merry christmas, happy holidays, happy chanukah

chess pies

these tarts are my favorite holiday goodies. i got this recipe when i was in high school from my best friend's mother, dode knepp.(some 50+ years ago)  i think that she had to make an extra recipe just for me. i have made them every year. they can be made ahead of time as they keep well in a tight container and in a cool place.

ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1 cup melted butter

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cup raisins, cooked and drained

1 cup black walnuts, chopped

3 cups english walnuts, chopped

nutmeg

mix first 4 ingredients together. cook and drain raisins and add to the mixture. add all the walnuts. line muffin tins with your favorite pie crust recipe. ( i cheated and bought it this year. it took three packages of the prepared dough for this recipe)

molly the dolly is a big help



i use medium and small muffin tins. they also can be made in regular size muffin tins. i just find them too large.

this recipe made 6 dozen chess pies.

fill the pie crust  3/4 full and sprinkle with a bit of nutmeg. bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until crusts and tops are lightly browned.



enjoy!!!



crab meat spread/ an appetizer

today i was going to a party and needed to take a 'dish to pass'. i had a pound of crab meat in the refrigerator and decided to revamp an old recipe that my friend linda gave me some 40 years ago. it has always been a popular recipe. alert everyone that it contains crab meat for those that are allergic.

ingredients
 8 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces sour cream
1 cube vegetable bouillon, pulverized ( i use my mortar and pestle)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cajun spice

12 ounces crab meat, picked and drained,(i squeeze it with my hands to get out the excess moisture)
1 cup cocktail sauce
1/2 cup chopped arugula
crackers

place first five ingredients in bowl and mix till it is blended and smooth. i use my mixer.

spread mixture in an 8 or 9 inch pie plate or similar serving piece

spread cocktail sauce on top of cheese mixture.

sprinkle with chopped arugula ( parsley can be substituted but i like the little bite of arugula)

refrigerate till ready to serve.



enjoy!

crock pot/ pot roast

this is a good recipe for this busy time of year. 20 minutes of preparation at the beginning and 15minutes at the end.today i was finishing my Christmas card as it slowly simmered away. i should say i spent the day fighting with photo shop( no lessons). i finally gave up and called the young man across the street as soon as he got home from school. all i wanted to do was print the inside of the card...yikes ! and a big thank you to Adam!! back to the pot roast...

ingredients
3-4 pound boneless chuck roast
2 onions, cut is 8ths
3 carrots , washed and cut in pieces( i do not peel them)
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup of dry red wine
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

adjust crock pot to 6 hour setting. sear the meat on both sides in either olive oil or bacon fat. cut up onion and place half on bottom of crock pot. add meat and place onion, carrots, tomatoes and wine on top. throw in bay leaves and cover.

go do your chores for 5 1/2 hours. at this point i turn the potatoes on high, i am making mashed for this dish. mix about 4 tablespoons of cornstarch in a little water.  in twenty minutes, mash the potatoes. remove meat and veggies from the crock pot and stir in the cornstarch. it makes a nice gravy for the potatoes.

enjoy!!!

pumpkin cheesecake

i will admit it, i have never met a cheesecake that i did not like but this one is a favorite. four stars from me. i have made it for at least 20 years and it has never failed me.

crust:

1 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

butter bottom and sides of a 9 inch spring form pan. pour in cookie crumbs and rotate so they adhere to bottom of pan. set aside

crumb crust

filling: all ingredients should be at room temperature

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
6 eggs
1 16-ounce can pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup heavy cream

preheat oven to 325 degrees. in an electric mixer beat together cream cheese and sugars. Add one egg at a time. add pumpkin, cream and spices. mix for 3 minutes and pour into prepared crust very gently.

 bake for approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes or until the filling is set. remove from oven and sprinkle with the pecan topping. return cake to oven and turn oven off ,leaving the cake in the oven until it cools, at least 45 minutes

pecan topping:
1 cup toasted,chopped pecans
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar

saute pecans in a tiny bit of butter till they are lightly browned

chop pecans and add to sugar and butter

 stir ingredients and sprinkle on top of cheesecake. topping is thick but be sure to cover entire surface of the cheesecake. the topping will melt and then harden when it is cool.


the baked and cooled cheesecake



enjoy!!!!

easy pulled pork

sometimes i am lucky enough to get my son to smoke a couple of pork butts for me. it really makes great pulled pork. this is my easy way to make it . it really tastes pretty good. this meal was for 15 people and we had plenty left over. as you can see in the picture below, the meat filled the crock pot.

cut up a pork loin to fit in the pot. pour 1 beer, 1/2 bottle of barbecue sauce, 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon adobo seasoning. cover and cook 8-10 hours in the crock pot. sometimes i start it at bedtime and deal with it in the morning.

pork loin, beer, barbecue sauce and seasonings

remove the meat and strain the juices and reserve. discard any fat that remains and either pull the pork apart with your hands or use 2 forks to shred it.

pork shredded with 2 forks

 place the pork back in the crock pot on warm. add 2 cups of the reserved liquid. i always skim off the fat. add additional barbecue sauce. the amount will depend on the amount of meat and taste. i added the rest of the bottle to this batch. it was not heavy with sauce. i always serve the sauce on the side for the sandwiches.

cole slaw

whats a pulled pork sandwich with out slaw. i like mine right on the top. this slaw was made with ready shredded cabbage that i bought in the store. i make my own dressing out of hellman's light mayo, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. this time i cheated. i used the saved juice from my homemade bread and butter pickles and the light mayo. i don't like a heavy mayo on slaw so it was about half  juice and half mayo.



read to eat?

the pork was moist and tender. the slow cooking and added juices do make a difference. try it and enjoy!

manhattan clam chowder

my grandson has a football game today and we are going to tailgate. i checked the temperature yesterday and decided it would be a good day for a chowder. i made it yesterday because i think it gets better if it 'sits a spell'.

ingredients
2 dozen very large chowder clams(cherrystone)
6 slices of bacon, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
2 cups of chopped celery
4 carrots, sliced
4 cups chopped, canned tomatoes
6 cups water
6 cups diced red potatoes with skin ( i used fingerling also because it was in the pantry)
2 packets vegetable bouillon
1/2 teaspoon 'tony chagere's cajun seasoning'
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon
salt and pepper to taste

wash the clams and shuck them, saving all of the juice. if they are difficult to open, place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer and slide them in the freezer for a half hour or so. cut the shucked clams into pieces . i use kitchen scissors but you can use a food processor if you are careful not to pulverize them. strain the juice to make sure that there are no bits of shell. set aside.

2 dozen shucked clams

          chop the onions and celery, slice the carrots and dice the potatoes. set the potatoes aside

veggies

saute the bacon to release the fat and add the celery, onions and carrots and cook ,stirring frequently  until the onions and celery are soft 

sauteing veggies with bacon

add the water, tomatoes, potatoes,seasoning,tarragon and bouillon and simmer until the potatoes are cooked. add the clam juice and return to a simmer. add clams and turn off heat. add parsley and adjust seasonings



fresh parsley from the garden

                                          this makes a big pot of soup but it does freeze well


ready to eat...enjoy!!!!

                                      



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