Sugar Cookie Murder (27 page)

APPLE ‘N ONION DRESSING BALLS

Lisa’s Aunt Ida used to say that if it was inside the turkey, it was stuffing. If it was outside the turkey, it was dressing. This dressing recipe is from her.

1 cup onion, minced

1 cup cored finely chopped apple with the peel on

¼ cup chicken broth

½ teaspoon sage

½ teaspoon ground Mexican oregano

½ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 eggs, beaten

1 (6 ounces) package herb seasoned stuffing mix

½ cup butter

Grease or coat with nonstick cooking spray the inside of a 4-quart slow cooker.

In a large mixing bowl combine the onion and apple.

In a small bowl, combine chicken broth, sage, oregano, thyme, and black pepper. Mix everything up and then add it to the onion and apple in the large bowl. Mix well.

Add the eggs and then the stuffing mix, stirring until everything is moistened.

Shape the mixture into 8 balls and place them in the crock. Melt the butter and pour it over the top.

Cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours.

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 3-4 hours.

If your guests are late, the way Aunt Ida’s grandchildren always are, she says to tell you that the dressing balls will hold for at least an hour longer.

CORN PUDDING

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 cornbread mix

2 eggs, beaten

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 tricolor peppers, chopped

1 cup whole milk (evaporated will do fine, or light cream will work also)

¼ cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon Mrs. Knudson’s Season Salt

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 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 tricolor peppers.

Stir everything up and add the milk and the melted butter. Stir in the Season Salt and the pepper.

Coat the crock of a 4-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. 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 3-4 hours.

Yield: Serves 10-12 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, and they’re gone in a big hurry.

16-ounce bag frozen cut green beans

16-ounce bag frozen yellow wax beans

one can (10 ¾ ounces) cream of mushroom soup (undiluted)

one can (10 ¾ ounces) cream of chicken soup (undiluted)

1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or Monterey Jack)

¼ cup dried chopped onions

½ teaspoon garlic powder

6 ounce can French-fried onions ( 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 nonstick 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 1 hour. (Another ½ hour is fine, too — this dish holds well for guests who come late.)

Take the foil off the top and sprinkle on the other half of the French-fried onions. Bake uncovered for a 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.

2 2/3 cups uncooked mixed rice *

3 1/3 cups boiling chicken stock (or beef stock)

one packet (1 ounce) dry onion soup (I use Lipton’s)

1/3 cup dried onions

1 sixteen-ounce package frozen tricolor bell peppers (or a sixteen-ounce package of frozen corn and peppers, or one cup fresh chopped bell peppers)

2 teaspoon ground black pepper

½ cup butter

• 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.)
  

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 20-30 minutes.

MAKE-AHEAD MASHED POTATOES

Edna Ferguson contributed this recipe. She says every new bride should be presented with it, right along with her wedding ring.

8 pounds of potatoes, peeled

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese

½ cup heavy cream

1 cup dried, chopped onions

½ cup cold butter

parsley and/or paprika to garnish

1 packet of dry instant mashed potatoes (just in case you need them)

more cream or milk (just in case you need it)

salt and pepper to taste

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.

Coat the inside of a 5-quart slow cooker with other nonstick cooking spray. Spoon in the potatoes. Garnish with parsley or paprika. Cut butter into 8 pieces and press the pieces down a little on top of the potatoes. Put the cover on the Crock-Pot.

Cook for a minimum of 4 hours on LOW, but as long as 5-6 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 ¼ cup 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 ingredients in a greased pan, cover them tightly with two layers of foil, and heat them 300-degree F. oven for 3 hours. She also says to tell you the 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 wide egg noodles, uncooked

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 butter, melted

(I added a cup of dried cranberries to this dish when I made it for Thanksgiving — everyone loved it that way.)

Coat a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. 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 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.

Drizzle melted butter over the top of the cornflakes.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F. for approximately 1 ½ hours, 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 butter, melted

5 cups frozen has browns or frozen O’Brien Potatoes

2 cups grated cheese (any kind will do)

Coat a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with nonstick 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 1 hour. Remove foil, turn the oven up to 400 degrees F., and bake for an additional 15-30 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 10 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, n one can possibly get it wrong. (She obviously forgot about Andrea!)

6 slices bacon, diced

¼ cup brown sugar

1/8 cup flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

¾ cup dry red wine

¼ cup butter, melted

6-8 cups red cabbage, roughly shredded

1 onion, chopped

Put bacon 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.

Coat the inside of 4-quart slow cooker.

Combine the brown sugar, flour, salt, pepper, red wine, and butter in the bottom of the Crock-Pot. Stir it all up and add the bacon pieces.

Add cabbage and onion then to the crock and toss them with the liquid. Cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 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 *

1 can (10 ¾ ounces) condensed tomato soup (Irma uses Campbell’s)

¾ cup white (granulated) sugar

¾ cup white wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

2 teaspoons prepared mustard (Irma uses Dijon)

2 cups celery, diced

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

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.

½ cup butter

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-and-half (or cream, or milk)

2 cups grated cheddar

2 cups chopped spinach, cooked, well-drained

2 teaspoons Mrs. Knudson’s Season Salt

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 2 minutes. (They say it should bubble, but mine never does.) Add half-and-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, and pepper. Beat egg yolks and add them.

At this point you can stick the whole thing in a bowl and refrigerate it until alter. 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 1 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.