Coq Au Vin, a chicken with red wine sauce, is famous French comfort food that is simple to make and delicious.
Winter
Cranberry Cream Cheese Salad Ring
I don’t know why people insist on buying the cranberry sauce in the can. Making cranberry sauce from scratch is almost as easy as opening the can. In some cases, when your can opener refuses to play well with the can, it’s even easier! Sugar, cranberries and water, how simple is that? In addition, you get the fun of listening to the berries as they pop like popcorn. How cool is that?
Ah, but I can’t leave well enough alone. I have to make something special for Thanksgiving, so I’m going to doll my cranberry sauce up, put it into a ring mold, and have a lovely presentation.
When I was a little girl, going to my Uncle Bob’s house for Thanksgiving, he made the most wonderful cranberry ring with cream cheese. I loved it but never got the recipe. When I asked him about it, he said he hadn’t made it in so many years he had forgotten how to make it and never wrote it down. I’ve looked all over the Internet, but, alas no joy. So, today, I’m going to attempt to make a similar side dish. Wish me luck!
Pork Chops Paprikash
When I was a little girl, my mother had the entire collection of The Woman’s Day Encyclopedia of Cooking, and there was a recipe in for Hungarian Porkchops, which I have been making for many years. Today, I decided to change the recipe a bit and came up with Pork Chops Paprikash.
In Glendale, California, which has a large Armenian population, we have Red Pepper Sauce. It’s basically paprika peppers, and I use it quite often, in sauces, eggs, and other dishes. There are many brands and you can probably find it in ethnic European stores. I highly recommend it.
Paprikash dishes call for sour cream. I have probably talked about this before, and I will say it again. When you buy sour cream, please only get the kind that has cultured cream. The other stuff has gelatin and other ingredients as fillers, and they just are not real sour cream. The Alta Dena brand has a wonderful saying on the top of the tub, “Those cravings you feel are totally natural”. I love that because it’s true – there is nothing in that sour cream except cultured cream, the way sour cream should be.
Braised Oxtails – Oxen Shvantz Suppe
Braised oxtail with wine for hours is tender and juicy. When I was a little girl growing up in Germany when we had Oxen Shvantz Suppe it was always a real treat. They are wonderful on a cold, rainy winter day.
Veal Marsala Meatballs and Tomato Basil Cream Sauce with Mushrooms
Veal Marsala Meatballs are light and flavorful with their Tomato Basil Cream sauce over pasta. Serve this with white wine and crusty bread to sop up all that lovely sauce.
Hoppin’ John – New Years Day Lucky Food
Almost every year, I bake a ham for Christmas so that I can have the bone for New Year’s Day. Of course, this year I roasted a goose, so I had no ham bone. Luckily, my good friend Stevie Lewis saved me the bone from his family’s Christmas ham. From this bone, I make Hoppin John, an old Southern dish of black-eyed peas, ham, and rice. With it, I serve steamed Kale and cornbread.
There is quite a long tradition with this meal. The black-eyed peas are said to represent coins, the kale is green like money, and the cornbread is golden to represent gold. Eating this for New Year’s Day is supposed to bring good fortune for the New Year.
Well, it might not bring any more money into your purse, but it is very economical. It’s a break for all the heavy holiday foods. It’s also very good for you. Black-eyed peas are high in protein, iron, zinc, and potassium. Kale has anti-cancer properties. Cornbread, if you don’t put tons of butter on it, is also good for you.
The Year in Review – Appetizers, Drinks and Light Meals to Bring in the New Year
Well, December 25 is over, and now all we have to wait for is the New Year celebrations. I thought I would make a list of some recipes that have been popular this year, or you might want to make for your New Year’s Eve event.
Every year, I make a special New Year’s Day dish, but I’m going to hold that one for another post, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I think that you might find yourself making some of 2011’s most popular recipes for your own festivities.
How to Roast a Goose in an Electric Roaster
Roast goose is a welcome change from the usual holiday fare. Goose is a good choice for a smaller gathering. The fat can be saved and used in a variety of dishes. This recipe is part of my Dicken’s Christmas Dinner Menu.
Dicken’s Christmas Sides – Chestnut Stuffing and Christmas Salad
Fruit Chestnut Stuffing and Christmas Salad go very well with a roast goose for a Dicken’s Christmas dinner
Spanish Peanut Butter Cocoa Cookies
So, this morning, I got a while hair up my rear. Whilst thinking about making waffles for breakfast, I looked in my pantry and spied a jar of peanut butter, a can of Spanish peanuts in their skins, and a box of Dark Hershey’s cocoa. Reese’s peanut butter cups jumped to mind.
The choice of peanut butter is important in this recipe. Don’t go for the extra cheap peanut butter that has no flavor. Since the recipe has Spanish peanuts, you will want to use creamy style peanut butter, Jif is my favorite.