Missing my father who was the first person to believe that my dreams could come true. He taught me how to have faith in God and to believe in the power of His love. Dad encouraged me to follow my heart, showed me how to be kind to others, and inspired me to never lose hope. I love you, Dad, and celebrate the anniversary of your first year in Heaven.
What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Appetizers to Desserts: Winterfest Walking Tacos! Here’s the perfect “Grab and Go” snack when you’re heading out the door. This time of year towns all over the world celebrate the holiday season with dazzling displays of outdoor Christmas lights. From Santa’s Workshop to high-tech Winter Wonderlands, the animation never stops. Pile the kids on board and have a tailgate party in your car, truck, or SUV. Keep it simple by using plastic picnic tumblers for easy handling. Enjoy a tasty snack while embracing the spirit of the holidays.
WINTERFEST WALKING TACOS
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 package taco seasoning mix
15-ounce can chili beans
10-ounce can tomato bits and sauce
2 cups shredded romaine
1 cup cheddar cheese, finely shredded
10-ounce bag of corn chips, slightly crushed
1/3 cup salsa
Instructions:
Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Stir over medium heat until completely cooked. Drain. Add taco seasoning packet, chili beans, tomato bits and sauce. Stir well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or until thickened. Stir occasionally. Before serving, assemble corn chips in the bottom of each cup followed by beef mixture and toppings of choice. Eat with a fork.
What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Appetizers to Desserts: Velvet Filled Pumpkin Roll! Announcing a festive cake that looks as though you stopped by the bakery. Anyone can feel like a professional pastry chef with this holiday specialty. In a few simple steps, the rich pumpkin flavor is enhanced by the velvety cream filling. Afterwards all you have to do is sit back and bask in the accolades.
VELVET FILLED PUMPKIN ROLL
Ingredients for Pumpkin Roll:
3 eggs
2/3 cup pumpkin purée
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup chopped pecans
Ingredients for Velvet Filling:
8 ounces Neufchâtel cheese
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Grease and line a 10″x15″ jelly roll pan with waxed paper. For pumpkin roll combine eggs, pumpkin purée, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and flour. Mix until well blended. Pour into jelly roll pan and spread evenly to edges. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Bake 12-15 minutes. Watch carefully. Remove from oven. Sprinkle powdered sugar on a tea towel, turn cake onto towel, and remove the waxed paper. Starting at one end, roll the cake up, and refrigerate for one hour. Meanwhile, combine Neufchâtel cheese, vanilla, butter, and powdered sugar. Mix together until smooth and velvety. After one hour, unroll cake and spread the filling all the way to the edges. Reroll cake and refrigerate two hours longer. Dust with powdered sugar. Slice and serve.
What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Appetizers to Desserts: Unbelievable Cheesy Pimiento Spread! If you’re a cheese lover, this is a “must-do” appetizer. It is guaranteed to bring big raves at the next holiday gathering. The smokey-peppery version is sure to test your willpower. Should it just be slathered on crackers or bagel chips? What about apple slices? Or will you take it one step further and build a grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough bread? Whatever you choose, create all sorts of ideas for enhancing this nostalgic Southern favorite.
UNBELIEVABLE CHEESY PIMENTO SPREAD
Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons French Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
4-ounce jar of diced pimientos, drained
2 green onions, snipped
8 ounces extra sharp yellow cheddar cheese, finely shredded
10 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, medium shredded
1 teaspoon sriracha hot chili sauce (optional)
Instructions:
In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, seasoned salt, and pepper. Mix well. Fold in pimientos and onions. Stir in both cheeses until blended. Add sriracha for a kick of heat. Chill one hour or overnight.
Serving Suggestion: Serve as an Appetizer with crackers or assorted vegetables. Also excellent as finger sandwiches.
*For block cheeses, grate one kind with small holes and the other with medium holes on a box grater or using food processor blades.
What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Appetizers to Desserts: Timely Turkey Tetrazzini! Now here’s a great way to turn leftover turkey into a tantalizing meal. By adding a few ingredients, a magical transformation takes place. Simply add turkey to mixed vegetables for a creamy pasta dish with a buttery breadcrumb topping. Can anyone say YUM?!
TIMELY TURKEY TETRAZZINI
Casserole Ingredients:
8 ounces spaghetti, cooked
4 ounces can mushroom caps, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups cooked turkey, cut up
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons sherry
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup pimentos, diced
1 tablespoon diced onion
Topping Ingredients:
1/3 cup croutons, crushed*
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons butter, melted
*May be substituted for breadcrumbs.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to. 325°. Grease a 9″x13″ casserole dish. Prepare spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. Sauté mushrooms in butter. Set aside. In a large bowl combine cream of chicken soup, yogurt, sherry, sriracha sauce, celery seed, and salt. Blend well. Fold in pimentos and onion. Add sautéed mushrooms and butter. Mix in spaghetti and turkey until completely combined. Spread evenly in the casserole dish. Top with crushed croutons and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle melted butter over all. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve immediately.
“Finding the real joy of Christmas
comes not in the hurrying
and the scurrying to get more done,
nor is it found in the purchasing of gifts.
We find real joy
when we make the Savior
the focus of the season.”
~ Thomas S. Monson
“The first fall of snow
is not only an event,
it is a magical event.
You go to bed in one kind of a world
and wake up in another quite different,
and if this is not enchantment
then where is it to be found?”
~ J.B. Priestley
What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Appetizers to Desserts: Sugar-Spun Sponge Candy! Take a walk down Memory Lane. Wonderful childhood memories come flooding back with this old-time classic favorite. You will seldom find it in candy stores unless you happen to stumble upon a family-owned place where the bell above the doorjamb jingles as you cross the threshold. Once inside, the glass showcase will feature this honeycomb-type toffee, golden in color, nestled inside a rich chocolate covering. It’s crisp and air-filled with a sponge-like appearance. Once you’ve had it, the memories linger on. Spoil yourself and make up a batch. Just like magic, it can be whipped up in about 15 minutes. Carry on the tradition, or begin your own this year.
SUGAR-SPUN SPONGE CANDY
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon baking soda
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels
3 teaspoons vegetable oil
Instructions:
Combine sugar, corn syrup, and vinegar in a heavy-bottomed 3-quart pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking about 10 minutes until mixture reaches 300° on a candy thermometer, or a drop of syrup becomes brittle in a glass of cold water. Immediately remove pan from heat and sift in baking soda. Mixture will foam up madly. Stir gently but thoroughly. Pour into well-buttered 9″ square pan. Do not spread. Let cool. Remove from pan and break into pieces over a large bowl. Sugary crumbs will appear all over the counter if the bowl is too small.
Instructions for Chocolate Coating:
Pour chocolate morsels into a glass bowl. Add 3 teaspoons of vegetable oil. Stir. Place in microwave for 5 minutes on 30% power. Halfway through, stir to blend smooth. Do not over cook. Keep warm on the stovetop over a double boiler. Dip each piece of sponge candy into chocolate. Coat completely or halfway depending on preference. The honeycomb and chocolate look appealing, in my opinion. Place pieces on waxed paper lined sheet pan. Chill to set.
What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Appetizers to Desserts: Roasted Turkey Breast! Life just got a little easier. Instead of cooking an entire holiday bird, it is just as rewarding to roast a turkey breast. You still get the herb seasonings and butter-basted juicy portions, along with drippings for a savory pan gravy, without all the time and effort. It’s simple, economical, and carves up nicely. One more reason to serve turkey for any occasion.
ROASTED TURKEY BREAST
Ingredients:
5-pound bone-in turkey breast, thawed
1/8 teaspoon parsley
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon rosemary
1/8 teaspoon sage
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325°. Place turkey breast side up in a roaster. Insert meat thermometer so the tip is at the thickest part of the breast meat. Brush the bird with butter. Sprinkle seasonings over all. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Do not use a lid. Every hour, baste the breast with butter or pan drippings. Turkey is done when the thermometer reads 185°, approximately 2 1/2 hours. There is no substitute for a meat thermometer for determining the doneness of a turkey, in my opinion. Remove from oven and allow it to stand for 15-20 minutes before carving. The skin will be crisp and the breast meat will be moist.
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