Email to Stella      

Holiday Get Together 1/2/05

Source of Recipe

Ann Ring


Recipe Introduction

The day after New Year's Day...Just a grouping of good friends and good eats to start the New Year off right! Guests inluded Pat & Jim, Kenny and Jackie, Moe & Jack, Larry, Kate & Bob, Karen and Paul and their granddaughter, MacKenzie and Bill and I.

List of Ingredients

---MENU---
Spanakopita*
Hidden Valley Ranch Sausage Stars
Sweet & Sour Meatballs
Cheese/Fruit Cracker Tray*
Boursin Cheese Spread


Dill & Onion Rolls
Three-Seed Crown Loaf

Country Dijon Cream of Broccoli Soup
Ann's Kale Soup

Ladyfinger Cheesecake
Pumpkin Pie Cake
Cookie Tray - Various cookies baked for Christmas*


* Recipe not included


Recipe

---HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH SAUSAGE STARS

2 CUPS (1LB) COOKED SAUSAGE CRUMBLED
1 ½ CUPS GRATED SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE
1 ½ CUPS GRATED MONTEREY JACK CHEESE
1 CUP HIDDEN VALLEY ORIGINAL RANCH SALAD DRESSING
1 CAN (2.25 OZ) CHOPPED BLACK RIPE OLIVES
½ CUP CHOPPED RED PEPPERS
1 PACKAGE WONTON WRAPPERS (PRODUCE DEPT.)


PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES. DRAIN AND BLOT SAUSAGE AND DRY WITH PAPER TOWELS. COMBINE WITH THE CHEESES, OLIVES, PEPPERS AND RANCH DRESSING.

LIGHTLY GREASE MUFFIN PANS. PRESS THE WONTON WRAPPER INTO EACH CUP. MAKE SURE THE SIDES ARE PUSHED BACK. BRUSH LIGHTLY WITH OIL. BAKE 5 MINUTES UNTIL GOLDEN. REMOVE FROM MUFFIN PAN AND PLACE ON A COOKIE SHEET. FILL WITH THE SAUSAGE MIXTURE. BAKE FOR 5 MINUTES UNTIL BUBBLY. SERVE WARM. (EVERYTHING CAN BE DONE AHEAD EXCEPT FOR THE BAKING OF THE FILLED CUPS AND THE COOKIE SHEET WITH STARS CAN BE KEPT IN FRIDGE OR FREEZER UNTIL READY TO USE.)


---INARA'S SWEET & SOUR MEATBALLS
1 (12 oz.) jar grape jelly)
1 bottle chili sauce
32 pre-cooked meatballs

Put all ingredients into an electric fry pan and set dial to "warm".

---BOURSIN BLUFF

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter, softened
1/3 cup sour cream

1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh chives or minced onion
1 tablespoon parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

With an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, butter and sour cream until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Add garlic, chives, parsley, salt and pepper; mix well. Cover and chill for 6 hours.

Let cheese come to room temperature before serving. Serve with crackers, crusty bread or raw vegetables.

---DILL & ONION ROLLS

1 cup warm water
4 tablespoons sugar
1 package dry yeast
1 beaten egg
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup or more of minced onion
1 tablespoon dill weed

Pour the water into large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and let dissolve. Add the yeast and let dissolve. Beat in the egg and vegetable oil. Add the minced onion and dill and mix well with wooden spoon. Add the flour and salt, and mix with large wooden spoon. until the dough is elastic and smooth.

Cover and let rise for about 1 hour. Drop the dough into a greased muffin tin, filling each cup half full. Will make 12 large or 18 medium size rolls.


Cover the muffin tin, and let rise again until doubled. Beat an egg, and lightly use pastry brush on top of each roll.(Not too much egg.)

Bake in at 375 degree oven betwen 15-20 minutes, until golden.

YIELD: 12 Rolls


---THREE-SEED CROWN LOAF

4 cups unbleached whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 envelope instant yeast
1 -1/4 cups lukewarm water
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp sunflower oil (divided)
1/2 cup and 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (divided)
2 Tbsp poppy seeds
2 Tbsp sesame seeds

Measure the flour, salt and yeast into a large bowl. Measure the water in a cup, then stir in the honey and 2 Tbsp sunflower oil. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients.

Mix to formn a soft sough. The dough should be wet enough to cling to the bowl;add more lukewarm water in needed. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Knead the dough for 10 minutes. (To knead, use the weight of your body to push down with the heel of your hand into the dough and then stretch it out away from your body.)

Fold the dough back to the top. Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat, building to a smooth rocking action. Run the tsp of oil around a large bowl.

Turn the dough in the oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough stand in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours or until it has doubled in size.

Turn out the dough and pat flat. Scatter with 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, then roll up and knead 20-30 turnns. Shape into a round, cut into 8 wedges, then roll the wedges into balls.

Dip 3 balls into poppy seeds, 2 balls into sesame seeds, 2 balls in sunflower seeds and dust 1 ball with whole wheat flour.

Grease the bottom and sides of an 8" or a 9" springform pan. Place the balls inside and let rise for 35-40 minutes. Ball Sequence: sunflower, poppy seed, sesame seed, poppy seed, sunflower, poppy seed, sesame seed and place the wheat flour dusted ball is placed in the center.

Bake for 10 minutes at 45o degrees F. Then lower the oven to 400 degrees F and bake for 20 minutes longer. Release the springform catch, remove the bread from the pan and test (hit bottom - should sound hollow). Cool on a wire rack.

NOTE: This is very impressive looking! You may cut each roll in half or even into thirds.


---COUNTRY DIJON CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP

5 cups chicken broth
2 pkg. (10 oz. each) frozen chopped broccoli
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine or butter
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbls. GREY POUPON Country Dijon Mustard
2 cups half-and-half
1/8 tsp. each: salt and pepper
1 tsp. steak seasoning powder
Asagio Cheese for garnish (optional)


BRING broth and broccoli to boil in large saucepan on high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 min. or until broccoli is tender. Add, in batches, to blender or food processor container; cover. Blend until smooth; set aside.
MELT margarine in same saucepan on medium-high heat; blend in flour. Cook 3 min., stirring constantly. Add broccoli mixture and mustard; mix well. Cook until mixture thickens and begins to boil, stirring occasionally. Add half-and-half, pepper and salt; stir until well blended. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Ladle into bowls. Add asgio cheese for garnish.

NOTE: Best if made the day before.
SERVES 10-12


---ANN'S KALE SOUP - ANN RING

1 ½ lb. Sliced Linguicia (cut and slice in half)
1 ½ lb. Sliced Chorica (cut and slice in half)
2 large Onions
1 medium head of Cabbage-chopped into 2” pieces
1 bunch of Kale – chopped into 2” pieces
1 clove of garlic or 2 Tblsp. Minced Garlic
18 cups of Water
3 large potatoes diced (Red Bliss or Idaho) You may leave skins on.
3 Tblsp. Chicken Base or to taste (get chicken base at US Foods near Hyannis airport rotary or use the same soup base that restaurants use.)
½ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste
Red Pepper Flakes to taste

SOAK 1 BAG OF DRY RED KIDNEY BEANS OVERNIGHT IN WATER.

Water should cover beans completely by at least 4 inches – the beans will expand.

In a large pot : cook onions, liguicia and chorica stirring occasionally.
Smother above ingredients with chopped cabbage
Add water, chicken base and seasonings. Boil uncovered for ½ hour.
Add potatoes and beans – Cook until tender.
Add kale – Cover pot – Cook until tender.
NOTE: Best the next day. This recipe makes a lot. The soup can be frozen for up to 6 months.


---LADYFINGER CHEESECAKE

16 oz. cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pint heavy cream
3 packages lady finger pastries
1 can pie filling, cherry or blueberry
mint leaves (optional as garnish)

Coat a clean spring form pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat cream until you can see it forming peaks and valleys. (If you chill the metal mixing bowl first, the cream will whip faster and remain firmer longer.)

Quickly line the sides and the bottom of the pan with lady fingers. With a spoon or rubber spatula, stir the heavy cream into cream cheese mixture. Now, spoon half of the cream cheese/heavy cream mixture over the first layer of lady fingers. Follow with another layer of lady fingers. Add the rest of the cream cheese mixture. Spoon the pie filling evenly over the top.

Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
SERVES 12


---PUMPKIN PIE CAKE

1 (29 oz.) can of pumpkin puree

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tblsp. + 1 tsp. pumpkin spice

1 (18 1/2 oz.) package yellow cake mix

3/4 cup butter

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease one 9"x13" cake pan (preferably metal.)

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar salt and pumpkin spice. Mix well.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the pumpkin mixture. Melt the butter and drizzle it over the cake. Sprinkle walnuts on top.

Bake at 350 degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

SERVES 18
NOTE: Excellent served either cold or at room temp. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.