Cooking with B4UTRUST

[B4UTRUST]

Traditional Cornbread Stuffing/Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp. thyme
  1/2 tsp. sage
  3/4 C celery, finely chopped
  1/2 C onion, finely chopped
  1/4 C parsley, chopped
  4 C cornbread crumbs
  1/4 C butter
  1/2 tsp. salt
  1.2 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Cook celery, onion, and parsley in butter for about 4-5 minutes or until tender. Add thyme and sage. Mix lightly with other ingredients.

To stuff a turkey: Fill main turkey cavity and neck cavity with stuffing. Bake remaining dressing in a dish as outlined below.

To bake dressing in pan: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 15 x 10 inch baking dish. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

[B4UTRUST]

Oyster Stuffing/Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C celery, finely chopped
  1/2 C onion, finely chopped
  1/4 C parsley, chopped
  3 T butter
  4 C bread cubes, soft
  1/2 tsp. salt
  1/2 tsp. pepper
  2 jars (12 oz) oysters, drained

Directions:
Melt butter in a small skillet and sauté celery, onion, and parsley until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add oysters and cook until oysters are heated. Mix lightly with remaining ingredients.

To stuff a turkey: Fill main turkey cavity and neck cavity with stuffing. Bake remaining dressing in a dish as outlined below.

To bake dressing in pan: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 15 x 10 inch baking dish. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

[B4UTRUST]

Cranberry Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
  1 cup water
  4 cups (1 12-oz package) fresh or frozen cranberries
  
  Optional: Pecans, orange peel, raisins, currants, blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice.

Directions:
Wash and pick over cranberries. In a saucepan bring to a boil water and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst.

At this point you can add all number of optional ingredients. We typically mix in a half a cup of roughly chopped pecans with or without a few strips of orange peel. You can add a cup of raisins or currants. You can add up to a pint of fresh or frozen blueberries for added sweetness. Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice can be added too.

Remove from heat. Cool completely at room temperature and then chill in refrigerator. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Cranberry sauce base makes 2 1/4 cups.

[B4UTRUST]

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

• Crust
  1 3/4 cup flour
  1/2 tsp. salt
  1/4 cup sugar
  2/3 cup shortening
  OR 2/3 cup butter flavored shortening
  1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  2 to 4 T ice water
  
  Time Saving Option
  Frozen pie shells or ready made refrigerated pie dough
  
  Filling
  1 - 15 oz. can pumpkin
  OR
  equivalent fresh cooked pumpkin
  2 eggs
  12 oz. can evaporated milk
  1/2 cup sugar
  1/4 cup brown sugar
  1/4 cup honey
  1/4 tsp. salt
  1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  1 tsp. ground (dried) ginger
  1/2 tsp ground cloves
  1/4 tsp. allspice
  1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  whipped cream or topping (optional)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 425°.

Prepare crust. Mix together crust dry ingredients. Cut shortening into dry ingredients (your bowl should be full of small clumps, when finished). Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until mixture holds together. Use a rolling pin to roll dough out to approximately 1 1/4 times the size of your pie pan. Place dough in pan and finish edges.

Combine filling ingredients and mix until well blended. Pour filling into crust and bake at 425° for fifteen minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more or until a cake tester comes out clean. Top with whipped cream, if desired, and serve.

Of course you can just simply by one of the frozen pie crusts from the freezer section and it will work just as well, but as always I recommend taking the extra time to do it by hand. It always tastes better that way

[B4UTRUST]

I'd love to post more recipes for you all, but I'd like some feedback one way or the other as to where you think the recipes are helping you and which don't do you a bit of good. It'll help me tailor the selection to your needs and interests.

Thanks.

[rhoenix]

Alright.

I want a super clam chowder recipe; similar to the one you posted before. However, a friend of mine made the best clam chowder I've ever had, and since I can't get ahold of her (surprise, she and her husband are probably gone on Christmas), I'm turning to you, good sir.

It had carrots, potatoes (red), and celery, and it had some excellent spices to it; I think two of them was white pepper, and oregano. Help, please - my family's clam chowder recipe that we usually have on Christmas eve falls upon me to make this year for the first time, and for the first time in my family's history, I don't want to make bland-ass boring chowder that's more of a trial to eat than something to deeply enjoy.

[rhoenix]

OH - and if you could, a recipe for good, sweet cornbread as well. The last thing I want with the clam chowder are crackers.

[B4UTRUST]

Alright, since I've been asked... Here's my recipes for tonight's culinary experiance.

Maryland Crab Cakes:
1 lb. crab meat
3 slices white bread, cubed (no crust)
1 lg. egg or 2 sm.
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1 tsp. Worcestershire
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Butter

Remove all cartilage from crab meat. In a bowl, mix egg, bread, mayonnaise and seasonings. Add crab meat and mix gently. If dry, add more mayonnaise. Shape into 6 cakes. In a pan melt butter and fy cakes until a golden brown, about 3min on each side. Use just enough butter to make the cakes not stick.


Beef Wellington:
4 beef tenderloin steaks, 4 - 6 oz. each, fat trimmed
2 tbsp. butter
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 pkg. (8 oz.) frozen puff pastry, thawed
4 slices (about 3 oz.) liver pate, plain or with truffles or green
peppercorns (opt.)

Egg Glaze:

1 egg
2 tbsp. milk

1. Spread both sides of steaks with 1 teaspoon butter each. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Chill 10 minutes.

2. In a skillet, melt remaining butter. Add mushrooms. Saute over medium heat until cooked and dry. Turn out onto plate. Cool.

3. Roll out 4 pastry shells to 8 inch diameter. Place 1/4 of the mushrooms in the center of each. Spread to cover a 2 to 3 inch area. Top each with 1 slice pate, if used. Place 1 steak on top of each.

4. Bring pastry up over steak. Wrap completely. Brush with water. Seal. Place, seam-side down on baking sheet.

5. Roll out remaining pastry rounds to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes.

6. To make glaze, in a small bowl, beat together egg and milk. Brush over pastry-wrapped steaks.

7. Cut 3 air vents in each. Decorate with pastry cut-outs. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden.