October Foodie Holidays: Week 2

Oct. 8: Fluffernutter Day, Pierogi Day
Oct. 9: Submarine/Hoagie/Hero/Grinder Day
Oct. 10: Angel Food Cake Day
Oct. 11: Sausage Pizza Day, World Dulce de Leche Day
Oct. 12: Gumbo Day
Oct. 13: Yorkshire Pudding Day
Oct. 14: Chocolate-Covered Insects Day, Dessert Day

This next recipe has two parts, that includes a spice mixture that could be used for other recipes. When you're putting together your index, be sure you index all the recipes. The next edition of the family cookbook may have enough of these spice mixes to have their own chapter; we'll see...

This comes from my other sis-in-law, who has had some culinary training, which she took for fun.

Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo

1/3 C. vegetable oil OR butter or margarine

1/3 C. flour

Cajun Spice mixture (follows)

1 onion, chopped

2 green bell peppers, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. paprika

1-2 bay leaves

salt, pepper, cayenne to taste

8 oz. fresh okra OR green beans

4 C. boiling chicken broth

4 oz. spicy sausage, cooked and drained

3 dried chili peppers

1 C. chopped tomatoes (canned is fine)

1 lb. shrimp (shelled or not)

1 C. cooked shredded chicken

1/2 C. chopped parsley, if desired

Directions: Make the roux in an 8 qt. pot by melting butter and adding flour until mixture is lumpy. Season with Cajun Spice mixture to taste (1-2 Tbsp.). Stir mixture constantly over medium heat until mixture is dark in color and set aside. Sauté onion, green pepper, celery and garlic in 2 Tbsp. oil. Cook until onion is soft. Add thyme, paprika, bay, salt, pepper, cayenne and okra (I use green beans). Cook okra another 3-5 minutes until soft and dark. In the 8 qt. pot combine the roux and vegetable mixture. Stir in broth, sausage, chicken, dried chili peppers and tomatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes. Before serving, add shrimp and cayenne as desired. Cook until shrimp are pink. Simmer, serve and garnish with parsley.

Comments: You can really add anything to this that you like. It freezes well, and is easy to double the recipe. Enjoy!

Cajun Spice Mixture

2 Tbsp. dried oregano

2 Tbsp. cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp. cumin

1 Tbsp. onion powder

2 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. paprika

2 Tbsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. pepper

Directions: Combine and store in an airtight container. Makes about 2/3 C.

October Foodie Holidays: Week 1

October is National Apple Month, Applejack Month, Caramel Month, Chili Month, Cookie Month, Dessert Month, Pasta Month, Pickled Peppers Month, Pork Month, Pretzel Month, Seafood Month, and Vegetarian Awareness Month.

Oct. 1: World Vegetarian Day, Homemade Cookies Day
Oct. 2: Fried Scallops Day
Oct. 3: Caramel Custard Day
Oct. 4: Cinnamon Roll Day (Sweden), Taco Day, Vodka Day
Oct. 5: Apple Betty Day
Oct. 6: Noodle Day
Oct. 7: Frappe Day

This recipe was taught to my mother by her aunt (her mother's sister). It's a holiday recipe, because they're a pain to make (literally! – your shoulders get a workout with the rolling pin). Pasta rollers largely remove the labor from these, especially one of the fancy ones that attach to a stand mixer, but Mom makes them by hand, when she does.

Homemade Noodles

2 C. flour

3 egg yolks

1 egg

2 tsp. salt

1/4-1/2 C. water

Directions: Make a well in the center of flour. Add egg yolks, egg, and salt; mix thoroughly. Mix in water 1 Tbsp. at a time, until dough is stiff but easy to roll. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll one part at a time into a paper-thin rectangle on a generously floured board. Keep remaining dough covered. Loosely fold the rectangle into thirds. Cut crosswise into 1/4” strips. Unfold strips and place on towels until stiff and dry, about 2 hours. Break strips into smaller pieces. Cook in 3 qt. boiling broth until tender, 5-7 minutes.

September Foodie Holidays: Week 4

Sept. 22: Ice Cream Cone Day
Sept. 23: Pot Pie Day, Key Lime Pie Day, White Chocolate Day
Sept. 24: Cherries Jubilee Day
Sept. 25: Lobster Day (Official, by act of Congress and everything)
Sept. 26: Pancake Day
Sept. 27: Corned Beef Hash Day, Chocolate Milk Day
Sept. 28: Strawberry Cream Pie Day
Sept. 29: Coffee Day
Sept. 30: Hot Mulled Cider Day

Sometimes you might want to include notes or comments from the contributor. They might be about where the recipe came from, special instructions, optional information... anything really that isn't critical to the instructions themselves.

I credit this recipe to my daughter, even though she doesn't make them.

Pancakes with Sprinkles

Pancake mix

Water

Multicolor “jimmies” sprinkles

Mini chocolate chips

Directions: Heat a nonstick griddle (or spray your pan with cooking spray). Prepare the pancake mix as usual, but add sprinkles and chocolate chips to the batter. (For 4 pancakes, about 1 tsp. sprinkles and 1 Tbsp. chocolate chips.) Cook as usual.

NOTE: I started making these for her after she had “Sprinkle Pancakes” from the kid’s menu at a local breakfast restaurant, and I saw “Birthday Cake Pancake” mix in the grocery store for twice the price. The jimmies melt as they cook, making these very much like Funfetti pancakes, without the cost. The chocolate chips were her addition, and insistence. (WW)

September Foodie Holidays: Week 3

Sept. 15: Linguini Day
Sept. 16: Guacamole Day
Sept. 17: Apple Dumpling Day
Sept. 18: Cheeseburger Day
Sept. 19: Butterscotch Pudding Day
Sept. 20: Rum Punch Day
Sept. 21: Pecan Cookie Day

This was another recipe that didn't make the first edition cookbook and had to be flown in from California; from my sweet sister-in-law.

Guacamole

2 avocados

2 green onions

2 cloves garlic

1 tomato, diced

1 serrano pepper, seeds and all

cilantro, to taste

lime juice, to taste

salt, to taste

Directions: Mince onions, garlic, cilantro and pepper together. Halve avocado, discard pits and scoop flesh into a ceramic or glass bowl. Add tomato and minced vegetables. Add lime and salt to taste. Mix.

Note: Use only plastic utensils on avocados to minimize oxidation.

September Foodie Holidays: Week 2

Sept. 8: Date Nut Bread Day
Sept. 9: Wiener Schnitzel Day
Sept. 10: TV Dinner Day
Sept. 11: Hot Cross Bun Day
Sept. 12: Chocolate Milkshake Day
Sept. 13: Peanut Day
Sept. 14: Cream-Filled Doughnut Day

No recipes for this week, just a tip! My husband's grandmother used to save the partitioned aluminum TV dinner trays, wash, and then make her own TV dinners with her own leftovers. While it may not be practical to save the plastic thingies that little frozen dinners come in today (and some come in biodegradable cardboard), you can buy partitioned plates that are microwave safe and make your own "TV dinners."

Pay attention to which recipes "freeze well" or "reheats well" or conversely "doesn't reheat well" if you get recipes with those sort of notes. If you have a handful of recipes that do, and the rest don't, ask the contributors – "Hey, how does X reheat, does it make good leftovers?" – and include those additional notes in the cookbook. If you're trying to save a little money and take lunches to work and not eat out, knowing which things reheat well (and which don't!) is great information to have.

September Foodie Holidays: Week 1

September is National Biscuit Month, Better Breakfast Month, Whole Grains Month, Honey Month, Mushroom Month, Potato Month, and Rice Month.

Sept. 1: Cherry Popover Day, Gyro Day
Sept. 2: Blueberry Popsicle Day, Grits-for-Breakfast Day
Sept. 3: Welsh Rarebit Day
Sept. 4: Macadamia Nut Day
Sept. 5: Cheese Pizza Day
Sept. 6: Coffee Ice Cream Day
Sept. 7: Acorn Squash Day

My mom stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her mother-in-law to get this recipe. I'm glad she did, because by the time I compiled the family cookbook, Mamaw had already died.

Biscuits

4 C. self-rising flour

1/2 C. powdered milk

handful shortening

water

Directions: Put flour in a bowl. Make a well in the flour; pour the powdered milk in it. Add the shortening. Add water, a little at a time, working in flour from the sides. When the consistency is right, scoop by handfuls onto a floured surface. Pat into a biscuit shape with floured hands. Bake at 450ºF until light golden brown.

August Foodie Holidays: Week 4

August 22: Spumoni Day, Bao Day, World Plant Milk Day, Eat-a-Peach Day
August 23: Sponge Cake Day
August 24: Waffle Day, Peach Pie Day
August 25: Banana Split Day, Whiskey Sour Day
August 26: Cherry Popsicle Day
August 27: Pots de Crème Day, Banana Lover's Day
August 28: Cherry Turnover Day
August 29: Chop Suey Day
August 30: Toasted Marshmallow Day
August 31: Trail Mix Day, Eat Outside Day

This is another sort-of-cheating recipe, because it's not quite a banana split, but I'm including it anyway, because it's neat. (Also it's my blog and I can.) I received it from one of my aunts; it was a sort of bridal shower "favor." Everyone was asked to bring a recipe for the bride-to-be, and this was one of the ones she gave me.

Lickety-Split Banana Split Pie

1 graham cracker crust

2 small bananas

1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened

hot fudge sauce, unheated

pineapple preserves

chopped nuts

whipped topping

maraschino cherries

Directions: Slice bananas into the bottom of the crust. Spoon softened ice cream on top and freeze for 2 hours. Top with hot fudge, pineapple, whipped cream, chopped nuts and maraschino cherries.