Lisa’s Holiday Salad

Lisa’s Holiday Salad

Dressing:
1 egg or 1/3 C egg beaters
¼ C cider vinegar
¼ C sugar       
¼ t cinnamon
¼ t cloves       
¾ C canola oil
salt to taste ( 1/2 tsp?)

Blend all ingredients except for oil.  When well blended, gradually add oil while blender is running.
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Salad:
Mixed greens       
craisins
Apples           
mushrooms
Sugared pecans
(Lisa's sugared pecans- 1 C pecans, ¼ C brown sugar, 2 T cream Bake 350 for 20 min)

**Really good with Spiced Nuts recipe

Butternut Pot Pie

Butternut Pot Pie

1/2 of small butternut squash - seeded, peeled and thinly sliced
3 T butter, melted
1/2 t Pumpkin Pie Seasoning
2 T Honey
2 T Maple Syrup
Salt
Pepper
1/2 Spanish Sweet Onion, sliced
1 large Portobello mushroom, grilled and sliced
1/4 cup chopped Pecans
2 T butter
1/3 - 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
Slice of white cheese - Havarti or Swiss
2 9-inch refrigerated pie crusts (Or homemade pie crust for double crust pie)

Mix 3 T melted butter, pumpkin pie seasoning, honey, maple syrup, salt, and pepper together. Pour over sliced squash and set aside to cool.

Saute onion in 1 T butter until carmelized. Remove from pan.

Add remaining 1 T butter to pan and saute mushrooms and chopped pecans over low heat for 5 minutes. Mix with onion and cool.

Assembly:

Place sheet of parchment paper onto large, flat pan (pizza pan, cookie sheet, etc) and sprinkle lightly with flour. Place one pie crust on paper.
Drain sweetened and sliced butternut squash and arrange on top of dough, leaving a 1-inch border.
Sprinkle squash with layer of Gorgonzola cheese, then cover with onion mixture.
Fold outside edge in over filling, pleating and pinching dough about every 2 inches. Place white cheese slice in center of hole. Using second crust, decorate pot pie using shapes, pastry "roses", etc.
Whisk one egg yolk and 2 T water. Brush over entire crust.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool to slightly warm before cutting.

Yummy Almond Frosting

Yummy Almond Frosting

½ C Butter at room temperature
3 T Cream (or milk)
4 T Maraschino Cherry Syrup (completely optional, makes frosting pink)
4 ½ Cups Powdered sugar
½ t Almond Extract
1/2 t vanilla


*Perfect for sugar cookies. If I don't use the cherry syrup, I use more cream....to make it whatever thickness I want.

Chili Con Queso Dip

Chili Con Queso Dip

1 t olive oil             
1/2 C chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced         
1 8oz block of cream cheese
1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes 
1 (7oz) can chopped green chilies
1 t chili powder
6 oz of Velveeta cubed         
cilantro sprigs             
Tortilla chips

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic, saute 4 minutes.  Add cream cheese and stir until melted.  Add tomatoes including liquid, chilies and chili powder.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Add velveeta, reduce heat and simmer until cheese melts, stirring consistently.  Garnish with cilantro.  You can keep it warm in a crock pot, fondue pot or an electric chafing dish.

Grandma Magleby’s Sugar Cookies

Grandma Magleby’s Sugar Cookies

Cream:   
1 C butter           
1 ½ C sugar
2 eggs

Sift:  
4 C flour           
3 t baking powder   
¼ t baking soda           
1 t  salt   
1 t nutmeg

Add to butter mixture and alternate with sour cream and milk.
½ C sour cream          
¼ C milk

Chill dough 1 hour.  Roll 1/2 inch thick (a little less, but not much) and bake at 375 for 10 min.

Artisan Bread

Artisan Bread



3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 t salt
1 1/2 C water

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast, and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or tight lid. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when the surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Place dough seam side down on a sheet of parchment paper (big enough to move dough later by picking up longer sides). Cover with a thin towel and let rise for about 2 hours. ( I have also used a rising basket and it worked great, flour generously.) When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enameled, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. ( I used a dutch oven until I splurged on a french enameled pot.) When dough is ready, gently cut an "X" or other design in top of loaf with a sharp knife. Carefully remove pot from oven and take off lid. Carefully lift loaf with sides of parchment paper and place gently in pot. cover with lid and place back in oven. (It's better for the edges of the parchment paper to come out of pot than to be shoved inside.) Bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 10-15 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.

Gingerbread House

Gingerbread House for Victorian Cast Iron Mold

1 1/2 C shortening
1 1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 C dark molasses
12 1/2 T cold water
9 C flour
4 t ground ginger
4 t cinnamon
1 1/2 t salt

Cream together shortening, sugar, molasses and water.  Sift together flour, spices and salt.  Add dry ingredients to shortening mixture and mix well. Dough will be stiff. If dough is still crumbly, add a T of water. Chill at least 1 hour. Using a pastry brush and solid shortening, and grease mold. ( I use Pam.)  Press dough into the mold.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown. (When mold is already hot from previous baking, bake for 22 minutes.) Flip house pieces onto cooling rack.  It is better to bake gingerbread a day ahead to allow for hardening. 

*This recipe makes 2 houses.