Thanksgiving Stuffing

I went to a Thanksgiving cooking demo last month taught by a Chef in our ward and learned lots of really fun things and picked up a bunch of new recipes to try out. So this year I decided to use one of those recipes and take a new kind of stuffing as one of my dishes. (As bad as it is, I have always loved the regular stouffers stuffing straight from a box, so the fact that I opted to forego my long standing favorite in favor of this new option is saying something.) This recipe is more like a savory bread pudding than a traditional stuffing, and it may seem a bit odd at first, but it is well worth the effort!

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4-5 leaves chopped sage

Zest from 1 orange

4 eggs

2 C heavy cream

Salt and pepper

3/4 loaf day old/slightly dried challah bread, cubed (you can substitute croissants, but the challah is awesome!)

Slivered raw almonds

Dried cranberries

In a medium sauce pan, sweat two ribs of celery and one onion in butter till soft, seasoned with a dash of salt to taste and help the sweating. You aren't trying to caramelize the onions, but you want them cooked through.

After the celery and onions are done, remove from heat and add chopped sage, orange zest, eggs, and cream, with a touch of salt and pepper. Mix well.

Dump in cubed challah, day old or slightly dry. Add dried cranberries and mix well. Scoop into a 9x9 baking dish (I used a deep dish pie pan to make it pretty) and top liberally with slivered almonds. Sausage can be used in lieu of almonds and cranberries, and seasonings can be changed up as desired (rosemary would have been amazing!)

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, till set, and serve. Don't expect leftovers!

Yam Gratin with Gruyere

I was wandering around the grocery store this afternoon looking for dinner ideas and got stuck in a mini traffic jam so I struck up a conversation with one of the sample people while waiting for the path to clear. I am not a huge fan of yams, so I wasn’t planning to try his food, but luckily I gave in – these are AMAZING!

2 cups Heavy Cream

1 tsp Salt

3 lbs Yams, peeled

1/2 cup shredded Gruyere

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray 9x9 baking dish with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet.

Stir together cream and salt. Thinly slice yams into the cream (use a mandolin if you have one) coating slices with the cream mixture as you go.

Layer 1/3 of the yams in the baking dish, sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat with another 1/3 and the remainder of the cheese. Top with the remaining yams and pour any leftover cream over the top.

Bake uncovered on the center rack for 30 min.  Remove from oven, and using a fork or spatula carefully press against the top layer to allow liquid to flow over the “crust.” Place dish back in the oven and let it continue to cook for another 30 min. Remove the pan again and repeat, allowing liquid to flow over the top. Return pan to oven and bake for another 40-45 minutes, until the yams are tender.

Let cool for about 15 minutes, and then prepare to be wowed.

Brady Garlic Spread

This super delicious garlic bread topping comes from my sister. Try it. You'll like it.

1/2 C mayonaise
1/2 C butter
1 T parsley
1/2 t oregano
1 C parmesan cheese
6-10 cloves garlic
1 loaf sourdough bread

Spread the topping on both sides of a split loaf of bread, then broil. Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn.

Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

24 fresh mushrooms, stems removed

1 (10 oz. package) frozen chopped spinach

2 ounces cream cheese

4 ounces feta cheese

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wipe mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel. Thaw spinach in a colander; squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible. In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients except mushrooms and parmesan cheese; mix well. Fill the mushroom caps with cheese-spinach mixture and place on a cookie sheet (use a cookie sheet with sides to contain the liquid emitted from the mushrooms during baking). Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of mushrooms. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm. Yield: 2 dozen.

Compliments of Shari Bailey.

Pineapple Casserole

1/2 lb. butter (2 sticks of butter)

1 2/3 c. sugar

3 eggs, beaten

4 c. bread cubes, no crusts

20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

Melt butter over low heat.  Add sugar. Beat in eggs.  Remove from heat.  Add bread cubes & pineapple.  Bake in 2 quart baking dish at 350 for 40-45 min.  Edges will begin to brown.

This bit of heaven is brought to us by Shari Bailey.

'Those' Potatoes

This recipe is known for its inability to be expressed as a typical recipe. In order to make 'Those' Potatoes, you will use the following ingredients and mix them until they seem to taste like Shanoa's amazing potatoes that we all know and love.

Desired number of potatoes (red, brown, whatever...) 1/2 peeled, and boiled.

Mash and add remaining ingredients while using a hand mixer. 

Add remaining ingredients to suit taste, regardless of calories :)

1 stick (+) of butter
Sour Cream

Ranch
Half & half milk till creamy

Salt to taste

Garlic

Chives

(*while not a part of the original recipe, I have found that adding some chopped rosemary is pretty amazing too.)

Becca's Breadsticks

1 T yeast

1 ½ C warm water

2 T sugar

3 ½ C flour

½ tsp salt

Mix together and knead for about 3 minutes. Let rise in bowl for ten min. Roll out about ¼ inch thick and cut in strips.  Melt ½ cube of butter in a pan. Twist strips and lay side by side and let rise 10 min. Can sprinkle garlic on top before cooking. 

Bake @ 350 for 20-25 min. Another variation would be to simply roll out dough like a pizza crust and spread enough (1-1 ½ C) cheese to cover dough, and cook.

Stuffed Peppers

2 large peppers (red, orange, yellow, or green)

12 oz ground lamb, turkey, or pork

1 oz chopped onion

8 oz canned Italian style tomatoes, chopped

2 oz orzo

1 T fresh basil

½ t ground allspice

½ C water

¼ t salt

¼ t pepper

½ C grated parmesan cheese

Cut peppers in half lengthwise, removing stem ends, seeds, and membranes. Boil 3 minutes. Sprinkle insides with salt and invert on paper towels to drain. Cook meat and drain fat. Stir in tomatoes, uncooked pasta, basil, water, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 7-8 minutes. Stir in ½ parmesan. Fill peppers with meat mixture and place in baking dish with any remaining meat. Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese over dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 min. Let stand 1-2 min. Serves 4.

Superbowl Chip Dip

With football season starting up, this is a good recipe to have on standby - SO good, and so simple!

12 oz cream cheese
1 can El Pato Salsa de Chile Fresco

Mix together till smooth.

*You may not want to use the entire can of sauce, as it can be pretty spicy - start with half, mix and taste, then add more till it hits your limit.

*It may be easier to mix if the cream cheese is warm and soft first, then when you are done - chill it in the fridge till you are ready to serve with chips of your choice.

Chicken Roll Ups

2 packages raw Pillsbury croissant rolls

2 lbs chicken

1 8oz package of cream cheese

~ 1 T dried onions

1 t salt

Boil chicken till cooked through, drain and shred. Add cream cheese, onions and salt, mix well. Place one spoonful at the fat end of each croissant, and roll up, pinching open places to make sure it is sealed shut. Bake at 325 for 25-30 min, till golden brown on top. Be careful not to under cook or they will end up soggy. 

To fancy it up a little, you can either serve with a creamy chicken gravy, or (what I recommend) by adding two tablespoons of Ranch dressing mix to the chicken mix and combining 1 Tbs parmesan cheese and 1/2 tsp garlic salt with bread crumbs,  brush the top of the croissant with a beaten egg, then dip in bread crumb mixture - phenomenal!

Grilled Vegetable Orzo Salad

Zucchini, 1-inch diced
1 medium red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 medium yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 medium red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
1-1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lb orzo

For Dressing:
1/3 C freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 C olive oil
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper

To Assemble:
4 green onions, trimmed and sliced
1⁄4 C pine nuts, toasted (optional, but good)
3/4 lb feta
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade (roll the leaves together, then slice on the diagonal)

Prepare the grill: toss zucchini, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Grill for 15-20 minutes, until browned, stirring occasionally. (I've always used a George Forman grill for this, and I think using your broiler would work fine, too.)

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7-9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the grill basket into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pine nuts, feta, and basil. Check the seasonings and serve at room temperature.

This is one of my all time favorite foods. Worth the trouble!

(Courtesy of Williams Sonoma)

Fancy Spuds

8-10 Potatoes 1/2 peeled & chopped - boiled

2-3 C cheddar cheese - grated

1 can cream of mushroom soup

8oz sour cream (amount can be adjusted to suit)

1 T dried onions

1 t salt

Place boiled potatoes in a 9x13 casserole dish. Mash potatoes, leaving lumps. In a separate bowl, mix cheese, soup, sour cream, onions and salt. Spread cheese mix over the potatoes covering entirely and partially mixing in. Cover with foil and bake at 350 till cheese is melted and bubbly, remove foil and bake another 5-10 min till brown around the edges.