Cook, my sweeties, cook!
So today is a mix of day-of recipes and things that seem perfect for the day of and days after Thanksgiving as we rush right into the Christmas season. We’ve got soups, veggies, sweet stuff and a casserole that I can’t get out of my mind.
Nancy’s Soup
This is from my friend Nancy in Portland and she is, frankly, one of the four or five best cooks I have ever known. She makes food that I actually dream about…her rice bowls alone are like a journey to happiness. Nancy is an amazing potter (owner of Studio NN) as well. Someday I will treat you to pictures of her other work — today we have soup.
1 onion – chopped
4 tsp butter
3 large yukon gold potatoes
3 large red peppers
1 box of chicken or vegetable stock
broil the 3 large red peppers for about 20 mins, turning occasionally so they do burn too much
cool them a bit; cut in half, take out seeds, peel off skin that will come off
saute onion in large soup pot until slightly brown; add potatoes (cut them into big pieces) and
the chunks of red pepper and then pour in the stock; add 1/2 cup of water
boil all until tender; let cool slightly
use blender to puree in batches; add seasonings… great with goat cheese sprinkles & some
olive oil drizzle..anything is good on top.
The next two recipes are from Edie, an extraordinary teacher and human. I don’t know how she cooks, but I assume she brings the same assurance to the stove as she does the classroom.
“We do this recipe every year during the holiday season and give away several loaves as gifts. The recipe can easily be doubled to make more loaves if you have a large mixing bowl–it comes to the very top of my standard Kitchen Aid mixer.”
Montana Potatoes
1 two-pound bag of frozen, cubed hash browns
1 can (10 oz.) cream of mushroom soup (or chicken or celery)
1 pint sour cream
1/2 cup butter (margarine for normal people)
1/3 cup minced onion
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or your favorite shredded cheese mix)
Heat soup, butter, sour cream, onion and cheese until mixed together. Pour over frozen potatoes in a large bowl. Mix well.
Pour into 9X13 glass baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until bubbly.
I like to use the frozen potatoes O’Brien with bits of red and green peppers for a bit of color as well as extra zip.
A change from the usual mashed potatoes, this serves a big crowd, and tastes even better when reheated.
Poppy Seed Cake
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
Mix together in order in large mixing bowl. Pour into well greased/sprayed loaf pans (about 2 large pans or 4 small ones).
Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes or until center is done (test with toothpick or uncooked spaghetti noodle). Cool about 5 minutes and turn out on cooling rack. Spoon glaze over the tops of the cooling loaves.
Glaze
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter/margarine
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Melt together on stove over low heat. Pour or spoon over cooling loaves (put waxed paper under the cooling racks to catch the extra).
Alrighty, then, this recipe comes from Philadephia via Alison. While I can’t attest, a certain member of my family tells me Alison is a wonderful cook!
“This recipe is from Rachel Ray and our family makes it all winter long, but it’s always best serving it up as a Thanksgiving starter. I try to avoid dairy so I serve this one up with one 13.5 oz. can of coconut milk instead of heavy cream, which really compliments the spices. I always use Libby’s brand pumpkin because it seems to turn out with the best consistency. If you don’t like spicy stuff you’ll have to adjust the seasonings like I do–adjusted to your own preference. This is a hearty, warm you up kind of soup–enjoy!”
Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cups canned or packaged vegetable stock, found on soup aisle
- 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained
- 2 cans (15 ounces) pumpkin puree (found often on the baking aisle)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 palm full
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1/2 palm full
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, eyeball it in the palm of your hand
- Coarse salt
- 20 blades fresh chives, chopped or snipped, for garnish
Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Add oil. When oil is hot, add onion. Saute onions 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, black beans and pumpkin puree. Stir to combine ingredients and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and stir in cream, curry, cumin, cayenne and salt, to taste. Simmer 5 minutes, adjust seasonings and serve garnished with chopped chives.
Juncle Jeff’s Caramel Corn
Jeff Koonce is an architect in Anchorage and a former boss. This guy wins barbecuing awards and people fight to be invited to his house for the famous Koonce Christmas Eve event, notably marked with Jeff-created deliciousness.
And in the Hagar family, he will always be Juncle Jeff, labeled so by a Hagar 4 year-old.
Caramel Corn
8 quarts popped corn – keep this warm in the big pan in the oven
2 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup dark Karo Syrup
1/2 cup molasses
2 cubes butter
Boil sugar, syrup + butter for 5 minutes (start timer after ingredients start to boil)
Remove from heat
Add 1/2 tea spoon of soda and mix well, this will cause the moisture to expand
Pour over popcorn as you are stirring, 2 people make this easier
Bake 1 hour stirring real good every 15 minutes
Remove from oven and stir every little bit as it cools
Turn out onto waxed paper and put into large zip lock bags.
Those few good cooks I mentioned knowing? My friends Bruce and Penny (yes, you remember correctly — of sod-laying fame ) together make a team that produces crazy yummy stuff. The kind of food that you keep eating even after things start to hurt, which is how we nationally define Thanksgiving, right?
Here are their mouth-watering contributions:
“I’ve been making this since before (Bruce) and I got married and he begs for me not to skip it at holidays. It’s actually better if made the day before and warmed up, as the flavors blend more.”
Artichoke & Spinach Casserole
2 -10 oz. pkgs frozen chopped spinach (cooked and drained)
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms (smaller is better)
6 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 -14 oz can artichoke hearts – drained and cut in half
1 c. sour cream
1 c. mayo
1/4 c. lemon juice
Reserve 16 mushroom caps. Chop remaining stems and caps. Sauté in 2 Tbsp butter. Sauté 16 mushroom caps in 1 Tbsp butter, set aside. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in sauce pan, add flour and cook till bubbly. Add milk, stirring constantly till smooth. Add seasoning, then chopped mushrooms and spinach. Place artichokes in 2 qt baking dish. Cover with creamed spinach. Combine sour cream, mayo and lemon juice. Heat slowly till blended. Add to casserole. Top with mushroom caps. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.
“Even those who say they don’t like spinach, love this casserole!”
Gulliver’s Corn
1 lg. pkg. good brand frozen corn
½ pt whipping cream
1 c. milk
4 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Dash cayenne
Mix all together and boil 5 minutes. In small pan, melt 2 Tbsp butter, add 2 Tbsp flour. Add to corn and cook until thickened.
Cheese Frosted Cauliflower
Clean and pre-cook whole cauliflower for 5 minutes in salted water. Place drained cauliflower in ungreased shallow baking dish. Top with ½ c mayo mixed with 2 tsp prepared mustard. Sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese (or cheddar).
Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees.
California Salad
1 – 3 oz pkg. lime Jell-O
3 Tbsp sugar
1 c. boiling water
8 oz. cream cheese
¼ c. mayonnaise
1 –#2 can crushed pineapple (drained)
½ pt. whipping cream
1 c. pecans
Stir together Jell-O and sugar, add boiling water and stir to desolve.
Mix cream cheese and mayo together. Pour hot jello mixture over cheese mixture. Blend all together well until smooth. Add pineapple then blend in pineapple and and whipped cream, carefully. Top with pecans. Chill until firm.
I know I’m getting these to you late and my intentions were better than that. But these recipes will go the distance through the holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
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