KBCO Favorite Holiday Dishes

Marcus’ Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Next to Pumpkin Pie, my favorite Thanksgiving staple is Garlic Mashed Potatoes:

1 5lb bag of Red Potatoes
½ stick of Butter
2-3 cups of grated Romano Cheese
3-5 cloves of Garlic, chopped or pressed
1-2 teaspoons sea salt, to taste
Oregano (optional)

Wash and scrub the potatoes with a vegetable brush to remove the dirt. Partially peel the potatoes, cutting out the eyes while leaving most of the skin on the potatoes. Half or quarter the potatoes and add to a pot of boiling water. Cook for 25 – 35 minutes until tender. Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add cheese, butter and garlic. I prefer to hand mash the potatoes – real mashed potatoes have lumps, but feel free to use a mixer if you are used to smooth and evenly mashed potatoes. Add sea salt (and oregano) to taste. If you have a garlic roaster and an additional hour of time, you can use roasted garlic instead. Because roasted garlic is sweeter and far less potent than raw garlic, I recommend using an entire bulb of roasted garlic.


Ginger's Stuffed Mushrooms with Sausage

Gather your friends and open up some wine, it's Shroomt Time!

½ pound of Italian sausage (hot or mild)
1 ½ teaspoons of dried oregano
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
½ teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
8 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg yolk
20 to 25 large stemmed mushrooms
½ cup dry white wine
olive oil

Brown sausage with oregano over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes. Break up the sausage into small pieces as it cooks. If using sausage links, be sure to remove the casings! Drain thoroughly (sometimes I pat off the extra fat with paper towels) and place sausage in a large bowl. After sausage has cooled, add 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and Worcestershire. Stir in cream cheese and mix thoroughly. Add Salt and pepper to taste, and stir in one beaten egg yolk.

Preheat ove nto 350. Prepare 15x10x2 pan by brushing the bottom with olive oil. Brush white wine in the cavity of each mushroom cap. Stuff each with about one tablespoon filling (depending on size of mushroom) and sprinkle it with parmesan cheese. Set mushrooms in the pan with the stuffing side up and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender and the filling has browned on top.

Enjoy!


Keefer's Family Shrimp Recipes

These are a couple dishes that always come around during the holidays. Enjoy!

Aunt Leola's Shrimp Soup

2 cans of Mushroom soup
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 can of pea soup--I usually use ½ can
2 cans Cream of Chicken with Rice
2 cans of tomato soup
2 cans of water
2 cup of cream
1 lb of shrimp
1 onion minced

Saute the shrimp and onion together and then add all the rest.



Phil's Crab & Shrimp Soup

This recipe from my brother is a little like a good story or an old blues tune, it changes everytime I hear it. It's one of those recipes that's open to allow you to put your own stamp on. But basically it goes like this.

Take a can of Chicken Broth. Throw in peeled shrimp and crab meat (he says canned crab meat is OK). Heat to simmer, not boil. Add heavy cream. Pitch in some bread crumbs, garnish with parsley. Amounts depend on how many you are going to feed.

You can stop there or he says you can include corn, potatoes, bacon, etc., whatever sounds good to you. He never makes it the same way twice…..but it's always good.

Chris' Autumn Pumpkin Pie

A delicious pumpkin pie, spiced with ginger and cinnamon. Serve this pie with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with a little cinnamon or cinnamon-sugar - it's been a favorite in my family for years.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup evaporated milk, undiluted
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 unbaked pastry shell (9-inch)

Preparation:
Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, spices, and flour in a medium mixing bowl. Add eggs; mix well. Add evaporated milk, water, and vanilla; mix well. Pour into pastry-lined pie pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350° and bake about 35 minutes longer, or until center is set.



Bret’s Holiday Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg
2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 large bag of semisweet chocolate chips

Turn on the oven if you can find it. 375 degrees is good and hot for cookie-makin’. Get a bowl – you’ll need a big one like a horse eats out of but if you use the horse bowl make sure to wash it out, and I don’t mean by letting the dog lick it. Mix all of the ingredients together except for the chocolate chips. The dough should be all stiff and everything. Then take the chips (make sure they’re not the waxy kind that don’t really taste like chocolate) and dump the whole bag in. That’s what makes my exclusive recipe so sweet and special! You might end up with a disgusting mess but it will be the most delicious problem you’ll ever encounter. Make little blobs and put them on a cookie sheet. Ten minutes should do it. It should do something, anyway. Eat them when you know your mouth won’t be seared with painful burning. Happy now?



Scott's Favorite Holiday Treat - 7 layer bars

Ingredients:
1/2 cup melted butter or oleo
1 cup crushed graham crackers
1 cup coconut, finely cut
6 oz. chocolate chips
6 oz. butterscotch chips
1 can Borden's evaporated milk
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Bake in oven at 350 for 30 minutes (you might want to bake at 325 if using a glass pan).


Joe Niko's Favorite Holiday Recipes

Cannoli

Ingredients
Shells:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
• 6 tablespoons Marsala

Filling:
• 1 pound sheep's milk ricotta (may substitute cow's milk)
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 4 tablespoons grated orange zest, plus extra for garnish
• 1/4 cup tiny chocolate chips
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 2 quarts canola oil, for frying
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:
To make the shells: Mix together the dry ingredients and cut in butter with 2 knives. Add the Marsala and shape the dough into a ball. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Heat 2 quarts canola oil in 3 1/2-quart pot to 360 to 375 degrees F.

To make the filling: In a mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, orange zest, and chocolate chips. Mix until well combined. Spoon the filling into a pastry bag with an open tip, and place the bag in the refrigerator. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into 4 equal pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll 1 piece onto flat surface until it measures 1/16-inch thick. Using a cookie cutter or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 4-inch circles. Using a rolling pin, elongate the circles into ovals.

Wrap the ovals lengthwise around the metal cannoli tubes. Using your fingertips, seal the edges shut with egg whites. Use your fingers to flare the ends open. Working in small batches, carefully lift the cannoli shells and place them in the hot oil. Fry the shells until golden brown on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove the finished shells to a plate lined with paper towels. Drain on paper towels as they cook. Allow to cool.

When the shells are cool enough to touch, carefully twist the molds away from shells. Shells may be made 1 day in advance and rest unfilled and uncovered. When ready to eat, stuff cannoli with ricotta cream, dust with powdered sugar and orange zest.
(courtesy foodnetwork.com)