Christmas Entertaining: More Appetizers

Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. ~Washington Irving

I always have good intentions of posting more often during the holidays but things never seem to settle down. Since I have a lot of last minute recipes and ideas I'll be posting today and the next three days. A mini-marathon of holiday blogs:) Today I'm starting with more appetizer recipes. I can seriously never have too many appetizer or snack ideas. Between my teens, our family get gatherings and friends dropping by I always need quick finger food.

Rueben Appetizers

1 cup diced cooked corned beef, roast beef or chipped beef
8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup mayonnaise

1/8 tsp. garlic powder
8 ounces (1 cup) sauerkraut
2 cups grated Swiss cheese
Loaf Party Rye Bread

Combine the beef, cream cheese, mayonnaise, sauerkraut and garlic powder. Set up the pieces of bread, and spread each one with the cheese/beef mixture. Sprinkle with the Swiss cheese on top of each appetizer and broil until bubbly. Serve warm.

Notes: You can also add a pickle to this appetizer, or serve pickles on the side near it.

Pepperoni Bread

1 loaf frozen bread dough

1 tbsp. dried oregano

1 package sliced pepperoni (small pack)

2 eggs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella

Lightly rub the frozen loaf with oil, place it in a bowl or on a cookie sheet with a clean tea towel over it. Allow the dough to thaw and double in size. Roll out the dough. In a small bowl beat the eggs, Parmesan and oregano. Spread about 2/3 of this mixture on the dough. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and place the pepperoni evenly on the bread dough. Roll up the dough with the cheese/pepperoni etc. inside. Seal the edge by pinching with your fingers then brush the rest of the egg mixture over the bread on the outside. Place the rolled bread on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Brush with butter after removing from the oven.

Slice and place on a platter to serve.

Notes: I like adding a little garlic powder to the butter before brushing.

Jalapeno Poppers

12 whole Jalapeno peppers

12 cubes Colby Jack cheese (or Cheddar)

1 cup Bisquick

1 egg

1/2 cup beer

Cut the tops off of the peppers with a very sharp knife and clean out the seeds. Stuff with the cheese cubes. Set aside. Mix the Bisquick, egg and beer. Dip in each pepper to coat it and deep fry in grease for 2-4 minutes. Drain on paper towel before serving.

Herb Deviled Eggs

12 hard boiled eggs

6 tbsp. Parmesan Cheese

4 tbsp. Mayonnaise

1 tsp. dried basil, crushed

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Peel the eggs, then cut in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks, and set the whites aside. Mash the yolks with a fork, in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the cheese, mayonnaise, basil, garlic and pepper until smooth. Spoon or use a pastry bag (or plastic bag with the corner tip cut off) the yolk mixture into the egg white halves. For garnish you can sprinkle with paprika, or a few snipped chives. Serve on a platter after they've been chilled.

By the way, do you need tips on caring for your poinsettia?

http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/poinsettia.html

Christmas Entertaining: Chicken Wings

Last time I wrote about saving money on holiday entertaining and today I have some recipes for chicken wings or drumsticks you can make yourself. They are very expensive when buying from restaurants or the deli.

You can take off the pointy part of the wing at the joint with a very sharp knife before cooking or leave it as is. Either way is fine, and depends on your preference.

Grilled Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. spicy mustard
2 Tbsp. lite or regular soy sauce
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
2 lb. chicken wings
3/4 cup BBQ Sauce (no for marinade)

Combine the first four ingredients; pour over the chicken in a shallow dish. Turn the chicken over a couple of times to evenly coat both sides of the wing. Refrigerate the wings for at least 30 minutes to marinate. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade and discard the marinade. Grill the chicken for 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Brush lightly with the barbecue sauce. Grill 5 minutes longer or until chicken is done, turning and brushing frequently with remaining sauce.

Slow Roasted Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
5 pounds frozen chicken wings
10 oz. soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. ground ginger

In a blender, combine soy sauce, sugar, honey, cayenne pepper, garlic and ginger. In a 9x13 baking pan lined with foil, pour the blended mixture over the chicken wings. Place on center oven rack and bake at 250°F for 2 1/2 hours, turning and basting every 30 minutes. Bake until chicken is tender.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
16 chicken wings or legs
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper
oil

SAUCE
6 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons orange juice, any type
1 cup white sugar
1 cup white vinegar

Season the flour with salt and pepper. (for an extra spicy chicken, add cayenne pepper). Dip the chicken in egg, then the flour. Fry the chicken in a large skillet using oil, until crispy, about 15 minutes. Drain and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, water, sugar and vinegar. Mix together and pour over the fried chicken. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked through and juices run clear.

Spicy Wings and Drumsticks

1/2 cup Mexican-style hot sauce (such as Valentina)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar, or more to taste
4 chicken thighs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a small baking dish. Mix the hot sauce, paprika, ground cayenne pepper, and brown sugar in a bowl, and stir until the mixture is well combined. Place the chicken thighs in the baking dish, and coat them with a layer of sauce. Cover the dish with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake until the chicken has cooked through, and the sauce has thickened and started to brown, about 20 more minutes.

~Brenda

Christmas Entertaining: Saving Money on Food

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

I've been chatting with several people, like myself, that are on a tight budget for Christmas this year. I was looking over a couple of the inserts in our Sunday paper from local grocery stores with the expensive "holiday food" available. I truly do understand wanting to buy special food items for the holidays, but when you think about cutting corners, it's a good place to start. Presentation of your food can make it special, even if it's not the most expensive.

1. Boneless Beef Tenderloin: this can be $12.99 a pound or more. Why not substitute a pork loin which can be as low at $2.00 a pound. It can be served with the same sides, and spices or rubs, and roasted in the same way.

2. Seafood: Jumbo scallops or shrimp are easily $10.00 a pound. For half the price you can buy the medium size, and use them in the same way. The taste is the same, and the only difference would be in the length of time you cook them.

3. Spiral or Honey type hams: These type of hams can run $4.00 a pound and up. Watch sales for a "butt" cut of ham. They are very lean, and meaty, but sometimes they can be as low as .99 cents a pound. Glaze it yourself if you wish, or roast it plain, but I've used this cut of ham for years and it's delicious.

4. Wings: Buffalo, Asian, BBQ etc. are around $4.99 a pound. Make them yourself and a fraction of the cost. I'll share some recipes this week or next week.

5. Pre-made Cheese balls: Run $5.00 a ball and up. Cheese balls are SO easy to make. We have a lot of dips and spread recipes on OFL that are inexpensive and just as tasty. Anything that is premade is more costly, so consider making your own.

6. Breads: All types of quick breads, muffins and cupcakes are available in the stores, but for a fraction of the cost you can make your own. Below is the recipe I'm using to make breads for my husband to take to work, and as gifts for friends and teachers.

Poppyseed Bread

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix *see below

1 small box instant vanilla pudding

1 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/4 cup poppy seeds

Optional: 1 tsp. juice or extract *see below

Basic instructions:

Beat together all the ingredients in a large bowl on slow to start, then on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Pour into 2 regular size bread pans that have been sprayed with pan spray, or you can coat in a very light coating of margarine or butter. Bake for 50 minutes in a 350 degree F. oven .

Notes: I am using several cakes flavors this Christmas. Banana, pineapple, orange, and lemon cake mixes. You can add a tsp. of lemon, orange or pineapple juice if you wish or a tsp. of an extract like vanilla for extra flavor.

Presentation: I use Christmas themed trays, and cut the bread ahead of time. (I don't include the ends of the bread because the kids and I eat them to taste test.). I place a row of one flavor, then a row of another, etc. on the tray. When it's filled (don't squash the pieces together) I cover with foil or plastic wrap. I also send a knife and butter with the tray.

As gifts: To give as a gift, I wrap the bread in colored plastic wrap, and tie a bow with a name tag around the bread. Another nice presentation is to place the wrapped bread in a gift bag, then add a box of holiday tea to the bag as well.

I wrote an article for OFL last month sharing ideas for making your own party platters.

Click here for the article: Do-it-Yourself Holiday Entertaining

~Brenda

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm, as always, grateful that you let me share my thoughts and ideas with you each week. Thank you for reading:)

~Brenda Jean

Thanksgiving: Are You a Gravy Snob?

Friday I went over tips for stuffing your turkey, which is a tradition for almost everyone who serves turkey. My mom makes the best gravy, and we always have mash potatoes, gravy, and dressing when we go over there for the holidays. My husband's family tends to go more for dumplings along with mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing and whatever side dishes people bring that year. When I have Thanksgiving dinner just for us and our three kids I tend to go with the potatoes and gravy, and if I do makes dumplings, I use the leftover turkey and gravy the next day for dinner to make them.

So, I wonder, do you make your own gravy? I'm kind of a gravy snob, and I'll admit it. I love homemade gravy and really don't like anything using an envelope, can or jar that is premade. I know many, many people that do, and that's okay. I'm going to share how I make mine, plus give you a recipe from a vintage cookbook. Let's do the cookbook first. I did shorten the instruction somewhat because they were very long.

The Good Housekeeping Cook Book
1944 by J.J. Little and Ives Company
Basic Gravy Recipe

3 tbsp. drippings from chicken or turkey
3 tbsp. flour
2 cups cold water or stock
salt
pepper

Remove the poultry to a platter when it's finished roasting. Pour the fat and drippings into a bowl, but don't scrape the pan bottom. Measure 3 tbsp. of the fat back into the pan it was roasted in. Stir in the flour, place the heat on low, and cook until it forms a paste. Stir in the cold water or stock very slowly, stirring constantly. Allow the mixture to boil gently until it thickens, then season with the salt and pepper. Serve hot. This makes about 2 cups. For more gravy than 2 cups add 2 tbsp. fat and 2 tbsp. flour to each cup of cold water or stock.

My Gravy Recipe

You'll need:
Turkey
Water
cornstarch
Salt, pepper, garlic powder
Chicken or turkey broth, 2 15 ounce cans

I season my turkey very simply with salt, pepper and a dusting of garlic powder. I pour in about 2 cups of water into the bottom of the roaster, put on the lid, and roast according to the weight instructions. The last half hour I take the lid off, and add another cup or two of water if it's dried out. I remove the turkey to a platter and sit the roaster on the front burner on medium heat. I add the two cans of broth to the pan, and more water. I can't give instructions on the amount of water- I add enough to make enough gravy, but not so much that it waters it down.

In a cup I put about 2 tbsp. of cornstarch and I add about a 1/2 cup cold water. I mix it up well with a fork. By this time the broth in the roaster should be boiling. I slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the pan while it's boiling, and mix it in really well with a whisk as I'm pouring it in. I simmer it and IF it's not thick enough I had the same amount of cornstarch again, using the same method.

I taste to see if it's seasoned well enough, if it needs a little salt, I'll add it, but usually it's fine.

Notes: I know this is not an exact recipe. It's what I've done for years and I've never had lumpy gravy. My gravy isn't thin, but it's not really thick either. I like using the cornstarch SO much better than the flour because if you don't have a lot of stock or drippings it can end up with a flour taste to it. This happens more with ham or beef gravy I've found.

What type of gravy do you prefer?

I have a menu on OFL for an alternative to turkey here:

http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/dinner.html

~Brenda

Thanksgiving: Stuffing Your Turkey

Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude. ~E.P. Powell

There are so many traditions and variations on stuffing for turkey. My mom loves to experiment and changes a few ingredients each year. I know some cooks love taking shortcuts and using stuffing from a box. I say whatever your family loves best is what you should do. They are the ones that matter:) Before I share a few vintage stuffing tips and recipes, I want to make sure we all know the most recent safety on cooking a turkey with stuff. This is from the USDA:

If you choose to stuff your turkey, the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time; however, keep wet and dry ingredients separate. Chill all of the wet ingredients (butter/margarine, cooked celery and onions, broth, etc.). Mix wet and dry ingredients just before filling the turkey cavities. Fill the cavities loosely. Cook the turkey immediately. Use a food thermometer to make sure the center of the stuffing reaches a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F.

REMINDER: Remove the giblets from the turkey cavities after thawing. Cook separately.

The stuff recipe below is from the Home Comfort Cook Book published in St. Louis, Missouri in 1948. I love the simple, fresh ingredients that are used and how easy they are to put together. My notes are at the end of the recipe and variations.

Poultry Stuffing

4 cups bread

2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

1 tbsp. minced onion

2 tbsp. chicken or other fat

1/3 cup hot water or giblet stock

giblets, if desired

Break bread into small pieces and measure, packing down firmly. The bread should be stale but not dry. Add other ingredients, blending together with fork. Last add giblets which have been stewed in salt water, drained and chopped in small pieces. Sufficient for large chicken or small turkey. Use 2 cups bread for 3 pound chicken; 4 cups for 12 pound turkey.

Dressing Variations

Celery: Add 1/2 cup sliced celery to dressing, cooked until almost tender. Use celery water in dressing. Or cook celery with giblets.

Apple: Add 1 cup or more chopped apples to dressing.

Oyster: Add 1 cup drained oysters to dressing and moisten with oyster liquid plus milk.

Potato: Use all of half mashed potatoes instead of bread. One cup sausage meat may be included.

Rice: Use 3 cups cooked rice and 1 cup bread crumbs; 1/2 cup celery and 1/4 cup sliced green pepper.

Chestnut: Shell and skin 1 pound of chestnuts, cook until soft and put through potato ricer or sieve. Measure 2 cups pulp , add to 2 cups bread crumbs and proceed with recipe.

Cornbread: Use part or all cornbread in place of bread in Poultry Stuffing.

My Notes: I love adding apples and cornbread to my stuffing. I am not a fan of giblets, though I know many, many people are. I'm sure most of you know this, but chestnuts are not "water chestnuts".

The chestnuts referred to here are from the American or Chinese Chestnut tree, and the nut meat is frozen to keep it fresh, unless you have access to a grower and can buy them whole.

~Brenda

Economic Recipes from 1938

Today I have recipes to share from The Watkins Cook Book, published in 1938. I'm taking recipes from the section entitled Economy Recipes. I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for cost cutting tips and recipes using inexpensive ingredients. These are simple recipes that are easy for beginner cooks or those who have been cooking for years. I've also put my own tips in the notes after each recipe.

Potato Soup

2 cups mashed or leftover potatoes

3 tbsp. butter

4 cups milk

celery salt

onion powder

pepper

Cook potatoes and milk in a double boiler to just boiling. Beat with a rotary beater, add seasonings and butter. Serve very hot. Sprinkle with paprika right before serving.

Notes: use seasoning salt and ground black pepper to taste instead of the celery salt and onion powder. It's easier to keep on hand.

Swiss Steak

2 inch thick round steak

flour

2 tbsp. bacon fat

2 medium sliced onions

4 medium diced carrots

1 can tomato soup

3 or 4 potatoes

salt

pepper

celery salt

onion powder

Season the steak with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour on the steak and pound it with a meat mallet to tenderize. Melt the fat and sear the meat on both sides, place in a roaster, pour can of tomato soup over meat, simmer one hour. Cover meat with the sliced onions, potatoes and carrots. Cover. Cook another hour on simmer. Remove meat and vegetables, add a little flour, make gravy. Serve with salad.

Notes: 2 inches is a really thick steak. If you get steak that is closer to an inch you obviously won't cook it as long. You can use vegetable oil instead of bacon fat if you wish.

Cornflake Pudding

2 cups cornflakes

2 cups milk

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

dash salt

1/3 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Place cornflakes in buttered baking dish. Blend all ingredients and pour over flakes. Bake in 350 degrees F. oven until mixture sets.

One Egg Cake

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

3 tbsp. shortening

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups flour sifted

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

dash salt

1 tsp. vanilla

To creamed shortening add sugar and beaten egg. Alternately add milk and flour sifted with salt and baking powder. Add vanilla. Bake in square greased tin in moderate oven for about 30 minutes. Frost as desired.

Notes: a moderate oven is usually 350 degrees F. and an 8x8 baking pan will work for this recipe.

On OFL we have some great cakes that are easy to make and have been around for a very long time: Crazy Cake Recipes

~Brenda Jean