Christmas Eve 2010

Although I'm writing this post on New Year's Day ... I'm playing catch up.  It's been a crazy December for me.  I know there are only 24 hrs in a day, but it seems I'd been burning 28!  Well, here's what I cooked for Christmas Eve and Christmas Dinner.  Of course, it was all delicious (that's what the family and friends said).  It was a lot of work.  Let's start with Christmas Eve.  We usually have every year our "Christmas Eve Table."  I (with a little help) make every one's favorite and we eat and play games and eat and play games...."oh what fun it is to ...." I digress ... so here's the eve's delights.  As you can see below, we did have veggies...carrots and celery with Blue Cheese Dip!!!

Paula Deen's Hogs in a Sleeping Bag

The Spread

Mini Meatball Panini

Beef/Sausage Meatballs

Almond Rocha (Homemade of course)

Getting Ready for the Eats

3 Cheese Platter

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

The mini meatball panini's are from the Mad Hungry Cooking Show.  They are phenomenal!  I usually don't like meatballs at all, but these are so good.  I mixed ground beef and hot sausage with a few other ingredients.  They were moist and very tasty!

The top cookies are made with puff pastry and filled with almond paste.  The middle ones are double ginger and the bottom are my brown butter shortbread cookies.  I usually make a "butt load" more for Christmas Eve, but like I said earlier....I was crazy busy!  No time...no time.  Okay, now let's talk about Christmas Dinner, shall we?  

Thanksgiving Eats

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Mine was absolutely amazing.  Love family ... love cooking!!  Here is a look at what we had.  I cooked my turkey in my roaster and finished it (browned) in the oven ...



Before



After

Okay, it was yummy.  I did my own brine and it came out just suculent.  Very tasty! 



Next it was a warm potato salad with green beans.  This is "Chuck's Day Off" recipe and the first time I made it.  A great recipe so I've made it a second time.  Check out "The Cooking Channel" for the recipe.

 I also tried another new recipe.  It was Bobby Flay's macaroni and cheese.  Here it is ...



It was with four cheeses, onions and pancetta.

It was good...I probably won't make it again.  I like my recipe better (mine was creamier).  Now for the desserts. 

 This is something I came up with.  It's a pumpkin/vanilla trifle with ginger cookies.  It was very tasty, however, I think the cookies I used were too thin.  Maybe ginger snaps would be better.

The infamous chocolate walnut pie.  This is my most requested pie I make, especially during the holidays.  It's a very decadant, rich pie.  So goooooood!

Apple Caramel pie

Next Holiday is Christmas!  Working on the menu now!!

Comforts from home

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of the year for my family, and we each share our favorite dishes to make. Of course, there's many dishes and sides that I always provide during this special day, but the fact that we are all together makes it worthwhile. Here is one of my simple recipes that I absolutely love to cook, and I hope that you do the same.
Most people cook a traditional green-bean casserole (which I do as well). However, we have many people attending dinner this year and I want to have another option. You may also add bacon to top this tasty dish!

• 2- 10 ounce packages of frozen broccoli (cuts, florets), thawed
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup canned mushrooms, slices or pieces, drained
• 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 2 stacks of butter-flavored crackers, crushed, separated

Preheat oven to 425° F. Mix all ingredients with broccoli and 1 stack of crushed crackers. Smooth in baking dish and top with the remaining crushed crackers. Bake for 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 8 servings.

Blessings!
~Joan

Fall into a Stew

Fall, it's one of my favorite times of the year.  It's the time you make soups, stews, casseroles ... stick to your ribs kind of dishes.  The comfort food time.  I love seafood, so I made one of my favorite stews, cioppino.  My first taste of this was during a Christmas vacation visiting my daughter in San Francisco.  What a treat it was!  I think I ate it three or four times (different restaurants) while we were there.  My seafood of choice here is bay scallops, tiger prawns, cod, and of course from my region, dungeness crab.  However, you can use whatever seafood you like to eat.  Here's a quick version of the recipe:

4 tablespoons of olive oil

1 1/4 cups onions, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
4 teaspoons oregano, dried
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 1/2 cups of seafood stock or bottled clam juice
6 1/2 ounces minced or whole clams (reserving the liquid)
1 cup dry white wine
1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
6 ounces crabmeat or whole crab claws
2 tablespoons dried basil
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
 
Heat oil. (Medium heat)
Add onions, garlic, oregano and sweat onions until tender.

Add tomatoes, clam juice, wine and liquid from canned clams.

Cook for about 12 - 15 minutes (stew consistency).

Add shrimp, clams, and crab meat.

Cook on medium heat about 2 minutes.

Add basil, cayenne,and black pepper to taste.

Stir and simmer 2 more minutes.

Felt a little of "Naw Lins" (New Orleans) Today

  Made a seafood gumbo tonight and it was very good!  I used my own seafood stock, sauted the trinity (chopped onions, celery, green pepper), and added okra. Then I made a roux and  cooked it until it was golden brown.  Poured the stock in  and added shrimp when it thickened (I just put shrimp in this one), but it all came together!  Yummy, Yummy!

Desserts for the sweet tooth

These are a few yummy items I did for a catering gig for a friend's conference. As I said previously, I tore a tendon in my right foot so this obligation was painful and successful! I cooked all day long (til 11:00 at night) which included packaging for pickup. According to my friend it was a definite hit and hopefully, I'll get other gigs from the tasters. I have cooked for family and friends for so many years, but I stressed big time from this ... I guess not knowing who the people were eating my food, I just wanted to put my best stuff out. But I was confident I did a good job. No, a GREAT job!

White Macadamia Cookies

           Melt-in-your-mouth Shortbread

Mini Brownie Bites

LABOR DAY PREPARATIONS!

School has started for some but for the rest of the little ones it's approaching.  The labor day madness of menus is right around the corner. So, what are you going to have for your guests?  Well, if your'e tired of doing the same traditional sides and need a few ideas here's some for starters:
Allow your guests to create their own salad.  I love this concept, a personal salad where you can put all of the fixings on is a crowd pleaser.  I tried a salad bar & potato bar with my guests & it was a huge hit. This is especially good for a crowd 16 & up!  Try new salad toppings to add such as, baby shrimp, caramelized onions, or grilled artichokes.  For the potatoes, try mushroom soup, or rosemary+bacon strips & infuse them with garlic. :)  MMmmmm the aroma alone cannot be touched!

But, if your'e looking for fun things to try for the kids, have them be apart of the presentation.  Allow your children to make a couple pieces from the dessert dish.  For example, let them help you ice the cake so that they feel included, or even put the sprinkles on cupcakes! This will make them smile & believe me they will tell all of their little friends!
Blessings!
~Joan