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.

[libertarian27]

Weekly Cooking Thread Ping List

(Please FReepmail me to be added/deleted to the Ping list)

[rightly_dividing]

Merry Christmas to all!

[libertarian27]

Weekly Cooking Thread (twas the week before)Dec 18
Recap of last week’s thread

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2644498/posts?page=85#85

[ladyvet]

Merry Christmas to all! Roast and Yorkshire pudding for dinner today!

[rightly_dividing]

Recently I came across a recipe for a Christamas treat that my mom made when I was young. I made it the other day and it brought back childhood memories. Here it is:

Date Nut Log

Ingredients
30 graham crackers
16 marshmallows (about) diced
1 cup dates chopped
2 cups walnuts chopped
1 cup heavy cream
How to make Graham Cracker Log
Roll graham crackers to fine crumbs.
Combine marshmallows, dates and walnuts and mix thoroughly with 1 3/4 cups cracker crumbs.
Add 1 cup cream, not whipped, and mix all thoroughly.
Shape into loaf.
Roll loaf in remaining cracker crumbs, then wrap well in wax paper.
Place in refrigerator and chill at least 6 hours.
Better if chilled overnight, or the longer the better..

Note: 12-23-2010 Made as described. Next time use all crumbs in mixture, also, possibly a little more cream to get just a touch more moist.

[rightly_dividing]

Opps, I used pecans in place of walnuts.

[Red_Devil 232]

Just put the Christmas Ham in the oven. It will be ready around 12:30. Sweet Potatoes go into the oven at about 11:00. The potatoes are very large and will need some extra time to bake.

[bgill]

I put the turkey in at 7:15 am. Normally, we get a 20-24 pounder but at 12 lbs. it’s the smallest one we’ve ever had. They just didn’t have any big birds this year. Made the cornbread for the dressing and the pies yesterday. Have the gibblets on the back burner cooking away with just the heat from the the oven. Kids are roaming around now so opening presents momentarily. Later, will put on the eggs to boil. When the bird is ready, about 10:30, he’ll come out of the oven and the completed dressing will go in. Then rolls, peas, and Granny’s fruit salad. Good eats.

[momtothree]

Merry Christmas to all my Freeper cooking friends. I plan on trying one or two new recipes for tonight’s dinner. If they are “freeper” worthy, I will post later. Hope everyone stays warm, enjoys their day and feels the warmth of Christ’s love. Bless us all.

[umgud]

Turkey for thanksgiving........ But for Xmas, it is 2 large prime rib roasts, about 4 hours over a rotisserie.

[libertarian27]

I’m making Stuffed Shells to bring over my brother’s house this afternoon.

Stuffed Shells
Filling:
32oz Ricotta
16oz Mozzarella
1/2 cup Parmesan
1 egg
Parsley (to taste)
Garlic (to taste)
Salt and Pepper
1 LB Hamburger +/-

Large Shells
Pasta Sauce

Cook shells according to pkg instructions(drain/cool)
Fry Hamburger(drain off fat/cool)
In Bowl: 32oz Ricotta, 1/2 of Mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan, Parsley and one Jumbo egg - stir to combine - add crumbled cooked Hamburger - stir to combine.

Pasta sauce on bottom of 9x12 pan - spoon cheese/meat mixture into shells to fill, onto pasta sauce. Pasta sauce on top - add remaining Mozzarella - bake 350’ until hot and bubbly (30-45min)

(There will be a lot of filling - enough for two boxes of large shells)

[tubebender]

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all you great cooks out there in FReeperville! Mr Bender does not cook but you wouldn't know it to to talk to me. We had our Christmas dinner at 4 last night then we all went to Church Services and went our separate ways afterward. We were short 4 family members as our Son & DiL were in the bay area, grand daughter and beau were with his family so it was the lovely and vivacious Mrs Bender, Daughter, her husband and their son and of course the Versatile Mr Bender. Dinner was Prime Rib w/mashed potatoes etc, etc and it was a little subdued because of the ones absent.

Our small but typical table table setting, with the Lenox Holiday China that we have been collecting for almost 50 years and my late Mother in Law's collection of Avon Ruby Glass...

We only use this China twice a year...

[Liz]

Make these delicious Christmassy quickies in no time. Nice addition to cookie platters.

Mint Cookie Candies / makes 48 cookies

START Micro-melt 12 oz coarse-chp white candy coating, 4 tsp shortening, stir smooth. Stir in 1/4 tsp green food color.

FINISH Pour evenly into 48 miniature muffin-cup paper or foil liners. Sprinkle w/ crumbled mint-flavored creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (mint Oreos). Pour melted Andes mint candies over cookie crumbs. Let set.

MINT TOPPING Micro-melt 2-4 2/3 oz pkg Andes mint candies, 2 tsp shortening; stir smooth.

=====================================

A blessed Christmas one and all

ROCKEFELLER CENTER CHRISTMAS TREE AND CHRISTMAS
ANGELS HERALDING THE GOOD NEWS OF CHRIST'S BIRTH.

[SouthDixie]

Avocado Quick Bread

Ingredients

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe avocado
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins
1 tablespoon grated orange zest

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the mashed avocado.
Stir in the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk until just mixed. Fold in the chopped pecans, raisins and orange zest. Divide the batter evenly between the two loaf pans.
Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Allow loaves to cool in pan for at least 20 minutes before removing.

[Fast Moving Angel]

Something quick for Christmas breakfast from ingredients you probably already have on hand:

Bisquick Monkey Bread

3/4 cup butter (do not use margarine)
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
3 1/2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened (do not use margarine)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray.
2. In 2-quart saucepan, melt 3/4 cup butter. Add brown sugar and cream; heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 2 minutes; remove from heat. Pour into pan; sprinkle with pecans.
3. In large bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk, granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, the vanilla and egg until soft dough forms. Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
4. In small bowl, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.
Roll each ball in sugar mixture; place randomly in pan. Sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture.
5. Bake 22 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Remove pan. Serve warm.

Makes 12 servings

Merry Christmas, everyone!

[NYer]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[Condor51]

Those sound yummy.

Merry Christmas Liz.

[KoRn]

Turkey Brine:

1 12-15lb Fresh Turkey
6 Pack of Guinness Extra Stout
1 Cup of Brown Sugar
1 Cup of Salt
2 Lemons Quartered
2 Oranges Quartered
6 Thyme Twigs
4 Rosemary Twigs
8 Cups of Water

Mix it all together in a round cooler , stirring until the Sugar and Salt are dissolved. Rinse off the Turkey, and put it in the cooler. Add more water as needed until the Turkey is completely submerged. Store in a cold place over night. (I simply sat mine outside) Occasionally shake around the cooler a little while the turkey soaks to keep the brine mixed well.

Remove the Turkey the following day, and rinse it off. Cook the Turkey as you normally would.

[TexasBarak]

I didn’t get fancy- the whole family is bringing food (including a ham and pumpkin roll from my wife). I made a coupla dozen deviled eggs, and put a nice bit of bacon in each one.
Used the basic recipe from www.deviledeggs.com