Holiday Highlights

Hash Brown Casserole
(recipe at the end of this post)

I look at the calendar and see that the last of our family left only a week ago. Then why does it seem that all of the holiday activities seem to have happened a long time ago? Conversely, Daddy-O and I were watching a Netflix show last night when the Sonny & Cher song "I've Got You, Babe" was mentioned. And Daddy-O said, "It seems like that song was popular just yesterday." It was first released in 1965. I'm pretty sure those two observations of the movement of time mean that we are officially old. You can google time perception and aging and find all sorts of scientific studies. All I know is that it feels different now.

Let's catch up a little here (I have been blog absent for a while) and take a quick look at our holiday. It looks like all we did was eat. There might be some truth there.

We have Christmas breakfast right after the girls check out what Santa left for them. Just basic breakfast food, but this year with a gingerbread butter that was a gift from a friend. I'll see if I can get her recipe. It's definitely a recipe worth having.

We made our traditional standing rib roast for Christmas night supper. And because Jessica and Todd were not here for Christmas, we cooked another one on New Year's Eve. Because they wanted one.

Mommy is teaching her little ones the art of promptly writing thank you notes. When my own girls were little Santa always tucked a box of thank you notes into their stockings.

When Jessica and Todd arrived for New Years, they—along with their little helper—baked a batch of cinnamon rolls that we all love. There are a few pans left in the freezer for Daddy-O to enjoy later.

Jessica and Todd spent Christmas with his family and while they were there, they had a lesson in baking his mother's famous chocolate layer cake. So to make sure they had the process firmly in hand, they baked another one at our house. Nine layers of homemade yellow cake and lots of fudgy frosting. I'll try to share this recipe later. I want to check with his mom first and ask her permission.

We had so much rain while they were here, but we took advantage of every break in the rain to play outside. Little Sister learned to ride her bike and was zooming around the house so fast that I never got a picture of her! Baby Girl loves her balance bike and told me, "Somebody needs to nail some pedals on my bike!" Think she's ready for a real bicycle?

Little Sister got a cookbook and a chef's coat from Santa, so she offered to make breakfast for us one morning. Yogurt, fruit and granola parfaits. She's learning good solid cooking techniques. And she already knows about presentation. We're working on serving skills.

When it was too wet to play outdoors, the girls entertained us with original dramas. This play was called "The Human and the Mermaid." Total improv. I'm not sure which one saved the other...the plot was a little fuzzy. But it kept them busy for hours, finding props and costumes, arranging seating, inviting the audience. I think we could classify it as a "comic tragedy."

The last big family meal was lunch on New Year's day. It's the same menu we always have. The same traditional meal I've had since childhood. And the same that Daddy-O grew up with. I cannot imagine anything different. It's a southern thing. Black-eyed peas, collards, pork and cornbread. J-Daddy said this was his favorite meal of the entire holiday season.

I had forgotten how good this casserole was. Friend Missy asked several weeks before Christmas if I had a good recipe for a hash brown casserole. I told her I did. And that it was the same recipe that we all used back in the day. I was surprised that I didn't have it here on the blog. So here it is, safely blogged so that we can all find it now.

HASH BROWN CASSEROLE

1 (2-lb) package frozen hash brown potatoes (the cubed style)
1 cup diced onion
1 pint sour cream (that's 2 cups or 16 ounces)
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 stick of butter, melted

Mix all ingredients, reserving some of the cheese. Spoon into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 1 hour.


If you dice your onion the night before, this only takes minutes to stir up in the morning. The leftovers—if there are any—are good reheated. We baked this for our Christmas breakfast and then served the leftovers as a side dish with the rib roast on Christmas night. No one complained about "leftovers."

There was so much wonderful family time that isn't documented here. Funny things Baby Girl said, sweet moments with the grandchildren, bedtime stories and snuggles, farm adventures with Daddy-O, bath time with peppermint shampoo, Baby Girl hiding under the bed on the day were to leave because she didn't want to go. All those memories. These are the things I hope the grandchildren remember and talk about and taught about long after I'm gone.

Here's my wish for the new year....that we take a hard look at what is really important. What really matters. And then make our time and activities match our priorities.

Thinking About Thanksgiving

I know holidays are about tradition. And I know that traditions change. That's the nature of...well, nature. Things change. Circumstances change. People change. This is our year of change. Thanksgiving is about being grateful. And I am MORE than grateful for years and years of eating Thanksgiving turkey at one of many tables fitted into every possible space of a house, where my metal folding chair would bang into the folding chair behind me. There were that many of us. And it was always fun.

These were Thanksgivings where the number of cousins in line for turkey ranged from 25 to 45, depending on the year. It has been the gathering where boyfriends—who later became husbands—were introduced to the family. (Daddy-O was one of those.) And sometimes boyfriends were just boyfriends. But this year it will be just my family at our house. And it's finally time for me to act like a grownup and place an entire Thanksgiving dinner on the table.

Yes, the focus of Thanksgiving should be gratitude and thankfulness and not food. And this year we are truly thankful. But let's be honest. Food does play a big role in the day. As I am making my list and checking it twice, I'm looking for recipes I can use this Thanksgiving. Maybe I can save you a little searching if you are also on the recipe hunt.

In no particular order, these are recipes we have used for years. No, not every recipe every year, but all (but one) of these have made it to a Thanksgiving table at one time or another. Click on the title to find the recipe.

Macaroni & Cheese. If you are from another part of the country, maybe even another part of our state, this might not be the kind you make. But this is the recipe we that expect on every big dinner table. When I was growing up, we called it "macaroni pie." 

Cranberry Apple Crunch. Jessica has been making this for years to add to the table. It falls somewhere between side dish and dessert. (It's delish with a scoop of ice cream.) And we have been known to have leftovers for breakfast. 

Sweet Potato Souffle. Many years ago, my mother moved on past sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top to this nutty topping. This is her recipe—except I use less butter in the topping than she did. We like it fine this way. PS...it's really not a souffle but that's what we've always called it. 

Caramelized Brussel Sprouts. Mommy found this recipe ages ago. Even the non-Brussel sprouts folks usually like this dish. Maybe because the sprouts are shredded and don't look like Brussel sprouts. 

Baked Pineapple. Another easy side dish with a sweet taste. (Hey, don't judge. We're in the South.) 

Company Carrots. These carrots are not the typical glazed sweet ones. They are savory. And they easily can slip into the oven along side other dishes. You can even bake them at several oven temps to make it work with the rest of your menu. 

Cranberry Sauce. This is the recipe Mommy made the year they were far away from home and she made the entire dinner. Now it's a regular recipe for her. 

Cornbread Dressing. Not my mother's recipe and I haven't made or tasted this one. But both daughters have made it and served it and say it's delicious. 

Pumpkin Pie Spectacular. I make the most basic of pumpkin pies. But Mommy makes this one and her family loves it. I think their words were, "It's a show stopper!" They are begging for it again this year. 

Pumpkin Angel Food Cake. Any folks are your table who are health conscious? This might be the dessert for them. If you're an angel food cake fan, this is a perfect fall version. It's easy, too 

Sweet Potato Biscuits. These are SO good. Even work for the non-biscuit baker (like me) AND they can be made ahead of time and frozen until the day you need them. For Thanksgiving, we just serve them with butter. 

Blushing Apple Julep. Okay. I've never had this for Thanksgiving, but it would be so good if your day calls for a beverage and a munchie while folks wait for the big dinner.

Can you tell I'm a whiz at side dishes? And desserts are pretty easy. It's the turkey and dressing and gravy that I've never had to do. Son-in-law has offered to fry our turkey this year. We decided that the cooking process will be our Thanksgiving "activity"—which, if we're lucky, might also produce an entree. (He suggested having a backup turkey in the oven might be wise.) This turkey frying thing might become our new tradition.

So here's to tradition, both old ones and new ones! That house where we gathered might not be as full of people this Thanksgiving, but it will be just as full of love as ever. It's just that the love is coming from a little further down the road. And I have no doubt that they will feel it.


These recipes are posted here just as a quick reference if you need ideas for the holiday. And don't forget there are more salads, desserts, appetizers, etc. listed in the Recipe Index at the top of the post. Click on that tab to reach the index. 

Don't overlook the little search box at the top left of the blog. I use that as often as the index. When I discovered this week that Sweet Potato Souffle was not in the index, and I was positive that I had blogged that recipe, the search box led me straight to the recipe. And it's now safely listed in the index along with its brother and sister side dishes.

Happy New Year!

2014 is here!

Here in the South, the new year usually starts with the "good luck" meal of black eyed peas, collards, pork and cornbread. I was not about to test the theory and cook something different! According to Southern Living, "These two Southern classics all but guarantee a prosperous year. Some say the greens represent dollar bills and the peas, coins, ensuring wealth and luck."

I cooked collards a couple of days early, so that we could freeze some for Jessica to take back to Atlanta with her. For Mommy, Daddy and the sisters, we bought canned collards that would survive a two-day drive home. Yes, we take this tradition seriously.

I know, I know. Good southern cooks wouldn't need a recipe. But I do. If cooking greens is not on your regular meal rotation, this recipe from Paula Deen is a good one.

COLLARD GREENS

1/2 lb. smoked meat (ham hocks, smoked turkey wings or smoked neck bones--I use turkey wings)
2-3 teaspoons House Seasoning*
1-2 teaspoons Lawrys' Seasoning Salt
2 bags frozen chopped collards (or 1 large bunch of fresh collards, cleaned and sliced)
1 tablespoon butter

In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add smoked meat, house seasoning and seasoned salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 hour.
Add frozen greens and butter. Cook for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning to taste.

*House Seasoning: 1 cup salt, 1/4  cup black pepper, 1/4 cup garlic powder. Mix together and store in airtight container.

Another recipe I made for New Year IS a regular in our kitchen. It's easy to prep, then you pop it into the oven for an hour where it cooks unattended. 

PORK CHOPS & BROWN RICE

1/2 cup regular rice
1 can Campbell's beef consomme
3 or 4 boneless pork chops
slices of onion and green pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put rice in a 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Pour most of the consomme over the rice. Brown the pork chops quickly in a hot skillet. Put the chops on the rice, top each with a slice of onion and a couple of pepper strips. Pour the remaining consomme over the chops. Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Need One More Gift?

Yes, I am sticking to my plan and doing "doing less." (But, it's Christmas—I have to do something!) In fact, I'm taking a break right now to rest for a few minutes this morning. Posting a short blog entry doesn't require much energy, though. I thought you might like to have this easy, easy recipe if you need just one more thing to give, to take to a party, to have for your family to nibble on.

We had enjoyed a pumpkin dip at a couple of baby showers in recent years. I found this recipe on SouthernPlate.com around Thanksgiving and I saved it for Christmas.  The ingredients are things I usually have on hand--except for the cookies. It took five minutes to mix together and put into containers. One recipe filled four half-pint jars. I added a little treat bag with bought gingerbread man cookies.

And this really does taste like pumpkin pie. So if you know your folks won't go near a pumpkin pie, find something else for them!

PUMPKIN PIE DIP

8-oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
15-oz. can pumpkin
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar until creamy. (I used my hand mixer.) Add pumpkin, cinnamon and ginger and beat until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with ginger cookies, graham cracker sticks, or apple slices.


Jessica arrives tomorrow. We will see the rest of the family on Saturday. Yeah!