The Best Ingredient is LOVE

 

As I am meandering my way around this new blog site and still learning about all the bells and whistles that I can incorporate, I thought I would post a short note of gratitude and how thankful I am to be able to share food experiences with all of the friends and family that I have in my life. Every year I look forward to participating in our traditional gatherings, celebrating life and remembering those who have touched our lives but are no longer with us here on earth. Whether it be through a family recipe, a funny story told around the table or simply sharing familiar photos - life is certainly celebrated...as it should be!

MeMe Doran's Christmas Caramels

 Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

2 cups (1 bottle white corn syrup)

1/4 cup butter (one stick)

1 can evaporated milk

1/2 cup nuts (your choice), chopped

1 tsp vanilla


Method:

1. Mix the sugar and corn syrup and boil to 245 degrees.

2. Add 1/4 cup butter and 1 can evaporated milk - pour slowly and do not let boiling stop.

3. Boil to 242 degrees (249 degrees for soft), stirring constantly.

4. When caramel mixture reaches temperature, take from heat and add 1/2 cup nuts and 1 tsp vanilla.

5. Pour quickly into buttered pan and cool.

6. Cut and wrap in waxed paper.

Baked Apple Pumpkin Seed Crunch

This is perfect as a topper for vanilla ice cream!

Ingredients:

4 large apples, diced with skin on (a nice Autumn Gold apple works well with this recipe)



1 cup dry, unsalted pumpkin seeds



½ stick of butter



½ to ¾ cup brown sugar



Method:



1. Preheat oven to 350 ̊.



2. Combine apples, pumpkin seeds and sugar together.



3. Put in large greased casserole dish.



4. Cut butter into thin slices and place on top the apple mixture.



5. Bake until brown and crunchy (you should check and stir the mixture every 10 minutes or so to make sure the sugar is distributed evenly throughout).

 

 

                                                                                                                                                 

Broccoli Souffle'

This is a cheater recipe as it is thrown together and we are using canned soup....but you have to have at least one or two sides or casseroles that call for canned soup on your menu during the holidays!


Ingredients:


4 cups cooked broccoli (you can use fresh or frozen).



¼ cup mayonnaise



½ can of cream soup (you can use cream of celery or mushroom)



2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese



½ cup fresh parmesan cheese



¼ cup onions, diced



2 eggs

salt and pepper to taste



Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.



2. Spray deep casserole dish with cooking spray.



3. Combine all ingredients while chopping any large pieces of broccoli to ensure a smooth consistency.



4. Put in casserole dish and bake for one hour or until top is crunchy and browned slightly around the edges (this is the best part).

Christmas Chili

Ingredients:

2 - 15 oz cans of butter beans

2 – 15 oz cans of red kidney beans

2 – 15 oz cans of black beans

1  package kielbasa sausage

1 lb ground beef

2 large cans of whole skinless tomatoes

½ cup onions, finely chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic (or more if you like)

 1 large bottle Hot Spicy V-8 juice

Sriracha sauce and red hot chili flakes

1 package taco seasoning (optional)

Method:

 1. Brown the ground meat. Add taco seasoning (optional). Add the onions, garlic and sliced Kielbasa to the pan and sautee until sausage is crispy on the edges.

2. Add the ground beef and sausage mixture along with the beans and tomatoes into a large crock pot (juice from all). Crushing the whole tomatoes with your hand as you add them.

3. Add spicy V-8 juice to make up the rest of the liquid filling the crock pot to the top line. Add the sriracha as desired – 2 squeezes. 

4. Cook on medium heat all day adding V-8 as needed.