Monkbot Holiday Recipe Exchange
Between all our Southern cuisine, HicksChick4Soul's Goop, Squeebee's Ukranian goodies, and Ivoryhut's lurvely gift box to me of scrumptious Filipino treats (which may NOT make it home to Biloxi as I originally intended)...I thought this might be a good time of year to share our favorite holiday or family recipes.
Be sure to include all ingredients and amounts and directions!
My mouth is watering already at what y'all will come up with.
(Um...no fruitcake recipes allowed.)
---
Shelley's Candied Peanuts
These are easy and tasty and cheap to make!
2 cups shelled raw peanuts (leave the hulls, they make the finished nuts a pretty red color)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste
Shortening
Dump the peanuts, sugar, and water in a shortening-greased skillet and cook until thick and gooey (this takes a little time...keep burner on medium heat). Spread out over a cookie sheet and salt lightly. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Stir (this may seem awkward...stirring on a cookie sheet...but bascially you are moving the nuts around so there aren't any wet spots). Bake another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. You may need to add a smidgen more salt...but taste before adding!
Enjoy!
---
Labels: Monkbot, Shelley's World
posted by shelley @ 12/17/2006 11:10:00 AM
20 comments
20 Comments:
Funny thing about fruitcake. My (very Southern) Grandma never allowed alcohol in her house nor did I ever see her or my Grandpa drink anything alcoholic in my life. It was only after I got out of college that Grandpa started to share stories about making Strawberry wine in his wild younger days.
One day, however, my Grandma's sister came over and brought "something to moisten and preserve the fruitcake". It was a bottle of wiskey!!!! That was when I finally understood why fruitcake was sooo popular with these proper Southern Ladies!
I still don't like traditional fruitcake but it IS better soaked in wiskey. Actually, if you make one with just the candied fruit you like to eat and soak it in something you like to drink - it's quite good. I like just dried pinapples, cherries, and orange peels. I also prefer Grand Marnier as a "preservative".
Of course, my sister may have the best way to do fruitcake. She just drinks the Grand Marnier in a sniffer and comments on how pretty the fruitcake looks.
Merry Christmas everyone. Thank you all for making 2006 so nice.
Here's a really pretty, tasty (super easy) no-cook appetizer since my earlier post was not really following directions.
need: pretty platter (I use a round glass one), cream cheese (whipped spreads easier), red chili or cocktail sauce, canned crab meat, fresh parsley (optional), crackers
directions: spread the cream cheese right on the platter, then spoon the red chili sauce over the cream cheese, then place drained crab meat on top, add green parsley and serve with crackers
This is a great "backup" item in case you need something in a hurry. The canned crab and bottle of sauce can stay in the cuboard for months, and the cream cheese can be used for so many things that I keep some handy during the holidays.
I hope this helps to de-stress your holidays!
thanks, pamela.
maybe i need to try whiskey fruitcake...sounds a lot more agreeable than plain fruitcake! ;)
and thanks for the recipe.
anything with cream cheese is a winner in my book.
Okay, been away from the computer for much of the past few days. Has anyone checked this out yet? Last time Gray had the link up, it wasn't for this page. Or maybe he's updated it since?
Sorry, that wasn't a recipe, was it? Unless maybe I can relate it to khakis ...
Yes.......I'm still on the quest to find the exact recipe for goop........buh buh bum...
Here are two of my favorites.
Buckhead Rice
3 cups warm cooked rice
1/4 cup butter or margarine
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
16 oz sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, cooked, drained
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Combine the rice and butter into a large bowl. Combine the eggs, milk, and cheese in a medium bowl. Stir in spinach.
Stir the egg mixture into the rice mixture; mix well. Add the onion, worcestershire sauce, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, and salt; mix well.
Spoon into a greased 2 1/2 quart baking dish. Set in a large pan with 2 inches of warm water.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until set.
Serves 8.
Raisin-Pecan Pie
Pastry for 9 inch Pie
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoom ground cinnamon
2/3 cups golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream (optional)
Directions:
Roll pastry to 1/8 inch thickness on a floured surface. Place it in a 9 inch pieplate; trim off excess pastry along edges. Fold edges under, and flute. Prick bottom and sides of pastry with a fork. Bake at 450 degrees for 3-5 minutes. Remove pastry from oven, and allow to cool completely.
Combine beaten eggs, melted butter, vinegar, sugar and cinnamon, mixing well. Stir in raisins, chopped pecans, and vanilla. Pour into prepared pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until pie is set. Garnish pie with whipped cream, if desired.
Merry Christmas !!
Russian Tea
Mix together:
3/4 c. instant tea
1/2 c. sugar
2 c. Tang
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Add two teaspoons to a cup of boiling water. Makes a nice alternative to egg nog or hot chocolate!
Libby...the rice sounds absolutely scrumptious!!!
And I've never thought about raisins in my pecan pie. :)
Baby Duck...I love that tea recipe! Actually...I made 20 jars of that very concoction LAST WEEKEND to give as gifts at the office.
Everyone should try the tea...it's very yummy.
Aw, man. Does this mean that I have to cook aGAIN? Argh! When will the holiday meal preparations end?
Baby Duck, I grew up drinking Russian Tea. I didn't know anybody else knew about it. Can you still buy Tang? I haven't seen it in my grocery store.
I like that tea stuff too. I also like hot chocolate (homemade with dark chocolate and heavy cream) with peppermint schnapps. No recipe here...I always eyeball and taste as I go.
I make tortilla pinwheels every year for parties and people beat each other over the head to take the leftovers home. I kinda eyeball this too, but the general recipe follows:
1 package cream cheese
8 oz. sour cream
1 package dry ranch dressing mix
12 oz. shredded cheddar
sliced smoked turkey
8 of the largest tortillas
Make sure the cream cheese is softened to room temp, mix it w/the sc, ranch and cheddar. Spread mixture onto a tortilla...spread thinly around edges...then place a couple of slices of turkey. Start at one edge and roll-up. Once it's rolled-up, you have to wrap cling-wrap tightly around it and refrigerate..usually overnight. (Repeat w/all tortillas.) The next day, unwrap tortillas, cut off the ends (and eat them), then slice into little rounds. The eight should make around 60 pinwheels. I usually make two batches.
This year I varied the second batch by using dry italian dressing mix, shredded parm, chopped black olives and smoked ham.
I honestly believe cream cheese can lead to world peace.
Seriously...would you want to go to war with someone who makes cream cheese pinwheels or a cream cheese ball?
And, once you're all eating cream cheese...who would want to leave to go drive a tank.
Cream cheese? War?
Cream cheese? Gun?
Cream cheese? Tank?
Hmmmm....to me the choice is simple.
Cream Cheese!!!!
Here's my recipe for Ham and Cheese rollups (I'm kind of like Bama, I haven't used the recipe for a long time--this isn't an exact science like baking is).
2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls
(10 rolls each?)
10-12 slices ham (I use Plumrose Danish ham, because it is in a rectangular shape, but any ham will do)
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese (sharp)
dijon mustard
sesame seeds
Remove crescent rolls from can and leave 2 together (forming rectangle). Lay flat. Place slice of ham on top. Spread thin layer of dijon mustard. Sprinkle w/cheese. Roll up as tightly as possible (roll it lengthwise so you get a longer roll). Roll in sesame seeds. Slice into 4 slices. Bake in 400 oven until golen brown/cheese melty (i think around 8-10 minutes)
They are yummy and pretty (yield appx 20/can of crescents).
Cream cheese is absolutely a gift from God himself. It is one of my favorite food groups. I've actually answered surveys before, when they ask "What is your favorite kind of food?",...Cream cheese. (That or sandwiches.)
One of my favorite things to eat is: You take a blob of cream cheese, pour jalepeno jelly on top, warm it slightly in the microwave and eat it with crackers. Dude...I could live on that stuff!
P.S. when I said "lay flat" I meant the rolls not you yourself. It would be a little hard to finish preparing these while in a prone position.
Shelley, I'm a firm believer in cream cheese and crescent rolls leading to world peace. Long live the Pillsbury Doughboy!
Here's a really, really easy one that is nonetheless delicious:
Raspberry Chocolate Chip Bars
Get a "chocolate chip cookie mix" and prepare it according to the bag's directions; this usually involves an egg and a stick of butter, depending on the brand you purchase.
Smooth all but a cup or so of the mixture into a 9" baking pan (ungreased).
Smooth seedless raspberry jelly over the cookie mix. I've used seedless blackberry, too, but something about the raspberry and chocolate goes together SO perfectly!
Dollop the remainder of the cookie dough on the top of the jelly in random globs.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or so, or until done.
Cut into bars and enjoy!!!
--Q
Q- I bet those would be good made with the chocolate, chocolate chip mix and cherry jam. Yum!
Wow...all this stuff sounds so good!
Leejolem...you made me giggle with your "laying flat" clarification!
leejolem, I buy the Tang and the instant tea in bulk sizes at Costco or Sam's Club. Then you can make it in quantities like Shelley, buy some pretty jars or make a festive fabric top, and you have really nice gifts.
Post a Comment
<< Home