Food for Friday

As soon as I figure out how to squeeze a couple of extra hours out of each day, I’m going to be cooking up a snow storm for Christmas!  I really am!  I haven’t even had time to make my favorite peanut butter-marshmallow-almond bark treats this year .. now that’s too busy for me.

I think an excellent gift request to send to Santa this year is a wish for ANY of the Gooseberry Patch cookbooks – or even one of each.  I can’t say enough about how much I enjoy every volume they print, from the delicious recipes and serving suggestions of the recipes’ authors, to the quick and easy tips on each page for holiday decorating and entertaining.

At only $16.95, Christmas with Family & Friends would make an excellent hostess gift for the holidays.  This volume begins with a collection of brief essays & stories from contributors sharing their own Christmas memories – a special treat!  Then all the food categories are covered, from Breakfast & Brunch with Friends to soups, casseroles, and, of course, Festive Family Desserts.

As I flipped through the pages, I was caught by this recipe title:  “Fancy Pants Chicken.”  For sure!  Don’t we always have chicken in the fridge or freezer?  What a fast and fun dish to put together for any holiday or every day gathering.

Fancy Pants Chicken

Ingredients
12 chicken breast tenders
2 T olive oil
1/3 C teriyaki marinade sauce
1/2 C ranch salad dressing
6 to 8 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 C shredded Colby Jack Cheese

In a large skillet over medium heat, lightly brown chicken in oil.  Remove chicken and place in a lightly greased 11″ x 7″ baking pan.  Brush both sides of chicken generously with teriyaki sauce.  Top with salad dressing, crumbled bacon and cheese.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees until chicken juices run clear, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Serves 6.

I’m very intrigued by how the flavors of the sweet teriyaki and the creamy ranch dressing mix together.  It sounds like something you can make in a snap – the contributor recommends serving the chicken over an almond rice pilaf.

C = Cup; T = Tablespoon

Here’s another hostess gift idea – seasonal salt & pepper shakers!  We have some really cute styles in the store and on-line this year.  Check out this classic Santa set.

Hope your Christmas shopping and celebrating plans are going well!  We’ve had snow, and the kids have missed several school days already, so we’re thinking the holidays are working out pretty well so far this year.

Have a Merry – and tasty – Christmas!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

P.S.  My sister taught me that you can put frozen chicken tenders  straight into a toaster oven and bake them up in about 20 minutes – a good draining, a good saucing, and a good vegetable side and dinner’s on the table.  Easy really works for me!

Food for Friday

Well, there are only 71 more days until Christmas – but 101 recipes in this cook book .. what are you going to do???  You’ll have to double up on some days to get them all in!

101 Christmas Recipes, a Gooseberry Patch publication, is a colorful and beautifully photo-illustrated, spiral-bound recipe book – I like the easy binding on the book, because you can open it to the one page you want and not have to lay out the whole thing – counter space is often a premium in the kitchen!  Every recipe is accompanied by a full-color photo and a quote from the author of the dish.

This concise volume (by normal Gooseberry Patch standards!) of only four chapters covers Holiday Open House, Snow Fun, Christmas Day, and Sweets of the Season.  You’ll not believe it, but I have not opened the sweets section this time!

Is yours a pizza-loving home? Here’s a quick and easy sandwich recipe, a take on Sloppy Joes that the kids - of all ages – will love!

Pizzawiches

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
4-oz sliced mushrooms, drained
16-oz jar pizza sauce
6 to 8 slices mozzarella cheese
6 to 8 hamburger or sub buns
Optional:  olive slices, pepperoni slices

In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef and onion; drain.  Add mushrooms and pizza sauce to skillet; heat through.  Assemble sandwiches with ground beef mixture, top with cheese slices, adding olives and pepperoni if desired.  Serves 6 to 8.

Doesn’t that sound delicious – and a one-pan meal can’t be beat!

Okay, here are some more recipe titles from the book – all the pictures are just so appealing!  Shoepeg Corn & Green Bean Casserole, Spiced Christmas Cashews, Jalapeno Cheese Spread, Chocolate Eggnog, Eggnog French Toast Strata, Candy Cane Thumbprints, GiGi’s Cranberry Cobbler – uh oh, looks like I’ve passed over into sweets land!  Have I made you hungry enough to bake something this weekend?

You need a copy of 101 Christmas Recipes ~ you just don’t know what you’ll be missing at this year’s Christmas party without it!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Food for Friday

I know, you thought I was never going to share a recipe again!  But no, recipe Friday is back, after a short hiatus.  Maybe a little explanation would be in order.

First, in case you haven’t heard, we opened a restaurant about three weeks ago.  That kinda started interfering with my schedule for a while.  Then, one crazy Wednesday in June, I sorta fell and sprained both my ankles and even managed to break one of them.  What an inconvenience.  Did I plan to spend the hottest summer thus far this century in a cast and a wheel chair and a walker and on a cane?  No, I did not!

Of course, I realize I have a bit of a reputation for finding ways to avoid mowing the wretched lawn (that manages to survive despite my least efforts).  Having been gifted with a fabulous riding mower earlier in the spring, I promise this fall was not a lawn-work-avoidance ploy.  Nor was it a shower-avoidance ploy, though I didn’t get to stand in one for about a month.  Not fun.

Being much on the mend, and with things well under way on our many business fronts, I can finally think about food again on a Friday!

Do they have good farmer’s markets where you are?  We have not only Saturday markets but a bounty of roadside stands in this area, offering great fresh vegetables and fruits grown a few fields over.  Gooseberry Patch has published a marvelous collection titles Farmers’ Market Favorites, filled with proven favorites from around the country.  Chapters feature selections for everything from Sunny Starters for the Day to A Bushel Basket of Main Dishes, Sprouting Salads, and Fresh Baked Desserts ~ all begging for fresh, locally-grown ingredients for a summer feast.

I always enjoy the illustrated covers on Gooseberry Patch publications ~ they have such charm and imagination!

Browsing the chapter A Medley of Sides, I came across an intriguing recipe for “Apple Orchard Strudel.”  The first ingredient is cabbage!  I’m really curious about the blend of flavors among these ingredients - you’ll see what I mean (like that chocolate fudge you make with Velveeta cheese – I have never yet tasted it, but people swear it’s great).  I think this strudel would be quite tasty.

Apple Orchard Strudel

Ingredients
4 C cabbage, finely chopped
1/4 C onion, chopped
1-1/2 C apples, cored, peeled, and chopped
1/3 C raisins
1/4 C sour cream
1 t mustard (it doesn’t say, but I would guess this is prepared mustard)
1 C shredded Cheddar cheese
8 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1/2 C butter, melted and divided

Add cabbage and onion to a skillet coated with non-stick vegetable spray.  Cook, covered, over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Combine cabbage mixture with apples and raisins in a large bowl.  Stir together sour cream and mustard; add to cabbage mixture.

Brush one sheet dough with butter; layer on a second sheet.  Continue to brush each sheet of dough with butter and arrange one on top of the other.

Spoon cabbage mixture down 1/3 of long side of dough.  Top mixture with cheese.  Beginning with the long side, roll up jelly-roll style.  Place on a 15″ x 10″ jelly-roll pan lightly coated with non-stick vegetable spray.  Brush dough with remaining butter.  Make 1/4-inch deep cuts about 2 inches apart along the length of the dough.

Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.  Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before slicing to serve.  Makes about 6 servings.

Now isn’t that an interesting combination?  I sure hope someone will give this a try and report back to me – it sounds just strange enough to be really, really delicious!

C = Cup; t = teaspoon

Have a wonderful weekend, and be sure to check out the farmer’s market near you – you may be surprised by what is growing in your neighborhood!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Food for Friday

Yay!  It’s almost Monday!  Are you excited about that, too??  Well, I plan to watch me some basketball this weekend – Go Butler Bulldogs!  They pulled off a big win (upset!) last night, and I sure hope they can continue in the NCAA  tournament.  Oh, and of course, the Tennessee Vols are playing tonight.

I was thinking about all the game-watching that will be happening this weekend, and the volume of chips and salsa that are likely to be consumed .. which sent me in search of a quick recipe for homemade salsa.  I have a couple of friends, a brother & sister, who like to compete on the quality of their homemade salsa ~ the trick being that they get to use ingredients they’ve grown fresh in their gardens!  I am hoping to learn about gardening this summer from Sam & Marie, but until then I’ll have to use my local grocer instead.

Already thinking about summer gardens, I found this Gooseberry Patch volume down in the gallery:  Farmers’ Market Favorites.  Of course, it includes ideas for everything from Sunny Starters for the Day to Sprouting Sandwiches and Fresh Baked Desserts.  I pulled this recipe from Farm Kitchen Snacks & Beverages.

Quick & Easy Summer Salsa

Farmers' Market Favorites

Ingredients
10 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 C fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 C red onion, chopped
1 T vinegar
1/2 C olive oil
juice of 2 key limes

Combine all ingredients (except chips) in a bowl.  Stir to blend.  Refrigerate until chilled.  Makes 2-1/2 to 3 cups.  Serve with tortilla chips.  It’s also terrific if you can’t wait for the chilling ~ enjoy it warm from the garden.

Here’s a Gooseberry Patch note:  Almost any fresh veggie can be added to a favorite salsa recipe.  Try stirring in chopped peppers, green onions, minced garlic and sweet corn.

If you’ve got a hearty supply of chips, you might also want to try Lynda’s Spinach-Feta Dip, made with Greek yogurt, feta cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, and fresh spinach and dill weed.  Or, Veggie Mini Pizzas made with pita rounds for the crust, topped with fresh spinach and plum tomatoes.  Yum!

Good luck to your team if you have one in the running, and I’ll be waiting for the farmer’s market.  I have a feeling that Sam & Marie will just be starting me off with weeding in that garden …

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Food for Friday

I’m sure you’re mostly out there gleefully spending your tax refunds on the most delightful things this year .. but for those who owe, there’s another way to go.  Dinner$ on a Dime, from Gooseberry Patch, offers frugal recipe options for feeding the family.  Chapters include Shoestring Suppers, Cent-sational Sides,  and Cheap Sweets.

By the way, I just noticed that on their website, www.gooseberrypatch.com, they accept recipes, tips, crafts, and memories for possible inclusion in future publications.  Kind of fun!  No surprise that they always have the best stuff in their wonderful books.

Have you got a party coming up on the calendar?  Here’s a cute recipe from the Budget-Friendly Gatherings chapter.  I just love the name:

Texas Cowboy Caviar

Ingredients
15 oz can shoepeg corn, drained
16 oz can black-eyed peas, drained & rinsed
16 oz can pinto beans, drained & rinsed
16 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 onion, chopped
1 C celery, shopped
1 C green pepper (or red/yellow/orange), chopped
Optional:  4 oz jar pimentos, drained
your favorite corn chips (Janet likes blue corn chips, fyi)

Dressing
1 C oil
1 C white vinegar
1 C sugar

Combine all ingredients except corn chips in a serving bowl.  Combine dressing ingredients in a saucepan and heat to boiling.  Cook until thickened; remove from heat and cool to room temperature.  Drizzle  dressing over beans and vegetables, toss to mix.  Cover and refrigerate at least one hour to overnight; drain any liquid before serving.  Serve with corn chips.  Will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Sounds like an easy and fun way to feed a crowd!

Well, the rain has finally arrived, just in time for the weekend – and the Holly and Shamrock Parade tomorrow in Gatlinburg!  I hope St Nicholas and St Patrick  can agree to share an umbrella – I’m sure it will be great fun, whatever the weather.

Have a great weekend – and don’t forget to check out the 16th Annual A Mountain Quiltfest here in Pigeon Forge, too.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Food for Friday

So, earlier this week our complex manager and January’s employee of the month, Diana, not to mention any names or anything, asked for a recipe with five ingredients or less!  Apparently, she’s a little tired when she gets home from managing the staff and guests for this whole place, go figure ..  So I thought for sure I’d find one of those 5-ingredients cookbooks down in Mrs. Claus’ Parlor ~ but no luck.

Luckily, I found Fast-Fix Meals from Gooseberry Patch, so problem solved.  From “Sizzling Skillets” to “Simmering Soup Pots,” “Dinner on a Bun,” and even “Desserts in a Jiffy,” this volume has got you covered.  Some of the recipes list more than five ingredients, but they all promise to go from refrigerator to table top, passing through appropriate appliances along the way, in 30 minutes or less.  (Try Grandma Goldie’s Sketti  or Husband-Pleasin’ Dirty Rice” for a couple of quick choices!)

Here’s one that should be served with hot buttered rolls and some wicked-good coleslaw that a friend of mine makes – one day I’ll get that recipe!  One day!

Connie’s Skillet Meatloaf

Ingredients
2 lbs lean ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed
1 potato, peeled and shredded
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
15-oz can tomato sauce, divided

Mix all ingredients together, reserving half the tomato sauce.  Pat into a lightly greased electric skillet.  Pour reserved sauce over meatloaf.  Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes at 350 degrees; cover and simmer an additional 15 to 25 minutes.  Or, simply pat into a greased skillet and cook on the stovetop over medium heat, as directed.  Serves 6.

Okay, so you’ve already counted and you know that it has 6 ingredients, not five.  I think that, since 2 of the ingredients require no preparation at all (crackers & sauce), this should not count against me.  I think I can rationalize away this problem of the extra ingredient!  I think she’ll be too tired, she just won’t notice.  I think I’ll shut up now.

If the workday or work week leaves you a little short on energy for dinner preparation, this is the cookbook for you – proven family recipes that are a snap to assemble and yield delicious results.  Remember, it’s usually the case that the freshest ingredients prepared in the simplest way give the best outcome.

The sun is still shining here in East Tennessee – no more snow (until Sunday morning, maybe…).  I’m going out to enjoy the afternoon – hope you do, too!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Food for Friday

Yay!  We’re sitting here waiting for The Big One of 2010 – snow!  I really hope everyone stays safe on the roads today.

I’m thinking about what’s good to eat when you’re snowed in – maybe a big pot of stew?  We don’t actually have a cookbook titled “Snowed-in Favorites,” so instead I’m checking out Family Favorite Recipes from Gooseberry Patch.  This volume includes a paragraph on “How Did Gooseberry Patch Get Started?”, an oft-asked question, I’m sure.

Here’s what I recommend for the home bound, submitted by Michelle Heurung, Mokena, IL:

Cream of Chicken-Rice Soup

Ingredients

4 quarts water
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/4 C fresh parsley, minced
1/4 C butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 C rice, uncooked
2 t salt
2 C milk
1/2 C cornstarch

Bring water to a boil in a Dutch oven.  Add chicken and cook until done.  Remove chicken from broth to cool, reserving broth in Dutch oven.

Meanwhile, sauté carrots, celery, onion and parsley in a large skillet until tender.  Add garlic and cook one minute.  Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.  Add sautéed vegetables and chicken to reserved broth.  Stir in rice and salt and simmer 15 minutes.  Mix together milk and cornstarch; add to soup.  Stir until thickened.  Serves 16 to 20.

C = Cup; T = Tablespoon; t = teaspoon

That should keep the troops going ~ especially the ones you send out to shovel and scrape!

Again, everyone have a safe weekend out there ~ Christmas Place staff is headed over to the hotel tonight so we’ll be here in the morning.  When you do get out and about tomorrow, come in and say hello.  We’ll look forward to your company!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Food for Friday

I’m serving white chicken chili for supper tonight.  It would have been more appropriately-colored but I bought the wrong cheese, so it’s kind of orange-y ~ but still incredibly delicious, I assure you, and I’ll just say the color is in honor of the tragedy that befell Volunteer football this week.  Oh, yeah, they’ll buy it.  But I need a good cornbread to serve on the side, so I strolled down to the Gallery for a Gooseberry Patch cookbook – you know they’ll have a suggestion.

Where else but Church Suppers!  Who’s been to a pot-luck gathering without finding the tastiest foods on the table ~ and thank goodness your favorite dish always shows up, time and again.  This volume covers everything from Pancake Breakfasts to Ice Cream Socials & Bake Sales, with Summertime Socials and Election Day Dinners among the chapters in between, and is filled with taste-proven favorites and easy serving and decorating suggestions for every occasion.

The corn bread recipe I found is for cornbread muffins, perfected by the patriarch of Rosemary Trezza’s family, and prepared by him for the family until shortly before his death at the age of 96.  He used to carry the recipe in his wallet to share with others!

Our Family’s Corn Muffins

Ingredients
1-3/4 C yellow cornmeal
2-1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 C sugar
8 t baking powder
1-1/4 t salt
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 C oil
2 C milk

In a large bowl, combine ingredients in order listed; beat until well blended.  Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick tests done.  Makes 1-1/2 dozen.

Simple and delicious!  My own father likes his cornbread ready to dunk into a glass of milk.  I like to add a bit of kernel corn to my bread for extra texture and crunch.

Hope you’re experiencing a bit of a thaw where you are today .. but the snow still lingers in the deep shadows of the mountains here.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

.. and a shout-out to all my Colts fans/friends ~ first playoff game this weekend .. Go Blue!

Food for Friday

Yes, I’m sure you’re stuffed to the gills ~ or, let me say, I hope that everyone reading this has been blessed with an abundance of good food and family fun this week!  But you will, one day, be ready to eat again … I looked for a cook book that included recipes just for Thanksgiving leftovers, but had no luck.  Here’s my favorite:  turkey sandwich, but add a slice of cranberry sauce.  The sweetness, next to the turkey, lettuce, and a bit of mustard and mayo – yum!  Sends me over the moon.  If you have leftover rolls, use them for your bread … even yummier.

So, have a great weekend!

Why are you still reading?  Do you need more ideas?  Hmmmm … okay, how about Comfort Foods, by Gooseberry Patch.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, even foods for one or two – who knew you could make a tasty bread pudding with just one slice of bread??

I have selected a dish that seems appropriately named for this weekend.  I need to try this, because I just don’t quite get the concept of potatoes cooked in pasta, yet people really love a well-made dish of pierogi.

Lazy Pierogi

Ingredients:
15 lasagna noodles, cooked & divided
2 C mashed potatoes
2 eggs, beaten
8 ozs. shredded Cheddar cheese
garlic salt, pepper, & onion powder to taste
1/2 C butter
1 onion, chopped
Garnish:  sour cream

Arrange 5 lasagna noodles in a lightly greased 13″ x 9″ baking pan; set aside.  Combine potatoes, eggs, cheese, and seasonings; spread half of mixture over lasagna.  Cover with another 5 lasagna noodles; spread with remaining potato mixture.  Top with remaining lasagna; set aside.  Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; sauté onion until tender.  Pour onion mixture over lasagna.  Cover with aluminum foil; bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing into squares.  Serve with sour cream on the side.

(On the facing page to this recipe is Grandma Shady’s Ham Loaf.  We must hope that the editors were quite careful in the placement of that ‘s on Shady instead of Grandma, mustn’t we??)

Here’s a quick and easy recipe that would be great for the party and homemade gift-giving season that is already upon us.

Grandma’s Chocolate Popcorn

Ingredients
14 C popped popcorn (okay, in today’s world of bags of microwave popcorn, does anyone know how many bags that might be??)
3 C crispy rice cereal
1-1/2 lbs. melting chocolate, chopped
3 T creamy peanut butter
Optional:  2 C dry-roasted peanuts

In a large bowl, mix popcorn, cereal and peanuts, if using; set aside.  Combine chocolate and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes until melted, stirring after every minute.  Pour over popcorn mixture, tossing to coat well.  Spread onto a large, greased, non-stick baking sheet; cool completely.  Break apart; store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

C = Cup; T = Tablespoon; t = Teaspoon

Wishing you a delicious weekend – and reminding you that there are fewer than 30 days to Christmas … !

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Food for Friday

So, here’s my question, do JoAnn & Vickie really know absolutely every great cook in the country?  Do they?  Because how else could they continue to bring us so many delightful recipe collections?

Well, I’m just glad they do keep publishing!  This week, let’s peek into Christmas In the Country, from 2007.  “Family recipes, merry gifts from the kitchen and sweet holiday memories to celebrate the simple joys of the season.”  Breakfast, lunch, Dinner at Grandma’s, Old-Fashioned Sweets, food gift ideas, and a collection of holiday memories from authors around the country round out this delightful publication.  What will they come up with next?

How long has it been since you used your Bundt® pan?  (Does anyone remember the difficulty the mother of the bride had trying to pronounce that word in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”??)  Here’s a super easy and delicious-sounding recipe from Nichole Martelli, Alvin, Texas.

Southern Praline Pecan Cake

Ingredients
18-1/4 oz pkg butter pecan cake mix
16 oz container coconut pecan frosting
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 C oil
1 C water
1 C chopped pecans, divided

Combine all ingredients except pecans in a large bowl; mix until combined.  Stir in half the pecans.  Sprinkle remaining pecans in a lightly-greased 10″ Bundt® pan; pour batter over pecans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Serves 8 to 10.  (C = Cup)

Now, do you pronounce that pe-cahn, or pe-kan?  It might make a difference!  Also, isn’t the center of this baking pan a hole?  Well, I guess they mean to test in the middle of the cake ring.  I’m just funnin’ with y’all!

The sun finally came out today, and we’re expecting a fantastic weekend ~ hope you go out and enjoy the days!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place