Holiday Recipes

Holiday Recipes

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Recipes on this page include:
Asparagus-Baked Asparagus

Baby Roasted Potatoes in the shape of Mushrooms
Broccoli Secrets  
Butternut Squash Consomme
Carrot chips-(Vegan)
Flowers-Edible Flowers
Fruit Appetizer, with fancy cheeses & sage honeycomb
Game Hens-Oven Roasted, no basting
Mushrooms-Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Layered Vegetable Terrine  -(Vegan or Vegetarian )

Olive Dip-Super Easy  
Orange Supremes-(Vegan)
Parmesan Crackers
Potatoes-Baby Roasted Potatoes in the shape of Mushrooms
Salad-Pear & Walnut Salad w/ Balsamic Dressing

Turkey, cooked on the barbecue
Valentine's Day Heart cheesecake-Cheesecake with walnut crust and berries

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Today’s Recipe:

We’re always adding new things, please check back

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Asparagus-Baked Asparagus

Trim asparagus by peeling the lower 1/3 of the stem.  Place in a pan, and add 2 tbsp of  olive oil , roll around in the oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper-Bake in 350 oven for 12-15 minutes.-easy and great, not mushy, trust me after you try this, you will never steam asparagus again.  Instead of a1 minute window to remove them perfectly done like steaming, you have many minutes ignoring them in the oven, and they turn out al dente and done perfectly.

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     Broccoli Secrets  
Any shape you want

A broccoli secret, is the broccoli stem, often thrown away.  Peel it with a potato peeler and slice up, cook the same, best part of the broccoli.

When steaming broccoli tops or stems, if they finish to a perfect doneness before your other items, simply dump out the water and leave in the pan, covered with a lid, and they will stay perfect for 5-10 minutes without getting mushy.

ok l more. when the broccoli stem is cooked. remove it. Blanch in cold ice bath. Buy Pillsbury crescent rolls and roll them out into flat triangles, cover with cream cheese or rodelex cream cheese spread and put vegetables on top. cook for 15 min at 375 until crisp,   FABULOUS h'orderves.

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Butternut Squash Consomme, super healthy and super easy.

I like to serve this in Saki cups like these.  A great amus bouche (and vegan too)

 Peel and cube 1/2 of a small butternut squash.  Boil in 1 can of vegetable stock (fat free and salt free)  for 4-5 minutes until soft enough to mash. Remove the cooked pieces with a slotted spoon and save for use in other recipes, and use the liquid for consomme (*just strain with a fine mesh strainer {picture below}, and serve warm-so so good-a vegan treat too) I prefer to use a Cuisinart to blend up, but you can mash by hand if you prefer, just get it smooth, and no lumps if by hand. 

Pour through a Fine Mesh strainer for remaining liquid

                                          to become a  pure consomme.  If you don't have one, it's still good as it is.



* Butternut squash Consomme-great stuff, and great vegan treat too.  See above recipe for how this is made.

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Carrot chips-(Vegan)

big carrots, sliced thin ( I used a mandolin but not necessary)-canola oil med high heat,275-300 degrees, then sprinkle with a mix of salt, pepper, garlic powder ,nutmeg, dill and rosemary.  They are quite unique and look like bacon.  They are fun alternative for potato chips and are vegan as well.

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Flowers-Edible Flowers-These varieties are safe to eat when home grown (Safety note, grow at home, make sure no pesticides are used and don't just eat any flower without making sure it's edible and don't eat flowers from a florist shop).  If you buy a growing plant from a nursery, be sure and wait for 1 month of growing time in your pesticide free garden to dissipate any items sprayed etc. at the nursery.

   Nasturtium

 Elder FlowersBorage Flowers

Zucchini flowers

 

Please see my nutrition page for a complete list of all the beautiful edible flowers you can try.

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Fruit Appetizer, with fancy cheeses & sage honeycomb

This is so easy, use whatever items you like.  I enjoy it spread out on a large plate, and making the cheeses in different

shapes. This appetizer has apple slices, raspberries, Ireland Dubliner cheese, Aged Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese triangles, and Sharp Cheddar, almonds and sage Honeycomb.

 Sage Honeycomb-surprisingly good with fruit and cheeses.  We went to a tasting menu at the Ritz Carlton one time, and they served their cheese course with honeycomb, so I tried it at home, and loved it.

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Game Hens-Oven Roasted, no basting

For 2 game hens, you will need 1/3 cups of mayonnaise, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 tsp Rosemary, and 1 tsp of Dill.  The strings are for tying the legs together for a prettier presentation, but are not necessary.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.                  

Prepare a baking pan with sides to catch any drippings.  I use a rack so that the bottom of the birds don't sit in the oil dripping etc.

Wash your bird thoroughly with water.

Next, fold back the wings as shown.  Next tie the legs together.  The strings are for tying the legs together for a prettier presentation, but are not necessary.

I use my hands to cover the birds with the mayonnaise mixture.  The mayonnaise will continue to baste the bird while it cooks.  You need do no other basting for this recipe.

Ready for the oven

At 45 minutes to 1 hour of cooking time, turn the pan 180 degrees so that the other side will cook evenly as well.  Most ovens are not completely heating the same in all areas of the oven, so turning ensures even browning.  Also at the time, carefully remove the string, and the legs should stay together now for a nice presentation.

2 Game Hens-Oven Roasted, no basting
Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour 40 minutes approximate.  Use an instant read thermometer and remove when at 175-180 degrees.  Let rest 15 minutes before serving or slicing in half with kitchen shears should you want to serve them as 1/2 a game hen per person.

Many chefs suggest taking it out at 1 hour, and removing when at 165 degrees.  However, I find this is not enough time, and since birds are safe to eat 185 degrees.  There will be some continuing of cooking after removing to rest, but I find they are not quite done to my liking unless at  almost 175-180 degrees F as you remove them.  You want the juices to run clear, not red. 
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Layered Vegetable Terrine  -(Vegan or Vegetarian )

My vegetable terrine-a layered vegetable dish with summer yellow squash, tomato, sweet Anaheim chili pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and dill.  Vegetables are sliced thin, roasted in the oven with olive oil and herbs, then layered (alternating vegetable colors in each layer) into a (cling wrap lined) loaf pan. Then put in the refrigerator with a weight on it to compress layers.  Slice it from top to bottom in l” slices, into colorful stripes. Serve cold with balsamic vinegar. 

 Also good as a vegetarian dish-as you are layering, add some cheese (Parmesan or Fontina is quite good) and before service, reheat in 350 degree F oven for about 20 minutes until the cheese melts-Yummy.

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Mushrooms-Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

8 large regular mushrooms

1/4 cup of sweet onion

3 cloves of garlic , minced (roasted is nice too)

olive oil (optional)

1/8 cup margarine or butter

1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1/4 cup fresh Parmesan (other Parmesan is ok too)

herbs- l tbsp dill and 1/2 tsp basil, 1/4 tsp salt, few shakes pepper

   Cut the ends from the mushroom stems. Wash or brush the mushrooms.  (one of the few places you can wash and prep ahead mushrooms as the dipping in margarine will keep then ok in the frig. until cooking. Remove stems from the mushrooms by lightly twisting from side to side.  Chop stems,garlic, and onion finely and saute in olive oil (or margarine.), until tender 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.  Melt the margarine (microwave is ok), and put in small bowl. dip each mushroom into the margarine and get inside and out. then fill the caps and place filling side up in a cooking pan.  Cook 350 degree for 15 minutes.  I almost always make these ahead of time and they go from frig to oven and cook 15 minutes and are prefect. 

    Customize this for your like too, add bacon, sausage(precooked) or fine chop of another vegetable- whatever you like.   

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Olive Dip-Super Easy  
Take 1/2 cup mayonnaise

          1/2 cup sour cream

          1 small can of chopped black olives

          3 kalamata olives-chopped (or your favorite fancy olive-there for intensity of flavor)

          a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and 1/4 tsp dill

mix up and put on your favorite crackers-I like Ritz crackers for this dip.  Also good with the Parmesan crackers recipe on this site.

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Orange Supremes-(Vegan)

These are beautiful slices of oranges that have no rind or membrane remaining.

They are wonderful atop curry dishes, orange sauces, or served alone. 

This is accomplished by cutting off the top and bottom of the orange just past the peel.  Set it

on one of the flat sides on your cutting surface. Then,using your paring knife, you cut away the

remaining peel in strips from top to bottom until all the peel is removed.  Don't worry if you see

additional white membrane or peel, simply cut it away before the next step.  Look at the sections

in the orange,  holding the orange, cut down the edge of the interior membrane and when you reach the bottom of the section, angle the knife to the right and slice out the supreme into a bowl.  Continue until

the entire orange is done.  Remember you can use the rest of the orange too, give it a quick squeeze and use the juices in your recipe.

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Parmesan Crackers

Ok, not exactly a vegetable, but is a vegetarian option to go with vegetables.

Parmesan Crackers-Good as accompaniment, a little too rich all by themselves.

Ingredients:
1 1/2  c fresh Parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp salt

Black pepper

½ cup real butter

    Blend above and then add

1 cup flour a little at a time.  Use a small ½ size ice cream scooper, and then

flatten out a bit, bake for 25-26 minutes at 350 degrees F.

These can also be made with Romano cheese.

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Potatoes-Baby Roasted Potatoes in the shape of Mushrooms

Step by Step Instructions, trust me they are easy, and look so pretty I use them during the holidays!



You will need a paring knife and an apple corer.

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds of baby new potatoes

2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Sprinkle of salt, pepper, 1/2 tsp rosemary herb

2 Tbsp Butter (can be made vegan, use vegan margarine-Earth Balance works well in this recipe)

That's it, Now, how to make them:

You will need a Paring knife or small kitchen knife and an apple corer, shown above.

After washing the potatoes, of course, you take the apple corer and insert into the end of a potato about 3/4" in, I usually go until the top metal is almost inside the potato. 

Next, leaving the corer still in the potato, you use your paring knife to cut around the entire potato.  You will feel the corer as you cut, it can be your cutting guide.

Then remove the corer, and you're left with a beautifully shaped mushroom. 

Potatoes can brown easily, so after each one is cut, place in a bowl of cool water with 1 tsp salt.  Do Ahead Tip: At this stage, you can place in the refrigerator for hours, and put in the oven later.

Next, when ready to bake.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put potatoes in the pan.  Add the olive oil, and simply shake the pan to roll them around in the oil.

Next sprinkle with salt, pepper, and rosemary, or your own favorite herb.  Add the 2 tbsp of butter or Earth Balance Vegan margarine cold.  It will melt while cooking, and add a browned butter taste.   Bake for 60 minutes, shaking a few times during cooking, to distribute that yummy butter over all the potatoes and give you some nice browning on the final presentation.

Voila !  You can make these too, seriously easy.

And in these tough times, don't we all need a cheap grocery item, that we can make into something delicious?

Let me know what you think.

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Salad-Pear & Walnut Salad w/ Balsamic Dressing

makes 2 nice size salads from this bowl.

You can use fresh pears and fresh peas, but this is a quick version, and really good.

Canned Pear halves-you’ll need 2 ½ pear halves , cut each ½ into 2 pieces

Handful of walnuts w/ enough honey to coat + 1-2 tbsp,  heat up in fry pan until reduces, remove to wax paper, separating them as you go.

Iceberg lettuce or a green you prefer

Chopped celery

½ can or 4oz of canned peas

3 soft boiled eggs, boiled 7 minutes and peeled, and sliced

Tomato, thick slice and then cut into triangles, reassemble in the middle of the salad to show slice

    Place peas around the tomato to form a ring.  Place pears in a flower petal pattern, eggs between the pears, sprinkle with celery, and the nuts.  Drizzle with Balsamic Dressing

   Balsamic Dressing 

       1/8 cup 10yr old Balsamic Vinegar (regular Balsamic vinegar is okay, but the aged vinegar, makes a difference)

       1/16 cup olive oil, extra virgin

       S, P, Dill, Rosemary, & basil

Shake up like crazy, in Tupperware is best, use right away, or re-shake

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Turkey, cooked on the barbecue -garlic butter & herbs (salt, pepper, garlic powder, rosemary,dill),stuffing-bacon,onion,celery,olives, stock,& butter.  You know us Californians, always wanting to bbq everything.  Well, this one deserves to be barbecued every year.  It's delicious and leaves room in the oven for the side dishes.

On the barbecue, use the indirect method.  That means that the coals on each side of the barbecue, not directly under the bird.  Place a foil pan under the bird so it doesn't drip on coals.  Place foil under the wings so they don't burn.  Baste the bird with garlic powder added to butter approximately every 15-30 minutes.  It will take approximately 13 minutes per pound un-stuffed and 15 minutes a pound if stuffed.  But use a instant read thermometer to watch it because if you add more coal or less it may vary the cooking time.  However, it should rest for 15 minutes before carving, so if it comes off early, at least you have that time.
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Valentine's Day heart cheesecake
Cheesecake with Walnut crust and berries
This one is seriously my favorite cheesecake. Don't let the amount of pictures make you think it's hard, because it isn't. ( If Gluten intolerant, use Gluten free flour for the crust)

Ingredients for Filling:
12 ounces of cream cheese
1 cup of ricotta cheese
2 cups cool whip, or homemade sweetened whipped cream
2/3 cup of powdered sugar
1 cup orange juice (I like to buy fresh squeezed orange juice)
1 packet of gelatin (equal to 1/4 ounce of the gelatin powder)
Optional- 1 cup of chopped strawberries
                1 1/2 cups of blueberries
                2 tsp Port wine

Ingredients for crust
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour (or gluten free flour)
1 cup of walnuts
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Making the Crust
Cut the butter into smaller cubes.  Add to the flour and powdered sugar in a clean bowl.

Start to work with your hands or a pastry blender.  You are looking for the butter to spread out into the flour and sugar mixture and start to form a ball of dough.  It will seem too dry at first, do not add water.  Keep mixing until almost together.

Add the walnuts. You can chop them ahead of time, but I find just breaking them up with my hands as I knead it works fine.

Once the nuts are in, it really starts to form a nice ball.

Spray 9" spring form pan or pie plate tin with non stick spray or grease the pan with margarine.   Take your ball of crust dough, and press over bottom. Bake approximately 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees F. When done, it changes color slightly and is more of a solid crust.

If you don't have a spring form pan, a pie plate will work fine.  Until this last Christmas I used a pie plate.

Let cool and start the filling.  

To make the filling:

Ingredients for Filling:
12 ounces of cream cheese
1 cup of ricotta cheese
2 cups cool whip, or homemade sweetened whipped cream
2/3 cup of powdered sugar
1 cup orange juice (I like to buy fresh squeezed orange juice)
1 packet of gelatin (equal to 1/4 ounce of the gelatin powder)
Optional- 1 cup of chopped strawberries
                1 1/2 cups of blueberries
                2 tsp Port wine

Heat the Orange Juice in small pan, sprinkle gelatin over the juice and let soften l minute.  Heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin dissolves and thickens-about 3 minutes. Let cool or put in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Then blend the cream cheese and ricotta cheese in a large bowl until smooth.  stir in the powdered sugar. 

Add the cooled gelatin mix to the cheese mixture, on low at first, then higher, blend until smooth.



A rolled towel under your bowl will help.



 Fold in the cool whip or whipped cream.  Folding is a technique where it leaves a lot of air and volume in your dish.





Using a rubber spatula, you place in the batter with the edge of the spoon (Figure 1), flatten out the spoon and scrape the bottom of the bowl (figure 2), and then lift out with the edge of the spoon side again, and place that spoonful on top (Figure 3).  Turn the bowl and continue this method until all mixed in and creamy



Figure 1



Figure 2

Figure 3


Ready to fill onto the crust.

 Spread into crust.
You can easily smooth it out nicely with an offset spatula. 

Chill 6 hours in the refrigerator.  Remove exterior spring form when thoroughly chilled and voila.

For something extra special, try adding decorations or berries.  I added Strawberries and blueberries drizzled with port wine on mine.

 Cut up the strawberries into small pieces. I usually slice them first the long way, then turn them and slice into rough julienne or long strips, and then cut the long strips into 3-4 pieces.  Blueberries, just washed, dried a little with a paper towel.

 I added 1 tsp of old Port wine to each bowl of fruit before adding to the cheesecake.

Mix up a little to get all berries covered.  Also good when berries aren't as sweet as you'd like.

I wanted to do a heart design in the center and blueberries all around.  I took a cookie cutter and placed it where I wanted the heart to be, and pushed it in about 1/4 of an inch.

Then I started to fill in the strawberries.

I also did a row of blueberries lined around the heart to help it stand out once the form is removed.

Continue to fill in the blueberries.  I could have used more blueberries, now that I look at it in a picture.  Press the heart into the cheesecake a little more so even with blueberries.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Chill in the refrigerator for 6 hours.  Once done, remove the cookie cutter, comes out easily.  Use a knife, and cut around the pan edge to loosen and free up easily.

Remove the spring form ring of the pan.  Use a large spatula to pick up whole cake and transfer to a serving plate.  This crust holds up to that well.

Finished !