Appetizer Anyone?

We all have an array of exciting get togethers at this time of year so, for the month of December come get some good ideas for appetizers that will amaze even the most hard to please.

I thought this would be fun because there is such a broad range of sweet, savory and salty flavors in this group. So feel free to bring your favorite(s), (I don't think I can narrow it down to just one!)

Hey, this is Karalee, I thought you all should know the next recipe group will be at my home. It will be 9 DECEMBER, 2010. We will meet at 11 am. It is so fun to visit and we know some of you have kindergartner's so if you can't make it right at 11 please still come! Hope to see you there . . . or here!!!

Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanks to everyone who came, and sorry this is so late! Here are the recipes:

Candied Sweet Potatoes (Karalee)
We agreed that Thanksgiving sweet potatoes are often too sugary. Karalee's recipe makes 'em just right.

4 large yams
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
sprinkle of salt for balance
1/2 bag marshmallows

1. Cover the yams with water in a large pot and boil for 25-35 minutes or till tender. When they are cool to the touch, peel and dice them. Put in an 8x10 pan.
   
2. Pour melted butter over yams; sprinkle with sugar. You can add more sugar/butter if you want them to be sweeter.
   
3. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times. Top with the marshmallows and put in oven for 5 more minutes till marshmallows are toasted. EAT UP!!!

Super Easy Homemade Stuffing (Karalee)
So, I forgot to take pictures of the recipes... But here's a great look-alike! Just imagine the mushrooms you see are slices of sausage. Even better.

12-14 pieces of bread, diced or torn, dried on a cookie sheet overnight. (Just cover them with a thin dish towel.)

1 whole onion, chopped

3-5 stalks of celery, chopped

1 frozen box any flavor sausage links

1-2 cups chicken broth

Sage or poultry seasoning

1. Saute onion and celery in 1 Tbsp. olive oil. When tender put aside in 8x10 dish.
   
2. Add sausage links to pan. Heat till thoroughly cooked, slice in 3-4 pieces each.
   
3. Add dry bread, sausage, and a shake or two of sage or poultry seasoning to onion and celery mixture.
   
4. Pour 1 cup of the chicken broth over stuffing mixture; stir to combine. Add another cup of chicken broth if needed, I usually need about 1 1/2 cups. Don't add too much, you don't want soggy bread.
5. Heat, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. DEVOUR!!!
   

Lion House Dinner Rolls, Simplified (Kirsten)
These were particularly light, fluffy, moist, delicious, mouth-watering...

2 cups warm milk (110 to 115 degrees)
2 Tbsp. dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine
1 egg
5 to 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour

1. Put warm milk in a large bowl or electric mixer. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed.
   
2. Add 2 more cups of flour and mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then 2 minutes at medium speed. Add about 1 more cup of flour and mix again by hand or mixer. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff.
3. Scrape dough off sides of bowl and spray with cooking spray to prevent the dough from sticking to the sides of bowl or drying out. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in warm place until double in size, about 45 minutes.
4. Make little balls of dough (about 1.5 inches in diameter), and place on greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Allow to rise in a warm place again until about double in size, about 1 hour.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter.
   

Pumpkin Pie Cake (Anya)

Ah, pumpkin pie cake. This was the hardest picture to find-- very few show the moistness of Anya's recipe. So good!

1 large can Libby's pumpkin (NOT pie filling)

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
4 large eggs
1 24 oz. can evaporated milk
1 box yellow cake mix

1. Mix pumpkin according to directions on back of can (I only do half the sugar and just the cinnamon for the spices, but it's good with all of it too!). Pour into a greased 9x13 cake pan.
2. Sprinkle 3/4 of a yellow cake mix to cover the top of prepared pumpkin. Using a fork or whisk, gently turn the cake mix down into the pumpkin leaving very little mix on top. The more you leave on top, the less cake-y it will be. I don't mix it too much though, so that there are little pockets of cake-y and little pockets of pumpkin.
3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.
4. Top with whipped cream (the real stuff is the best!).

Pumpkin Bread (Amy)
Amy drizzled a sweet glaze over the top, making this delicious recipe even more mouth-watering.

3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree
3 cups sugar
2/3 cup water

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Make a well in the center.
2. In a separate bowl combine oil, eggs, pumpkin, sugar and water.
   
3. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and beat for 1 to 2 minutes.
   
4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 60 to 70 minutes.

Apple Crumb Pie (Miriam)
Look-- the first actual picture of one of our recipes! I've made this pie, um, 5 times in the last month. It's that good.

Pastry:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup shortening
4 to 5 Tbsp. cold water

1. In a medium bowl stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or two butter knives, cut in shortening until pieces are pea-sized.
2. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. water over part of the flour mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Repeat moistening flour mixture until all the flour mixture is moistened. Form dough into a ball.
3. Between two pieces of wax paper, roll dough into a circle a little larger than the pie pan's diameter. Peel off the top layer and invert into pie pan. Crimp edges. Set aside.

Pie Filling:
6 cups thinly sliced, peeled tart apples (I've tried all sorts, and Granny Smith are my favorite)
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1. Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add apple slices and gently toss until coated. Pour into pie pan.
   

Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 Tbsp. butter

1. Combine flour and brown sugar. Using a pastry blender or two butter knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over apples.

Place pie on a cookie sheet to catch drippings. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour, or until apples are tender and filling is bubbly. If your oven "runs hot", line pastry edges with foil to prevent over-browning. Remove the foil after 40 minutes of baking.


Lemon Mint Ice (Becky)
A light, zippy slush-- the perfect appetizer to a heavier Thanksgiving meal.

8 cups water

2 cups sugar

1 12 oz. can pink lemonade

1 handful fresh mint leaves w/ stems removed

1. Put water and sugar into a large pot. Heat enough to dissolve sugar. Stir often. Remove from heat.
   
2. Add lemonade and mint leaves. Stir. Cool mixture. Remove leaves.
   
3. Pour into 9x13pan. Put in freezer. Freeze solid. Break up with a fork or potato masher. Serve in small cups.

Warm Artichoke Dip (Janna)
Mmmmm...

2 cans artichoke hearts
1 8 oz. cream cheese
1 small package shredded Parmesan cheese
1 small can mild chopped green chiles
1 cup mayonnaise
Slivered almonds

Drain artichoke hearts and cut into bits. Mix rest of ingredients, combine and bake in a 350 oven until hot. Sprinkle with slivered almonds.

Recipe Group For: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH @ 11:00 A.M.

Miriam has had a scheduling conflict and will no longer be able to host at her home this month.  Instead we will be meeting again at my home and we will meet at 11 a.m.

Because Thanksgiving is upon us we will go ahead and do any recipes from this holiday that you love to have.  That can mean just about anything, salads, breads, desserts, pies, mashed potatoes, etc.  Whatever you love to have at Thanksgiving and are excited to share we will be excited to eat!!

Next month we will meet at Karalee Monson's home and she will be deciding the theme soon.  Hope you all can make it!!

-Karlie

Change of Plans...

So Thursday the 11th is turning out to be busier than expected for me, and since it's also Stake Temple day (afternoon session at 1:00, evening session at 6:45), that affects all of us. I'd like to reschedule Recipe Group to be the following Thursday, November 18th.

Does that work for you?

With that change, I want to change the theme. It is, after all, the week before Thanksgiving, and I think that merits some preparatory baking! I'd like to change the theme to pie. We can do Mexican another time.


So Thursday, November 18th at 11:00, bring your favorite pie and its recipe, and let's eat!

Thanks all,
Miriam

November: Mexican!

Hi all, this is Miriam Deru. Our next meeting will be at my house, Thursday November 11th, at 11:00. The theme: Mexican.

We'll define 'Mexican' loosely. There are so many variations out there on enchiladas, burritos, tacos, rice, dips, and the rest, so whether authentic or personalized, bring a dish of one of your favorite recipes to share. I'll provide the toppings (lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, salsa, etc.). It should be fun!

Hasta luego, amigas. (Oh yeah, brushin' up on my high school Spanish 1.)