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Yum.

By "Daisy Duke"

Oooh. I bet you thought I?d never share the recipes all of my darling readers sent in for the holidays. Between the inability to post while on vacation, to the lack of a job, to the funeral, well, I?m behind. I?m sorry. Please accept my apology. The nice thing is?.that it is still cold outside, which means, in my opinion, holiday food a/k/a comfort food is still acceptable eating. So lets get to it & share all of the wonderful recipes?.I?ll be testing a few of them out the next few weeks and I?ll be sure to let you know how the go ? maybe I?ll even post some photos?I will also be posting a few of my favorite holiday/winter recipes over the next few days, like Mama Duke's lasagna & my favorite herbed mashed potatoes (which are really oh so simple). But until then....here you are: 

 

The Errant Yachtsman start us off with two cocktails:

The Dark n' Stormy-  perfect for chilly nights

One or two shots of Goslings Black Seal Rum in a glass over ice
Top the glass off with Ginger Beer. 

Barritts Ginger Beer is the best- but good luck finding it (in Chicago you can find it at Binny?s)   

Garnish with a lemon

The Hummer-  best dessert ever

Equal parts Kahlua and Bacardi Light Rum
Vanilla Ice Cream
Put in the blender, and add ice cream for desired consistency, should be like a milkshake.  
If necessary, ice can be used to thin the mixture out.  

NOLA Notes shares the perfect pecan candy with us:

Ingredients:

1 c brown sugar (firmly packed)

1/4 t salt

1/4 t ground cinnamon

6 T milk

1 t vanilla

1 t grated orange peel

3 c pecans (1 1/2 pounds)

 

In a 2 quart pan, combine sugar, salt, cinnamon and milk; stir to blend.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches 236 degrees (soft ball stage) on a candy thermometer.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and orange peel then pecans.  Continue to stir until mixture begins to lose its gloss and a sugary coating forms on nuts.

 

Turn mixture onto parchment paper.  Using 2 forks, separate nuts.  Let cool completely.  Package airtight; store at room temperature.

 

 

Katie/Overflowing Brain (never to be referred to as OB) wouldn?t want us to go salad-less:

Cowslobber Salad

Ingredients:

3 bananas, cut into small slices
3 apples, peeled, cut into small chunks
1 small container whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp powdered sugar

Directions:
-Put cut bananas and apples in a bowl.
-Put whipping cream (very cold) in another bowl.  Add vanilla and powdered sugar.  Turn mixer on and whip until you have whipped cream.  Add more powdered sugar to taste if necessary.  You want it fairly sweet.
-Pour whipped cream onto bananas and apples.  Serve immediately.  Make as many references to cow saliva as possible.

 Legally (Ir)Relevant brings us stuffed cabbage (which I have never had, but I think I need to try):

Stuffed Cabbage

Ingredients

1 head of cabbage
1lb of hamburger
1lb of sausage
2 cups uncooked White Rice
Large can of Tomato Juice
Salt
Pepper
Onion Flakes
Garlic

Par boil cabbage until can get leaves apart & becoming transparent.  Cook rice.  Combine hamburger, sausage and cooked rice as well as salt, pepper, onion flakes and garlic to taste.  Remove cabbage from water, stuff with meat & rice mixture then roll.  Place in baking pan (I usually use a 9x13).  Once done with rolls, place extra cabbage on top then cover with tomato juice.  Bake at 350 for about an hour.

Scuba Steve?s family digs brisket around the cold weather holidays:

Brisket Recipe

Ingredients:

5-6 lbs brisket

Minced Garlic

2 large onions, sliced

3 tablespoons veg. oil

salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper

1 cup beef broth

1 cup red wine

¾ cup chili sauce

¾ cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

 

 

Preheat oven to 350.

Preheat Dutch oven on medium high

 

Trim brisket, but leave some fat to add flavor and help thicken the braise. Rub both sides with black pepper and garlic. Put veg. oil in Dutch oven and brown meat, 3 minutes on each side. Remove meat to side.

 

Reduce heat to medium. Place onions in Dutch oven. Cook until they begin to brown and caramelize, 4-5 minutes. Add broth and wine and deglaze bottom of pan, scraping the brown bits up. Add chili sauce, vinegar and brown sugar. Mix to combine and add spices and salt and pepper to taste. Place Brisket back in Dutch oven and cover with liquid and onions. Place lid on, or cover tightly with aluminum foil. Cook in oven for 2-3 hours, until fork tender. If meat is not completely submerged, turn after 1 ½ hours. Be careful if the liquid splashes.

 

Remove from oven and uncover. Allow to sit about an hour, or until cool enough to pick up. Place in refrigerator overnight.

 

Remove meat from sauce, and slice into thin pieces, about ½ inch thick, and cut perpendicular to the grain or at an angle to the grain. Place slices back in pan and cover with sauce and then cover pan with lid or foil. Cook at 350 for about 30 minutes or until heated through and steaming. Serve.

 

 

And of course the desserts- all of which sound divine.

 Amber shares Pecan Pie:

Mama Austin's Pecan Pie

Ingredients: 

3 eggs

1 cup light Karo syrup

½ cup sugar

2 Tablespoons butter (melted)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

 

Mix together all ingredients. Pour in pie shell. (I use a deep dish shell to prevent overflow.) Bake at 350 for 45 min to 1 hour.

 Tips: I pre-bake the pie crust for about 5 minutes and use those little pie crust shields so the crust doesn't get too brown.  Also, you can use pecan halves, but I like to coarsely chop them in the food processor b/c it makes the pie easier to cut.

 E shares Ginger Molasses cookies:

 Ginger Molasses Cookies 

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour

**If the batter is WAY too wet when you're rolling, add a little bit more flour.
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice (optional)
1/2 teaspoon clove
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 extra-large egg
1/4 cup regular unsulphured molasses
granulated sugar (for coating cookie dough before baking)
vegetable oil cooking spray (for coating) (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees with the rack in the center. Line 2 baking
sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Sift flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves
into a medium bowl. Set aside.
Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl with mixer on
high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. With mixer on
medium speed, beat in the egg and molasses, then increase the speed to
high and beat about 1 minute longer, until the mixture no longer looks
curdled. Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula several times while
mixing.

Mix in the flour mixture on low speed. The batter will be rather
stiff. Place some granulated sugar on a small plate or saucer. Use a
1/4 cup ice cream scoop or a measuring cup to form 1/4-cup portions of
dough. (Spray the cup or scoop with the optional non-stick vegetable
spray to make it easier to release the dough.) Transfer the dough to
your hands and roll each portion into a rough ball, then roll each
ball into the sugar. Place six sugared balls on each baking sheet,
spacing them evenly, because they will spread during baking.
Dampen your fingers with water and press down lightly on each cookie
to flatten it a little and dampen the top. Refrigerate one filled
baking sheet while the other bakes.

Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cookies have spread and are firm to
the touch. Rotate the sheet 180 degrees halfway through the baking
time. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking
sheet.

 The Preppy Princess brings us divine brownies:

Farm Stand Brownies

INGREDIENTS:
   *  3 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
   * 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
   * 1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
   * 1 tablespoon vanilla
   * 1/2 cup flour, plus 1 tablespoon flour
   * 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
   * 1/2 teaspoon salt
   * 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
   * 3 eggs
   * 1 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1) Heat oven to 350°F.

2) Place chocolate chips and butter in a saucepan and stir constantly over medium-low until melted and smooth. Add espresso powder and vanilla and stir. Cool 15 minutes.

3) Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Add walnuts and toss to coat.

4) Whisk eggs and sugar in a large bowl just to blend. Add chocolate mixture and stir to blend. Add flour mixture and stir to just blend. Pour into pan.

5) Bake until a tester comes out with moist crumbs, about 35 minutes.

6) Cool completely. Cover and chill for 6 hours. Remove from pan to work surface. Cut into 16 pieces.

Probably the most important direction is #6, the part about cooling completely and then chilling for 6 hours.  Our first experience making these was for a dinner party and we neglected to read the directions beyond the putting in the oven part.  Let us just say our guests enjoyed ice cream with brownie crumbles for the final course that evening. If you don't let them cool and then chill them, for some reason they fall apart.

Megan?s family eats these every holiday season (and she suggests you buy the mints that are not green on top):

Chocolate Mint Drop Cookies

Ingredients:

¾ C butter (1 & ½ sticks)

1 ½  C dark brown sugar

2 tbsp water

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 eggs2 ½ C flour

1 ¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 pound Andes mints (2 boxes), unwrapped

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In microwave or double boiler melt butter, sugar & water. Add chips & stir until melted. Let mixture cool for about 10 minutes. Mix in eggs at high speed with electric mixer. Reduce speed to low, and add dry ingredients. Chill dough for 1 hour. Form dough into 56 balls ( small ice cream scoops work well). Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and before removing from the cookie sheet, place a mint on top. 

Full post as published by Legally Blonde Ambition on January 17, 2009 (boomark / email).