkey so often. Seems like it's a rule to overcook it and then complain about it! To avoid a dry (overcooked) ham, just think of it as what it is. Leftovers. You're reheating leftovers. So don't blast it with high heat. A gentle warming will give a moist and tender ham. I personally like a double smoked ham. Good smoky flavor. No sugar needed. I've never had a honeybaked ham that was more than mediocre. I'm guessing it's because people who love it must just love the glop, not the meat.