by Joanne Fluke
Sprinkle the stuffing balls with paprika or chopped parsley before serving.
You can use the crock-pot for any dressing. Just grease it, turn it to LOW, sprinkle the top with parsley or paprika and dot it with butter, and it’ll be ready in 3 to 4 hours.
If your guests are late, the way Aunt Ida’s grandchildren always are, she says to tell you that the dressing will hold for at least an hour longer.
Corn Pudding
Grease or spray the inside of a 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray
Kathy Purvis gave us this recipe. She says her family has been serving it for Thanksgiving dinners for as long as she can remember. She also says there’s probably a way to make it in the oven, but no one remembers how to do it.
One package (8 ½ ounces) corn muffin or corn-bread mix
2 beaten eggs (whip them up in a glass with a fork)
1/3 cup brown sugar
8-ounce package cream cheese (regular, not whipped)
16-ounce can cream-style corn (14.5 ounce can will work, too)
2 1/3 cups frozen sweet corn kernels (a 16-ounce package)
1 cup frozen tri-color peppers, chopped
1 cup whole milk (evaporated will do fine, or light cream will work also)
½ stick (¼ cup, 1/8 pound) melted butter
1 teaspoon Season Salt (see Mrs. Knudson’s recipe on backmatter)
1 teaspoon pepper (freshly ground is best)
½ teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated is best)
Soften the cream cheese in the bottom of a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 30 seconds. Stir it up with a spoon. Let it cool until it’s warm to the touch.
Add the beaten eggs and brown sugar. Mix thoroughly.
Add the corn muffin or corn bread mix. Stir to incorporate.
Add the can of cream-style corn, the frozen corn kernels, and the tri-color peppers.
Stir everything up and add the milk and the melted butter. Stir in the Season Salt and the pepper.
Spray the crock of a 4-quart slow cooker with Pam. Put in the corn pudding mixture. Grate ½ teaspoon of nutmeg on the top.
Put the cover on the slow cooker, turn it to HIGH, and let the corn pudding cook for 3 to 4 hours.
Serves 10 to 12 people as a side dish.
Green Bean Classic With a Twist
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position
Eleanor Cox made up this variation on the classic green bean casserole. She always brings two casseroles to our potluck dinners, but they’re gone in a big hurry.
16-ounce bag frozen cut green beans
16-ounce bag frozen yellow wax beans
One can (10¾ ounces) cream of mushroom soup
One can (10¾ ounces) cream of chicken soup
1 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar or Jack)
¼ cup dried chopped onions
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 six-ounce can French-fried onions (I used French’s)
salt and pepper to taste (I used 1 Tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper)
Spray a disposable half-size steam table pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set it on a cookie sheet so the bottom will be supported.
Thaw the beans in the microwave, but don’t cook them. Dump them in the pan. Pour the two soups over the top, add the cheese, dried onions, and garlic powder. Add salt and pepper, and half of the French-fried onions. Mix it all up right there in the pan.
Cover the pan tightly with two layers of foil, and bake it at 325 degrees F. for one hour. (An hour and a half is fine, too—this dish holds well for guests who come late.)
Take the foil off the top and dump on the other half of the French-fried onions. Bake uncovered for an additional half hour or until the onions are brown and crispy.
Holiday Rice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position
This recipe is from Pam Baxter, Jordan High’s Home Economics teacher. She gives it to all her students.
1 pound (approximately 2 and 2/3 cups) uncooked mixed rice***
3 and 1/3 cups boiling chicken stock (or beef stock)
one envelope dry Onion Soup (1-ounce, I use Lipton’s)
1/3 cup dried onions
1 sixteen-ounce package frozen tri-color bell peppers (or a sixteen-ounce package of frozen corn & peppers, or one cup fresh chopped bell peppers)
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
½ cup butter (one stick, ¼ pound)
*** Pam uses a one-pound package of Trader Joe’s California Rice Trilogy. If you can’t get that, use 1 cup long-grain brown rice, 1 cup wild rice, and 2/3 cup brown Basmati rice. (Or any other combination you wish, as long as it adds up to 2 and 2/3 cups of dry rice.)
Rinse off the rice in a strainer and pat it dry. Mix rice and all ingredients except butter together in a large bowl. Transfer mixture to a greased casserole dish. Cut the butter into 8 pieces and put it on top of the casserole. Cover the casserole with heavy-duty foil if it doesn’t have a cover. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 2 hours. Take off the foil and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes.
Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
This is a slow cooker recipe, but you can also do it in the oven
Edna Ferguson contributed this recipe. She says every new bride should be presented with it, right along with her wedding ring.
Approximately 8 pounds potatoes, peeled
3 packages (8-ounces each) cream cheese
½ cup heavy cream
salt
pepper
1 cup dried, chopped onions
1 stick cold butter parsley and/or paprika to garnish
a packet of dry instant mashed potatoes (just in case you need them)
more cream or milk (just in case you need it)
Boil the potatoes in salted water until they’re tender enough to mash. Drain them. Soften the cream cheese in a bowl in the microwave. Then mash the potatoes with the cream cheese and the cream. (A hand masher works just fine—Edna says you want a few small chunks so people can tell they’re homemade.)
Mix in salt and pepper to taste. Mix in any other seasonings you’d like (garlic powder, onion powder, etc.) Add a cup of dried onions and mix them in.
Spray the inside of a 5-quart slow cooker with Pam or other non-stick cooking spray. Spoon in the potatoes. Garnish with parsley or paprika. Cut the stick of butter into eight pieces and press the pieces down a little on top of the potatoes. Put the cover on the crock-pot. You’re all done.
Plug in the slow cooker and set it on LOW. Cook for a minimum of 4 hours, but as long as 5 or 6 hours. Check a half hour before serving to see if they’re the right consistency. If there’s too much liquid, sprinkle in some instant mashed potatoes and stir them in. If there isn’t enough liquid, add more cream and stir it in. When the potatoes are perfect, you can add a little cholesterol by cutting another stick of butter into chunks and putting them on top, if you wish. Even if you don’t, the potatoes will be delicious when you serve them. (I put mine up around noon for an evening dinner.)
Edna says that if you don’t have a slow cooker and you’re too cheap to buy one to make your life easier, you can put these in a pan, cover them tightly with two layers of foil, and heat them in a 300 degree F. oven for 3 hours. She also says to tell you that they’ll hold in the oven for another hour if your guests are late.
Oodles of Noodles
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position
This is Gail Hansen’s recipe. It’s really wonderful!
12-ounce package uncooked wide egg noodles
8 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup white (granulated) sugar
1 cup sour cream
½ cup whipping cream
3 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cornflakes
½ cup melted butter (one stick, ¼ pound)
(I added a cup of dried cranberries to this dish when I made it for Thanksgiving—everyone loved it that way.)
Spray a 9-inch
by 13-inch cake pan with Pam. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the salt and sugar until they’re a uniform yellow color. Add the sour cream, whipping cream, milk, and vanilla and whisk it all up.
Dump the uncooked noodles in the cake pan. Pour the egg mixture over the top. If there isn’t enough liquid to cover most of the noodles, add more whole milk until only a few are sticking up.
Crush the cornflakes by putting them into a baggie and squeezing them with your hands. (When they’re crushed, they should be approximately a ½ cup in volume.) Sprinkle the crushed cornflakes evenly on top of the noodles and liquid.
Melt the butter in a microwave-safe container and drizzle it over the top of the cornflakes.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F. for approximately an hour and a half, or until the top is golden brown.
Potato Bake or Party Potatoes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position
This is another recipe from Vera Olsen (“Hot Stuff”) who’s engaged to marry Andrew Westcott (“Silver Fox.”)
1/3 cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon paprika
4 eggs
1 large grated onion
½ cup melted butter (1 stick, ¼ pound)
5 cups frozen hash browns or frozen Potatoes O’Brien
2 cups grated cheese (any kind will do)
Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or other non-stick spray.
Mix flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and seasonings in a large bowl with a fork. Add the eggs and whisk it all up. Stir in the onion, melted butter, grated cheese and potatoes.
Dump the mixture into the cake pan, cover it with foil, and bake at 350 degrees F. for one hour. Remove foil, turn the oven up to 400 degrees F., and bake for an additional 15 to 30 minutes, or until the top is crusty and golden brown.
If you want to make this into what Vera Olsen calls “Party Potatoes,” take the potatoes out of the oven, let them cool for about ten minutes so that the eggs and cheese hold them together, cut them into serving-size squares, (you can get about 12 from a pan,) transfer the squares to a platter, and top each one with a generous dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of caviar (or crumbled bacon for those who don’t like caviar.)
Scandinavian Red Cabbage
This recipe is from Minnie Holtzmeier and she says it’s so easy, no one can possibly get it wrong. (She obviously forgot about Andrea!)
6 slices bacon, diced
¼ cup brown sugar
1/8 cup flour (2 Tablespoons)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
¾ cup dry red wine
¼ cup butter, melted (½ stick, 1/8 pound)
1 head red cabbage, roughly shredded (6 to 8 cups)
1 chopped onion
Dice the bacon, put it in a 2-cup microwave bowl and cook for 2 minutes on high, stirring midway through cooking time. Pour off the bacon fat and set the bacon pieces aside.
Grease (or spray with non-stick cooking spray) the inside of a 4-quart slow cooker.
Combine bacon pieces, brown sugar, flour, salt, pepper, red wine, and butter in the bottom of the crock-pot. Stir it all up.
Shred the red cabbage and chop the onion. Add them to the crock and toss them with the liquid. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours.
Either drain some of the juice before serving, thicken it with a bit of flour and water, or use a slotted serving spoon.
Silly Carrots
Irma York contributed this recipe. She got it from her friend, Ginnie Redalje.
2 pounds carrots, peeled, cooked and sliced***
10 ¾-ounce can condensed tomato soup (Irma uses Campbell’s)
¾ cup white (granulated) sugar
¾ cup wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons prepared mustard (Irma uses Dijon)
2 cups diced celery
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
*** or two 16-ounce packages frozen, sliced carrots prepared according to package directions
Combine all ingredients except carrots in a saucepan. Heat to boiling. Turn down heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour over the cooked carrots.
Serve hot, or cold. If you choose to serve them cold, these can be made in the morning and refrigerated until dinner.
Spinach Soufflé
If you’re going to bake this right away, preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in middle position.
This is Michelle’s recipe. It’s very good and I’m proud of her.
Assemble:
½ cup butter (one stick)
2 Tablespoons grated onion (you can also use dried and add them with the spinach)
2/3 cup flour (no need to sift)
2 cups Half & Half (or cream, or milk)
2 cups grated Cheddar
2 cups cooked, well-drained chopped spinach
2 teaspoons Season Salt (See Mrs. Knudson’s recipe on backmatter)
¼ teaspoon white pepper
6 eggs, separated
Melt butter in large saucepan. Throw in onions and sauté. Then dump in flour and stir around for at least two minutes. (They say it should bubble, but mine never does.) Add Half & Half and stir until it thickens into a thick sauce. Take off heat.
Stir in: spinach (and the onions, if you used dried,) cheese, salt & pepper. Beat egg yolks (by hand is fine) and add them.
At this point you can stick the whole thing in a bowl and refrigerate it until later. Overnight is okay, too. Keep egg whites refrigerated in a separate covered bowl.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., while you wait for the concoction and the egg whites to warm to room temperature. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form (not hard peaks). Fold into spinach mixture. Dump in a greased oven dish.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for an hour (mine took an extra 15 minutes) until the top is nicely browned. This soufflé doesn’t fall when you take it out of the oven, so you can take it to a potluck dinner.
Sweet Potato Casserole
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position
Lucille Rahn contributed this recipe. She got it from her friend Meryl in New York, who got it from her friend Hazel. Lucille asked Meryl to ask Hazel, but Hazel’s not sure where she got it in the first place.
3 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes or yams***
2/3 cup white (granulated) sugar
¼ cup melted butter (½ stick, 1/8 pound)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup whipping cream
2 beaten eggs
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup flour
½ cup softened butter (1 stick, ¼ pound)
*** It’s better with freshly cooked sweet potatoes or yams, but you can also use well-drained canned sweet potatoes or yams. It’ll take one 29-ounce can and one 15-ounce can to make a scant 3 cups of mashed sweet potatoes. Two 29-ounce cans will yield almost 4 cups, but you can use them and things will still turn out just fine.
Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl combine sweet potatoes, sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and cream. Mix in the beaten eggs and stir thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the baking pan you’ve prepared.
Rinse out the bowl you used and dry it with a paper towel. Combine the brown sugar, chopped pecans, and flour, mixing them up with a fork. Add the butter and mix with the fork until it’s crumbly.
You can also do this in the food processor with the steel blade and cold butter cut into 8 pieces. If you do this, add the chopped pecans by hand after everything else is processed.
Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the top of the sweet potato mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 45 minutes. If the rest of the dinner’s not ready, cover the pan wit
h foil, turn off the oven, and leave the casserole inside. When the guests arrive, take out the casserole and serve.
Desserts: Cakes
A note from Hannah: When you page through the dessert section, you may wonder why you don’t see Shawna Lee Quinn’s Brownies, especially since you know that they were accepted by the Lake Eden cookbook committee.
To make a long story short, Lisa happened to be paging through her mother’s copy of “Joy of Cooking,” and she came across a brownie recipe that sounded wonderful. She started to make it and that’s when she realized that it was EXACTLY the same as the brownie recipe that Shawna Lee had submitted, right down to the amounts and the method and everything. The cookbook committee thought it was only right to attribute the previously printed source, “Joy of Cooking,” but Shawna Lee didn’t like that idea and she told us to just leave her brownies out if that’s the way we felt about it.
Christmas Date Cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position
This recipe is from my Grandma Ingrid. She used to make this cake every Christmas.
2 cups chopped pitted dates (you can buy chopped dates, or sprinkle whole pitted dates with a bit of flour and then chop them in a food processor.)
3 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons baking soda
Pour the boiling water over the dates, add the soda (it foams up a bit) and set them aside to cool. While they’re cooling, cream the following ingredients together in a large mixing bowl:
