Rose McCauley - Best Dressing Recipe Ever!

Rose McCauley

 

Start early in the morning (or can do the night before): cook 2 Jiffy cornbread mixes per package instructions in a 13x9 pan at 400 degrees until done. (15-20 min.) Let cool then crumble into bite-sized pieces. (I cut into 1 in. squares in pan and then crumble it up.) Toast 12 slices bread (I like whole wheat but have used white) cool, then pulse in the food processor until tiny crumbs. Pour breadcrumb mixture on top of crumbled corn bread.

 

Next (or next day after you get the turkey in the oven) prepare turkey broth by cooking the giblets in 4-6 cups of water or use 4 chicken bouillon cubes in water or prepared chicken stock. Use food processor to chop one medium onion, then 3 or 4 stalks of celery. Place skillet on top of stove on medium and melt one stick of margarine, then add 1 pound pork sausage and cook, chopping it into small pieces with spatula. To this mixture add the celery and onion and cook together.

 

To the 13x9 pan with cornbread and bread mixture add 1 t. pepper, 1 t. sage, 1 t. poultry seasoning and mix throughout. Then pour everything in the skillet on top and blend together in pan. Then pour 2 cups of the broth over this, adding more broth ½ cup at a time until it forms a stiff dough. It can now be cooked in a couple buttered baking dishes for 20-25  min. at 350 degrees if you prefer your dressing soft.

 

My husband’s mother always made dressing balls, so if you wish to do that you can roll the mixture into balls or I scoop it with a buttered ¼ cup measuring cup and place the humps into a buttered dish and cook at 350 for 25 minutes. This recipe will make 28 ¼ cup balls which should serve around 14 guests.

 

 

Book info: Christmas Belles of Georgia, Barbour Publishing, 2011.

My novella is entitled Nick’s Christmas Carol.

Blurb:
 In Nick’s Christmas Carol, my hero’s aunt who raised him makes this recipe for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner each year. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, so is a great southern cook. This is also the recipe I make for my Thanksgiving dinner each year. It is a several-steps process, but well-worth the effort—just ask my  kids who don’t like anyone else’s dressing as much as mine! I got the basic recipe from the cooks at the school where I taught for two years in South Carolina and have gradually tweaked it to make it my own.

Jennifer Fromke - Pumkin Pecan Loaves

Jennifer Fromke

Pumpkin Pecan Loaves                    (makes 2 full loaves)

This is the treat I make for my neighbors and friends, kids’ teachers, and everyone else who deserves a little love at Christmastime. There are people in my life who actually ask me if I’ve started the “baking” yet because they begin to crave this yummy stuff when December rolls around. Because the recipe makes 2 loaves, you’ll always have one to eat and one to share - or you can make 5 small loaves for giving away too. Hint: Dip pretzels into left over icing for a salty-sweet snack.

 3-1/3 cup flour

3 cups sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1-1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 can (15 ox) solid-pack pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cup water ½ cup chopped pecans

 Caramel glaze

¼ cup butter

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup whipping cream

2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp vanilla

 In a large bowl, combine the 1^st 6 ingredients.  In a smaller bowl, combine the pumpkin, oil, eggs and water; mix well.  Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until combined; fold in pecans if desired. (I usually don’t put pecans in bread, sometimes I sprinkle on top at the end). Spoon into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

For glaze, combine the butter, sugars and cream in a saucepan.  Cook until sugar is dissolved. Cool 20 minutes. Stir in confectioner’s sugar and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over cooled loaves.

Carole Towriss - Kazak Samsa

http://caroletowriss.com/

We have four children. The younger three are adopted from Kazakhstan. Washington, DC is a very multicultural area, and the elementary schools each year celebrate International Night.  Kids bring dishes from their home countries, wear national dress, share dances, etc.

In Kazakhstan they eat a lot of mutton and horse meat, and they don’t eat dessert as we know it, so it took a while before we found a dish that would please little kids. We think this one is a hit. It can be made with meat, but the sweet version is our favorite.

 

KAZAK SAMSA

 

FILLING:

6 oz Walnuts, shelled, crushed
1 ½ T Sugar
1 ½ T Butter, unsalted, softened

Mix all ingredients together and set aside

 

DOUGH:

You can use any dough recipe you like, or cheat like I do and buy the premade kind. J

Roll the dough out to about 18” by 16”.  Cut into 2” squares.  Place a teaspoon of filling in each square and draw the four corners to the middle, or fold over to a triangle. Pinch to seal.  Place on greased baking sheet. Bake until golden brown.

 

 

 

Amanda Cabot’s Blueberry Delight

I discovered this recipe at Hemlock Inn, a wonderful country inn in the Smoky Mountains, and liked it so much that I decided to tweak it to make it healthy as well as delicious.  It takes a bit of time to arrange the layers of fruit, but my family agrees that it’s worth the effort.  Enjoy!

www.amandacabot.com

Blueberry Delight

Topping

Using the steel knife of a food processor or a blender, process until smooth:

1 cup fat-free cottage cheese

1 cup sugar

Add and blend until smooth:

2 cups fat-free plain yogurt

Layer in a 9x13 pyrex pan:

2 cups GrapeNuts or similar cereal  (I use store brands.)

3 bananas, thinly sliced (about ¼ inch thick)  (Assuming that you use medium-sized bananas, the slices should cover the crust.)

½ of the topping  (I’ve found that it works best to spoon it over the fruit.)

1 pint of blueberries, rinsed and drained  (You should have a single layer of berries.)

Remaining topping 

Cover and chill thoroughly before serving. 

Makes 12 servings.

Rhonda's Christmas Cranberry Salad

2 bags of cranberries
6 oranges
2 cups of Splenda or Sugar

Chop cranberries and oranges in a food processer. Each family is different in the consistancy that they like so you might want to experiment with this. I like the fruit to be in very small chunks. Pour into a bowl. Add the Splenda or Sugar and put in fridge. The longer it sits the better it is, so I make it the night before.

Note: My mother-in-law, Judith Gibson, taught me this recipe when I married into the family :)

Annie Jones - Cookie Tips

Annie Jones

Cookie Tips

I make cookies one time a year - Christmas - but I make a LOT of them :)

These tips are so good I am sharing with everyone - and they make the whole cookie thing so much easier!

1) dough - for sugar cookies you can use a box mix or even the tubes of ready made, but add a little more flour to give them the heft to stand up to a cookie cutter.

2) when rolling out sugar cookies do not flour your rolling pin and surface, use powdered sugar to keep them from getting too tough,

3)(MY FAV)FROSTING - you want frosting like from a bakery - buy canned cake frosting and melt it in the microwave! (I use a white frosting and add food coloring for the colors I want) When you get it to a warm liquid (you may have to experiment, it doesn't take long as you can guess) you POUR it onto the cookies (you can use knife of back of a spoon to push it out to the edges but don't fuss with it too much, it begins to set quickly and the effect will be ruined) It dries glossy and gorgeous and if you make a fairly thick cookie and frost generously they will hold up all season long.

YUM!
annie jones






Available Here

Available Here

E.A. Hendryx-The Super Tasty Cookie

The Super Tasty Cookie

These "No-Sugar-Added, Gluten-free, Vegan Cookies" may sound like all the fun's been taken out of them but that is definitely not the case. They are super moist and will help you satisfy your sweet tooth without ruining your healthy eating habits!

 

What you need...

1 cup rolled oats (blended until fine)

10 dates (blended with 2 tbsp water)

2 tbsp coconut oil (melted if it isn't already)

1 1/2 to 2 tbsp light coconut milk

2 tbsp dried unsweetened coconut

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 or less tsp nutmeg (I use a few scrapes of a nutmeg nut across a grater)

2 tbsp dried cranberries

Add ins...

You can add any or all of these to the recipe but you may need to adjust the liquid (the coconut milk) to account for extra dryness - up to 1 tbsp or more if needed.

*1 tbsp chopped pecans

*1 tbsp flaxseed

*1-2 tsp wheat germ

*Vegan chocolate chips (thought this takes away the "no-sugar-added" part)

*1 to 2 tbsp cane sugar (again, takes away the "no-sugar-added" part but some people like sweeter cookies so I thought I'd have a suggestion for it here)

First...

Turn on the oven to 375°.

Blend the oats first and set aside.
Then blend the dates and, after they are chopped, add in the 2 tbsp water. The dates will congeal to look like the picture to the right. Add more water if it's still not moist enough.

Then...

Add dates, dried coconut, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut oil, and coconut milk. Use a fork or spoon and mix it all togehter. Once it is all moist, add in the cranberries.

Finally...

Using your hands (because the mixture will still be a bit crumbly and sticky) shape out the cookies onto a small cookie sheet. This batch will make about 12 medium sized cookies. Bake the cookies for about 8 - 10 minutes.

 

E.A. Hendryx

 

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Martha Rogers - Christmas Recipes

I love giving gifts of food for Christmas. I make mini loaves of nut bread or little bags of homemade candies for the ladies in my Sunday School class every year as well as give the same to friends. Food gifts say the giver spent time and effort to make something, and it can be eaten and out of the way instead of being put on a shelf somewhere or tucked in a drawer.

Dollar stores and craft stores have decorative plastic bags in which to put such goodies as well as tags to tie onto them. After wrapping mini-loaves in plastic wrap, they slip right into these bags and are ready to go.

Another good thing about food gifts is that you can make so many at one time. One good shopping trip for supplies will net you gifts for those you want to honor with a gift from your kitchen.

The recipes I’ve included here are traditional recipes people expect from me. Some are from my grandmother and others from friends through the years. I begin the first week of December and usually have it all done in one week. The breads and candies keep well when wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated or stored in airtight plastic containers.

Easy Pralines (It wouldn’t be Christmas without these)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 brown sugar

Dash of salt

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ cups pecan halves

 

Combine sugars, salt and milk in saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thermometer reaches softball temp. on candy thermometer. Test by dripping a small drop from a spoon into ice water. When the mixture forms a soft ball when rolled between the fingers, it is ready. Stir in vanilla and pecans and stir briskly until mixture thickens and sugar crystals form on the edges of the saucepan. Drop quickly by spoonfuls onto waxed paper covered cookie sheet. Refrigerate immediately. If mixture becomes too thick, add a tablespoon of hot water and stir then continue make patties on the wax paper. The number of candies will depend on how large you want to make them. If the mixture doesn’t begin to set within a few minutes or by the time you drop all the mixture onto wax paper, it can be scraped off, returned to the pan and reheated for a few minutes then begin again with stirring and dropping.

 

Microwave Peanut Brittle (Our three sons demand this in their Christmas stockings)

 

1 cup sugar

½  cup White Karo syrup

2 cups raw peanuts

Dash salt

 

Place all ingredients into a microwave safe bowl with a handle. (I use an 8 cup Pyrex measuring bowl)  Cook on high for 3 ½ minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon then cook for another 3 ½ minutes.

 

Stir again and add:

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp. butter

 

Stir again and cook 1 minute 20 seconds on high.

 

Quickly stir in 1 tsp. baking soda then pour onto a buttered cookie sheet. As brittle cools, stretch it with your fingers coated in butter. When thoroughly cool, break into pieces and store. Does not need to be refrigerated.

 

Chocolate Pecan Clusters

1 12 oz. pkg. Hershey’s special dark chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups pecans lightly chopped

 

Melt chips over hot water or in a microwave bowl just until they can be stirred smooth. Immediately add milk and nuts. Stir well and drop by spoonfuls into mini-muffin liners. Refrigerate for several hours until firm.

 

Banana Nut Bread (My grandmother’s recipe)

 

½ cup shortening                                            1 tsp. soda

1 cup sugar                                                     3 bananas, mashed

3 eggs                                                              ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

2 cups sifted flour                                          1 tsp. vanilla

 

Add soda to flour and set aside. Cream sugar and shortening until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Beat well after each egg. Add flour 1/3 at a time and mix well after each addition. Stir in bananas, nuts, and vanilla until well mixed. Pour into mini-loaf pans sprayed with Bakers Joy or pour into one large loaf pan sprayed with Bakers Joy. Bake large pan at 325 degrees for 40 minutes, mini-loaves for 30 minutes or until pick inserted into center comes out clean.                                                                         

Cranberry Nut Bread

 

4 cups sifted flour                                                      2/3 cup orange juice

2 cups + 4 Tbsp. sugar                                                ½ cup water

2 ½ tsps. baking powder                                             4 Tbsp. butter

2 tsp. salt                                                                    1 ½ cups chopped nuts

2 eggs                                                                          1 bag fresh cranberries

1 tsp. soda                                                                  

 

Grease bottom and sides of 4 large or 12 small mini-loaf pans with oil or Baker’s Joy. Sift flour and add baking powder, soda, sugar, salt. In another bowl beat eggs and orange juice, water and melted butter. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add egg mixture. Stir with wooden spoon until blended then fold in cranberries and nuts. Do not over mix. Pour into prepared pans and bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes for large loaves, 45 minutes for small ones or until a pick inserted into middle comes out clean.

Marsha Hubler - Mennonite Snowball Cookies

From Marsha Hubler

Recipe for Snowball Cookies

(My Mennonite friend Rachel tells me these sell very well at her weekly farmers’ market around Christmas time)

 

Marsha Hubler
http://www.marshahubler.com

1 C. butter

2 C. flour

½ C. sugar

2 C. pecans or walnuts, ground

Mix well.

Form into 1” or 2” balls

Bake at 300 for 30 minutes

While warm, roll each in 10x sugar while warm.

After, they are cold, roll again in 10x sugar.

 

Makes two to four dozen depending on size of each ball.

 

 

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Melanie Dickerson - White Chicken Chili

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 med. Onion, minced

1 4-oz. cans mild green chilies

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tsp. cumin

2 cans great northern beans, or navy beans

1 14 oz can chicken broth

1 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken breast

8 oz. Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

In a large skillet, cook onion in oil for 4 min. or until transparent. Add chilies, flour and cumin; cook and stir for 2 min. Add beans and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 min or until thickened. Add chicken; cook until hot. Turn off heat. Add shredded cheese and stir until melted.