Monthly Archives: November 2011

WILD RICE & BREAD STUFFING

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3/4 cup chopped celery
2/3 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped carrot
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tbs dried parsley flakes
4 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 tsp rubbed sage
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
2 cups chicken broth
8 cups day-old bread cubes
3 cups cooked wild rice

in a lg skillet, saute the celery, onion & carrot in oil until tender stir in the parsley, bouillon, garlic powder, marjoram, rosemary, sage, pepper & poultry seasoning. add the broth; heat through.

in a lg bowl, combine bread cubes & wild rice. stir in broth mixture; toss to coat. transfer to a greased shallow 2 1/2 qt baking dish. cover &bake at 350° for 30 minutes. uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through.

8-10 servings

PECAN PUMPKIN TORTE

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2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
3 cups canned pumpkin
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans

FROSTING:

2/3 cup whipped cream cheese
3 3/4 cups 10x sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 tsp milk
pecan halves, optional

in a lg mixing bowl, combine the first five ingredients. in another bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, sugar & oil. add to the dry ingredients & mix well. stir in chopped pecans. pour into three greased 9″ round baking pans. bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

for frosting: in a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese &10x sugar until smooth. beat in the vanilla & enough milk to achieve a spreading consistency. place one cake layer on a serving platter; spread with a third of the frosting. repeat layers twice. garnish with pecan halves if desired.

12-16 servings

MINI BUTTER BISCUITS

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2 cups self-rising flour*
1 cup cold butter OR margarine
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

place flour in a bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. stir in sour cream until mixture holds together. drop by rounded tablespoonfuls into ungreased miniature muffin cups. bake at 450° for 11-15 minutes or until lightly browned. cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

makes about 3 1/2 dozen

*NOTE: AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR EACH CUP OF SELF-RISING FLOUR, PLACE 1 1/2 TSP BAKING POWDER & 1/2 TSP SALT IN A MEASURING CUP. ADD ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR TO MEASURE 1 CUP.

BROOKE’S PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING

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1 (16 oz) loaf sara lee brown sugar cinnamon bread (can also use raisin bread)
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup plus 3 tbs sugar, divided
3 eggs
1 1/2 tbs pumpkin pie spice
1 tbs vanilla extract (can also use orange extract)
1/4 cup chopped pecans
vanilla frozen yogurt OR cool whip, if desired, for topping

preheat oven to 400°. lightly spray a baking dish with pam. slice bread into 1″ cubes; set aside. pour evaporated milk into a small microwave-safe bowl; heat on HIGH for 3 minutes. in a lg bowl, whisk pumpkin, 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, spice blend & vanilla until smooth. gradually whisk milk into pumpkin mixture.

place 1/2 of the bread cubes over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. pour half of the pumpkin mixture over the bread cubes. top with remaining bread cubes, then remaining pumpkin mixture. sprinkle pecans evenly over bread. sprinkle with remaining sugar. bake 25-30 minutes or until set. let stand 15 minutes before serving. top with frozen yogurt or cool whip if desired.

HERB-GLAZED TURKEY

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1 (16-18 lb) turkey
1/4 cup olive OR vegetable oil
2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 1/4 tsp pepper, divided
1 cup honey
1 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup butter OR margarine, melted
2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 tsp rubbed sage
1 tsp dried basil

brush turkey with oil; tie the drumsticks together. place turkey breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. combine the thyme, 1 tsp salt & 1 tsp pepper; sprinkle evenly over turkey. bake, uncovered, at 325° for 2 hours.

in a small bowl, combine the honey, corn syrup, butter, rosemary, sage, basil & remaining salt & pepper. brush over turkey. bake 2 hours longer or until a meat thermometer reads 180°, basting frequently with pan drippings. cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly. cover & let stand for 15 minutes before carving.

16-18 servings

WILD RICE STUFFED SQUASH

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1 (6 oz) pkg long grain & wild rice mix
2 1/3 cups vegetable OR chicken broth
1 tsp rubbed sage
1 tsp dried thyme
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 med onion, chopped
1 tbs olive OR vegetable oil
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecan halves, toasted
2 tbs minced fresh parsley
4 med acorn squash (about 22 oz each)
3/4 cup water

in a lg saucepan, combine the rice with contents of seasoning mix, broth, sage & thyme. bring to a boil. reduce heat; cover & simmer for 23-25 minutes or until rice is tender & liquid is almost absorbed. meanwhile, in a lg skillet, saute celery & onion in oil until tender. stir in cranberries, pecans & parsley. remove from the heat. stir in rice mixture.

cut squash in half widthwise. remove & discard seeds & membranes. with a sharp knife, cut a thin slice from the bottom of each half so squash sits flat. fill squash halves with about 1/2 cup rice mixture. place in a greased 15″x10″1″ baking pan. pour water into pan.

coat one side of a lg piece of heavy-duty foil with nonstick cooking spray. cover pan tightly, coated side down. bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until squash is tender.

8 servings

CHERRY CRANBERRY SAUCE

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1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
4 cups fresh OR frozen cranberries (1 lb)
1 (14 1/2 oz) can pitted dark cherries, drained

in a lg saucepan, cook sugar & water over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. add cranberries & cherries. bring to a boil. cook, uncovered, until cranberries begin to pop, about 6 minutes. reduce heat; cook 20 minutes longer or until thickened. pour into a serving dish. cover & chill for at least 2 hours.

makes 3 1/2 cups

WHAT IS INDIAN PUDDING?

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Today is National Indian Pudding Day and, curious cat that I am, I just had to find out what Indian Pudding is. What Indian Pudding IS NOT is Native American cuisine. However, it
DID get its name from a common Native American ingredient – cornmeal. Indian Pudding is a British-style baked pudding served hot or warm and is a classic NEW ENGLAND dessert. (I MUST ask my SIL about this!) It is made primarily of cornmeal, milk, molasses & spices.

The Foodie in me couldn’t stop there though. I HAD to try to find a recipe! SUCCESS! I found one! And it actually looks pretty good! I do believe I would like to try it! Here it is:

INDIAN PUDDING

2 1/2 tbs unsalted butter
3 cups milk
5 tbs yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup cold milk
vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, half and half, OR heavy cream, for topping

preheat oven to 300°.

grease a 1 1/2 qt souffle dish or baking dish with 1 tbs of the butter. set aside.

heat 3 cups of milk in a saucepan until it is close to boiling. add the cornmeal & reduce heat to low. stir until the mixture thickens (about 5 minutes).

remove from the heat & add the remaining butter, the molasses, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, salt & egg. pour into the buttered dish.

place in the preheated oven & bake for 30 minutes.

pour the cold milk over the pudding & return to the oven. bake for an additional 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes until the top is brown & crisp. serve hot or warm with topping of choice.

serves 6-8

NOTE: REHEAT LEFTOVERS BEFORE SERVING

So there ya have it. Now you can impress your friends with your knowledge of Indian Pudding! LOL! If any of you DO try this recipe, I would LOVE to hear about it! Have a great day my beautiful friends! Love and Best Dishes from my nest to yours…

TUSCAN WHITE BEAN & ESCAROLE SOUP

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1 tbs olive oil
1 med yellow onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (15.5 oz) cans cannellini OR other white beans, drained & rinsed
6 cups vegetable stock
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 small head escarole, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup ditalini OR other small pasta shape

heat the oil in a lg saucepa over med heat. add the onion, cover, & cook until softened, about 5 minutes. add the garlic & cook 1 minute.

transfer the onion & garlic to a 4-6 qt slow cooker. add the beans, stock, & red pepper flakes & season with salt & black pepper. cover & cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

cook the escarole in a pot of boiling salted water until softened, about 5 minutes. drain & set aside. in a small saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the ditalini until al dente, about 5 minutes. drain & add to the soup, along with the cooked escarole, just before serving.

6 servings

LEMON-LIME SQUARES

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CRUST:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup 10x sugar
2 tbs grated lemon zest
6 tbs (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

LEMON-LIME FILLING:

4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
3 tbs flour

10x sugar for sprinkling
1/4-1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut (optional)

preheat oven to 350°.

prepare the crust: in a medium bowl, or the bowl of a food processor, mix together the flour, sugar, & lemon zest. cut in the butter to make a dough the consistency of coarse cornmeal. or make the dough in a food processor, mixing the dry ingredients, then pulsing in the butter.

press the dough evenly over the bottom of an ungreased 8″ square baking pan. bake the crust in the center of the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until it is just beginning to turn golden around the edges.

while the crust is baking, prepare the filling. in a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, & lemon and lime juices until light, about 2-3 minutes mix in the flour & beat just until combined.

pour the filling over the hot baked crust. bake for 20-25 minutes longer, or until the filling is set. cool completely on a wire rack.

using a small sharp knife, cut into squares. just before you serve, sprinkle the 10x sugar over the squares and, if desired, sprinkle with coconut.

Makes 16 bars