Holiday Recipe Thread

[jaybird]

Since Thanksgiving is next week, and Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are just around the corner, and since everyone here is getting in the holidaytime spirit with cookie and ornament exchanges, I thought it would be fun to start a Holiday Recipe Thread. Maybe your favorite, or the one EVERYONE always asks you to bring to a gathering, or a long-time handed down family recipe. We can collect a lot of new & different recipes this way, and maybe all try something new this season!

RULES:
In the subject line, post what type of recipe by the name, cookie, dip, bread, salad etc. etc.

Post as many recipes as you would like, but please, just ONE recipe per post. Will be easier for everyone that way I think.

((Now I have to go and dig out all my holiday recipes...besides the Southern Comfort and Cranberry Juice one...LOLOL!))

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[jaybird]

CRUST:
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
20 squares saltines, crushed
1 teas. baking powder
1 teas. vinegar
1 teas. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans

FILLING:
1 8 oz. cream cheese, can use regular or fat free, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teas. vanilla
1 package Dream Whip (powdered whipped topping mix)

For the crust--beat egg whites til foamy, adding in the sugar while beating. Beat til stiff. hehe (sorry!) Combine crushed saltines, fold in remaining ingredients in order listed.

Spoon into greased (I use Pam) 13x9x2" pan. Bake @ 325 for 20 minutes, cool.

For the filling--Fold together cream cheese, powdered sugar & vanilla. Blend Prepare Dream Whip as directed. Fold into cheese mixture. Pour over cooled crust. Chill until firm. Garnish with canned cherry pie filling.

[Gia]

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg white, stiffly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions

1 In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, combine the sugar, syrup, water and salt. Cook and stir until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil.
2 Cook to hard ball stage (250 degrees F) without stirring; wipe crystals from sides of pan often. Remove from heat.
3 Pour hot syrup slowly over stiff beaten egg whites, beating constantly at high speed of mixer for about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and continue beating until mixture forms soft peaks and begins to lose it's gloss. If it is too stiff, add a few drops hot water.
4 Drop and twirl onto wax paper

Makes 1 1/2 dozen

[jaybird]

I LOVE divinity. I suck at making it. It never gets fluffy and light, just this lump of white, sugary stuff that I end up eating with a spoon! I am definitely trying this recipe! For Thanksgiving I think. Or for NO apparent reason!

[Gia]

These are SO good~~my Grandma used to always makes these for us when we were kids~
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons butter
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Red Food Coloring

1. Combine the sugar, water, vinegar and
butter in the medium saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat until sugar
is dissolved,stirring constantly.
3. Lower the heat and continue to cook without
stirring,to 260 degrees on the candy
thermometer or until a small amount
of syrup forms a firm ball when dropped in
very cold water.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the peppermint
extract.
5. Pour half the mixture into the buttered pan.
6. Color the remaining half with red food coloring.
Allow to cool a few minutes.
7. With clean, lightly buttered hands,
pull the taffy until it begins to feel
a little stiff (about 6 to 8 minutes)
8. Take one strand of white and one of
red and twist together,then form into
candy-cane shapes. Allow to cool on waxed paper.

~ Use a variety of food coloring to make
the taffy, then make all sorts of shapes and designs
for the holiday~

Makes 2 dozen

[sheenajungle]

Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Icing

Serves 8 to 10


8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup homemade Pumpkin Purée, or canned
1/2 cup warm (110°) milk
Brown Butter Icing
Caramelized Walnut Halves

1. Heat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. Line pan with parchment, and butter the parchment. Coat pan with flour, and tap out any excess.

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, and beat until combined. Add pumpkin purée and milk; beat until combined. Add reserved flour mixture; beat on low speed until just combined.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool. Let cake rest 20 minutes.

5. Unmold cake. Using an offset spatula, spread icing over top of cake, and decorate with caramelized walnut halves.

************************************************** ************

Brown Butter Icing


Browning the butter gives this icing a nutty flavor.
The consistency should be thin enough to spread but not runny.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until nut-brown in color, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and pour butter into a bowl, leaving any burned sediment behind.

2. Add sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk; stir until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add the remaining tablespoon milk, a little at a time, until consistency is spreadable. Let cool 5 minutes. Use immediately.

[sheenajungle]

Roasted Garlic, Sage, and Sausage Stuffing

Serves 10


5 cups crumbled Corn Bread
3 cups cooked Carolina Gold rice cold
9 tablespoons butter plus more for pan
3 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (3/4 cup)
1 large onion cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
3 ribs celery strings removed, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 1/2 cups)
1 medium green pepper cut into 1/4-inch dice (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 pounds sweet fennel sausage casing removed
2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons finely chopped sage
1 1/2 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
3 to 4 cups Homemade Chicken Stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat
3 bulbs roasted garlic

1. Heat oven to 375°. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside. In a large bowl, combine corn bread and rice, and set aside. In a large skillet, melt 5 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add carrots, and sauté until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add onion and celery, and sauté until onions are translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add green pepper, and sauté 1 minute. Combine vegetables and corn-bread mixture.

2. In same skillet, sauté sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to break up large pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove sausage with slotted spoon; mix with corn-bread mixture, along with poultry seasoning, sage, salt, and pepper. Discard rendered fat from skillet. Add stock, 1 cup at a time; mix. (You may not need all stock.) Stuffing should be well moistened.

3. Squeeze garlic from skins; mix gently into corn-bread mixture; keep them whole. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter; drizzle over top of stuffing. Bake until top is golden and stuffing is heated through, 45 to 50 minutes. To reheat, bring to room temperature, and cover; bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove cover; bake until heated through, about 10 minutes more.



*To roast the garlic, remove top quarter of bulbs, drizzle bulbs with olive oil, top with thyme and sage, and bake thirty to thirty-five minutes.

[sheenajungle]

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce

Serves 10 to 12

3/4 cup golden raisins
4 large whole eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for dish
2 teaspoons light-brown sugar
5 to 6 cups day-old Pumpkin Bread, cubed
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup dark rum, or more to taste

1. Heat oven to 350°. Place raisins in a small bowl, and cover with hot water. Let soak until plump. Drain, and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together 4 whole eggs, sugar, and salt. Whisk in 2 1/2 cups milk and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

3. Butter a 9-inch, 1 1/2-quart ceramic baking dish with sides that are at least 1 1/2 inches high. Sprinkle bottom of dish with brown sugar; arrange half the challah cubes in a layer on top. Sprinkle with half the reserved raisins. Repeat with remaining challah and raisins.

4. Pour the milk-and-egg mixture over the bread, making sure to soak every piece. Transfer baking dish to the oven, and bake until the custard sets and the bread pudding becomes a rich, golden color, 50 to 60 minutes. If bread becomes too brown before filling is set, loosely cover top of pudding with aluminum foil. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the rum sauce: Combine remaining 1 1/2 cups milk, the heavy cream, and confectioners’ sugar in a saucepan; place over medium heat, and heat just until bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat.

6. Prepare an ice-water bath, and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks with remaining teaspoon vanilla. Slowly beat 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into yolks, then slowly whisk yolk mixture back into saucepan with remaining milk mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 1 minute.

7. Strain the mixture into a bowl set in the ice-water bath. Stir in rum and remaining 2 tablespoons butter; stir until combined. Let stand until mixture is chilled. Serve bread pudding warm or at room temperature, with the rum sauce on the side.

[sheenajungle]

Chestnut, Onion, and Cornbread Stuffing


1 1/2 loaves cornbread, recipe follows
2 medium red onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 shallots (about 1/2 pound), cut lengthwise into sixths
5 leeks (about 1 pound), white and pale green parts only, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick pieces
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 cup packed fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 pound vacuum-packed or canned whole chestnuts
3 1/2 cups chicken broth

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cut cornbread into 1/2-inch cubes and in 2 large shallow baking pans bake in middle of oven until just dry, about 20 minutes.

In a large heavy skillet cook red onions, shallots, leeks, celery, herbs with salt and pepper to taste in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until onion mixture is golden brown, softened, about 25 minutes.

If using canned chestnuts, rinse and drain. In a saucepan simmer vacuum-packed or canned chestnuts in 2 cups broth 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, toss together bread, onions, chestnut mixture, remaining 1 1/2 cups broth and salt and pepper to taste and cool completely. Stuffing may be made up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring stuffing to room temperature before proceeding.

To cook all or part of stuffing outside poultry: In a shallow baking dish bake stuffing in preheated 325 degree oven 45 minutes (for moist stuffing, bake covered entire time; for less moist stuffing with a slightly crisp top, uncover halfway through baking time).

[Jolie Rouge]

24 pre-made mini-quiche cups or 1 15-oz. package pie crusts
2 cups grated Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp. green onion, chopped
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt

If using pre-made quiche cups, place in greased mini-muffin pans. If using pie-crust allow frozen pie crust to thaw, the roll out and cut 12 rounds out of each piece with a 2-inch round cookie cutter. Place each round in a greased muffin tin. Combine cheese, green onion, eggs, milk, ground nutmeg and salt and mix well. Pour batter into each muffin and fill 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

The Skinny: Use low fat cheese and milk and your favorite egg substitute.

[Jolie Rouge]

1 pound fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. sweet onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Crispy rice noodles for garnish

Place green beans in a steamer and stream until crisp-tender. Meanwhile saute garlic,onion and ginger in sesame oil for 2 - 3 minutes. Add green beans, soy sauce and salt and pepper and cook 2 - 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with rice noodles.

The Skinny: Use low sodium soy sauce.