Holiday Recipes Please

[ozark hen]

bulldog-girl- I have your gooey butter cake in the oven right now. I am taking it to my dh's retirement lunch in his dept. in about an hour. I had made a black walnut -white cake but made the icing out of butter/xxxsugar and the darn cake top slid on me...I will take it but quickly ran to the computer to find a "rescue" cake. I found it in your posting!!!

I will let you know how they like when I return.
I just took it out of the oven, it is brown on top and has a kind of "crust" I hope this is right? I am off to the lunch so we will see. I might have two failures on my hands..and here I have a reputation there and they are always emailing me to please send food to them. ha ha

 

[bulldog-girl]

I forgot to add, with the Gooey butter cake, the episode on Paula Dean that featured this recipe, she used some Health bar morsels or whatever you call them to the topping mix. You could use anything. I bet peanut butter reeses chips would be good as well. The toffee chips were really yummy. She said on the show that you could make it different ways using the basic recipe.

Let us know how you liked it Ozark Hen. Sorry about your first cake. I have had that happen as well. It is always nice to have a tried and true back up recipe.

 

[ozark hen]

bulldog-girl, I took the cakes but never got a bite of either one! They were taking a bite of the walnut cake and I heard several WOW's! I said, you mean it is good??? LOL They loved the first one. I then went and uncovered the gooey cake and told them to try it but then some of the guys dragged me around the plant to see people I had not seen in three years...I retired from there about three years ago, so I never heard the reaction to the gooey cake!! When I left I told my dh to bring home the pans and then I will know how it went, I hope there is a bit left over for me to try. I had two plates of fish, etc. and was stuffed.

 

[Ottoman]

Recipe for lamb

1 leg of Lamb.
1/2 bell pepper, cut into long thin slivers
4 clove of garlic, each clove quartered
6 or 7 twigs of fresh Rosemary
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt & pepper
1 box kosher salt

Wash leg of Lamb, cover with salt, let sit for 1hr, rinse off well, Take a small knife and stick wholes all over meat and stuff them with, garlic, bell pepper, and rosemary. Cover meat with a good coating of Garlic powder, & Onion powder a little rosemary. Salt & pepper to taste. Cook on grill. But not with charcoal under meat but around meat. Turn as needed. or in oven, About 1 to 1&1/2 hr to cook.
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STUFFED GRAPE VINE LEAVES
Grape Vine leaves (fresh or preserved) these can be bought in a can at most supermarkets, or pick wild Grape Vine leaves.
2 cups long-grain rice
1 finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped tomato
Juice of 2-3 lemons
Salt, pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3-4 cloves of garlic

Prepare the vine leaves. If fresh, put pile of leaves in a deep pot, add boiling water and let boil for about 10 minutes. Drain well. If preserved leaves, then put in a large bowl of boiling water and let stand for at least 20 minutes. Drain soak in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes and rinse, then drain well.

Pour boiling water over 2 cups of long grain rice and let stand at least 10 minutes. Drain. Add 1 finely chopped onion, 1 finely chopped tomato, salt, pepper, garlic powder, turmeric. Take a vine leaf with the vein side up, put a small tablespoon of rice on the bottom of the leaf and fold over tightly. Then fold in the two sides and continue rolling up tightly. Line a pot with vine leaves and slices of tomatoes, then pack the stuffed leaves in light layers. Make a mixture of water, oil, salt, pepper, turmeric, garlic and lemon juice and pour over the leaves. Put a plate on top of the leaves to keep them down in the water and then cover the pot. Cook over a very low flame for 1-2 hours, until tender.
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STUFFED DATES
1 pound dates
1/2 pound good quality marzipan
Remove pits from dates, open and stuff marzipan into middle. Close to remake date shape.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Old-fashioned Rock Candy

3 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
bottled flavoring oil (3.7 mL) -- I use the LorAnn brand oils. You can find these everywhere.
powdered sugar
food coloring

Kitchen equipment: 1 or 2 metal pans (like a small soup or stock pot), large metal spoon, 3-4 cookie sheets (2 for each batch, preferably with rims or the molten candy will just roll off like a lava flow), sifter (for powdered sugar), pizza cutter or knife (for scoring the candy), glass candy thermometer, tea kettle (for boiling water), potholders/oven mitts

***It's easier to make this with a friend or some older kids nearby to help! There are some steps that smaller (elementary school) kids can help with, too. Attempting this by yourself might be a bit annoying...you'll see why when you read the recipe. A team effort is best.***

This is what I do to set up before cooking:

1. It's best to have a cool place for the candy to harden, and it works faster if you have a place for this to happen outdoors. I usually make the candy during fall and winter, so it's cold outside. I use TV trays or my deck table with some dish towels on them to protect them from the hot cookie sheets (you'll see why during the recipe).

2. Use the sifter to dust a layer of powdered sugar on the cookie sheets. This will prevent the rock candy from sticking to the cookie sheets while it cools, so make sure the surface of the cookie sheets is covered completely with powdered sugar. You'll be able to reuse the powdered sugar for other batches of rock candy, so it's okay to be a little generous. Keep the cookie sheets indoors near where you will be cooking the rock candy.

To make the candy:

1. Combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, and water in one of the pans. Decide IN ADVANCE which flavor and food coloring you will want to use for this batch and have them ready. (You won't have much time to choose later. ^_~ )

2. Insert the candy thermometer into the candy mixture, attaching it to the rim of the pan. It is extremely important to position the thermometer so that the tip of it is in the cooking mixture but NOT touching the bottom of the pan. If it does, it may break (and it's really hard to find a replacement around the holidays!).

3. Cook the candy mixture, stirring occasionally, over medium to medium high heat until the temperature reaches "hard crack" on the thermometer (300 degrees Fahrenheit). This may take a while (15-20 minutes, possibly, depending on your stove, pans, etc.).

4. Meanwhile, fill the tea kettle with water and get it boiling. (This will be useful for cleaning your candy-coated pan and spoon... The only way to get the candy off will be to melt it off with boiling water).

5. ***This is a part where it's very helpful to have a friend neaby.*** When the candy mixture reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit, remove the candy thermometer and turn the heat off. Quickly (as the candy will already begin to set up) add the 3.7 mL bottle of flavoring and STIR to incorporate quickly. Also, add as many drops of food coloring as will make the color you desire. ***CAUTION: Some of the flavors are really strong in concentrated form. Stirring them in will cause a nice big cloud of steam to rise from the pan. While your house will smell amazing after, sticking your face directly into a cloud of peppermint- or cinnamon-scented steam is not advised. It won't kill or injure you, but it's VERY INTENSE. ^_^ ***

6. Once the flavor and food coloring is stirred in, pick up the pan and drizzle a layer (about 1/4" thick) of molten candy over the powdered sugar on your cookie sheets. Your friend can grab the spoon and scrape it out while you hold the pan (or vice versa). It is nice to have oven mitts if the pan is really, really hot.

7. Take the cookie sheets outdoors to cool. Meanwhile, dump the boiling water into the pan and stir it around with the spoon to get the molten (now hardening) candy out of your pan. This will take you to the next batch more quickly (especially if you only have one big pan to use for this) because you need to have a clean pan each time (so that the flavors don't mix, etc.).

8. Depending on the temperature outdoors, the candy may harden very, very quickly. It's nice to station kids outside to watch the candy. Yes, they will try to eat it after it feels cool on the outside, but a few mildly burned tongues will tell them they still need to wait. ^_~ They will learn quickly. Have them test it with a butter knife or pizza cutter. If you can leave a line in the candy that doesn't disappear, have them go ahead and cut a sort of checkerboard pattern into the candy with vertical and horizontal lines, marking off bite-size pieces. (The knife and pizza cutter will not actually cut it. You need to do that by hand). This will just make it easier to break.

9. Once the candy has cooled, bring the pans indoors. Begin breaking the candy into pieces along the lines (the lines should make this part really easy). Again, this is something that kids can help with. Have them put the candy into the sifter and shake the excess powdered sugar off before putting it into a big bowl. This will also help eliminate tiny, tiny shards of candy that you wouldn't otherwise eat.

10. When the candy has been broken up and the powdered sugar shaken off, you can reuse the powdered sugar to ready the cookie sheets for the next batch.

This sounds complicated, but it's really not. I've done it with as little as two people (at home) and as many as ten (in a big church kitchen with industrial stove). If you can get a whole bunch of friends together, you can do a candy making party and try lots of different flavors. The work will go faster, too.

 

[bulldog-girl]

Here is the recipe for Mississippi Mud cake. It is really easy and unless you don't like chocolet, this will be a real crowd pleaser. So simple you can't mess it up-unless you eat it before you take it to your party!

· Mississippi Mud cake(you can skip the homemade cake portion and use a boxed cake to save time) Just use the icing recipe as listed.
·
· 1 cup wesson oil
· 1/3 cup cocoa
· 4 eggs (whole)
· 1 3/4 cups sugar
· 1 1/2 cups self rising flour
· 2 teaspoons vanilla
· 2 cups chopped nuts
· 1 bag small marshmellows
· Icing:
· 1 1/2 stick margarine
· 1 tablespoon vanilla
· 1 box powdered sugar
· 1/3 cup cocoa
· 1/2 cup evaporated milk
· 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions
1. Mix ingredients and bake in oblong cake pan, greased and floured, bake at 300 degrees for 30 to 45 min.
2. Cover with marshmellows when removed from hot oven
3. Icing:
4. Mix ingredients on top of stove in sauce pan.
5. Melt and stir very well but do not cook....
6. Pour over cake while it is still warm

 

[ozark hen]

whoa, that leg of lamb sounds over the top. thanks ottoman!!
Cake pans came back with one piece in each...he he he but!!!!!! dh got ahold of the black walnut piece and ate it before I could try it. He said everyone raved about both cakes, so thank you very much, bulldog girl, you saved the day!

 

[BeccaOH]

I love cooking/baking. I even made up a family cookbook in 3-ring binder to give as Christmas gifts one year.

Pumpkin Dinner (originated with Rachael Ray)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
1 teaspoon dried sage
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound penne pasta, cooked to al dente
Grated Romano or Parmesan for topping

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and 1 cup of broth to the pan. Simmer about 2 minutes. Add remaining broth and pumpkin and stir to combine until it comes to a boil. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and serve with grated cheese.

Five-Minute Fudge

2/3 c. evaporated milk
1 2/3 cup sugar
½ tsp. Salt (optional)
1 ½ c. mini marshmallows
1 ½ c. baking chips (any flavor)
1 tsp. Vanilla
½ c. nuts (optional)

Cook milk, sugar, and salt over medium hot until boiling. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Take off heat and add marshmallows, chips, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Add nuts. Pour into 9x9 pan. Cool to set.

JELL-O PUNCH

3- 3 oz. pkgs. Jell-O (whatever flavor you want)
2- 46 oz. cans unsweetened pineapple juice
1 T. lemon juice
4 C. sugar
2 Liter 7-Up

Mix sugar & 4 C. water and bring to boil. Let cool.
Dissolve Jell-O in 3 cups boiling water and to that add 6 cups cold water.
Add the above two mixtures together with the lemon juice & pineapple juice. Freeze until solid (probably 2 days).
Take out of freezer 2-3 hours before serving and pour the warm 7-Up over it. Mix until slushy.

Serves 40

Sweet Potato Casserole

2 c. mashed sweet potato (large can)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/3 stick butter
½ cup milk
1 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix all and pour into 8x8 buttered pan.

Top with a blend of:
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
½ c. butter, melted
1 c. chopped pecans

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.


Orange Tapioca Salad
(Taste of Home mag.)

3 cups water
1 package (3 oz.) orange gelatin
1 package (3.5 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 package (3 oz.) tapioca pudding mix
1 can (15 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
1 carton (8 oz.) whipped topping

In saucepan, bring water to boil. Whisk in gelatin and pudding mixes. Return to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and cool completely. Fold in oranges, pineapple, and whipped topping. Spoon into a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Yields: 12-14 servings.

 

[ozark hen]

what a great idea, becca-oh!! Love that idea. Love your recipes, too.

 

[bulldog-girl]

Wow, love the recipes-keep em comin!! I will have to try them all. Especially love the Pumpkin dinner recipe. Yummo!