November 2016 Recipes

Corn Bake!           

I love all of the cute costumes, even Mom and Dad dress up!  I am sharing the last recipe from my friend, Sharon. I love corn bread, but this version is heartier than the regular corn bread. I re-checked the recipe and it calls for 1 Tablespoon salt.

Corn Bake
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup corn meal
3 Tablespoon white sugar
3 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Mix the above ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl mix together 1-14 oz. can creamed corn, 1 1/2 cups sour cream, 1 egg plus three egg yolks, lightly beaten, 1/4 cup honey and 2 Tablespoons buttermilk, then add 1 cup corn ( frozen or fresh) 1 stick melted butter  and 2 Tablespoons shortening, melted. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix altogether. Pour into a greased 10 inch baking dish. Sharon used a round iron skillet. Bake until golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Drizzle with honey, if desired, serve warm. She cut them into wedges like a pie.

Tater Tot Casserole

Chilly Weather Casserole
When our family was growing up, casseroles always seemed to stretch the meat out, and with a salad or maybe a dessert, filled those hungry boys up! One of our family favorites was tater tot casserole. If I remember right, the ingredients were layered and then the tater tots were laid neatly in rows on top. Not too long ago, I found a recipe in the St. John Vianney Church cookbook with much the same ingredients. They were all mixed together, then put in the baking dish, which is easier and my family loved it. So, here is the revised Tater Tot Casserole recipe I now use.
 
1/2 of a 2 lb. bag of frozen tater tots
1 lb. browned hamburger with 1/2 med onion chopped &  drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (you can use green beans)
Mix ingredients together. Put into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Drizzle 1/4 cup melted butter over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Sweet Potatoes

Thanksgiving is just around the corner!
 
This morning I went outdoors to my herb garden and snipped some green parsley and thyme to use in a recipe I was preparing. Years past, my herbs were long nipped by Jack Frost at this time! It doesn’t seem possible by the weather that Thanksgiving will soon be here. I love planning my Thanksgiving dinner menu. Even though my mother and I are the only ones that eat sweet potatoes, I still faithfully prepare them every year. It just wouldn’t seem like Thanksgiving without them. Today I am sharing my favorite sweet potato recipe with you. They can be prepared ahead and then baked for 30 minutes before you are ready to eat!
 
Sweet Potatoes
4 medium sweet potatoes
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup apricot nector
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp grated lemon rind
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmet
whole pecans (amount up to you)

Bake, peel and slice sweet potatoes, then put in a buttered baking dish. Place brown sugar, apricot nector, butter, grated lemon rind, cinnamon and nutmeg in a sauce pan and heat to boiling. Simmer for 2 minutes, then pour over sliced sweet potatoes. Sprinkle a few whole pecans over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot.  
It was brought to my attention that a recipe I gave you a couple of weeks ago for corn bake (the one you baked in a cast iron pan), I neglected to tell what temperature to bake it at. The recipe said 400 degrees. I hope that it worked for you.

Sour Cream Cranberry Salad

Sour Cream Cranberry Salad
1 large box Jell-o, cherry or raspberry
2 cups boiling water
1 cup sour cream
1 can whole cranberry sauce
Dissolve Jell-o in boiling water, beat in sour cream, mix in cranberries, pour into mold or glass bowl, chill until set.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

There are so many good chicken casseroles, I substitute turkey for the chicken which works well. I received this recipe from my friend Joan McKnight, the left over cranberries work well with this as a side dish.Chicken/turkey hot casserole
 
/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts
2 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
1 cup chowmein noodles
1/2 cup cashew nuts
salt and pepper

Saute’ onion and celery in 2 Tablespoons butter until tender, add soup, broth and seasoning, simmer for 20 minutes. Add chicken/turkey and water chestnuts. Pour into baking dish, cover and bake 20 minutes at 375, uncover chowmein noodles and cashews over top. Bake uncovered 10 minutes.  Have a great week!