“Sunday in the South” Book Signing & More

This Saturday, October 29th, from 1 to 4 pm, Christmas Place hosts author and chef Ginny McCormack for a signing of her book, Sunday in the South.

More than just a cookbook, although it is filled with delectable recipes, Ginny’s book includes 350 photographs of  food, gorgeous table decor, and beautiful Southern imagery.  Complete dinner menus; quotes, stories, and humorous anecdotes; and tips and techniques fill each chapter, making this much more than a simple cookbook – it’s a story about incorporating food into the best times of our lives with Southern  grace, hospitality, and congeniality.

Chapter topics and recipes cover a range from ”A Formal Sunday Feast” to ”A Comfort Food Family Dinner,” “A Seafood Lunch on the Porch,” “A Hearty Outdoor Dinner,” and “Ten Southern Classics,” and include breakfast and other meals.  I’m going to check out her recipe for Southern Key Lime Pie – it’s my personal favorite, and I’ve been gathering ideas for making the best!  In the mean time, can I interest anyone in Southern Home Style Meatloaf with Sweet Chili Glaze,  Creamy Corn Pudding, and White Cheddar Cornbread, finished with Peach Bread Pudding?  (I would just choose today to write about this, when I left my lunch sitting on the kitchen counter at home!!)

Ginny is a cooking instructor, speaker, author, food columnist, editor of an online magazine, and host of GinnyMcCormackCooks.com.  She has appeared regularly as a T.V. chef.  She lives with her family in Marietta, Georgia, and enjoys writing and teaching about the art of Southern hospitality and new Southern cuisine.

This is Ginny’s first visit to Christmas Place, and we are looking forward to meeting her.  Her book would make a fabulous Christmas or special occasion gift!

Also at 1 o’clock on Saturday, our Floral Department will be demonstrating  how to assemble and decorate the mesh boxes that are such a favorite for holiday decor – and especially since they can be themed for any occasion, not just Christmas.

We’ll see you Saturday!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

P.S.  Two more signings on Saturday – you can take care of all your Christmas at one time! – Ne’Qwa Inside Art Ornaments, painted on the inside of glass ornaments – Trieste will be here once again demonstrating her amazing painting technique – sometimes she brings brushes you can buy to try it yourself.  I have painted on glass – it’s a very mental challenge, because you have to think about the image in reverse order from traditional surface painting.  (This iconic snowman & cardinal image is my personal choice – I got mine signed when it was first released in 2008.)

R. J. McDonald is back with us for the weekend to sign his wonderful Santa prints and giclees – some of which can be personalized by adding your family names to Santa’s “nice” list!

Come see us!

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

Okay, rest of the world, I did not know that chickens could lay GREEN eggs .. I did not.  But they are lovely!  I purchased a dozen home-grown eggs from one of the associates here at the store, and they are really too pretty to crack open.  I feel like I want to blow them out and preserve them .. but she’s told me the shells are a lot harder than store-bought egg shells, so my chances of success are slim and none.

One of her lovely ladies likes to lay a BIG brown egg each day, too.  It just makes me happy to look at the beautiful colors in my carton.  In honor of these extraordinary eggs that have come into my life, I have to share a recipe that calls for eggs, don’t I?

Christmas mornings, my family used to rush around opening presents and then race to put together breakfast before everyone died of starvation .. you know how that is when you’re roused before dawn for the fun!  We finally had a good thought between us and began doing breakfast casseroles that we put together the night before and just pop in the oven on Christmas morning – and it’s wonderful.  The food is ready at about the same time all the wrappings have been rounded up, and there’s less to clean up before preparations for The Big Meal begin.

Here is a sister publication to the last 3-in-1 I shared,  filled with more recipes submitted by some of your favorite brand names.  The Church Potluck, Sunday Suppers, & Bake Sale collection is another feast for the eyes as well as the dinner table!  I’ve picked a breakfast casserole from the Brunch for a Bunch section that is a play on one of my favorites, French Toast.

Aunt Marilyn’s Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

Ingredients
1 large loaf French bread, cut into 1-1/2 inch slices
3-1/2 C milk
9 eggs
1-1/2 C sugar, divided
1 T vanilla
1/2 t salt
6 to 8 medium baking apples, such as McIntosh or Cortland, peeled & sliced
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg
Powdered sugar (optional)

Place bread slices in greased 13×9-inch glass baking dish or casserole.  Whisk milk, eggs, 1 C sugar, vanilla & salt in large bowl until well blended.  Pour half of mixture over bread.  Layer apple slices over bread.  Pour remaining half of egg mixture over apples.  Combine remaining 1/2 C sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in small bowl; sprinkle over casserole.  Cover & refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake uncovered 1 hour or until eggs are set.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Makes 6-8 servings.

In the picture, the serving is garnished with a mix of red and blue berries for a very festive presentation on a Christmas-green plate.  It’s making me look forward to Christmas morning already – which is only about 105 days away, people!  That’s only three-and-a-half months already – my favorite time of the year!

I guess I can’t hang on to my beautiful eggs forever, I’m going to have to enjoy the insides as well as the outsides.  Maybe I’ll try slicing them open with an exacto so I can glue them back together, covering the seam with a bit of cheery (and likely glittered!) ribbon.  Sounds about right.

Have a grand weekend – the Shades of the Past car show is on, and we’ve been enjoying the parade past the courtyard all week!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Food for Friday

Recipe time again, and I spotted a new cook book in the gift gallery.  Favorite Brand Name Holiday, a collection of recipes that are perfect for parties, open houses, cookie exchanges, and all your holiday eating opportunities!

The food photographs in this book are amazing – I’m looking at a picture of cheese “balls” made in the shape of a Christmas tree, a football (covered in almonds to look like leather) and a pine cone (covered in sliced almonds resembling the petals of a cone).  Virtually every recipe is illustrated by a closely-detailed photo – I’m now looking at a one-bite burger, with the buns cleverly crafted out of pre-made breadstick dough that is easily shaped into the miniature buns.

It’s much too close to dinner time to keep turning these pages!  I’m going straight to Cookies, and this quick and tasty recipe made with chocolate bars.

Snowball Surprises

Ingredients
1 C (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 C powdered sugar, divided
1 t vanilla
1-3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 t salt
1 C pecan halves, toasted* & finely chopped
1 bar (3 oz) chocolate candy with almonds, broken into 36 (1/2-inch) pieces

Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.  Beat butter & 1/2 C powdered sugar in large bowl until well blended.  Add vanilla; beat until blended.  Gradually add flour & salt, beating after each addition.  Stir in pecans.

Shape dough by tablespoonfuls into 36 balls.  Press chocolate pieces into each ball, working dough around chocolate to cover.  Place balls 1-1/2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.  Refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour or until dough is firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake cookies 13 to 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Remove to wire racks; cool slightly.  Sprinkle remaining 1/4 C powdered sugar over warm cookies.

*To toast pecans, spread in single layer on cookie sheet.  Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.

Your guests will not expect the surprise of the lovely chocolate center to these delicious snowball cookies!

This cook book is an absolute feast for the eyes, not to mention the guests – it’s one that will draw you into every page, and I know you’ll find many new favorites in every category.  You’ll have to finish the meal with Bubbling Raspberry Coolers and Cranberry Snow Punch!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Food for Friday

I found a new cook book in the Gift Gallery today.  New, but offering recipes for one of the most basic kitchen implements ~ The Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook, by the mother-daughter culinary team of Sharon Kramis & Julie Kramis Hearne.  The 90 recipes inside will inspire you to put this versatile tool to use, creating dishes for every meal of the day, as well as taking it on the road with you for your favorite campsite flavors.  Naturally, they include instructions on caring for your pan to get the maximum life out of it.

Here’s a quick and delicious dessert idea for fresh fruit season, though it calls for frozen cherries ~ you can substitute fresh apricots if you like.

Bing Cherry Clafouti

Ingredients
2 C (one 10-oz package) frozen Bing cherries, thawed in a colander
1-1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/3 C granulated sugar
2-1/4 C whole milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 t vanilla extract
2 t Kirsch (cherry liqueur, optional)
1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg
Zest of 1 orange
1 T butter, cut into small pieces
Powdered sugar for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with a rack positioned in the center.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 12-inch cast iron skillet.  Place the cherries in the bottom of the pan, distributing evenly.  In a medium bowl, mix the flour and sugar.  Whisk in the milk, mixing until combined.  Add the eggs, vanilla, Kirsch (if using), nutmeg and orange zest.  Whisk until well combined.  Pour all of the batter over the top of the cherries in the skillet.  Dot the top with butter.

Place the skillet in the oven and bake until puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Wow, that sounds so simple and delicious!  Serve it for dessert – or as a special brunch treat?

 Wishing everyone a delightful weekend ~ and happy eating!

~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

Seriously, I really don’t know why I’m trying to make it summer already, when the kids have at least a month more of school (the World’s Greatest Niece graduates in exactly 30 long days!) and summer doesn’t come scientifically until way, way on over in June (the 21st.  at 7:23 a.m.).    It’s just so warm and sunny today (81 degrees) and we’re expecting that summer storm stuff tomorrow (hail, wind, tornadoes, cats & dogs from the sky, etc.).  Oh well .. you’ll just have to work with me.

Summer in the Country, from Gooseberry Patch, has the stuff I’m jonesing for, from  Sweet Summer Mornings and An Old-Fashioned Picnic to Come By For Pie … & More!  I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my blueberry crop this year, so I’m thinking an award-winning cake might be a good choice for today, especially one that incorporates my love of lemon, too.  Check out my blueberry blossoms – looks like a good harvest is on the horizon!

Blueberry Citrus Cake

Ingredients
1 package lemon cake mix
1/2 C plus 2 T orange juice
1 C water
1/3 C oil
3 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 C fresh or frozen blueberries
1 T orange zest
1 T lemon zest
1 C powdered sugar
Garnish:  lemon and orange zest

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1/2 cup orange juice, water, oil, and eggs.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds.  Increase speed to medium; beat for 2 minutes.  With a wooden spoon, gently fold in blueberries and zests.  Pour batter into a greased and floured Bundt^® pan.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool completely in pan on wooden rack.  Turn out of pan.  Blend remaining orange juice and powdered sugar until smooth; drizzle over cake.  Sprinkle with zests.  Serves 10 to 12.

Wow, that sounds so light and refreshing and delicious!  I think I’d serve that as a special side bread with a light chicken salad (the kind you make with grapes and pecans, or maybe a curried chicken salad) just for fun!  (Okay, now I’m going home to make myself some chicken curry.)

I’m willing to stretch summer out as long as you’ll let me this year, especially on days like today.  Tomorrow, I may be making a hearty stew to combat the rain, but today .. today is for a slice of cake and a frosty lemonade on the patio at the end of the day .. enjoy!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Food for Friday

I have signed up to bring a dessert pizza to a gathering this weekend.  Please hold while I see if I can find a recipe for the same downstairs.

Hurrah for Paula Deen!  Found a wonderful little collection titled The Lady & Sons Just Desserts.  Oh yeah!  (I happen to love her Key Lime Pie , the one that uses four egg yolks is the best.)  Simply organized into categories such as cakes, pies, cookies & bars, and “More Sweet Things,” this cook book opens with three lovely family stories and a terrific section called “Hints & Tips” that includes instructions for peeling a coconut.  Good stuff!

Best of all, there’s a scrumptious recipe that I can use on Sunday.

Banana Split Brownie Pizza

Ingredients
20 oz box Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix (plus ingredients to prepare)
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved
2 T sugar
2 bananas, sliced and tossed in lemon juice to prevent browning
1 C fresh strawberries, sliced
1 C chopped nuts
Chocolate ice cream topping or chocolate syrup for drizzling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 15-inch pizza pan.

Prepare brownie mix according to directions on box.  Pour onto prepared pan.  Bake for 20 minutes or until done.  Cool completely.

Beat cream cheese, pineapple, and sugar together in a bowl.  Use any reserved pineapple juice at this time if needed to soften mixture to a good spreading consistency.  Spread mixture over brownie crust.  Arrange banana and strawberry slices over cream cheese mixture.  Sprinkle with chopped nuts and drizzle with chocolate topping.  Refrigerate.

Slice like a pizza and enjoy!  Serves 8 to 10.
C = Cup; T = Tablespoon.

Yummy in my tummy, I’m thinking!

Enjoy the remaining sunshine and the crazy classic cars and have a great weekend, everyone!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Food for Friday

Well, looking out the window this week, it really appears that half of America, at least the half we can see here in the South, is on the move again for 2010!  Lots of cars and conveyances, and with spring having sprung and grass having greened, lots of campers and RVs passing through on their way to our beautiful area campgrounds.  Down in the Gift Gallery I picked up a copy of the perennial favorite Easy RV Recipes by Ferne Holmes, an excellent collection for the traveling cook.

In addition to plenty of recipes for every occasion (including both cooking with fresh meat and cooking with canned meat, the challenges of which I had never thought about before), Ferne starts off with equipment suggestions, hints for traveling cooks, menu suggestions, and a complete pantry list with supplies for two people traveling for two weeks.  How helpful is that!  Of course, I have friends who spent about 10 years living & traveling in their RV – boy, do they have some great stories to tell!

So, I didn’t realize you can buy canned roast beef & gravy, I’m going to look for it next time I’m at the market, because you can use it for almost any beef dish and quite a few chilis, too.  As the title claims, these recipes are quite easy, and the lists of ingredients say that they are tasty, too.  I think that even folks cooking in kitchens without wheels underneath would appreciate a few of these easy recipes as well.

Chile Pie

Ingredients
1 can (16 oz) Chile con Carne with beans
2 T dried onion (minced or chopped
1 C cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/2 C buttermilk baking mix
1 C milk (fresh or canned)
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
Paprika

Spread chile in an 8- or 9-inch pie pan and sprinkle with onion and one-half cup cheese.  Combine baking mix, milk and egg and mix well.  Pour over chile; sprinkle with rest of cheese and paprika.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes.  Knife should come out clean when inserted into middle of the pie.  Makes 3 to 4 servings.  [And I love that you actually cook it in a pie pan, since it's called pie!  I never would have thought of that.]

Chicken Goody Hot Dish

Ingredients
1-1/2 C canned or cooked chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 C water
1/4 C mayonnaise
1 T soy sauce
1 T dried onion (minced or chopped)
1 T dried parsley
1-1/4 C uncooked instant rice
1/2 C cheddar cheese (shredded)
Paprika

Combine first eight ingredients and mix well.  Pour into greased casserole.  Sprinkle with cheese and paprika.  Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.  Makes 4-6 servings.  [I don't often prepare baked dishes that have mayonnaise as an ingredient, but I'll bet it gives this casserole a really nice zip.  I would definitely try this at home!]

C = Cup; T = Tablespoon

If life puts you on the highway this year, I hope it winds through East Tennessee ~ and if it happens in the next few weeks, please come and enjoy the dogwoods & azaleas with us!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Food for Friday

There really is no such thing as a simple gumbo, is there?  I’ve been in the grip of a wonderful chest cold all week ~ hurrah for the first week of real spring weather and being hit by the Mack truck of colds! ~ and longing for a delicious bowl of gumbo to restore my senses and my spirits

.. but all the recipes I have found call for about fortyleventeen ingredients, and I don’t have the strength to stand up long enough to measure and chop all that stuff!  I’m even looking at a recipe that calls for peeling and deveining a pound of shrimp and ends 20 ingredients later with fresh crabmeat and a jar of pimentos.  What’s wrong with these chefs?  I’m weak, weak I tell ya’!  I need something easy.

Crockpot time!  I grabbed a copy of the Best of the Best from Tennessee Cookbook, and found an easy one-pot soup that should get me through the weekend.  It’s not gumbo, that will have to wait for now.  Maybe a reader has an easy gumbo recipe to send me?

Five-Can Slow-Cooker Soup

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 can pinto beans
1 can ranch-style beans
1 can tomatoes with chiles
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can corn (creamed or whole kernel)
1 packet ranch salad dressing mix
1 packet taco seasoning mix
2 T chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
(all cans approximately 15 oz size)

Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet, stirring until the beef is crumbly; drain well; spoon into slow cooker.  Add, without draining, all the canned ingredients.  Stir in seasoning packets and cilantro and mix everything well.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Delicious with corn bread and a green salad.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.

I think I can stand long enough to open 5 cans and cook the beef.  This sounds pretty tasty, really.  I’m intrigued to find out how the flavors of the seasoning packets blend with the vegetables and beef during the slow cooking process.  And it’s great that we have so many more canned options available these days, like the seasoned tomatoes – a real time-saver.

Another extraordinary day here in the valley – I said I’d report on the high mountain white stuff – still a few stubborn spots lingering up there, but I know they’ll be gone soon.

I hope it’s an extraordinary day and weekend wherever you are!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place