Weekly Cooking Thread (Merry Christmas)Dec 25

Free Republic | December 25, 2010 | libertarian27

[libertarian27]

Welcome to this week's installment of the Weekly Cooking Thread.

Merry Christmas!

Please share your Christmas fare recipes and what you'll be serving this week.

[Fast Moving Angel]

I found that last night when I was looking around for a monkey bread recipe that didn’t use refrigerated rolls (which I didn’t have). I also forgot to mention that if you don’t have whipping cream around, you could probably just use milk and it would be fine. Hope you enjoy!

[Churchillspirit]

Hope you are having a nice Christmas, despite being away from your wife and kids. I'm sure they are missing you.

"I'll be home for Christmas if only in my dreams".

God bless you.

[Ellendra]

Bacon ‘n Egg Candies:

Ingredients:
Stick pretzels
White chocolate
Shortening
Yellow m&ms

I left the amounts off because I haven’t quite pinned down the proportions yet.

Melt white chocolate with a small lump of shortening. Line a baking sheet or other flat surface with wax paper. Arrange the stick pretzels in groups of 3. Place a dollop of melted white chocolate in the center of each group of 3, so that it glues the 3 pretzels together. Top with a single yellow m&m each. When done, it should look like a very tiny fried egg, sitting on top of 3 pretzels (which, I admit, don’t look very much like bacon).

Let cool, then eat.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

For lunch today with my Dad I made:

Cornish Game Hens (cavity stuffed with garlic, lemon and fresh rosemary, Northwoods Seasoning from Penzey's on top)

Yams (from sratch) topped with butter and just a little brown sugar

Wild Rice with dried cranberries & apricots (Used a boxed mix - 98 cents - then dressed it up w/ the fruit. Used homemade stock in lieu of the water.)

Tomorrow, when the whole crew comes out to my farm, we're having:

Beef Stew w/ Rye Bread

Caprise Salad

Mini Quiches

Bread Bowl w/veggie dip

Crab Dip & Crackers

Later, during the Packer Game, we're having adult beverages and Queso dip, (homemade) Salsa & Chips and Meatballs in (homemade) Chili Sauce.

I'm pretty sure, as usual, there won't be NEARLY enough food...LOL! Luckily, the men that work for me love it when I bring in the leftovers!

God Bless Us, Every One! :)

[ruesrose]

Goodness, my daughter, son in law and I did the same after the candlelight service at church.
It was very quet in the restaurant with maybe just a half dozen other diners and we enjoyed the Christmas music, conversation and the food!

[mylife]

The Boy had some baby octopus and sent a picture to his girlfriend LoL!

[magslinger]

For baked sweet potatoes I make cinnamon compound butter.
1 stick butter, softened (DAW)
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix all of the ingedients and roll into a log in waxed paper. Chill until firm and slice into rounds. I always make extra because it is good on toast and oatmeal.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Oh, Yum! Thanks!

We’re in the middle of ‘Oatmeal Season’ up here on the Frozen Tundra. :)

[magslinger]

I should admit that I made that recipe by reverse engineering the compound butter on Lonestar Steakhouse’s sweet potatoes. I don’t know if I have the proportions exactly right, but my family seems to like it. As always feel free to play around with it if you want.

[tubebender]

Cranberry Salad...

This dish showed up on my sister’s table 50 or 60 years ago and may have been our Mother’s but I am not going to call my “little” sister to ask her and all the older ones have gone on to the big kitchen in the _______?

1 envelope of Gelatin
1/4 cup of cold water
1 6.5 oz can of crushed Pineapple
1/4 cup of Lemon juice
1 16 oz can of Cranberry sauce
1 cup diced Celery
1/4 cup chopped Walnuts

Add Gelatin to water, heat Pineapple,
stir until dissolved, add Lemon juice,
Cranberry sauce.
Beat until smooth, add Celery and Nuts
cover and chill.

As my Mother would say...”Delish”

PS. Have you noticed can sizes are
shrinking on the super market shelves?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“As always feel free to play around with it if you want.”

I’ve never met a recipe that I’ve left alone, LOL! :)

[Netizen]

We had roast beef with potatoes and carrots, baked beans, stuffing and

Mediterranean Green Beans
2 cups water 2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 cup pitted black olives, cut in half	3/4 cup small cherry tomatoes, cut in half 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano leaves* 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, if desired
*Substitute 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves. Place water in 4-quart saucepan. Cover; cook over medium-high heat until water comes to a boil (2 to 3 minutes). Add beans. Cover; continue cooking until beans are crisply tender (4 to 6 minutes). Drain. Add  butter, oil and olives to beans. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt and  pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Top with feta cheese, if desired. Serve immediately.  Serves 8 Recipe Tip - Sprinkling beans with salty feta cheese adds great taste. Look for different varieties, such as feta flavored with garlic and herbs, sun-dried tomatoes or peppercorns.

[SouthTexas]

Think I’ve seen that one before, but don’t remember where. Mother in law made a sauerkraut salad today which I had never seen nor heard of. A bit too weird for me, I’ll stick to my tater salad.

[Netizen]

I have a cranberry one to share with you, too. We usually use sugar free jello and soda to make it more diabetic friendly for extended family members.

Cranberry Mould
1 3 ounce package raspberry jello 1 3 ounce package lemon jello 1 1/2 cups boiling water 1 10 ounce package frozen	raspberries, thawed 1 cup cranberry sauce, canned or fresh 1 7 ounce can lemon/lime soda pop
Dissolve jello powders in boiling water.  Stir in thawed raspberries and cranberry sauce.  Chill until cold but not set.  Carefully stir in soda pop.  Chill again until partially set.  Pour into a decorative mould, then chill until firm.

[tubebender]

Speaking of...

[aruanan]

Where did you get such huge corn for that turkey?

[tubebender]

It’s not what you think... It’s just a midget Turkey

[libertarian27]

Spiral Ham Glaze:

(1st - you need a blow torch - one of those kitchen models you use for creme brulee or one from the garage set to medium flame - seriously)

1 cooked spiral ham
1 cup sugar
1/4t each of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, paprika
dash each of of ginger, allspice

Mix dry ingredients and apply to the spiral ham - either roll the sliced ham around the spices or pat onto the sliced ham.

Light your torch - and wave flame over the spice mix on the ham to glaze/bubble/caramelize(but not burn) working over the sections until somewhat uniform. Reapply more of the spice mixture as needed.

I’ve used this twice in the past and it’s great! Taste like the expensive name brand ones people buy at those Ham kiosks/stores during the holidays.

[magslinger]

I’ve never met a recipe that I’ve left alone, LOL! :)

LOL, I can't seem to leave a recipe alone, either. It drives Mrs Mag crazy.

I would warn you about the Dispense As Written on the butter, but you are from Wisconsin, you know that when it says butter, you use butter.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I was brought up believing it was against the law to substitute anything for butter!

I used to go on ‘Oleo Runs’ with Mom & Grandma down to IL in the dark of night. If I was good, I was allowed to mix the yellow food coloring into it when we got home. Fun times...and it got me started on my lifelong quest of subverting government wherever I could, LOL! :)