Some of our All Time Favorites

Many of the recipes you see on this page are what we prepare for our gathering guests

 Enjoy A Little Winter Comfort Food

Primebeef Pot Pie

Bake 400 Degrees for 35 minutes

2 TBSP. Butter

1 Cup sliced Carrots, 1 Cup sliced Celery, two Potatoes peeled and cut up and

1 TBSP. Minced Onion

Saute all of the above in butter until softened then ADD:

1 small can Beef Broth saving out enough broth that you add 4 TBSP. of 

Arrow Root to, this is a natural thickening agent, stir this until smooth

You will cook the broth and veges for a total of ten minutes then add 1 Cup of Frozen Pettite Peas, 2 Cups of cut up cooked Prime Beef, 1/4 tsp. course pepper and 1/2 tsp. course sea salt.

Mix in your thickening stirring until everything is heated through, then Add a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup, mix and pour into a nice size baking dish.

I use a pre made pie crust, roll it to make it fit your dish, cover and crip the edges like you would a pie, cut slits in the top you can brush with egg but I don’t think it is necessary.

Bake and enjoy on a cold winter evening!

 

Our Favorite New 2011 Open House Treat

Carmel Crispix Mix

6 c. Crispix cereal ( I like to include Cheerios)

4 c. pretzels (use the checkerboard style if you can find them or otherwise use the heart shaped these catch the carmel better)

2 c. mixed nuts

 

1 stick of butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

4 Tbsp. Karo syrup

Mix the first three ingredients together.  Place butter, brown sugar and syrup in a microwav bowl or use a sauce pan on the stove.  Heat and bring to boil for 1 min.  Pour over the dry mix and stir to coat evenly (I use two 9 x 13 cake pans).  Bake at 250 degress for 20 min.  Stir once.

cool and break apart.  This is a great treat to gift in a cute bag with a bow too.  It’s super yummy and easy to do.

 

 

  SWISS MISS CHICKEN

This was a favorite casserole that I served at our Boxwood & Berries this fall

6 Large chicken breasts

Onion Soup mix/ or onion powder

2 – 6oz. pkgs. Uncle Ben’s Original wild rice

1 – 2 3 oz pkgs. sliced almonds

1 – 8oz can sliced water chestnuts

1 – 4 oz jar chopped pimentos

1 1/2 Cups of Hellman’s Mayo

1/2 tsp. celery salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 cups shredded Swiss Cheese

Salt to taste

2 Tbsp. Lemon juice

Seasoned Salt

Bake chicken breasts  at 350 degrees in a baking dish adding water to the bottom of the pan.  Make sure there is enough water to come up 1/2 way on the chicken.  Sprinkle onion soup mix over the chicken.( I don’t always use a whole package of the onion soup mix  but it is good either way because of the flavor, sometimes I even use onion powder if I don’t have the soup mix.)  Cool your chicken and cut into pieces when done baking.  Cook your rice.

Mix the chicken pieces with the remaining ingredients.   You may add more pepper and lemon juice.  I like to sprinkle with seasoned salt but you don’t have to it is totally up to you.  Place your cooked wild rice in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Cover the rice with the chicken mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.  Just a note sometimes I even sprinkle with bread crumbs.  It is a company favorite.

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Mother’s Almond Glazed Sugar Cookies

I like to serve these at our Christmas Open House it seems to be a favorite

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp almond extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp almond extract

4 to 5 tsp. water

sliced almonds

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine butter, sugar and almond extract.

Beat until creamy.  Add flour, baking powder and salt: beat until well mixed.  Roll dough into small balls. place about 2 ” apart on cookie sheet.  Flatten balls with bottom of buttered glass dipped in sugar.

Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, until lightly browned.  Cool and glaze the cookies and decorate with sliced almonds.  Makes about 3 1/2 dozen yummy cookies

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This is always a crowd pleaser!

Ice Cream Grasshoppers

1 gallon pail of Vanilla ice cream

1 12 oz Cool whip

1 Cup Creme de Menthe

1 Cup Light Creme de Cocoa

Let your ice cream sit out and get soft.

Put it in a very large mixing bowl, and using your hand mixer begin getting your ice cream nice and creamy, add the next 3 ingredients.  Put back into the ice cream pail and store in the freezer.  This is great to serve over the holidays.  Pour into a fancy glass and shake fresh nutmeg over the top before serving.

Note:  If you like Alexander’s you will add 1 Cup of Brandy and 1 cup of Dark Creme de Cocoa to your cool whip and ice cream mixture.

Enjoy!

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Over – the – Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese

this a recipe from Carol (3) Deckert

It is just the best my gandkids love it and so do all of the grown ups

1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

1 Pound of Elbow Macaroni ( 3 Cups )

8 Tbsp. ( 1 Stick) plus 1 Tablespoon butter

1/2 Cup Shredded Muenster Cheese

1/2 Cup Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese

1/2 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/2 Cup Shredded Monterey Jack

2 Cups Half – and -Half

1 cup Velveeta, cut into small cubes

2 Large Eggs, Lightly beaten

1/4 tsp Seasoned Salt

1/8 tsp. freshly ground Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2 quart casserole dish

Bring the large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the oil, then the macaroni, cook until the macaroni is just tender.  About 7 minutes.  Do not overcook.  Drain well.  Return to the pot.

In a small sauce pan melt eight tablespoons of the butter.  Stir this into the macaroni.  In a large bowl, mix the Muenster, mild and sharp Cheddar, and Monterey jack cheeses.  To the macaroni, add the half and half, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese, the cubed Velveeta, and the eggs.  Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to the buttered casserole.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and dot with remaining one tablespoon of butter.

Bake until it’s bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes.  Serve Hot.

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Maggie Bonanomi’s Spice Cookies

these are really yummy, special cookies we tasted  when Maggie was out for Boxwood 2009, she made them for us as a treat.  FYI:  they were in our cookbook but not entered right so this is the real deal.

Sift Together

2 Cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Cream together

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

add to sugar and butter

1 egg yolk (save the white for the frosting)

1/2 cup molasses (Grandma’s brand or light Ber Rabbit)

Gradually combine dry ingredients with sugar and butter mixture, mix until smooth, chill for 1 hour.  (Maggie puts this into a zip-loc bag)

Roll out on a floured surface  THIS IS WHERE A PASTRY CLOTH AND TOLLING PIN COVER COME IN HANDY.

She rolls the dough out very thin, cut out desired shapes and bake on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 5-10 min check as cookies may burn easy.

Decorative Frosting

1 egg white slightly beaten

1 1/2- 3/4 sifted Powdered Sugar

1 tsp. orange extract

this frosting needs to be thin enough to pipe onto cookies, air dry glaze.  keep in an air tight container.

 

Bunko Punch

This is a great summer crowd pleaser and very refresshing!

1 cup brewed citrus green tea

7 cups water

4 cups of your favorite vodka we use Absolut or Ketel one or you could do 2 cups of each 

1  (6 oz can) of frozen orange jusice thawed

1  (6 oz can) of frozen pink lemonade thawed

Fresca

Mix together the tea, water, orange juice and lemonade concentrates into a large freezer proof bowl (glass or stainless steel freezes faster)  overnight or days ahead.  With fork, scrape the frozen mixture into a tall glass, pour fresca soda into the mixture, stir and garnish with fresh fruit

 

Bacon/Egg Breakfast Biscuits

This is a favorite of all the guests that come to gathering so I thought I would share it with everyone!

1 8oz. pkg of cream cheese

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. milk

1/2 cup shredded Swiss Cheese or use a favorite cheese

1 can refrigerated flaky biscuits (there are 8 bisquits in a can)

5 slices of bacon broken or use cooked ham or even cooked sausage crumbled

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Spray muffin tin with Pam

In a small bowl beat cream cheese, eggs and milk on low speed until smooth.  Stir in the Swiss Cheese and here is where you could add pre-cooked onion, red pepper or other favorites tastes you might want to incorporate.

We keep ours simple with just the main ingredients because most everyone is comfortable with that.

Seperate bisquit dough into the 8 bisquits and press one ito easch greased muffin tin. Spoon in cheese mixture and top with bacon. 

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until filling is set and bisquits are golden brown.  Cut around each tin to llsen.  Remove from pan and enjoy they are really yummy and most people will eat at least two so make a double batch..  Serve w/fresh fruit and you are good to go.

Moose Stew

2 lbs stew meat, I used Moose Round steak

3/4 of a bag of baby carrots, I left whole

3 stalks of celery cut up

1 onion cut up

8-10 peeled and cut up potatoes

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can tomato soup

Mix it up, put in a covered baking dish

sprinkle with coarse pepper and seasoning salt

Bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours

I made flakey bisquits and sour cream cucumbers

Reed and I were very content!

What and easy, comforting meal.