Mimi's Cretons (Spiced Pork Spread)

 

Every Christmas, I could count on my maternal, Quebecois-raised, grandmother--who I called Mimi--making a handful of favorites:
Christmas Crack, Tourtière, Chocolate Oat Bars, and Cretons. And these were all just foods ready and waiting when we arrived Christmas Eve, so its a wonder we had any room for dinner--especially with the addictive quality of both the Cretons and Christmas Crack! Although, it may have helped that we wouldn't eat dinner until after midnight mass--when we would come home and celebrate my Mother's Christmas birthday with dinner, Bûche de Noël, and presents in the wee hours of the morning. This recipe is adapted from one in a Quebecois cookbook I had given my mother several years ago, and now sits lovingly on my bookshelf.  I highly recommend the cookbook--Made in Quebec: A Culinary Journey, by Julian Armstrong--if only I had the time to cook my way through it!

Mimi's Cretons

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs. medium-fat Ground Pork
• 1 c. Progresso Bread Crumbs or 2 slices dried bread crumbled
• 1 medium onion, grated
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tsp. ground Cinnamon, or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp. ground Cloves, or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp. ground Sage, or more to taste
• 1/4 tsp. ground Ginger
• 1/25 cups Whole Milk
• Additional Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat for 1 hour, stirring often at first to break up meat.
2. Remove from heat and use masher to breakup meat even more. 
3. Let cool, and transfer to several airtight (freezer-safe) containers. 
4. Refrigerate containers up to 5 days, or freeze up to two months. 

Serve spread on toasted or grilled bread, strong crackers, or bagel or pita chips; or use as a sandwich filling.

Note: Don't use lean pork, to prevent graininess in the final spread.

Photo courtesy of CLC Canada.

Cool-Whip Crinkle Cookies

I was looking for an easy cookie recipe, and it doesn't get much easier (or slightly messier) than this!
These were fun to make and with only four easy ingredients you often have on hand. But a few notes to make the experience even easier:

•  While I rave about chocolate cookies, these can be made in any flavor cake mix is available in. Others rave about Red Velvet, Lemon, Strawberry, or even Funfetti mixes as the cookie base!
  
  
•  The mixture gets a little sticky, so I recommend:
  
  
• Using a small/tsp. cookie or melon scoop
• Drop the cookies into confectioner's sugar via scoop, and use a fork to roll in sugar before placing on cookie sheet
  
• Dusting your scoop with confectioner's sugar or cooking spray
• Use a silpat, parchment paper, or non-stick foil on your cookie sheet(s)
  
• If you can't bake all of the dough at once, chill between baking
  
  
• They will be soft and chewy when done. Enjoy!

COOL-WHIP CRINKLE COOKIES

Ingredients

• One 15oz. box Cake Mix (flavor of choice)
•  2 cups thawed Cool-Whip
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Confectioner's Sugar (in a bowl)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine Cake mix, Cool-Whip, and egg until well combined (it will become harder to stir)
3.  Make a teaspoon. size ball of dough (cookie or melon scoop suggested) and drop into Confectioner's sugar
4. Roll ball in sugar until completely coated and drop on cookie sheet. 
5. Repeat, leaving 1.5" spacing between balls on sheet.
6. Cook at 350 for 12 minutes. 
7. Cool cookies before serving. Cookies start plump then deflate before serving, and be very soft and chewy.
   

Photo courtesy of Huffpost

Graham Cracker Toffee, a.k.a. Christmas Crack

My grandmother used to make these treats every Christmas, but it wasn't until I was grown, that I heard them referred to as Christmas Crack.  Of course, knowing its addictive qualities, I can understand the nickname.  So beware, but at least it is legal!

Graham Cracker Toffee
a.k.a. Christmas Crack

Ingredients

• 1 packageGraham Crackers 
• 1 cupButter (2 whole sticks)
• 1 cupBrown Sugar
• Optional toppings:
• ½ cup Walnuts, chopped 
• ½ cup Chocolate Chips
• ½ cup Peppermints or Candy Canes, crushed
• ½ cup Pretzels, crushed
• Pinch of Sea Salt

Directions

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2. Line a cookie sheet* with whole graham crackers. Use as many crackers as needed to fill the sheet. 
3. In a saucepan, melt butter, then mix in brown sugar. Bring this "toffee" mixture to a boil. 
4. Stir for 5 minutes while boiling, on low.
5. Spread the toffee mixture over the crackers and bake for 8–10 minutes—or until the toffee has bubbled across the whole pan. 
6. Sprinkle with desired toppings (if any) immediately after removal from oven. Note: If using chocolate chips, sprinkle on the chips, let them melt, then spread the chocolate evenly.
7. Cool for 10-20 minutes in the fridge.
8. Break/crack into pieces.  
9. Store in air-tight containers in the fridge for optimum freshness.

*Tip: I like to pre-line the cookie sheet with non-stick foil for easy clean up.  
Photo courtesy of http://tastykitchen.com/

Fettucine Alfredo

So this is not an authentic recipe - nor is it lowfat by any means - but it is fast, easy, and should impress (most) guests. Definitely better than the hotpot alfredo I made in college!

Fettucine Alfredo


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 TBSP. cream cheese
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 tsp. minced garlic (or garlic powder in a pinch)
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (preferably fresh)
• fresh parsley (to garnish)
• 1 lb. fettuccine, prepared as directed

Directions

1. Prepare fettuccine/pasta as directed.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter.
3. When butter is melted, add cream cheese.
4. When the cream cheese is softened, add heavy cream.
5. Season with garlic, salt, and pepper.
6. Simmer for 5 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly.
7. Slowly add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and continue stirring another 5 minutes.
8. Reserve 2 TBSP. parmesan, then slowly add remaining cheese and stir another 5 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and stir in hot fettucine noodles, and coat pasta completely.
10. Serve garnished with remaining fresh parmesan and parsley.

Makes 6 servings. 25 min total.

Photo courtesy of nestle.ca

Helen Hosmer's Wassail Recipe

I stumbled across this recipe today and wanted to ensure it didn't get lost as it was passed down through my music fraternity over the years. I was quite honored to sing at this amazing educator's bedside a week before her passing.

was·sail n. 1: an early English toast to someone's health. 2: a hot drink that is made with wine, beer, or cider, spices, sugar, and usually baked apples and is traditionally served in a large bowl especially at Christmastime. 3: riotous drinking:revelry.

Wassail Recipe of Helen M. Hosmer

Ingredients and Directions

To each gallon of cider add:

• 3 tsp. Allspice
• 1 tsp. ground cloves
• ½ tsp. Nutmeg
• 4 sticks of cinnamon
• 8 oranges, juice of (or 2 cans frozen concentrate)
• 4 lemons, juice of (or 1 can frozen lemonade)
• Up to 2 cups sugar

Let mixture slowly come to a boil and serve hot.
Recipe meant to be improvised.

Apple Cranberry Walnut Stuffing

You can make 101 variations of this, but here is what I used today.

Apple Cranberry Walnut Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1 12 oz. pkg. dressing/stuffing
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 2 apples: peeled, cored, and cubed
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley
• 1/3 cup chopped sage
• 1 cup chopped walnuts*
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In large bowl, combine stuffing, celery, onion, cranberries, apples, parsley, sage and walnuts.
   
3. Mix in apple juice, chicken broth and butter, tossing lightly but well.
4. Place in a 13x9 pan or 3-quart oven-safe casserole dish.
   
5. Cover and bake 30 minutes until heated through. To make it crisper, uncover and bake 5-10 minutes longer.
6. If stuffing inside turkey, ensure stuffing reaches 165 degrees before serving.
   

*Recipe updated 11/23/2012, since I forgot to include the walnuts in the ingredients originally!! Photo by Spiceopolis.com.

Maple Butternut Squash

Here is a Vermont twist on mashed butternut squash. Enjoy!

Maple Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

• 1 (3pound) butternut squash
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup Vermont maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pinch of pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg

Directions:

1. Peel and cut squash into cubes.
2. Place in saucepan and fill with enough cold water to cover squash plus one inch. (You can do this the night before and refrigerate.)
3. Add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil.
4. Cook 20-25 minutes until tender (but not falling apart)
5. Drain squash and return to pot briefly to dry out water.
6. Mash to desired consistency.
7. Add butter, syrup, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg, then mix well and serve.

Ginger-Scented Apple Squash Soup

This recipe is courtesy of Weight Watchers.

Ginger-Scented Pear Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Tbsp ginger root, grated
• 1 medium leek(s), white part only, coarsely chopped
• 4 3/4 oz frozen apple juice concentrate (undiluted), about 1/2 cup
• 3 large apple(s), Golden Delicious, peeled, cored and cut into eighths
• 3 pound butternut squash, peeled, cut into chunks and seeded (1 large or 2 small squash)
• 4 cup canned chicken broth, divided
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup fat-free half and half
  

Instructions

1. Combine ginger, leek and apple juice concentrate in a large pot; cover and simmer until leeks are tender, about 10 minutes. Add apples, squash and 1 cup of broth; cover and simmer until very tender, about 1 hour.
2. Purée soup in pot using a hand-held immersion blender. Or purée soup in a blender in small batches (be careful not to splatter the hot liquid) and return the puréed soup to the pot.
3. Add remaining 3 cups of broth, salt and pepper; simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. Stir in half and half and serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.
4. This recipe is part of our Make Ahead Soups, Chilies and Stews series. To learn more about this cook-and-freeze feature, click here.

Notes

Partially cooking a hard-shell squash makes it easier to peel. Pierce the gourd in several places with a fork, microwave on HIGH for 6 to 10 minutes, depending on size, and then peel.

POINTS® value | 3 Servings | 10 Preparation Time | 20 min Cooking Time | 90 min Level of Difficulty | Moderate

Spicy Cranberry Chutney

Hopefully the first of many recipes I plan to serve for my 1st family Thanksgiving at home!

I found this recipe on AllRecipes years ago, and have made it every holiday season since. Yum!

Spicy Cranberry Chutney

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup water
• 3 cups fresh cranberries
• 1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored, chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine apricots, brown sugar, raisins and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and stir while simmering for 5 minutes. Stir in cranberries, apple and lemon zest; simmer for 10 minutes more.
2. Stir lemon juice, ginger and pepper flakes into the mixture before removing from heat. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: About: Nutrition Info / Powered by: ESHA Nutrient DatabaseServings Per Recipe: 10 / Amount Per Serving: Calories: 97 /Total Fat: 0.1g /Cholesterol: 0mg /Sodium: 8mg /Total Carbs: 25.3g /Dietary Fiber: 2g /Protein: 0.4g / WW Points = 2

Pumpkin Gingerbread

Tis the season! Be sure to taste while warm if possible!

Pumpkin Gingerbread

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons grated fresh gingerroot or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup mild-flavored molasses
• 1/4 cup milk
• Whipped cream
• Orange peel curls (optional)

Directions
1. Stir together flour, gingerroot or ground ginger, finely shredded orange peel, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.

2. Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until combined. Add egg and beat well. Beat in pumpkin and molasses on medium speed until smooth.

3. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to the pumpkin mixture, beating until smooth. Pour into a greased and lightly floured 8x8x2-inch baking pan.

4. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream. If desired, garnish with orange peel curls. Makes 9 servings.
Recipe courtesy of BETTER HOMES & GARDENS.
Photo courtesy of daxiang stef