Christmas Cooking by Stace

Food is the reason for this blog -- making memories with family and friends around a shared, joyful experience. I am excited that holiday baking time is finally here. I love this time of year the most because of the warm, settled, happy feeling I get when cooking and baking with family. There is nothing like steaming up the kitchen with loved ones when it is cold and gray outside. Our family tends to slow things down a lot this time of year-- we have more patience for little fingers in ingredients, and we just enjoy each others company without the stress of deadlines, homework, sports etc.

I was going to scale way back this year (due to new baby and no sleep), but I would miss out on the fun of cooking with family -- so we have scaled back a little. We have settled on the following menu for Christmas Eve and Christmas:

Tonight -- Potato soup with homemade bread (my family cannot get enough of this simple bread recipe -- we eat it fresh from the oven with some fancy salted butter, and it is gone in minutes!). We usually have a seafood gumbo for Christmas Eve dinner, but we had that for Thanksgiving this year (thanks to Pa Pa Skipper), so we wanted something different.

Christmas Eve goodies: - we are making this orange chocolate chunk cake (I am so excited about this-- I love orange and chocolate combinations). We are making Christmas cookies (our tradition Boddhi loves to make these -- we have made them the past 3 years-- usually deliver some to meals on wheels recipients but not this year). We are also making peanut butter balls (not our traditional family recipe because I don't want to use paraffin wax -- but this one is very similar -- just a different chocolate coating).

Christmas brunch - We are having a simple breakfast of chocolate chip scones (recipe from The Art of Simple Food), bacon and eggs (I might do a frittata if I am up to it -- saw one with apple, bacon and cheddar that looks delicious).

Christmas dinner - We are making pan fried pork chops (similar to our fried chicken recipe), mashed potatoes, yeast rolls, and cabbage.

That is it I think. What are you guys making? Mom, Steph and Bob -- feel free to edit this post and add what you are making for the Holiday.

Will be thinking about you all (family on both sides) since we cannot be together this holiday. We love you and miss you.

Enjoy your Christmas in the kitchen with loved ones.

Posted by Stace

Bailey's Candy Cane Hot Chocolate - Mama Katie

Great drink to warm you up in the winter.

Ingredients:

2 pkgs Hot Chocolate Mix (add water or milk)
1/2 shot Bailey's Irish Creme
1/2 shot Rumple Minze (peppermint)

Or just add a shot of Bailey's to flavored coffee or hot chocolate.

Posted by Mama Katie

Corn Bread Dressing by Stace

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Mama Katie, Papa Leo, Bob & Jovan, Lauren and my family are together for Thanksgiving this year (but sadly missing our sister Steph). Bob and I are are sitting at the kitchen table while Mama Katie runs around frantically preparing corn bread dressing and Papa Leo is calmly preparing the turkey.

I did manage to get out of my chair long enough to retrieve my mom's recipe box from the top shelf of the pantry, so I am posting her yummy corn bread dressing recipe.

I will paraphrase her memories about this dish while she cooks it.

Mama Katie says: It was my first Thanksgiving as a new mother, and I did not know how to cook. My mother-in-law and her sister, (Cajun Queens of cooking) were slowly educating me, offering me recipes and tutoring me to make things like beans and rice, gumbo, homemade biscuits, chicken & dumplings and Thanksgiving dishes for my new, tiny family.

The first time I prepared this, I added a whole chicken. You can add a lot of meat to this recipe and make it a meal in itself. I brought my offering of dressing to the big family Thanksgiving, and it was a hit! (which encouraged me to make it again and again). This has been a Thanksgiving tradition for our family since that first Thanksgiving over 35 years ago.

Stacey adds: This is one of the only dishes my mother prepares at Thanksgiving anymore. Papa Leo usually prepares most of the meal, dishing up tender turkey, sweet and bacony green bean wraps, smooth homemade mashed potatoes, sliced and baked sweet potatoes, fresh from his garden carrots, and homemade cranberry sauce.

Stacey says: This dressing is amazing, much better than the stove top I made and took to church on Sunday :(

Enjoy this time with your family. We are thankful that we have time to be together, time away from the everyday schedules, pressures and stress -- to relax, tease each other and enjoy good food together.

Recipe for corn bread dressing (feeds 10-12):

Ingredients:
-- 2 9x11 pans of cornbread (we used a mix today but my mom usually makes it from scratch). Here is a corn bread recipe from the web in case you need one.

--turkey giblets (whatever comes in your turkey)

--8 stalks of green onion (use all of them)

--6 stalks of celery (less or more depending on your preference)

--seasonings: sage (we have some fresh from Papa Leo's garden), garlic, onion, curry powder, red pepper, pepper and paprika, a tiny bit of salt (to taste).

--4 or 5 chopped, boiled eggs

--almost 64 oz of chicken broth (to add moisture)

--Grandma Werth suggested oysters, but we have never used them in ours

Instructions:
Crumble the cornbread into a bowl and add chopped onions, celery and eggs. Pour chicken broth into the mixture (you want the texture to be wet not crumbly). Add finely chopped giblets. Add seasonings to taste. Place mixture into pans (either 2 9x11 pans or one 12x17 pan). Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown (moisture will have absorbed into the dressing).

--posted by Stace

Green Bean Bundles - Grandpa Leo

Food Memories: This recipe came from Lauren's grandmother (Faye Fields). It quickly became a favorite for the Bray's and was a part of their holiday meal every year.

Ingredients:

2 cans whole green beans (not cut)
garlic powder seasoning
brown sugar
butter
1 lb. bacon

Drain green beans and place in a large mixing bowl. Season to taste with garlic powder. Toss gently. Set aside.

Slice bacon strips in half. Wrap bacon around approximately a 1 inch bundle of green beans and place in a 9x13 inch baking pan. (usually use glass).

Melt 1 regular stick of butter in a sauce pan. When melted add brown sugar to taste (usually 2 to 3 tablespoons). When disolved, pour over green beans and bake in oven at 350 degrees until bacon is brown. If you overcook, green beans will shrivel.