Friday's Fave Foods***Danish Wedding Cookies

The season is officially upon us. If you are reading this, you may be one of those people (like me!) that likes to give festive food during the holidays. Giving cookies can be alot of fun, and nowdays, there are so many creative and inexpensive containers out there in which to present them. Generally I live to give a little variety of cookies. But if you are pressed for time, and cannot do that, these, all by themselves, will do very well. They are my favorite!

SERVES 24 , 2 dozen

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons

all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup

butter, softened

1/2 cup

pecans, finely chopped

1/2 cup

powdered sugar, sifted, divided

1/2 teaspoon

vanilla extract

powdered sugar

Directions

1. Combine flour and cinnamon in a large bowl.
2. Add butter, pecans, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla, stir well until blended. Batter will be stiff.

3. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
4. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.
5. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool slightly.
6. Roll cookies in powdered sugar, and cool completely on wire rack.

Notes: You may also find these as "Mexican Wedding Cookies". Some recipes call for flattening them out, but I find their shape appealing and different, especially if you are presenting these as part of a variety of cookies. Also, you can substitute the powdered sugar for powdered cocoa, and do a contrast of white and dark.

WORD OF CAUTION: These things are ADDICTING!

Friday's Fave Foods***Roasted Turkey Breast with Cornbread Dressing

I have decided to cook a turkey breast this year instead of the whole bird. I am pretty traditional, so this is a biggie for me. But since it's only my son and I it's the best way to go. I'm adding my cornbread stuffing because I spent years looking for the best dressing (on the esoteric side of course) and this one beat them all, hands down. 15 years later, it's still my favorite. (Found the original recipe in the Contra Costa Times)

I would also like to write sometime about deep frying a turkey, as that is the ultimate tradition in the South. But I will save that for a few beers and another day!

Simple Roasted Turkey Breast

Pat dry with paper towel a 4 to 5 pound turkey breast; sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Spread it with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Roast the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderately slow (325 degrees) and arrange a piece of cheesecloth soaked in 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, melted, over the turkey. Roast the turkey, basting it every 20 minutes for 1 to 1 1/2 hours more or until meat thermometer registers 160 degrees. Remove and discard the cheese cloth and transfer the turkey to a heated platter. Serves 8 to 10.

Cornbread Dressing With Sausage

1 medium onion, chopped

3-4 stalks of celery, chopped

3 carrots, chopped into cubes

1 TBSP of fresh parsley

Pork or Turkey sausage, your choice

1 bag of Pepperidge Farms Cornbread Dressing

2 cans of chicken broth

1 egg

salt

pepper

shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Brown sausage in large fry pan. If it produces alot of fat, drain.

Add onions in until soft, then carrots and celery, and cook about 10 more minutes.

In large mixing bowl, combine cornbread stuffing and parsley. Add finished and cooled sausage mixture, and mix with your hands. The cornbread will start to moisten. Add egg and about 1/2 cup of chicken broth and continue to mix evenly. Add broth in increments until you get the consistency you desire. The trick is not too dry and not too soggy. Salt and pepper to taste.

You can stuff the cavity of a whole turkey, or you can cook it in a side dish if you want to. I usually cook it on the side. It's hard to fry a stuffed turkey, so that's one reason!

If you cook it on the side, spray a casserole dish with non-stick, and place dressing mixture in dish. Top with 2 TBSP of grated parm cheese if desired. Cover, and bake for at least 45 minutes.

Notes: That's it! Don't make it harder than it has to be! Enjoy your family and your day with them!

Friday's Fave Foods***Sweet Potato Pie

This has become my absolute favorite pie to bake for the holidays, especially Thanksgiving. Not sure why, 'cause there are no shortcuts, but it looks pretty and tastes SO good!

Besides, don't ya just love the way those words sound together? Say it...'sweet potato pie'...

This is a custard pie, and like all custards, needs to be baked at a relatively low temp so it does not curdle. However, that takes longer, so it can make the pie crust soggy. The best solution is to have the pie crust warm and the filling at room temperature. This solves the problem. The other issue is, that if the pie is over baked, the filling will have a coarse texture, and will be watery around the edges. To prevent this, remove the pie from the oven as soon as the center quivers (like jello)...the pie will continue to set up as it cools. Also, eat it within 24 hours for best results. The crust will get soggy otherwise, and it you leave it out, the filling will start to mold after a few days.

Sweet Potato Pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel deeply, including fibrous layer under the skin,

2 lbs. of sweet potatoes

Cut into 1" chunks and steam until tender, about 20 minutes. Puree in a food processor, or force thru a fine-mesh sieve. Measure 1 1/3 cups of puree.

Whisk together

4 large eggs

1/2 cup of sugar

add puree

Then add

1 cup of evaporated milk

half stick of unsalted butter

4 tsp of strained fresh lemon juice

1 & 1/2 tsp of vanilla

3/4 tsp of ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp of grated or ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

Warm the pie crust in the oven until it is hot. Pour in filling, and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 325 degrees and bake until the center quivers when nudged, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack, and then refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

NOTES: I put tin-foil strips around the pie crust edges to keep them from burning. Take them off for about the last 10 minutes of baking. A pain, but worth it!

Fabulous Fall

I was born and raised in Northern California, near the Lake Tahoe area. Seasons were very pronounced there. Summer was short. Winter was lo-o-o-o-ng. Spring was WELCOME! And fall was beautiful, but a time of hard work. Back to school. Bracing for the harsh reality of winter. That is it's own post for another post for another time. My point is, I really did not enjoy fall that much growing up. But now that I have lived here in North Georgia for nearly 14 years, I find that it is my favorite season. The irony being, summer is lo-o-o-ong (read:HOT!), and fall is WELCOME!

Here are the first signs of it, about 3 weeks ago.

When it starts coming on, it comes on fast. If spring only lasts around here for 15 minutes, fall lasts maybe 20!

And when it begins to fade, it does so relentlessly, without apology.

In about a month, we will be in a frozen brown wasteland. For now, I will enjoy this!

Friday's Fav Foods***Holiday Loaf Breads

As we head into the holiday season, many of us will be spending some extra time in the kitchen making big meals, desserts, and holiday treats. One thing that I like to make this time of year are dessert breads. They are also great as gifts. I like to buy the disposable mini-loaf pans and make up several batches. After the loaves are cooled, wrap in cellophane bunching the loose ends together at the top, and tie with a ribbon and add a gift tag. Easy, fast, inexpensive, and you can make ahead and freeze if you need to.

Here are two of my favorites:

CRANBERRY - ORANGE NUT BREAD

The early settlers learned to cook with cranberries from the Indians of the Cape Cod area, who added cranberries and nuts to their corn breads. Cakes of dried venison and cranberries, called pemmican, were a mainstay of the Indian diet.

1 3/4 cups flour

3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 c. butter, softened

Juice and grated peel of 1 orange

1 egg

1 c. cranberries, chopped

1/2 c. chopped nuts
Heat oven to 350°F.
Grease bottom of loaf pan, 9 x 5 x 3 inches. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Stir in butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in orange peel (about 1 tablespoon), the juice of 1 orange and 1 egg. Stir only until the flour is moistened. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in pan.
Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes.
Loosen edges of loaf with spatula; remove from pan. Let stand at least 8 hours before slicing.
If using self-rising flour, omit baking powder and salt. Reduce baking soda to 1/4 teaspoon.

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LEMON LOAF

6 tbsp. shortening

2 eggs, well beaten

1 c. white sugar

1 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. milk

Grated rind of 1 lemon
GLAZE:
1/3 c. sugar dissolved in juice of 1 lemon

Cream shortening, add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs and mix well. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and add alternating with milk. Stir in grated rind. Pour into greased loaf pan lined with foil and greased again. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Pour on glaze while loaf is still hot. Makes 1 loaf.