Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce or Creme Anglaise

I had an opportunity to sample both whiskey sauce and creme anglaise with bread pudding served at a Christmas buffet last year, and each was excellent in its own way. So, I dug up the most authentic recipes I could find, and include them  here. Pudding ingredients: 3/4 c. raisins 2 tbsp. dark rum 1 [...]

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Spiced Stewed Apples

Awesome with roast pork or ham! Also excellent spooned over vanilla ice cream while still warm, with an added drizzle of caramel sauce. Ingredients: 5 large cooking apples* 1 cup sugar 1 tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp nutmeg ¼ cup butter 2 Tbs water Preparation: Peel apples and cut into chunks. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. [...]

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Christmas Possum

GLENNIE NELL’S ROAST CHRISTMAS POSSUM From The Treasury of White Trash Cooking by Ernest and Trisha Mickler. Ingredients: 1 possum, corn and milk-fed for one month prior, cleaned and dressed ½ cup vinegar Kitchen Bouqet™ Persimmons jam 5-6 slices bacon 8-10 medium sweet potatoes Salt and pepper Preparation: Immerse the cleaned and dressed possum in [...]

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Victorian Comfort Food: Currant Cream Scones

Currant Cream Scones Marilynn and Sheila Brass – a simple yet elegant addition to any Christmas celebration. —— INGREDIENTS 2 cups flour (plus ¼ cup for kneading dough) 1 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ cup butter ¼ cup sugar 2 eggs ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1 tablespoon [...]

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Pineapple Yams

PINEAPPLE YAMS Courtesy of LaDonna (Donna) Elvig, Snohomish County, WA Ingredients: 1 40 oz. can yams (drained and mashed), OR 2½ lbs. fresh yams, cooked and prepared. ¼ c. brown sugar 3 Tbs melted butter 1 tsp vanilla 1 8oz can crushed pineapple 1 c. shredded coconut 1 c. brown sugar ¼ c. flour 1/3 [...]

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Mmm…Pumpkin Cobbler

PUMPKIN COBBLER Courtesy of LaDonna (Donna) Elvig, Snohomish County, WA Ingredients: 1 large can pumpkin 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk 3 eggs 1½ cups sugar ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp nutmeg 1 box yellow cake mix (dry) 1 ½ sticks melted butter Preparation: Mix together the first 6 ingredients and spread into a 13 [...]

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Turkey Soup: An American Tradition

It’s the day after Thanksgiving. Out there across the nation…millions of pounds of  leftover roast bird. What are we going to do with all that turkey? Sandwiches are fine, but a week’s worth of turkey sandwiches can get old, as many a brown-bag lunch carrying kid will attest to in the week after Thanksgiving. If [...]

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Pumpkin shortage? Why not try squash pie?

In case you haven’t heard, stocks of canned pumpkin may be depleted by Thanksgiving, with potentially none left over for Christmas. This is not good…and combined with the fact that the U.S. Post Office will no longer forward letters from children to the N. Pole, that’s a double whammy for the festive season. I’d like [...]

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Rum Ball Muffins

Ingredients: 1¾ cups plain flour ½ cup sugar 4 tsp. baking powder ¼ cup of cocoa powder ½ cup of coconut (plus some for the tops) ½ tsp. salt ½ cup raisins ½ cup brown rum 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup milk 4½ oz. of butter, melted Preparation: Soak the raisins with the rum [...]

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English farmhouse fare: Gloucester Cheese and Brown Ale

This has been served as a farmhouse supper dish since the Middle Ages, and still makes a nice precursor to a Christmas Eve meal. Here, mild cheddar has been substituted for the Gloucester (pronounced: GLOSS-ter) cheese to accommodate American tastes (and because imported Gloucester is expensive), but if  you wish to be 100% authentic, you [...]

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