The Recipe Finder - Online Cooking Magazine » Holiday Recipes

Corn and Sweet Potato Soup

admin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:23:13 +0000

1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cups water
2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 ½ tbsp olive oil
4 cups vegetable stock
3 cups corn, tinned
1 red bell pepper, minced
1 fresh jalapeno, minced
1 cup milk
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt
2 -3 tbsp heavy cream
garnish with parsley (optional)

Place diced sweet potatoes, water and vegetable stock in a pot and simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender.

In the meantime, heat olive oil in a skillet, add onion and a pinch of salt, and fry until nice and brown.

Add the onions to the potatoes. Mix well. Purée the soup with a blender. Once smooth, add corn, peppers and milk and simmer until tender. Then mix in lemon juice and salt. Stir in cream and serve immediately.

Nutty Roasted Pears

admin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:05:35 +0000

4 tbsp pure butter
4 pears, halved and cored
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted
1 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with oven rack in center position..

Place the butter on a baking pan and put into the heated oven. Once butter has melted, sprinkle with brown sugar. Add the pear halves with the cut side down on top of the butter/sugar (caramel) mixture and bake for about 30 minutes.

Once the pear halves are tender, turn them over and baste with the caramel sauce. Bake for a further 10 minutes until nice and golden. Serve the pear halves in bowls and top with sour cream, caramel and the nuts.

This dessert should be served hot and fresh.

Spiced Popcorn

admin — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:00:22 +0000

1 tsp onion salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup popping corn
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp sweet paprika

In a little bowl, mix paprika, thyme, oregano, onion salt and half the vegetable oil. Heat other half of oil in saucepan. When oil is very hot, add popping corn and cover with tight fitting lid. When the corn starts popping, give the pan a shake. When the corn stops popping, take pan off heat. Place popcorn into a serving bowl, discarding any unpopped corn. Add the spice mixture and toss.

Apple and Onion Cheddar Burgers

admin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:00:36 +0000

1 1/2 cup apple butter, divided
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/4 pound ground chuck
1 large Golden Delicious apple, sliced into 1/2 inch rings
1 large white onion, sliced into 1/4 inch rings
non-stick cooking spray
4 slices cheddar cheese, sliced thick
4 kaiser rolls

In a large bowl stir 1/2 cup of the apple butter, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper together well. Crumble the uncooked ground chuck into the bowl with the apple butter mixture. Coat the meat well. Shape 4 burgers. Brush the apple and onion slices with the remaining apple butter. Spray the grill grate with the butter non stick cooking spray. Heat the grill to medium high heat. Place the burgers, apples and onions on the grill and cover. Grill about 5 minutes per side. When done the meat will no longer be pink and the apples and onions should be tender. Remove the apples and onions. Place a slice of cheddar on the top of each burger. Recover and cook an additional 1 minute. Remove the patties. Lightly coat the inside of the rolls with the cooking spray. Cook on the grill for about 1 minute to toast. Remove. Place a burger on each roll and top with the apple and onion slices.

Independence Fudge

admin — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 05:00:27 +0000

12 ounces good quality white chocolate
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds, toasted
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

In a large microwave bowl place the white chocolate and milk together. Microwave on high for about 2 minutes. Chocolate should be almost melted. Remove from microwave and stir with a rubber spatula until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in the almonds. Carefully fold in the blueberries and cranberries. Add the orange peel and mix well. Place foil into an 8 inch square pan. Be sure the foil extends over the top of the pan so you can use it as handles when removing the fudge. Spread the mixture into the pan evenly with a rubber spatula. Place in the refrigerator until firm. This usually takes about 3 hours. When fudge is firm remove from pan by lifting the foil by the extended area. Cut fudge and store tightly in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Firecracker Rib Eyes

admin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 05:00:40 +0000

4 rib eye steaks, 3/4-inch thick
1 T garlic pepper seasoning
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh chives, snipped

Cover both sides of the Rib Eyes well with the garlic pepper seasoning. Grill uncovered until done to your liking. In the meantime stir together the sour cream, mustard and chives. You can add a little extra garlic seasoning to this if you would like. Be sure to mix well. Pour over the top of the steaks before serving.

Marshmallow Caramel Boooom Cake

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:00:49 +0000

1 (16 ounce) package miniature marshmallows
20 caramels
1/4 cup butter, cubed
10 cups popped popcorn
1 1/2 cups salted peanuts
1 cup M&Ms plain chocolate candies (the red, white and blue ones if you can find them)

Place the marshmallows, caramels and butter into a large saucepan. Place pan over low heat and cook until all the ingredients have melted and is smooth. Place the popcorn in a 9X13 cake pan. Pour the marshmallow mixture over the popcorn. Use a rubber spatula to mix all together being sure to coat the popcorn well. You will have to do this quickly before the caramels start to harden again. Add the peanuts and M&M’s. Spread out evenly. Cool until firm.

Perfect BBQ Baby Back Ribs

admin — Sun, 24 May 2009 05:00:48 +0000

Zest of 2 large oranges
1 C. fresh orange juice
¾ C. maple-flavored pancake syrup
1 Tbsp. chili sauce paste with garlic
7 lbs. Baby Back ribs
Salt
¼ C. ketchup
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. water

Mix the orange zest, juice, and pancake syrup. Add the chili paste in a large bowl. Divide the ribs between two 1-gallon zippered plastic bags. Pour half of the marinade into each bag and close. Marinate the ribs in the refrigerator for at least 2 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the ribs from the marinade and arrange in a roasting pan large enough to hold them without crowding. Reserve the marinade. Lightly season ribs with salt and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake the ribs for 1 ¼ hours. Remove the foil and turn the ribs. Continue baking until ribs are tender, about 1 hour more.

Meanwhile, combine the reserved marinade and ketchup in a medium saucepan. Cook over high heat until the marinade is reduced to 1 C., about 10 minutes. Stir the dissolved cornstarch into the marinade to thicken it and turn it into a glaze for the ribs. Set the glaze aside.

When the ribs are tender, increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Brush the ribs generously with the glaze. Bake until the glaze on the ribs bubbles, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Number One Dad Meatloaf

admin — Sat, 23 May 2009 05:00:01 +0000

1 1/3 lbs. meat loaf mix meat
1/3 C. plus 2 Tbsp. ketchup divided
1/3 C. dried breadcrumbs
1 large egg beaten
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper

Gravy-

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
¼ C. all-purpose flour
2 C. canned, reduced sodium beef broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 metal baking dish. Combine the meat loaf mix, 1/3 C. ketchup, breadcrumbs, egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. In the baking dish, shape the meat mixture into six 3 inch wide mounds. Poke your finger into each mound to make a hole.

Bake until a thermometer reads 165 degrees F, about 40 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of baking, spread the remaining 2 Tbsp. ketchup over the meat loaf. Transfer to a platter and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Tilt the baking dish and spoon out the clear fat, leaving 1 Tbsp. juice in the pan. Place over 2 burners on medium heat. Add the butter and melt it. Sprinkle with flour and whisk well. Add in the broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until the gravy is smooth and thick, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the loaves with gravy and your favorite side dishes.

Somethin’s Fishy Tacos

admin — Thu, 21 May 2009 05:00:01 +0000

3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
3 C. coleslaw
2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, optional
Salt and pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. fish fillets (unbreaded), cut into 6 equal portions
1 tsp. chili powder
Salt
¼ C. all-purpose
12 corn tortillas, heated

To make the slaw, mix the mayonnaise and lime zest and juice in a medium bowl. Add the coleslaw mix, scallions, and cilantro, if using and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand while making the fish for the tacos. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat the oil is hot but not smoking. Season the cod all over with the chili powder and then the salt.

Place the flour in a small bowl. Coat each piece of cod in the flour, shaking off the excess. Add to the skillet and cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer the cod to a plate. Place tortillas in a napkin-lined basked and close the napkin to keep the tortillas warm.

Serve the tortillas, fish, and lime slaw at the table. To make each taco, place 2 tortillas, slightly overlapping, on the plate. Top with 1 piece of fish and break it up with a fork. Top with a spoonful of the lime slaw and roll up the taco.