Mission Monday: Finally, I post some recipes

Sorry for the delay.  It's been tough for me to find a chunk of time to sit down this week and type out these recipes.

This ties in PERFECTLY with your Mission for this Monday.  Cue the music: Duh, duh, duh duh....

I'd really like to hear some things that you cook that are family favorites. Maybe it's a recipe that you plan to serve for Turkey day this week. (Those of you who live in other countries, like my Australian and European readers,  do you have a comparable holiday to the American Thanksgiving?  What do you serve for that meal?)  Maybe it's a dish that EVERYONE asks for when they eat at your house, or a dish that is requested when you go to a potluck.  Share your recipes with me, pretty please, since I have (finally!) posted the promised crock pot recipes. 

And I'd really like to know, do you like Green Bean casserole?  I can't stand it, but I seem to be in the minority 'round these parts.

Stuffed Apples with Caramel Cream Sauce

Core firm apples.  Pack the centers with butter brown sugar, cinnamon, apples and nuts, if desired. This is a free form recipe, so I just pack it in as much as possible.  Put a plate upside down in the bottom of the crock pot to form a platform.  Arrange the apples on the plate.  Cook for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low.  Serve with caramel cream sauce - In a saucepan, place 1 cup sugar and 3/4 water.  Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved and then turn heat up to medium high and bring to a boil without stirring, about 5 minutes.  Boil until it turns golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Wearing oven mitts (the mixture will splatter) carefully whisk in one can of condensd skim milk.  Return pan to low heat and stir until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and add 1 t vanilla and 1 t almond extract. Serve warm over apples.

Pumpkin Pie Pudding

• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Bisquik
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 T butter, melted
• 2 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
• 2 t vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until smooth.  Transfer into slow cooker coated with non stick spray.  Cover and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours or until a thermometer reads 160.  Serve with whipped cream.  (FYI:  it never takes that long to cook - maybe 3-4 hours)

Deluxe Crockpot Oatmeal

• 1 C quick cooking oats
• 2 C milk
• 1/4 C brown sugar
• 1 T butter
• melted
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 C finely chopped apple
• 1/2 C raisins and/or dates
• 1/2 C chopped walnuts or almonds

Grease the inside of Crockpot. Throw all ingredients inside Crockpot and mix well. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours. Stir before serving.

Cream Cheese Chicken

In a crock pot, place 4 chicken breasts. Add 1 stick of butter, one can cream of chicken soup, and one envelope DRY Italian salad dressing mix - the Good Seasons stuff.  Cook over low heat for 6-8 hours or high 3-4.  Remove lid, shred or cube chicken, and add in one block cream cheese.  Replace cover and heat for 15 -30 minutes.  Serve over rice or pasta.  (I usually double or triple this, and use low fat versions of stuff.)

Crock Pot Triple Chocolate Mess

• 1 package chocolate cake mix
  1 pint sour cream
  1 small package instant chocolate pudding
  1 small bag chocolate chips
  3/4 cup oil
  4 eggs
  1 cup water
  
  Spray crockpot with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients. Pour into crockpot.  Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Serve in a bowl with ice cream.

Comments

[Belinda]

Oh, OH! I can't WAIT to see these comments fill up! And yes, Green Bean Casserole pretty much rocks as comfort food. If you mean the one with the mushroom soup and french-fried onions. There's another one that is cheesy, that my family will make if no one's making the artery-clogging cheese-choked version of BROCCOLI casserole that year.

A thing that my entire family will scarf down and RAVE over, that also happens to be seasonal? VERY simple. Chop up, in largish chunks (maximum 1-inch pieces, slightly smaller than that is best), sweet potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, and sweet onions. Also good with carrots or other root veggies.

Melt some butter (or non-trans-fat margarine; Smart Balance really works just as well), mix it with olive oil in whatever ratio you like, and toss the raw root-veggie chunks in the oil/butter mixture until lightly coated. It doesn't take a lot, really. If you're being totally calorie-conscious, you can also use Pam cooking spray.

Then toss in coarse sea-salt or Kosher salt, coarse ground pepper, and a metric ton or so of chopped garlic (I use the stuff in the jar) and whatever other savory spices you might like.

Spread the whole shebang in a big roasting pan, and ROAST the heck out of it. Really. Roast. As in, 500 degrees in the oven. Cook it to your preference, but at least until everything's tender. WE personally like it to cook until everything is slightly crispy on the outside, and the onions and the starches in the sweet potatoes are starting to carmelize. MMMmmmmmm.

This was a longtime weekday favorite of my family's, and easy because to make it a complete meal, all you have to do is plunk a roasting chicken in the middle of the pan with the potato/onion mixture, and *maybe* serve a salad. But the first time I brought this as my contribution for Thanksgiving dinner? You'd have thought I re-invented the WHEEL. Everyone is so used to the sweet potato dishes being, well...sweet. One year I did one of each, and the savory dish was smooth GONE at the end, while the marshmallow-topped standard had leftovers.

Another easy Thanksgiving thing is to take fresh cranberries, cook them in orange juice and several pounds (I exaggerate, but only a little) of sugar, and keep adding sugar when the "sauce" gets thin, until you have a divine compote. I'm talking about cooking it for a couple of hours, at least, at low temps. Healthy? Not exactly, but then, you don't eat much of it in a serving.

Now I'll be checking back here to see what everyone else posts!

[Annika]

Green bean casserole is quite possibly the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten that doesn't have mushrooms in it. Blech!

My #1 specialty is pizza. I posted my recipe forever ago, here: http://noirbettie.com/blog/2004/10/27/delicious-food-for-you-part-i

I make my sauce differently now, and sometimes do a different crust - I will post the new recipes on Monday (I'm way too tired tonight).

[margalit]

I've never eaten Green Bean Casserole. It's not Kosher so I have no clue of what it tastes like but it LOOKS disgusting.

I love to cook, and I cook a lot. Like every freaking night. My kids love different things (natch) so it's hard to say what is a true family favorite. My son loves my salmon patties, which are the simplest thing on the planet to make, but he thinks I'm a gourmet cook. You take canned salmon, get rid of the spine bones, and mush it up. Add a couple of eggs for binding, some matzoh meal to make it a solid mass, add Old Bay Seasoning to taste, and form into patties. Coat with Panko, then pan fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. I serve the patties over a salad of fresh greens and vinegrette.

My turkey is world reknowned (yeah, right) but it's also easy to make. I always use one kind of turkey, Empire Kosher. They are pre-salted and very plump and juicy. I combine fresh sage, rosemary, basil, oregano, parsely and thyme together and chop it up into little bits, then mix with olive oil and fresh pepper. I don't add salt because we're a low sodium family, but you could. I then take this rub and place it under the skin of the turkey, spreading it out so that it covers the entire top and sides of the turkey. Then I roast it at 325 until it's brown and crispy and done. Not hard at all. I never baste. I never tent the turkey because we only make small ones, and the dark and white cook simultaneiously.

I love brisket, and it is also very easy to make. Line the bottom of a big roasting pan with thick foil. Cut up carrots, celery, and onions into a mirapois (SP?) and place on the bottom of the foil. Put the brisket on top, fat side down. Open a can of whole cranberry sauce and pour over the brisket. Then pour a cup of red wine (merlot is nice, so is burgandy) and sprinkle a packet of onion soup on top. Slice up a large spanish onion and cover up the meat with it. Then close the foil tightly to allow the sauce to create. Bake it in a low 300 degree oven for a frigging long time, usually for at least 5 hours. You want the meat to be juicy but not particularly tough or stringy. When it's done, let it rest for at least 1/2 hour before slicing. Serve it with egg noodles or Kasha and Varnishkes.

I also make a fab cuban chicken dinner, using boneless breasts stewed in Cuban mojito sauce. I make black beans by chopping up a large onion and some red or yellow peppers, sauteing the onions and peppers, then adding a couple of cans of black beans and about 1/4 cup of white vinegar. Very tasty. Serve with white rice piled up on the plate, chicken over the rice, and beans on the side. The mojito sauce is from Trader Joes.

How about Chicken Garam Masala? I use boneless breasts cubed and sauted. Add 1 box POMI chopped tomatos and 1 box POMI tomato sauce to chicken once it's browned. Add Garam Masala (I use dean and deluca's in a round can, but you can make your own pretty easily) to taste. At the end, add long green beans or peas, and a can of rinsed chick peas. Serve with rice.

This is all off the top of my head in the middle of the night. If I think of more, I'll post later.

[Heather]

Greenbean casserole is a staple at every holiday meal in our family. We all love it. If we could only stop eating the fried onions before we top the casserole, then it would be perfect.

My family loves homemade bread. I don't bake it often enough for them. But, when I do it doesn't last more than 24 hours.

[theotherbear]

I have never had green bean casserole. Not an Aussie thing. Thanksgiving, not aussie thing either. But I have just looked up a recipe and GOOD GRIEF that sounds GROSS! Way to ruin BEANS!

I am also really disturbed by the mention by a commenter of Sweet Potato with a MARSHMALLOW topping??? What the??? Pumpkin and sweet potato are decidedly savoury here in Oz and I have only ever tried it sweet-style in a pumpkin pie once when I made it for my Canadian hubby for a Thanksgiving dinner. It was awful. He loved it. I have made it since for him 'cos I rule, but have never eaten it again myself! I usually roast my pumpkin or sweet potato, along with roasted potato and whatever other veg, and serve it with roasted meat (lamb, chicken, beef, whatever!).

Fave recipes:
Spinach Dip - the best dip evah, which doesn't taste at all like spinach, this will run out the door at a party. I actually have people ring me before a party to ask if I will be serving this. I just posted the recipe yesterday:
http://uncaringbear.blogspot.com/2006/11/best-dip-evah.html

I had a nice dinner tonight, Zucchini Crustless Quiche, to be honest it was leftovers from one night last week so it was way easy and just a reheat job, but even on the cooking night it was way easy.
http://uncaringbear.blogspot.com/2006/11/quiche.html

My Creamy Chicken Casserole is my pick for my last meal on earth.
http://uncaringbear.blogspot.com/2006/11/my-favourite-dinner.html
My sister hates it apparently, but I love it and I wasn't going to invite her over for it anyway.

Oooh but I can't stop here, I also love our version of Rick Stein Pork Chops which we saw on TV one morning and wrote down this, which is the nearest to what we could remember and is pretty good (we just adjust quantities to what we have on hand and this is NOT a diet dish - a definite 'special occasion'):

Large thick pork chops
fresh sage
shallot onions
butter
salt & pepper
apple cider

chop up sage & onions. Mix with butter and salt and pepper. Score pork chops with a knife and smear sage/onion mix over both sides in the score marks. Grill chops on both sides. Add some apple cider and cover for 6 minutes. Cider should now be reduced. Add some butter to the cider. Serve with boiled new potatoes and green veggies, Pour cider sauce over potatoes.

My final other recipe is risotto. I hate rice. But I love this, it's definitely in my top 3 meals. And it's rice! Wierd. This is SOOOO tasty.
Shrimp/Prawn and Veggie Risotto.
http://www.ming.com/simplyming/showrecipes2003/recipe10182003guest.htm

Sorry I think I got carried away there... :)

[Tammy]

I can't stand green bean casserole!!! But, I don't like green beans to begin with and the only way I can even force them down is if they have some bacon in them. I thought maybe the green bean casserole has enough stuff I like that I could stomach it. NOT. EEEWWWW!!! (That probably made me sound like a small child, but that's just how it is.)

One recipe I got from my mother that's very easy that my husband and I like, but our daughter does not is Cajun Cabbage. Cabbage isn't a popular food choice for most people but there is one gentleman at church that just loves it when it's Cajun night so I'll bring this dish just for him. Boil cabbage with a little onion. Add smoked sausage (I like polska kielbasa), salt, and a little cayenne pepper. Top with cooked bacon pieces. It's even better as leftovers the next day.

King Ranch Chicken is a favorite dish for me to take when church members are providing meals for families after a funeral or sickness. Dice up cooked chicken (we prefer white meat) with onion and place in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Top with crumbled tortilla or nacho cheese chips. Top that with cubed Velveeta and shredded monterey jack or mozarella cheeses. Add more chips if you like, top with a mixture of Rotel tomatoes and a can of cream of mushroom soup (or you can use cream of chicken soup) and pour over top of casserole. Then you can top with more shredded cheese if you like. Bake at 350 until cheese is bubbly.

Our favorite side dish is your mom's corn pudding recipe:
QUICK CORN PUDDING
1 8½ oz. box Jiffy muffin mix
1 16 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
1 16 oz. can cream style corn
½ cup (1 stick) melted butter or margarine
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs, beaten
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and pour into a 9”x13” baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until lightly browned. Makes 8 servings.

Our favorite dessert is:
NO BAKE COOKIES
½ cup milk
3 cups oatmeal
½ cup cocoa
½ cup peanut butter
2 cups sugar
3 tsp. vanilla
½ cup butter
Boil milk, cocoa, sugar and butter for 2 minutes. Add the oatmeal, peanut butter and vanilla. Drop by spoonfulls onto waxed paper. Let cool. YUM!!!!!

[meritt]

*I eat green bean casserole as an excuse to eat the little fried onions that go on top of it*

This week I bought the really really big can... and ate half of it when I got home from the grocery store - straight out of the can. LOL.

:)

[Elizabeth]

Corn pudding is the BEST DISH EVER. And Jiffy mix is made in Chelsea, Michigan about an hour from my house, and I love supporting local companies in any way. Their corn muffin mix is the only one I ever use. I highly recommend to everyone that you make corn pudding for Thanksgiving!

And no-bake cookies, because YUM.

[rachel]

I'll put up some favorites later today.
all my recipes are here:
http://www.ourgaggleofgirls.com/recipes

My 8yo is thrilled today - she told me yesterday she can't wait for Monday so we can do the Monday Mission. :)

Just thought you'd want to know how much you are appreciated!

[Pave.Gurl]

One of my standards is pork chops with rice, in about a zillion varieties - sometimes I bake the whole mess in a pan with cream of *insert here* soup and onion soup mix casserole-style, sometimes I pan sear the chops and then deglaze with wine, sometimes I'll caramalise some almonds and then bake off... And so on. Another big thing is chicken and pasta with sauce I create - sometimes as simple as butter, garlic, and capers; sometimes a tomato sauce of some sort or a jarred alfredo I've "zizzed up" with something.

Shrimp scampi is easy and pretty well loved around here (I buy shrimp in bulk and my mom lives on the coast, so occassionally, she'll pick up a bunch and freeze it for me), so it makes a nice "company" dinner. Spinach lasagne or spinach/ ricotta stuffed shells are quick make-aheads I like to make in big batches and freeze by portions.

For Thanksgiving, I am making some apple pies (pretty quick and easy) to take to my uncle's - I'll be driving on Thursday, so I need something fairly easy to transport, and he's not a big fan of sharing his kitchen :) And we adore green-bean casserole. Also sweet potato souffle (with the marshmellows on top).

[DeeDee]

Here's a variation on green bean casserole that also has bacon:

Chop up and fry about 4 slices of bacon (use a really big skillet). Drain most of the grease. Toss in some chopped onion, cream of mushroom soup, a can of mushrooms, three cans of green beans, and a couple handfuls of cheddar cheese. Cook until heated through. You can also make it ahead, stick in a casserole dish and bake later. I omit the onion.

[Erin]

Green bean casserole? eh. I can take it or leave it. Whenever it is served, it is almost always at room temperature and that just doesn't do it for me. I prefer my green beans with garlic, butter and salt. MMMMM! My daughter eats them by the handful like that.

Our Thanksgiving must-have is sweet potatoes. I just bought something like 8 pounds of sweet potatoes (might've over done it a little) to make for this Thursday. My mom's recipe is really easy. Parboil the taters until mostly soft. Put them in a casserole and layer with lots (LOTS!) of brown sugar and butter (I use Smart Balance. Tastes the same and won't kill you). Then (and here's the genius bit) MICROWAVE the casserole until the brown sugar melts with the butter and everything is piping hot. You may want to stir it a couple of times, to make sure everything gets mixed in. Can also be done in the oven. This is one of the few things my mother makes that my husband likes.

[Stephanie C.]

A huge "yes" on the green bean casserole here. My kids love it, and I like it a lot. I'll be making that Thursday.
Another fave for holidays, or any time, really, is my make ahead mashed potatoes. You boil potatoes, then drain and mash, add in some sour cream, a lot of cream cheese and salt and paprika. Put into casserole dish and then bake. Or, you can make it ahead and then cook it the day of the meal.
People usually ask me to bring something chocolate, as they know it's my specialty.

[Christina]

My husband loves green bean casserole but he's the only one so he's not getting that this year. My favorite holiday food is pumpkin pie! I will be trying some of these recipes, they all sound so good. My family loves homemade bread, and my favorite is this one, it's done in 1 hr and 15 minutes including rising time and it's so yummy fresh out of the oven with dinner, especially with a soup dinner.
Cuban Bread
From start to finish, 1 hour and 15 minutes

5-6 C all purpose flour (can sub 1-2 C whole wheat flour for all purpose)
2 Tbsp dry yeast
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp salt
2 C hot water (120-130 degrees)
1 Tbsp sesame or poppy seeds (opt., decoration only)

Mix dry ingredients in kitchen-aid with dough hook. As the machine is running, drizzle in water until dough forms a ball. Spin the ball 20 times to knead. Place dough in greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise 15 minutes.

Punch down. Divide into two pieces. Shape into two round loaves and place on a baking sheet. Cut an X ½ inch deep on top with a sharp knife. Brush with water and sprinkle with seeds (opt). Place on the middle shelf of a cold oven. Place a cake pan of hot water on the lowest shelf. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake 40-50 minutes until deep golden brown.

[Brenda]

I love green bean casserole! In fact, it's the one thing I always bring to big dinners. We do the sweet potatoes with marshmellows here, too. Mmmm.

[Brenda]

And yes, I can spell marshmAllow!

[Melissa]

Since you asked, nope I can't stand green bean casserole...ewwwwwww. Or stuffing, I just don't like it and no one understands.

My absolute favorite is pumpkin brownies with cream cheese frosting.

[Jen]

Neither my family nor my husband's family cares for the green bean casserole.

I make my grandma's sweet potato casserole - sweet potatoes, granny smith apples, a little apple cider, pecans and butter.

Chocolate Pecan Pie (SINFUL)

Despite eating healthy Spring through Fall - my family puts on 5 pounds each between Thanksgiving and New Year's. I still try to keep it healthy but once winter comes all the comfort food falls into the rotation.

My husband and son will high five each other whenever they hear I'm making one of the following:

Crockpot pot roast w/carrots and celery and mashed potatoes

Chicken or Turkey pot pie

Pigs in a Blanket (aka stuffed cabbages) again with the mashed potatoes.

Cottage Ham and Au Gratin Potatoes

We usually have a few people over on New Year's Eve. The first year I decided to do light finger foods and my husband poo pooed it as too healthy. I took his suggestions and they were a hit. It's only once a year and caps off the winter holiday gluttony ! I dust off the deep fat fryer and make a couple platters of fried finger foods and dipping sauces: french fries, chicken fingers, egg rolls, etc. Usually everyone resolves to lose weight in the New Year so this is their last hurrah ;) My stomach can't handle that much grease anymore so I always make some mini wrap sandwiches too.

[Jen]

Thanks for the recipes !!!!!

[rachel]

I made another Mission Monday post - here's our family's favorite recipes.
http://www.ourgaggleofgirls.com/agog/?p=2444

I'm going to see if I can adapt any of yours for our family. they look delicious!

[Tammy]

I would love to have Melissa's recipe for pumpkin brownies with cream cheese frosting. That sounds wonderful!!!

[Allie]

http://curvatude.blogspot.com/2006/11/mission-monday.html

3 kid friendly recipes are now available on my site

Sweet Potato Soup, Stuffed Apples with pumkin muffin filling and Cranberry Crunch Biscuits

[rachel]

I'm not Melissa, but here's my pumpkin bar recipe - can be gluten, dairy, nut, and egg free. Or "normal" :)
http://www.ourgaggleofgirls.com/recipes/?p=93

if you happen to be a gf person, no one notices. My very-picky inlaws ate an entire tray of these. YUM. we're having this instead of pumpkin pie (no one here likes pumpkin pie, but we all love these)

I, um, may have a recipe addiction, sorry. MUST STOP POSTING

[Tuesday]

I love green bean casserole, but hate any other type of casserole. Weird.

I have a great recipe for soup posted on my other, OTHER blog: http://tuesdaygirl.blogspot.com/

[Michelle]

We don't cook any one recipe traditionally but we do have a tradition of seeking out and serving new appetizers before the meal. We've found some fabulous recipes over the years.