Holiday recipes

[Kat]

Does anyone have any recipes for the holidays that they would like to share?

Kat

[Kat]

OK, I'll start. This stuffing recipe sounds interesting and maybe I will try it this year.

Question for Ciro: This recipe calls for six cups of wheat bread cubed. I've always bought pre-packaged croutons/bread for stuffing. How many slices would I need to make six cups of dried bread cubes and how do you do it. I am guessing about a half loaf of bread, cut into cubes and baked or left out overnight.

Almond Apple Wheat Bread Stuffing

serves 10

Ingredients:

2 cups granny smith apples, chopped

1 1/2 cup sliced almonds

3/4 cup onions, chopped

3/4 cup celery, chopped

4 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 cups whole wheat bread cubes

1 cup raisins

1 egg; lightly beaten

1/3 cup apple cider or juice (more if needed)

Directions:

Saute apples, almonds, onion, and celery in butter for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon, poultry seasoning and salt. Toss together bread cubes and raisins; add apple mixture. Stir egg in apple cider; toss into bread mixture. Add remaining apple cider if a moister stuffing is desired.

Use to stuff a 15 to 20 lb turkey, or two large roasting chickens.

Spoon any remaining stuffing into a lightly greased 9x5 loaf pan.

Bake, covered, during the last 30-40 minutes of roasting.

[Michael Russell]

Here's a delicious and easy to prepare side.

Butternut Squash Gratin

8 servings

3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1/3 cup flour

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 large leeks (white and light green parts only), split lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon salt

11/2 cups milk

11/2 cups heavy cream

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 21/2-quart baking dish. In a large bowl, toss squash with flour until coated. Place half the squash in baking dish. Sprinkle with leeks and half the cheese. Top with remaining squash and cheese.

In same bowl with any remaining flour, combine milk, cream, nutmeg, ginger and pepper, and mix well. Pour over squash. Bake 1 hour, or until squash is tender and sauce is thick and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

[Victor Pross]

Mick,

Jesus, I just gained five pounds reading this!

-V

[Michael Russell]

Mick,

Jesus, I just gained five pounds reading this!

-V

I know. Don't tell the food police, but this dish won't work using low-fat or non-fat milk and cream. Besides, we all deserve to splurge on Thanksgiving!

Mick

[Michael Russell]

Turducken

You better have that bottle of aspirin handy. :sick:

Mick

[Kat]

Green Bean Casserole

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 cans of green beans (or a 20 oz. pkg of frozen green beans)

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

1-1/3 cups canned french fried onions

PREPARATION:

Cook green beans according to the package directions. In a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish, mix the green beans, soup, milk, soy sauce and 2/3 cup of the french fried onions, salt and pepper.

Bake at 350F for 25 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining french fried onions on the top of the casserole and bake for another 5 minutes.

Optional mix-ins: fresh mushrooms, onions, cheddar cheese, bacon.

[Michael Russell]

Don't forget desert!

  Pumpkin Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Layer:

1 cup 100% pure pumpkin puree

1/3  cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 unbaked 9-inch deep-dish pie shell (4 cup volume)

Pecan Layer:

2/3 cup light corn syrup

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons butter or margarine (melted)

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 cup pecan halves

For pumpkin layer: combine pumpkin, sugar, egg and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl; stir well. Spread over bottom of pie sbell

For pecan layer: combine com syrup, sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla in same bowl; stir in nuts. Spoon over pumpkin layer.

Bake  in preheated 350-degree oven 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on Wire rack. Makes 8 servings

[Jehni125]

I LOVE pumkin Pie!!!!! :ike:

I usually just buy pie crust and put warm pumkin filling in it. I cover the top with cherries....

I know I have strange taste.

[Kat]

resurrecting the holiday recipe thread...

Last night Michael made me a yummy cranberry milkshake. The measurements are not exact as he just winged it.

Cranberry Milkshake

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 pint of vanilla ice cream (strawberry may be good too)

1 cup or so milk (enough to make it drinkable)

throw it all in a blender and zap till it makes a yummy pink milkshake.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Kat

[Kat]

Here is a good looking vegetarian-friendly stuffing recipe I am making this Thanksgiving. I am trying to make the recipe bigger so I'm kinda winging it, as usual. If you don't have a vegetarian around, feel free to use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth.

Fruit and nut stuffing

(serves 10)

2 Tbsp butter

1 small onion, minced

2 stalks celery, minced

1/4 cup chopped pecans

4-5 chopped dried apricots

1 cup fresh cranberries (or 1/4 cup dried/Craisins)

3 Tbsp raisins or chopped dates

8 cups (nearly a loaf) of whole wheat bread, dried and torn into pieces

1 egg

1 cup vegetable broth

1/2 cup milk

salt and pepper

dash of poultry seasoning

• Preheat oven to 375
  
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat and saute the onions and celery 3-5 minutes or until softened
  
• Stir in nuts and fruit and saute about 3 minutes more.
  
• In a large mixing bowl, combine mixture with dried bread
  
• In a small bowl, whisk together egg, broth, milk and seasonings
  
• Put in baking pan, cover with foil, and bake for about half an hour. Remove foil and brown top for 5-10 minutes
  

Enjoy!

[Backlighting]

Whatever you eat, include some pineapple. It aids digestion.

[Kat]

Yum, I may just have some pineapple too. I love pineapples and we have a fresh cut one in the fridge.

Here is today's menu: Turkey and a vegetarian turkey-like-product, fruit and nut stuffing, honey and pecan sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, homemade cranberry sauce, home baked dinner rolls, veggies, pumpkin pie.... and maybe some pineapple. Tina has been a tremendous help in the kitchen today with the homemade rolls and cranberry sauce and everything. Dinner is in an hour or whenever grandma gets here.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Kat

[sbeaulieu]

resurrecting the holiday recipe thread...

Last night Michael made me a yummy cranberry milkshake. The measurements are not exact as he just winged it.

Cranberry Milkshake

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 pint of vanilla ice cream (strawberry may be good too)

1 cup or so milk (enough to make it drinkable)

throw it all in a blender and zap till it makes a yummy pink milkshake.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Kat

I have just the perfect blender for this...I'm gonna try this!! Thanks, Kat!

~ Shane

[sbeaulieu]

WEST TEXAS FRIED CORN

* 1 5-lb bag of whole kernel corn (fully thawed and drained of water)

* 1 1-lb package of bacon (any variety or flavor)

* 1 onion (diced)

* 2 cloves of garlic (pressed)

* West Texas Dust - only took me 1 hour to find this elusive seasoning online...lol

* Salt and Pepper

Start by frying the bacon adding the onions and garlic right near the end. Drain the grease, keeping some on the side for the corn.

In a large skillet, throw in the corn and start cooking it down until it browns and caramelizes (approx 10 mins or more, depending on water content). You can add some of the bacon grease to keep the corn from sticking to the skillet. Keep stirring.

Once it's caramelized, throw in the bacon, onions and garlic. Mix thoroughly. Add a visible layer of West Texas Dust over all the corn and stir in. Repeat once more.

Now you're done! Enjoy!

If you have leftovers (fat chance), you can always use this as the base for a great corn chowder

~ Shane

Edited November 28, 2008 by sbeaulieu