My son recently completed a project for his world history class. The students were to pick a country and study the culture and make a presentation on Power Point about the country. One of the options that he and his group came up with was to serve food that was from that country to go along with the presentation. We were searching the net for recipes and really couldn't find one that the recipe was Americanized - meaning some of the spices and ingredients were impossible to find in our bodunk little community - when I thought to ask a member from Pixies, osuche, for a Hungarian recipe....lol too bad his country was Turkey! Anyway, before I realized that I had asked about the wrong country - she had PM'd me a recipe for Plum Cakes. The recipe sounds so good that I am going to make it for our Christmas family gathering. Oh, thanks to osuche and the links she found for me, we did find recipes for his project (BTW he earned an A - thanks osuche!!!)

I started thinking (dangerous - I know) that it would be interesting since Pixies is an international forum to see if anyone would like to post a recipie or two that is traditional or a favorite served at holiday gatherings in the area in which they live. Even in the US foods served can be vastly different from one region to another. I thought it would be neat to fix something out of the ordinary for our Christmas meal.

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A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults.

((((Chey)))) ~ you and he did all the work.....I just let my fingers do the walking. And I was mightily sad when I learned that my country of origin was deserted for TURKEY. LOL

I have to go to sleep soon....I have class tomorrow...but when I get the time I will happily type up my family's recipe for Cabbage Rolls....Hungarian style....if anyone likes.

And Chey, give that boy a hug for me for earning an A.

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Life is too short not to love and be loved....preferably multiple times in one night.

I think men talk to women so they can sleep with them and women sleep with men so they can talk to them. ~ Jay McInerney

LOL - I still laugh at that...asking you for a Hungarian recipe when we needed a Turkish recipe... lmao!!! I will give him a hug for you!!!

Oh! I have garden cabbage in the freezer waiting to become cabbage rolls...wonder how they would go with black-eyed peas for New Years???

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A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults.

Below are a couple of my recipes....

Streusel Sweet Potatoes

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup milk
2 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Spoon into a greased 3-cup baking dish. Combine the topping ingredients; sprinkle over the potato mixture. Baked uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Yield: 4 servings

Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie]

Crust
1 ½ cups finely crushed graham crackers (1 package)
¼ cup packed brown sugar 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted


Filling
1 can (15 ounces) solid packed pumpkin
1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 jar marshmallow cream
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Additional whipped topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 10” deep dish pie pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and butter; mix well. Press into the bottom and up sides fo pie plate. Bake 12 minutes. Remove from oven; cool completely. Freeze crust until ready to use.

In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, spice, marshmallow cream, and brown sugar. Whisk until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon pumpkin mixture into crust, spread evenly. Garnish with additional whipped topping if desired.
Freeze at least 4 hours or until firm. Serve immediately.

Yield: 12 servings.

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A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults.

I make those same sweet potatoes

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The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

oh i loveee cabbage rolls!

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~Tainted Love~

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I don't have any Christmas recipes But I can share some of my favorite Chanukah dishes.

Chanukah Poppy Seed Cookies
Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. oil
Juice and rind of 1 orange
4 c. flour
1/4 c. poppy seeds
2 tsp. baking powder
Salt
Instructions:

Beat eggs.
Add sugar, oil, orange rind, and juice.
Stir in dry ingredients.
Roll out thin and cut into desired shapes.
Bake at 350 degrees. Check after 10 minutes. Remove when browned.

Mmm... I love poppy seeds. Another, even more tasty...

Cornish Hens in Honey
Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 cup raisins
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
cloves, saffron and salt, to taste
4 Rock Cornish game hens, 1 to 1-1/4 lbs. each
water, as needed
1 cup honey
parsley and woodruff, *for garnish, optional
Instructions:

Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and parsley.
Cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until onion is softened.
Sir in raisins and spices.
Season game hens inside and out with onion mixture.
Place game hens on rack in roasting pan.
Roast in preheated 375 degree F oven 25 minutes.
Remove pan from oven.
Pour enough water in bottom of pan to measure 1/2 inch.
Spread honey over game hens to coat.
Return to oven; reduce heat to 350 degrees F.
Roast 15 minutes or until hens are tender and golden brown.
Remove hens to heated serving platter and keep warm.
Adjust thickness of pan juices and correct seasoning as desired.
Generously spoon over game hens.
Garnish with parsley and woodruff, if desired.
*Note: Also known as sweet woodruff, this herb is a ground cover native to Europe. Woodruff is used as a flavoring in May Wine, as well as used to season sausages, candies and cooked dishes in Germany and Austria. The dried herb is available through mail order and in gourmet food stores.

Mm mm... can't wait for my mother's cooking.

__________________
I see your fantasy... you want to make it a reality

Are you in the mood to be subdued

You see these shackles
Baby I’m your slave
I’ll let you whip me if I misbehave

Tie me to the bedpost

I like it rough
cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all

Amanda, I always cook a Chanukah meal for my kiddos. TY for the cookie recipe! I am always looking for new recipes to make for that night.

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The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

Ohhhhhhhhhh... we love poppy seed muffins... will have to make those cookies!! Thanks Amanda!!

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A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults.

My family loves this corn cassarole that I make. Oftentimes I will put it in a small crock pot instead of baking it in the oven to save oven space for other holiday fixins'.

Iowa Scalloped Corn

1 one-pound bag frozen cut corn
2 thirteen ounce cans cream style corn
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup heavy cream
Scant 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
3/4 teaspoon salt
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 cups cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1/4 cup potato chip crumbs

Combine all ingredients except the 1/4 cup potato chip crumbs in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Spray a medium sized casserole dish with no-stick spray. Place the mixture into the casserole dish and top with the potato chip crumbs. Bake in a 350 degree oven for one hour covered, then uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until firm. Serve immediately. For larger groups on holidays, double the batch.

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A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults.

This is a new recipe that I am going to make... I love cranberries, but my family doesn't - thought that this might be to their liking. It is from one of my many church cookbooks... (aren't those the best kind?)

Cranberry Chutney

1 16-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup peeled, diced apple
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons vinegar
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
dash ground cloves

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender and sauce has thickened slightly, about 30 minutes. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

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A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults.

Cabbage Rolls

32 oz. jar sauerkraut - drained
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1 med. onions - chopped
1 1/4 cups un-cooked rice
16 oz. can tomato sauce
1 1/2 Tbls. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder salt
1 tsp. paprika (I use the HOT kind)
1 tsp. black pepper
2 heads cabbage - boiled, cooled
2 cans chopped tomato
1/2 lb. kielbasa


-Spread sauerkraut in bottom of a crock pot
-Brown beef, pork, and onion in large saucepan.
-Stir in rice, 1 can of tomatoes, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder.
-Wrap 1/2 cup meat mixture in each leaf of cabbage (secure with toothpicks if you like. I typically just put them seam down into the crock pot).
-Place rolls onto sauerkraut, pour 2nd can of tomatoes and the tomato sauce over cabbage rolls, and lay strips of kielbasa over rolls.
- Sometimes I put a bit of the sauerkraut over the top to "insulate" the rolls.
-Cook, covered, in 350 degree crock pot for at least 2 hours.

These also re-heat well, although you may want to add some water into the pot (to increase the leve of juice) if you re-heat them.

Note on the cabbage:
I typically "steam" the head of cabbage so the leaves will open....and then I leave it to cool for a couple of hours before I make the rolls. This method works really well. You can also cut around the stem at the base of the cabbage to "encourage" the leaves to open.... The goal is to get big untorn leaves so you have lots of room to wrap the rolls.

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Life is too short not to love and be loved....preferably multiple times in one night.

I think men talk to women so they can sleep with them and women sleep with men so they can talk to them. ~ Jay McInerney

Cobalt's Grandma makes these cookies for him every Christmas. Bless her heart - she is in her 90's and still does this for him. These are his absolute favorite cookie...and because of that she gave me the recipe..

CRUNCHY POTATO CHIP COOKIES

3/4 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. soda
3 c. flour
1/3 c. milk
1 c. walnuts or pecans (optinnal - I don't put these in.)
1 c. crushed potato chips (I use the wavy kind)

Cream butter and sugar; add beaten eggs, nuts (If desired) and vanilla. Beat well. Add milk, flour and soda. Add potato chips and fold lightly. Drop on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until lightly browned for about 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire rack - these are meant to be eaten crunchy.

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A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults.

all those^^^sound so yummy.

when i do thanksgiving here, our meal is so traditional i doubt there is anyone who doesn't know the recipies. turkey (of course) but i do brine it if i can, makes it *very* moist, greenbean casserole-the kind with the durkee onion crisps (one of my favorite dishes), stuffing, mashed taters, buttermilk biscuts, gravy, cranberry sauce (the only kind bigbad likes is the jellied stuff in a can, me? don't care much for any of it). desert is usually just an ice-box cake (the kind you make with the chocolate wafers and whipped cream...everyone loves it) or cherry pie.
but....if we go somewhere and i bring an appetizer, this is what i make...it's kinda heavy so be warned...but it goes over very well.

crab dip

1 can of all white crab meat (splurge on the good stuff if you can)
1 6oz package creamcheese
1 small container of sour cream
1 large handful shredded sharp white cheddar
1 large can of artichoke hearts, chopped
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed (if you have roasted, use it)
s&p to taste

try to have the ingredients at room temp.

in a small oven-proof casserole dish cream the cream cheese and sour cream together. add everything else, stir till combined well and then bake at about 375 till bubbly and ever-so-slightly browning on top. serve hot if possible (it's good at room temp., too) with whatever... flatbread, triscuts, any cracker or bread you like.

and now for my:
homemade fudge

fudge is pretty difficult to make. the chemestry of sugar is such that one single f-up or even so much as a speck of dust or the humidity of the air will ruin your batch. pick a dry day to try this and make sure you'll have the time to stick around til it's complete. you can't start a batch of fudge and then go shoe shopping, lol. it's also a good idea to test your thermometer before hand. bring some water to a boil and stick the thermometer in, if it reads 100 degrees you're good to go. if not, adjust for any discrepancies, adding or subtracting degrees as neseccary.

3oz unsweetened chocolate (the kind that comes in bar form, not powder. look for something that has a higher cocoa content, 70% or so, it'll give you a more complex chocolate flavor)
3 cups sugar
1 cup half and half
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons un-salted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
a small bowl of room temp water and a pastry brush.
a candy thermometer

mix the chocolate, sugar, half n half, corn syrup and salt in a heavy medium-sized sauce pan. stir over a medium-low heat, melting the ingredients together, til boiling. STOP STIRRING! *carefully* clip a candy thermometer (so that the tip is about 1/4 inch above the bottom of the pan) to the side of the pan. cook UNDISTURBED til the thermometer reads 235-240 degrees. if you find some of the mixture is begining to dry on the sides you must wash them down, only the sides mind you, don't go dippin your brush into the mixture itself, with a *damp* (shake or blot off the excess water) pastry brush dipped in room temp water. this is important because once the sugar has disolved into the fat (half n half) and has been liquified any granular sugar that finds its way into the mixture will begin a chain reaction that will give you a very gritty final result. remove from the heat and cool to 110 degrees. drop in the vanilla and butter and beat gently with a wooden spoon til set. this can take a while, 15 minutes at least. you will see the mixture just begin to lose its' sheen, this is when the fudge has set and it can be pressed into a waxpaper-lined pan.

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Trees give peace to the souls of men * Nora Waln

The forest would be very quiet if no other birds sang than those who sing the best * Henry van Dyke

some fairly sordid tales, rambles, and anecdotes
Hypothetically Speaking * Something More * Cammy Interrupted * An Experimental Vacation * Masked * so..damn..hot * Thank You * My toy, his idea * no.19 Maple Lane * I Have A Surprise For You * Yesterday * In a Quiet Kitchen * help me decide * untitled prose * more untitled prose