Browsed by
Tag: Christmas

Christmas Eve Hamballs

Christmas Eve Hamballs

1 lb. of lean pork, coarsely ground

1 lb. of lean ham, coarsely ground

2 eggs

2 cups of soft breadcrumbs (white baker bread, broken up by hand, crusts and centers)

1 cup of milk

1 teaspoon of salt

 

Glaze:

1/2 cup of cider vinegar

1/2 cup of water

1 1/2 cups of brown sugar

1 teaspoons of dry mustard

10 whole cloves

 

Glaze: Bring to a full, rapid boil. Mix ham ball ingredients together with hands. Form into 2 inch small egg size balls by squeezing tightly 4 times into shape. Place ham balls, side by side, in a glass/enamel baking dish. Pour the boiled glaze mixture over the ham balls, covering each one by spoon if necessary. Cover loosely with foil (don’t seal edges around pan). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. 45 minutes on first side; turn each ham ball over. Spoon glaze over ham balls again. Bake 45 minutes on second side. During the last 30 minutes, remove foil and periodically spoon glaze mixture over the ham balls. Serves 6-8 people, 6-10 ham balls/person. Traditionally served with German potato salad and baked beans.

 

Yield:

Calories:

Fat:

Fiber:

Festive Cabot Cheddar Tree

Festive Cabot Cheddar Tree

festive cheeseAt your next holiday gathering, try this fun and festive idea for displaying a variety of Cabot cheeses – a lactose free cheddar tree! This creative take on the traditional cheese platter livens up any food table and is loved by kids and adults alike.

5 (8-ounce) bars Cabot Sharp Cheddar, plain and flavored
Fresh thyme sprigs
Grape cherry tomatoes or olives
1 mushroom

Cut each bar of cheddar into 1-inch cubes. On large platter or cutting board, arrange cubes in rows to form tree shape, using different flavor for each row and separating flavors with thyme sprigs and rows of tomatoes or olives. For star on top, peel skin from mushroom; press star pattern into mushroom with point of knife.

Christmas Morning Casserole

Christmas Morning Casserole

201412-xl-christmas-morning-casseroleButter, for greasing
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced pepperoni (2 ounces)
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 medium onion, minced
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
8 large eggs
3 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 pound day-old challah, sliced 1 inch thick and cut into 1-inch dice (10 cups)
6 ounces Black Forest ham, finely diced (1 1/4 cups)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (1/4 pound )
1 cup shredded aged white cheddar cheese (1/4 pound )
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions, plus thinly sliced scallions for garnish
Hot sauce, for serving

Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the pepperoni and cook over moderate heat until the fat is rendered, about 3 minutes. Add the shiitake and cook until lightly browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned, about 7 minutes; let cool completely. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, mustard, soy sauce, pepper and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the cooled vegetable mixture, challah, ham, both cheeses and the chopped scallions and mix well. Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 
 Preheat the oven to 350°. Uncover the casserole and bake for about 50 minutes, until it’s just set and the top is browned. Let stand for 10 minutes, then top with thinly sliced scallions and serve with hot sauce.

Gram’s Pecan Balls

Gram’s Pecan Balls

1/2 lb. Margarine
2 tsp. Vanilla
4 T. Sugar
2 C. Flour
2 C. Nuts

Cream margarine, sugar and vanilla; add flour and finely diced nuts. Roll into small balls. (Roll dough into a long rope about the diameter of a dime and slice into 1” pieces to easily make balls all the same size.) Place on cookie sheet and bake in middle of oven at 350 degrees about 15 minutes, until lightly browned. After cooling, place into paper bag with powdered sugar, shake to coat. Repeat.

Campbell’s “Candy Cane” Christmas Cookies

Campbell’s “Candy Cane” Christmas Cookies

1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. shortening or butter
1 egg
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 C. powdered sugar
2 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. salt
red food coloring
2 tsp. Peppermint Vanilla Bean Sugar

Cream first 5 ingredients together in an electric mixer. In a separate bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, flour and salt. Mix dry ingredients into wet until well combined. Divide dough in half and color one half red with several drops of food coloring. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 tsp. dough of each color into 6-inch long ropes. Twist ropes together and shape like a candy cane. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 min. on an ungreased cookie sheet. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Peppermint Vanilla Bean Sugar while still warm.