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Friday Food and Drink Post: Pot Luck Edition
It’s become an annual tradition, here at Chez She, that I should spend a considerable portion of the week before Christmas making sure that the freezer is well-stocked with prepared dishes so that there’s plenty on hand to eat during the holidays besides interminable leftovers from the Christmas meal itself (not that there’s anything wrong with that). It’s an old family maxim that those who befriend us “won’t starve, and will never die of thirst” and, having come this far, I don’t want to let the side down for what remains of my time on this earth.
Usually, when cooking in quantities like this, I leave out a day or two’s-worth to eat “fresh,” and package the rest either into tubs, or single-serving plastic containers with lids, or plastic bags, whatever seems most sensible, and stick it in the freezer.
Even though I’m not expecting much company over the holidays this year, I see no reason to change the habit of, if not a lifetime, at least of a couple of decades, so I’ve been busy. What doesn’t get eaten between now and the New Year (please, God, let there be a New Year), will stand me in good stead for a couple of months, and at least I won’t have to worry about what’s for dinner for a while.
This year, in no particular order (and not expecting to serve them all at once), I’ve worked on:
Cauliflower Cheese: This is a comfort food from my childhood, and I’d forgotten how much I enjoy it. It’s cauliflower, parboiled until it’s not quite done (“done” for me means firm, and not cooked until it gives up the unequal struggle, as it did for my mother WRT any vegetable), and then dumped in a casserole, smothered in a lovely cheese sauce, sprinkled with breadcrumbs, and then baked until brown. There’s a nice cauliflower cheese recipe on the BBC Good Food website. Here’s mine:
Chili: There’s nothing better on a chilly day than a lovely bowl of chili (see what I did there). Unless it’s a nice bowl of chili with some warm cornbread. This year, I tried Slow Cooker Chili, and it’s delicious. I followed the recipe as written, but did mine in the oven, where I have a ‘slow cooker’ setting, because my own crockpot is too small for the amount made. I cheated on the cornbread, making muffins (because they’re easier to freeze) from Zatarain’s Honey Butter Cornbread mix–just because it’s easy and I like it. Inexplicably, I forgot to take a photo of the finished pot, but I did capture the ingredients:
Tuna Noodle Casserole: This was my first project, and used up some of the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Again, I tried something new and made this one–Turkey Noodle Casserole. It’s very good, although it might be a bit heavy on the tarragon for some. If I make it again, I’ll probably cut that back a bit. Nice and creamy though. Here it is:
Thai Yellow Pumpkin and Seafood Curry: Ah, Nigella! I’ve always been a fan, not for the reasons I understand some of the men I know are, but because I love her full-fat, butter and cream approach (she’s gone considerably more woke lately, but all the cookbooks I have of hers are from the early days). This recipe comes from Nigella Bites, but you can also find it here. I used a butternut squash rather than pumpkin, but otherwise followed the recipe using rather more red curry paste (the last of the stuff I bought in country) than called for. This curry has a particularly nice amount of gravy (juice?) with it, which soaks beautifully into the jasmine rice, and it’s simply delicious. Here’s the finished product:
Beef Stew: This one is currently in progress, so no photo yet. Perhaps I’ll add it later. I’m going with Jamie Oliver’s Basic Stew Recipe, from Jamie’s Food Revolution, but you can find it here. I’ll also make dumplings, although I don’t have any suet (my favorite), so will probably make these, again from Jamie Oliver. Here’s his photo of the stew, just before going in the oven or on top of the stove to cook the dumplings:
Mince Pies: (Mustn’t forget about dessert!) Dad was a terrific mince pie-maker, and I can’t quite replicate his technique or the result, but I have good success with Paul Hollywood’s recipe, although mine always leak and never look as nice as his. I bet they taste just as good, though. And this year even better, as the homemade mincemeat was a gift from my friend Andrea. I stretched it a bit with some chopped-up mandarin orange, apple, and pear, and it was lovely. Here’s a stack of them as they turned out for me:
Ginger Jam Bread and Butter Pudding: Another Nigella recipe, this one also from Nigella Bites, but you can find it here. I adore bread and butter pudding of any sort, and also ginger jam, so this is a heavenly combo. It’s especially good with a jug of English-style custard sauce served on the side (that pretty much has to be made on the day). Absent the custard, serving it with whipped cream or ice-cream ain’t bad either. Or just on its own. Pro-tip: You want a bread that’s got a bit of energy. Squishy “wrapped” bread will not do. Slightly stale bakery bread with a bit of heft to it, and which you slice yourself is much better. Maybe a sourdough-ish sort of texture and consistency. I haven’t even started this yet, so no pics. Here’s Nigella’s:
Cookies: I’m a terrible cookie maker. But I always make a few dozen, and always make the startlingly green, cornflake, marshmallow, “wreath” cookies that were so beloved of my mother-in-law, and which are a family tradition. Here’s the recipe:
Pro-Tip: I wear food service gloves (those plastic baggie things you can get in boxes of 500 at Sams or Costco) when I’m making these. They’re also good to have around when you’re working with very hot peppers. And for relatively simple barn veterinary emergencies. I dispose of them in-between uses, in case you were wondering. (Reminds me of the billboard proclaiming, “Septic Tanks Emptied! Swimming Pools Filled! Not Same Truck!”) There’s no particular safety reason (that I can think of) to wear the gloves when you make these cookies, but if you don’t, no matter how careful you are, you’ll end up with green hands. Also, these are best when made only a day or so ahead of time, and they must go in an airtight tin when they’ve cooled. I separate layers of them with wax paper.
That’s all the further along I am at the moment. And I may stop here. Most of the time, it’s just me, after all. Mustn’t go overboard.
But if, in the best Hogmanay tradition, a tall, dark, handsome stranger first-foots his way into my house carrying a wee dram of whisky and perhaps even wearing a kilt (LOL), in a raging blizzard some time in the wee hours of the morning on January 1, 2021, I’ll take it (this time) as a sign of good fortune. And I’ll be ready.
How are your holiday culinary preparations coming along?
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Yowza She … looks wonderful !!!
I’m a big Chili fan. I like adding some canned smoked jalapeños in adobo sauce. You can dial the heat up or down with how much you add. But even a little adds a great smokey note to the finished product. (I save the fresh jalapeños for toppings at serving time). I don’t know how common they are in most groceries. I’m fortunate enough to have a Hispanic market nearby which is my go-to place for all things Southwest,
Indeed! I love the whole menu. I’m the only one in the family that likes mincemeat. I love the spicy ginger only a little sweet pastry treat. I too will make turkey noodle casserole when EODDad asks for a casserole in January. We love casseroles.
great recipes. Thank you @She!
I was just looking for a corn flake/marshmallow cookie recipe. Thank you, this is perfect. I would assume you have to work pretty fast, or you will end up with a giant holly ball.
I usually have chili and spaghetti sauce in the freezer. Pulled pork or shredded beef for tacos or sandwiches from the crock pot also freezes well. Usually make turkey soup and freeze that as well.
We here in the Southwest think of red chili with ground beef the same way a Bostonian townie would look on Manhattan clam chowder from Toledo. Real chili is green, not red, and requires tender slow-cooked pork.
I want a recipe for paella that I can make in my instant pot. Please.
Yes, I’ve heard that, but have never made chili that way, although it sounds delicious. Do you have a recipe to share?
It’s quite gummy, yes. Like the Rice Krispy marshmallow things, only more so, and a virulent green. They’re always wildly popular, and a few of them on a plate of cookies, if you’re doing a cookie exchange, really perk up the look.
Sounds great! I like pulled pork too. I may do some turkey soup, as I still have the carcass from Thanksgiving.
My last attempt was not worthy of sharing, but I’m a total amateur. I have several pounds of frozen Hatch chilis, tho’, and I’m about to launch another. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Just noticed an error in Grandma’s handwritten cookie recipe. I’ll fix it in the post (I’ve photoshopped the image and moved the ingredients into the correct order), and note it here also–Do not put the cornflakes in with the “first four ingredients.” You’re going to mix the marshmallows, butter, food color and vanilla, heat gently until all melted, and then pour over the top of the cornflakes and stir. I’ve been making them for so long that I didn’t notice the mistake, but it’s confusing. The image is now correct.
Really? Fascinating. I know there are green chili recipes but I didn’t know that one or another was a regional ‘authentic’. Any idea where the red chili comes from?
You can have mine – I just made it up one day trying to use up cans in the pantry. Very easy.
2 – 2.5 lb boneless pork loin cut in one inch cubes
1 16oz jar Hatch Valley 505 flame roasted green chiles (fromCostco)
1 large can tomatillos drained (whir them up in blender)
2 cans white beans -undrained- navy or cannellini
1 can Rotel tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
Dump all in 6 qt slow cooker for 7 hrs
Condiments – lime wedges, chopped cilantro, tortilla chips.
How is my holiday cooking coming you ask? Well back when the Wuhan flu was starting to unfold, I decided to grab a “boneless” turkey breast along with a small ham and throw in the freezer just in case…. At Thanksgiving, I pulled out the boneless turkey breast and my husband said what’s this – it looks like a pork loin? I then realized oh no – you mean there’s not one bone in it? Where do I put the stuffing?! I’d never bought a boneless and the Butterball site was no help.
So lo and behold, I stumbled on a great food blog by a Ukrainian girl who lives in Canada – haha! I followed her boneless turkey breast recipe to the letter and it was awesome – it got rave reviews! Since I am Ukrainian and Polish, I loved reading her family story, and her recipes are really good:
https://ifoodreal.com/
Mince! I love mince, but I’m apparently the only one in this part of the world who does.
Thanks, that’s a nice site.
From year to year it all depends so much on whether we’re traveling, when Christmas actually falls relative to the rest of the week (as a business owner I almost always have to be around so others can have the time off), and whether we’re having people over.
My grandmother, who disliked cooking and baking as a rule, did bake cookies every Christmas. They’re not “Christmas” cookies really, but since that’s the only time she made them they are Christmas cookies to me.
I made these date cookies yesterday. These were always popular, since they have a savory element to them, and my uncle would nick the bulk of them (He’s an 81 year old widower now in a retirement home, and doesn’t bake, so I’m sending him some this year as he’s staying in for Christmas due to COVID).
This is a sandwich cookie. The tops and bottoms are made as follows:
Combine and mix well. Divide into thirds, roll out to about 1/4″ thick and punch out 1″ rounds using a biscuit cutter. Lay out rounds on greased or non-stick baking sheet. Bake for about 10 min at 350 (my old oven took 12-14 minutes, so this may vary depending on your setup). It’s OK if these are crispy and “overcooked” because the filling returns moisture to them later. Let cool on wire rack.
*If you use butter (which improves the flavor IMHO), increase the amount of flour you use by about 1/4 cup, and chill the dough before rolling out. Butter has more moisture in it than shortening, and is much softer, so the dough will be gooey if you’re not careful. And you might want to roll it out a bit thicker too with the butter, otherwise the cookies will spread and thin out too much while baking.
For the filling use 1:1:1 of water, sugar, and chopped dates (1 cup each for this batch size) and cook in saucepan, stirring constantly, until thickened (about 1/2 hour). Do not let it burn.
Spoon a dollop of hot filling onto a round, and top with another round, and let cool. Properly stored, these can keep for weeks.
Thanks. I’ll try these. I have the equivalent of the gardener’s black thumb when it comes to cookies, but they sound delicious.
Is “proper storage” just an airtight tin? Or should I do something else?
Does notnhave to be perfectly airtight. If they get slightly stale they pair well with coffee.
I think that’s pretty much how it’s done. You might drop the red tomatoes and add a few red Anaheims for color. 505 is as good as you can get outside the four corners. I’ll probably make a big soup out of 505 chili sauce and some pork chops and call it good.
The can of Rotel doesn’t give it any color – my rule of thumb is that a can of Rotel never hurts anything :-)
Well, I took the boneless pork loin out of the freezer and stuck it in the fridge to thaw . . .
We still have a little of our chili left over from the chili non-party (what if they gave a party and nobody came). It’s Dog’s Breath Chili from the 1980s Seattle Classic Cookbook.
As usual, it’s just the two of us for Christmas this year. I just made a New York Roast yesterday, and I will buy a turkey breast to cook on Christmas (bone-in). Ray will make his awesome Yukon Gold mashed potatoes. Not much to celebrate this year, except we are healthy, and no one we know got the Wuhan Virus. No disasters, except that we both lost our jobs in aerospace.
Yukon Gold mashed potatoes are the best, IMHO!
I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t have at least mixed feelings about this year, and I’m sorry for your travails. But, as you say, you’re healthy, and that’s not nothing. I hope the two of you have a wonderful day. God willing, it will be three of us–me, stepdaughter, and granddaughter, and they’ll be coming down the day after Christmas, so I’ll be by myself on the day.
I have nice memories of my visits to Seattle (all work related) in the mid 90s, and a great Pike Place Market Cookbook (that one looks like a newer edition–mine’s from 1992) with some wonderful recipes in it. I always try to pick up a local cookbook when I visit a new place.