Pimento Cheese Gougeres

 

This recipe is from Food Network, link HERE. I am thinking of making it part of my Christmas traditions, but I need to make it first and I just bought the pimentos. 

 

Ingredients

 

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup whole milk

1 stick unsalted butter

salt

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup finely chopped pimentos, blotted dry

4 large eggs

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

 

Process

 

 1. Combine the water, milk, butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the paprika, cayenne, and onion powder in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is shimmering, about 2 minutes. 

 

2. Stir in the flour and chopped pimento with a wooden spoon to form a dough, 2 to 3 minutes. 

 

3. Transfer the dough to a bowl and using a mixer on medium-high speed, beat in the eggs one at a time. 

 

4. Beat in the cheese and let the dough cool slightly. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

 

5. Scoop the dough ubti a oiping bag fitted wiht a large tip. Pipe 1-inch mounds of dough (roughly 24 to 30), about 1 & 1/2 inches apart onto the baking sheet. 

 

6. Bake the gougeres until they are browned and puffed, roughly 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.  

Hard Sauce

I have such fond childhood memories of my grandmother K-K making hard sauce while my mother worked away at making minced meat pis for Christmas dinner. It was such hard work for a reward I loved to snitch out of the refrigerator before we ate. 

 

Ingredients

 

1 cup sweet butter, softened

1 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 brandy (or rum or sherry but rum is best)

Nutmeg 

 

Process

 

1. Cream the butter and sugar well (this is the hard work when done by hand)

 

2. Add the brandy, a few drops at a time (This is another element of effort because it takes time.) and beat it until fluffy (your arms will hurt)

 

3. Add the nutmeg to taste and chill, (this is the phase where I would sneak tastes)

 

Serve with pie of choice.  

 

 

 

Christmas Cheese Ball from Cafe Delights

 

 I make this recipe every year. It is simply the best cheese ball ever. This year I am going to halve the recipe and make a ball instead of the tree. This recipe is from Cafe Delights.

Ingredients

For The Dip:

• 4 cups cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup red bell peppers (or capsicum
), diced
• 1/4 cup dill pickles, finely diced
• 1/4 cup chives, chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

• Salt, to taste (if desired)

For The Decorations:


• 1 1/2 - 2 cups pitted mixed olives (I use a variety of black, green and Kalamata olives) -- dried with paper towel
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (dried with paper towel)
• Rosemary leaves/sprigs to decorate
• Ritz, water crackers or pretzels for serving
• Salami slices, for serving
• Prosciutto slices, for serving

Instructions

• In a bowl combine all the ingredients for the dip and mix until the ingredients are well combined.
• Place a piece of non-stick plastic wrap on a clean bench top or work surface. Scoop the cream cheese mixture out onto the plastic wrap and completely cover with another piece of wrap (you may need two pieces to cover it). 
• Use your hands to mold the cream cheese into a tree shape. Then, carefully pick up the tree with one hand and peel off the plastic wrap on the bottom of the tree with your other hand. Place the tree straight onto a serving plate.
• Use a cake spatula to smooth the edges. Decorate with olives, sun-dried tomatoes and rosemary leaves/sprigs, lightly pressing each element into the cream cheese to ensure they stay on. Brush with some sun dried tomato oil from the jar (optional but adds even more flavor)!
• Top with a star cut out of a yellow or orange bell pepper OR a thick slice of cheese. 
• Serve with crackers of your choice, salami and prosciutto slices rolled up!ENJOY! Printable recipe : HERE
  

Baked Brie Bites

 

 These wonderful bites that remind me of Christmas are from Sommer Collier and her awesome blog A Spicy Perspective.I make them with my Cranberry Ginger Relish. http://merrymeetingmenu.blogspot.com/2014/11/cranberry-ginger-relish.html

Yield: 15
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Baked Brie Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 box Athens Mini Fillo Shells
• 4 ounces brie cheese
• 1/2 cup cranberry sauce  
• 3 tablespoons chopped pistachios

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the Athens Mini Fillo Shells on a baking sheet.
2. Cut the brie into small 1/2 tsp. sized chunks and place one in each mini fillo shell. Bake for 5 minutes, until the brie is melted.
3. Remove from the oven and dollop a scant spoonful of cranberry sauce on each little brie tart. Sprinkle with pistachios and serve warm.

Cream of Bacon Soup

Sorry but I have no recipe and can not claim that I made it.
SP made the recipe up as an amalgamation of ones he found out and about, so you can just dream up your own!

Pecan puffs from Joy of cooking

I'm so bummed. My Joy of Cooking is out of date and doesn't have the recipe. Anyone?

I found this recipe online at http://annastockwell.com and it sounds like these are the same as the Mexican wedding cakes I posted the other day. There are a few differences.

Pecan Puffs
1 cup butter
4 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups pecans, finely ground
2 cups cake flour
about 1 cup confectioners sugar, for garnish

Preheat oven to 300?F.
Cream the butter and the sugar until soft, then stir in the vanilla.
Stir the pecans and the flour into the butter mixture.
Roll the dough into 2 tsp size balls and place evenly on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake until the cookies are just barely starting to brown, about 20 minutes.
While still hot, roll each cookie in the confectioners sugar then let cool completely on a cooling rack.
I like to dust all the finished cookies with a bit of extra confectioners sugar through a fine sieve for a smooth finish.

Lace Cookies

A family friend has brought these to Christmas for the last few years and they are melt in your mouth to die for. I wonder, is this recipe the same as hers? I will have to ask and get back to you - I recall her recipe is from Joy of Cooking?

Ingredients
1 cup melted butter
3 cups brown sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 cups uncooked oatmeal
1 cup pecans, crushed
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Cream butter and sugar. 
3. Add beaten egg and vanilla. 
4. Mix in pecans, oatmeal, and salt. 
5. Drop mixture onto baking sheet by 1/2 teaspoons. Do not put close together.
6. Bake in oven for 8 to 10 minutes. 
7. Cool on wire rack.

Apple Rum Duff

I cherish anything that is handwritten by Mom. I've even saved her little scraps of paper that label bags of Christmas decorations, bulbs that went in glass containers to decorate various rooms. This one sounds like a terrific dessert to use after a Christmas or winter dinner. I love her characteristic misspellings on this card. It makes me smile.

Ingredients
2 cups applesauce
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons rum (the darker the better)
1 Tablespoon grated orange rind
2 cups broken ginger snaps
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped just before serving the dish
Chopped Pistachios
Raspberries to garnish

Directions

1. Combine applesauce, sugar, rum, orange rind, and gingersnaps. 
2. Stir until well mixed. 
3. Chill!
4. Just before serving, fold in whipped cream. 
5. Put mixture into sherbert glasses (size shown below in what we call a Summer wine glass). 
6. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and garnish with a raspberry. 
7. Serve and savor!

Snowballs

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup pecan halves
 
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease your baking sheet.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar.

3. Stir in flour and vanilla.

4. Roll dough into balls about the size of a walnut.

5. Make an indentation in the center of the ball and place a pecan half into the indentation.

6. Roll dough around the pecan until it is completely encased.

7. Place dough on greased sheet and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

8. Remove from pan and roll in powdered sugar while still warm.

9. Let cool and roll in powdered sugar once more.

Yield about 4 dozen cookies.

Mincemeat Pie

Holiday Bonbons from the Webbs

Christmas Treats from Grandpa

This is a recipe that came from my Great Grandfather Stuart. My mother Hi-Ho called him Grandpa. Grandpa was married to Baba. Stuart and Marcia owned the Merry Meeting Farm that this blog is named after.

Mima's Butter Wreaths

These were likely some sort of  Christmas gift from Marcia, not my sister Mush or my mother Hi-Ho, but  likely my grandmother Mima or even her mother, Baba! What a special treat in my recipe box! I like the incorporation of "angelica to suggest holly berries".

Christmas Nutmeg Logs

I have had these wonderful cards, possibly tags for gifts from my Grandparents or parts of a Christmas Card. I have been meaning to blog them for years. Every year I tell myself I will make them, and I don't. Well, I am finally blogging them, so maybe I will make one soon.

Creamed Onions

This one has been a family favorite for years. My brother can't stand them but I get to eat his! My kids like it too. This is standard fare in every Thanksgiving and Christmas meal.

Creamed Onions
Serves 4 (easy to double, triple, quadruple etc.)

Ingredients:
I jar onions (the Holland type, in water)
1.5 Tablespoons butter
1.5 T flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
sprinkle nutmeg

Process:

• Rinse onions in cold water and set aside.
• For sauce melt 1.5 T butter over low heat.
  
• Slowly stir in 1.5 T flour and simmer 2 to 3 minutes as it thickens.
  
• Gradually add 1 cup milk and continue to heat and stir until thickened.
  
• Stir constantly
• Add onions, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard and 1/8 tsp white pepper.
  
• Heat an additional 5 minutes to meld tastes and thicken more.
  
• Pour into serving dish and garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg over the top.
  

HiHo's Famous Spinach Dip

This dish epitomizes Mom in terms of my favorites dishes. I also adore this picture of my mother as a young girl in Stonington. I see my oldest son in her face, they were almost doppelgangers a few years ago. Only a handful of recipes things conjure such a direct, memory filled, and long term connection to my Mom - and this is most certainly one of them. . Spinach dip sandwiches, tea sandwich sized pieces served on red and gold plates, were a Christmas tradition for my Mom.
This recipe is easily doubled or tripled for large groups. It became my staple, as the family vegetarian, for many years. It was our most frequent meal in college, so this one is for you La!

Ingredients
1 package frozen chopped spinach
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 cup mayonnaise (or less)
1 cup sour cream (or less)
salt
pepper
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Juice of 1/2 a lemon (or a tablespoon of the stuff in the jar)

Process

1. Places frozen spinach into strainer. Thaw spinach and drain thoroughly.
   
2. Press to remove extra water, ladles or potato mashers also work well.
   
3. Mix all ingredients and add to drained spinach.
   
4. Mix well.
   

Dip is better if allowed to chill a few hours or overnight. Serve with raw vegetables or make into small sandwiches.

Yorkshire Pudding

This is a Christmas standard in our house, and the first of many Christmas recipes to come. I look forward to making this one dish like nothing else, particularly now that I have mastered the art of making and the way to read my relatives directions. Don't be afraid, as long you have a nice fat filled hot pan from some beast you just roasted! Enjoy this amazing artery clogging recipe!

Ingredients
Equal number of eggs (as in one egg per person?)
Equal number tablespoons of flour
salt
nutmeg
milk

Process

1. Set oven to 450 degrees.
2. Beat eggs and mix with equal number of tablespoons of flour.
3. Add salt and nutmeg and milk, stirring to make a batter with the consistency of cream.
4. Beat vigorously.
5. Fold into used roasting pan, from which only the roast has been removed, and bake with the hot fat.
6. Cook for about 10 minutes until risen. Cut into squares and serve, preferably with horseradish sauce.

Hot Crabmeat Dip

Another family tradition for Christmas. As a child I wouldn't touch crab. After Hi-Ho died I made this dip to continue the tradition. One taste and I was hooked! I crave this stuff! I double this recipe to last through the holidays.

Ingredients
1/2 pound fresh crab meat
3 large cans crab meat
2 or 3 rectangles cream cheese
2/3 cup mayonnaise (and sour cream HiHo wrote in)
2/3 cup + white wine or dry vermouth
garlic powder to liking
2 teaspoons mustard
1 small onion grated
horseradish to liking ( a lot!!) (really - the more the merrier)
2 Tablespoons chives
2 Tablespoons parsley
salt
pepper
Dash Worcestershire - and a dash more
1 cup slivered almonds, roasted
clam juice if too thick

Process

1. Mix all ingredients in a large sauce pan.
2. Cook and stir until cream cheese melts
3. Add more wine as needed to keep it at dip consistency.

Serve in a hot chafing dish, using French bread or Melba toast rounds for dipping. Serves 30.

Baked Brie

Baked Brie is a simple appetizer that feeds many for either any party or holiday celebration. This is a family favorite, particularly for my mother in law. There have been times of near warfare over this dish as we elbow each other out of the way. We are also notorious for stealing each others knives. This Christmas, I picked up the whole plate and walked to another room with it just to watch her head spin! It is simple and oh so yummy!

Ingredients
1 wheel of brie, any size.
brown sugar
sliced almonds

Process

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Remove cheese from refrigerator and unwrap.
3. Gently slice or cut off the entire top layer of the rind. Keep sides of rind intact. If top layer is not entirely removed you will not achieve the ooey gooey wonder of this dish.
   
4. Pack top surface with brown sugar and almonds. The more the merrier.
   
5. Press down on top to make sure it's packed in.
   
6. Pop it in the oven and bake until ooey gooey wonderful! Timing is relative to the size and quality of the cheese, but you want it jiggly and liquidy in the center.
   
7. Serve immediately with water crackers. Make sure everyone has their own knife!
   

Garro's Egg Nog

This Eggnog is legendary! There are countless stories out there from the numerous people that have consumed this on Christmas Eve at our house. Please, if you have a memory to share, leave a comment and share a story. Also, don't question the measurements - they are tried and true.  

Ingredients

75 oz eggnog

25 oz. whiskey

12.5 oz rum

12.5 oz brandy

3 oz. meyers

 

Process 1. Reserve plastic milk jugs to store egg nog in. 2. Combine ingredients. 3. Make a nutmeg ice ring, placing water and ground nutmeg in a bunt pan, and place in freezer. 4. When ready, place Eggnog and ice ring in punch bowl. 5. Establish your designated driver, and drink accordingly.