HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-11-24, Page 1010 Exeter Times—Advocate Wednesday, November 24, 2004
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Since holidays often revolve around
food I wanted to do up a special page
of recipes that you might use over the
next month! Some recipes will be for
special occasions with friends, some
for family fun times, all will be ones
tested out on the Wagler troop! Please
take the time to try some and enjoy
your holiday season with family and
friends. Start your day with some
breakfast treats!
IT WOULDN'T BE CHRISTMASTIME UNLESS I HAVE A
FEW OF THESE TUCKED AWAY IN THE FREEZER TO
HEAT AND SERVE. THEY ARE TRADITIONAL TO ANY
SPECIAL HOLIDAY TIME AND OH SO GOOD.
STICKY BUNS
Start by making the sticky sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
Heat the above three ingredients over medium
heat on your stovetop till sugar dissolves.
Pour equally into 3 -8 or 9 inch round cake
pans. If you would like you can sprinlde the
sauce with pecans and candied cherries. Use
your favorite breadmaker basic dough, or
homemade yeast dough mixed and proofed by
hand. Complete the dough mixing and proof-
ing time and then take your dough and roll it
out on a floured surface to roughly 15 by 10
inch rectangle. (I roll it between two pieces of
wax paper lightly floured.) Spread 1/2 cup
melted butter over dough. Sprinlde liberally
with cinnamon and brown sugar. It is optional
to put raisins, candied cherries, nuts over the
cinnamon and brown sugar. (I put it on about
a third so Randy and I can enjoy some buns
with the fixings!) Roll the dough up starting
on the long side. With a sharp serrated knife
cut 1/2 inch thick pieces and put them cut side
down in your prepared cake pans. Let rise for
at least an hour (till double in size) and then
bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes Cool for no
more than three minutes, then invert pan onto
tray or plate so sauce and nuts are on top of
buns. WOW!
THE FOLLOWING BREAKFAST IS A SPECIAL
SATURDAY MORNING BREAKFAST THAT WE
OFTEN FIX. IT IS WELL LIKED BY EVERYONE,
MAKES FOR A HEARTY START TO A BUSY DAY
AND IS SOMETHING THAT ENCOURAGES THE
FAMILY TO SIT AT THE TABLE TOGETHER -A RARI-
TY AT BREAKFAST. IF WE DON'T MAKE AN
OVER -NIGHT BREAKFAST THIS IS OUR CHOICE
FOR CHRISTMAS MORNING! WE SERVE IT UP
WITH STICKY BUNS AND ORANGE JUICE. THE
TRADITION IS WE EAT A HEARTY BREAKFAST
AROUND 8 A.M. BEFORE ANY GIFT GIVING HAP-
PENS- BOY DO THE KIDS EAT FAST AND CLEANUP
HELP IS AMAZING!
HASHBROWN BREAKFAST
1/2 lb bacon
3/4 -1 bag offrozen hashbrowns
Eggs (1 per household member)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Brown bacon till crisp in a large fiy pan. Add
the frozen hashbrowns to the bacon and drip-
pings and stir well. Cook till hashbrowns are
starting to brown. Make small wells in the
hashbrowns and crack an egg into the pan, dis-
carding the shell. Cover and cook till the egg
starts to whiten on top. Turn the heat down so
you don't burn the hashbrown and bacon mix-
ture. Sprinlde the cheese over top and cover.
Cook till the cheese is nicely melted and the
egg is cooked easy over style. Serve up and
enjoy! One package of hashbrowns feeds my
family of 7 and yes, my fiy pan is very large!
Over the next few weeks you may find
yourself entertaining more than you usual-
ly do. The following collection of recipes
will give you some variety and uniqueness
to those special dinners you want to serve
up.
THIS RECIPE IS ONE I HAVE MADE FOR VERY
CLOSE FRIENDS OF OURS BECAUSE I WANTED
SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL. THESE FRIENDS
HAVE CAMPED WITH US FOR 14 YEARS AND WE
HAVE SHARED THE CHALLENGES OF RAISING
KIDS TOGETHER. IT IS EASY TO PREPARE BUT
ELEGANT LOOKING.
PORKTENDERLOIN IN
PHYLLO PASTRY
3 sheets of phyllo pastry per tenderloin
Pork tenderloin
Dijon mustard
Egg white slightly beaten
Rosemary herbs
Prosciutto ham
When working with phyllo it needs to be
Making a memorable holiday
damp so always cover unused sheets with a
damp tea towel and wrap it up tightly to store
it away in the plastic wrap.Take one sheet of
phyllo pastry and with a pastry brush cover it
with egg white. Repeat with two more sheets
putting them on top of the first one. Spread
Dijon mustard over the last sheet. Lay the
prosciutto ham over the centre of the pastry (to
cover the area where you will set the pork ten-
derloin). Lay down the pork tenderloin. Take
fresh rosemary and break off the leaf and put a
generous amount in with the tenderloin. Care-
fully wrap up the phyllo pastry tucking the
ends around the meat. Cover the top outer
wrapping with egg white. Place in a tinfoil
lined pan and bake at 375 for 45 minutes. If a
you are cooking a large tenderloin you may
need to check for doneness, so cut in the mid-
dle and if not cooked close up the tinfoil to
avoid over browning and bake longer. Slice
and serve it up with an apple chutney.
To ACCOMPANY THE WONDERFUL PORK TEN-
DERLOIN CREATE YOUR OWN APPLE CHUTNEY.
SINCE I'VE BEEN WORKING AT EDDINGTON'S I
HAVE LEARNED A FEW THINGS ABOUT MAKING
YOUR OWN SPECIAL SIDE DISHES. JAMES
EDDINGTON MAKES AN AWESOME VARIETY OF
CHUNKY CHUTNEYS AND UNIQUE SAUCES. THE
FOLLOWING RECIPE CAN BE ADJUSTED WITH
WHATEVER FRUIT YOU LIKE AND TRY A VARIETY
OF VINEGARS OR WINES.
CHUNKYAPPLE CHUTNEY
1 onion chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp butter
3 or more apples peeled and chopped
1/4 cup raisins
Red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Saute onion and garlic in the butter till just
limp. Add apples and raisins and vinegar to
barely cover. Add sugar and simmer till liquid
thickens and apples are soft. You can add a
peach or pear to this mixture. Excellent with
ham or pork.
SINCE I JOINED WEIGHT WATCHERS I HAVE BEEN
TRYING TO LEARN TO MAKE SUBSTITUTIONS IN
RECIPES TO MAKE THEM MORE SUITABLE TO EAT-
ING SMARTER. THE FOLLOWING COLESLAW
RECIPE WAS FOUND IN A WEIGHT WATCHERS
COOKBOOK AND IS WONDERFUL AND UNIQUE! IT
IS GREAT FOR ALL OF US TRYING TO BE MORE
CAREFUL TO STAY AWAY FROM THE RICHER
FOODS.
LIGHT COLESLAW
6 cups cabbage
2 cups grated carrot
1/2 cup red pepper cut fine
4 tbsp each offinely chopped onion and celery
6tspsaladoil
2 tsp each of honey, sugar, and apple cider
vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
6 tbsp golden raisins
1 apple peeled and chopped
Mix all salad dressing ingredients together and
pour over the prepared vegetables. Enjoy a
unique but delicious coleslaw!
THE FOLLOWING RECIPE IS ONE THAT HAS BEEN
USED FOR MANY HOLIDAY FAMILY GET TOGETH-
ERS. I HAVE RUN THE RECIPE IN THE PAPER BE-
FORE WHEN I DID A CHRISTMAS PAGE OF
RECIPES A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND MANY
PEOPLE HAVE SAID THEY USE IT. You CAN
ADJUST THE SEASONINGS AS YOU LIKE BUT JUST
REMEMBER TO KEEP THE STUFFING MOIST AND
STIRRED REGULARLY.
CROCK POT STUFFING
Stale bread cubed
(a mix of white and brown is nice)
2 onions chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
Sage, salt, black pepper and a pinch ofgin-
ger(to help with repeating nature of stuffing)
10 oz can of cream of celery soup
3 pkgs of chicken bouillon dissolved in 1/2 cup
water
Fry the onion and celery in the butter till limp.
Mix the spices, bread and soup with the fried
mixture and add the liquid. This should be
nice and moist. Add more water if needed.
Put into a greased crock pot and cook on low
5-6 hours, stirring regularly. At the end when
your turkey or chicken is done you can a bit of
the broth for added flavor. The recipe is one
you can adjust to your tastes by adding raisins,
cranberries or nuts. Try some new things for a
stuffing twist!
VEGETABLES SHOULD BE A BIG PART OF EVERY
SPECIAL MEAL. TAKING TIME TO MAKE UNIQUE
ONES WILL ADD FLAIR, AND GUESTS TRYING TO
EAT LESS MEAT WILL APPRECIATE THE EFFORT.
THE FOLLOWING RECIPE IS ONE I REALLY ENJOY
WITH CHICKEN AND IT IS ONE OF THOSE THAT
YOU CAN FIX UP HOWEVER YOU LIKE!
JULIENNEDVEGGIES
Turnip
Carrots
Onions, sliced in half rings
Fresh herbs, black pepper
Olive oil
Maple syrup or honey
Slice the turnip and peel then cut the slices in
small finger -sized strips. Peel and cut the car-
rots in julienne style. Prepare onions. Put in a
bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Use fresh
herbs like thyme and parsley and black pep-
per. Then drizzle maple syrup over the veg-
etables. Put into a baking pan and bake at 350
till tender crisp (about 45 min.) Stir occasion-
ally.
I HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT MORE WITH MUSH-
ROOMS AND PEPPERS LATELY. THEY ARE A FUN
VEGGIE THAT MAKES A PLAIN MEAL SEEM SPE-
CIAL. THE FOLLOWING RECIPE CAN BE USED TO
STUFF MUSHROOM CAPS OR PEPPER SHELLS. BE
ADVENTUROUS AND TRY ADDING YOUR OWN
TWISTS TO THE BASIC FILLING.
STUFFED MUSHROOMS OR
RED PEPPERS
12 mushroom stems chopped fine (for red pep-
pers use 5 whole mushrooms)
1 onion chopped fine
1 celery stalk chopped fine
2-3 garlic cloves minced
1 TBSP olive oil
1 small red pepper chopped fine
1/4 cup cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp each black pepper, thyme
Saute the first four ingredients in the olive oil
till limp. Add the red pepper and saute anoth-
er minute. Mix in the remaining ingredients.
For mushrooms saute the caps in a little butter
with a garlic clove flipping them and cooking
for just a few minutes. Stuff them with the
filling and bake at 350 F. for 20 minutes. If
you would like you can put additional grated
cheese over the tops. For red peppers, cut 2
peppers in half and clean them out of seeds
and pith. Bake them for 10 minutes at 350 F.
Put the stuffing into each half and then top
with some shredded cheddar cheese. Bake in
the oven for an additional 20 minutes. You
can prepare these ahead and just put them in to
bake before you are ready to serve your appe-
tizers. They will be ready with the entree.
Crushed crackers are always a good thing to
stretch your filling if you want to make it go a
bit further or add additional chopped mush-
rooms and peppers. Enjoy!
AROUND OUR HOME ALL SPECIAL MEALS
INCLUDE SPECIALLY ROASTED POTATOES. I'M
NOT SURE WHERE THIS RECIPE ORIGINATED BUT I
DO KNOW THAT MY AUNT BETTYLOU SERVED
THESE UP AT A PURDY FAMILY CHRISTMAS AND
MY OWN MOTHER, NORIENE CHESTER, HAS
MADE THEM NUMEROUS TIMES.
Potatoes washed and peeled if necessary
(I usually only take out any bad eyes or spots)
Olive oil
About 3 cups offinely crushed cornflakes
1 tsp of seasoned salt
1 tsp of garlic powder
Roll potatoes in oil. Put cornflakes in a bag
with seasonings. Allow excess oil to drip off
and then shake potatoes in the bag. Put them
on a baking pan and roast in oven at 350 for 2
to 3 hours or less if small.
Variations: a) use 1/2 oil and 1/2 butter
b) use Breton vegetable crackers crushed fine-
ly
That summarizes up some different ideas
for those special meals. I would now like
to give you a few ideas of treats for the hol-
idays. There is always room for special
snacks.
OUR EXTENDED FAMILY ON THE PURDY SIDE
HAS HAD THE OCCASIONAL GET TOGETHER WITH
JUST FINGER FOODS. THERE HAS BEEN A TERRIF-
IC VARIETY OF FUN THINGS. WE ALWAYS HAD
VEGETABLE PT77AS WITH CREAM CHEESE SPREAD
OVER PIZZA SHELLS AND TASTY VEGGIES
CHOPPED FINE PUT ON TOP. CHEESE ENTREES
ARE ALWAYS A HIT. Two EASY CHEESE APPE-
TIZERS THAT I MAKE OFTEN AROUND THE HOLI-
DAYS, AND THAT CAN BE WHIPPED UP IN A
FLASH, INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING IDEAS:
BAKED BRIE
1 pkg of Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 small round of brie or camembert cheese
Take the small round of cheese and cut it into
eight wedges. Wrap each wedge in a crescent
and place on a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven
at 400 for 8-12 minutes watching closely so
they don't burn. The cheese should be melt-
ing inside and pastry nicely browned. Serve
on a plate with raspberry jam. Very yummy!
CREAM CHEESE AND JELLY
1 tub of ultra low fat cream cheese
1/2 cup of hot pepper jelly (found in the relish-
es and pickles aisle)
Place the cream cheese on a plate and heat up
the jelly in the microwave. Spoon it over the
cheese. Serve up with low fat crackers. Great
for all those people watching what they eat!
CANDY AND VISITING GO HAND IN HAND AT
MANY OF OUR FAMILY GET TOGETHERS.
EVERYONE LIKES TO TRY A PIECE OF THIS
AND DIP A BIT OF THAT. SO I INCLUDE TWO
OF THE RECIPES THAT KIDS AND ADULTS
ENJOY. THIS FIRST RECIPE CAME TO ME AT A
SPECIAL BIRTHDAY THAT I HAD WHERE FAMI-
LY AND FRIENDS BROUGHT RECIPES AS A
GIFT. MY SISTER-IN-LAW, WHO HAS EIGHT
CHILDREN, BROUGHT THIS DIP IDEA AND IT
GOES VERY QUICK. HER COMMENTS ABOUT
SERVING SIZE WERE "NEVER ENOUGH". THE
ADULTS TRY TO BEAT THE KIDS TO IT!
CARAMEL APPLE DIP
250 g softened cream cheese
1 cup brown sugar
Beat together until smooth and spread into a 9
by 13 inch pan or 2 pie plates. Chill till
slightly firm, then spread with a layer of ca-
ramel dip (or irish toffee dipping sauce). Top
with crushed skor choc bar. Serve with sliced
apples. OH SO GOOD.
THE SECOND CANDY IDEA IS ONE OF THOSE
RECIPES YOU COME ACROSS THAT IS SO EASY
AND YET SO GOOD. I'VE HAD ALL KINDS OF
VARIATIONS TO IT AND I LIKE IT EVERY TIME.
GRAHAM WAFER CANDY
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
Boil for 2 minutes on the stovetop. Line a 10
by 15 cookie sheet with foil. Place graham
wafers over the whole tray. Pour the sauce
over the wafers and bake at 400 for 8 minutes.
Take out of the oven and sprinlde with semi
sweet chocolate chips. Bake another 2 min-
utes. Take out of oven and spread the choco-
late. Let cool and harden and then break into
pieces. Store in a container in the fridge.
Variations:
a) use premium plus salted crackers
b) after spreading the melted chocolate and
while still warm put chunks of white chocolate
chips, skor toffee bits, nuts and semisweet
chocolate chips on top. Cool and break into
chunks.
c) melt white chocolate chips separately and
drizzle over semisweet chocolate.
THE FINAL RECIPE I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU IS
ONE OF ELEGANCE AND SO VERY GOOD! WE
HAVE MADE IT TO BE THE SPECTACULAR
DESSERT OF THE SEASON A NUMBER OF TIMES
AND YOU WILL GET RAVE REVIEWS OVER IT! AL-
THOUGH IT LOOKS VERY DIFFICULT IT IS QUITE
EASY TO ASSEMBLE AND THE BEST THING IS
THAT IT CAN BE MADE AHEAD!
STUFFED CHOCOLATE DOME
1 chocolate cake mix made as directed (using
milk not water) and baked in 2 - 9 inch round
cake pans. Cool.
Filling:
1 instant chocolate pudding powder (4 serving
size)
1 cup milk
2 cups of whipping cream whipped till stiff
with 1/2 cup white sugar and 1 tsp vanilla (or
frozen light whipped topping slightly thawed)
1/2 cup toasted pecans (optional)
4 oz grated semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
Glaze:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup whipping cream
Place saranwrap inside an 8 cup dampened,
rounded bowl. Ease one cake into the bowl
and push down to form shell. If cake breaks,
fit in bowl as best you can. Beat the chocolate
pudding with the milk till smooth. Fold in
whipping cream, nuts and grated chocolate.
Turn into cake lined bowl. Trim remaining
cake to fit over cream mixture, edge to edge.
Freeze for at least 4 to 5 hours. Turn cake
onto wire rack set on waxed paper.
Melt the glaze ingredients together and pour
over cake. Refreeze and serve frozen.
Garnish with white chocolate drizzle or
shaved chocolate. What an incredibly great
dessert. It will WOW everyone.
Have a memorable
r.. i. r, -,A holiday! God's
1 blessings to all of you
• 4,w,,:-1,.........40..... in the year 2005!
«;�. Debby Wagier