Readers’ Potluck
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We’re less than one week from Thanksgiving and, hopefully, you’ve already accepted the fact that you’ll be staying home for the holiday instead of spending it with friends or family. That’s right, with Covid cases ONCE AGAIN on the rise due to the lack of government leadership and selfishness of our citizens, we are left to make the difficult, but responsible, choice to stay away from our loved ones during the holiday season.
It’s a bummer to miss out on seeing people you might not have seen since the holidays last year, but it also sucks to miss out on all the recipes you spend the whole year waiting for. Maybe it’s your dad’s stuffing, your grandma’s pumpkin pie, or the gravy your best friend has taken years to perfect. All those comfort foods have been stripped from us. Or have they?
For the last couple of weeks I’ve sent out a call for readers to submit their favorite recipes for the holiday under the idea that if we can’t share our tables at least we can share our food. We’ve got a few snacks, sides, and desserts for you to try at home to make us all feel a little closer during this stay at home holiday!
Snacks
Snack Mix - Submitted by Tara
Ingredients:
3 TBSP butter or margarine
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp onion salt
2 tsp lemon juice
8 tsp Worcestershire sauce
7 cups Crispix or Chex cereal
1 cup pretzels
1 cup salted mixed nuts
Directions
Melt butter in a 13x9 pan in oven at 250 degrees. Remove from oven. Stir in garlic salt, onion salt, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Add cereal, pretzels, and nuts…stirring until coated. Bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread out to cool.
Note from Tara - “The back half of quarantine has been sponsored by homemade snack mix. My mom always makes it at the holidays to nibble throughout the day and last month I decided I needed it in my life. I’ve made it three times.”
Pretzel Hugs - Submitted by Katy
Ingredients:
1 bag of square pretzels
1 bag of M&M’s (holiday colors optional)
1 bag of Hershey’s Hugs (Jodi Note- I’ve also used Rolos for these and they work just as well!)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Line up your pretzels on the cookie sheet in a single layer. Top each pretzel with one Hug. Bake in the preheated oven for 4-6 minutes. (Chocolate should be soft but not totally melted!) Remove from oven and place one M&M in the center of each Hug and press down gently. Place in freezer or fridge to rest for 5-15 minutes
Note from Katy - “I make these every Christmas. The most simple thing and always a hit!”
Sweet Kielbasa - Submitted by Suzanne
Ingredients:
16oz smoked kielbasa (sliced)
1 cup BBQ sauce of your choice
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp chili powder
Directions:
Mix together all ingredients into your slow cooker. Cook on low 4-5 hours. Serve.
(It’s possible to shorten the time significantly using an Instant Pot. Pour everything into the Instant Pot with 1/2 cup of water. Lock the lid and seal. Push manual, set the timer for 5 minutes on high. Release the pressure once timer is up, stir, and serve.)
Note from me - Full confession…I asked for this specifically because I had a memory of them from a New Year’s Eve party years ago!
Sides
Stuffing - Submitted by Jonathan
Ingredients:
3 loaves of white bread (cubed)
1 bag Pepperidge Farm Stuffing
6 stalks of celery
3 large onions
1 box of chicken broth
2 cups water
1 pack of bacon
So. Much. Butter.
Directions:
Dice the bread into 1 inch cubes and set aside. Preheat two pans at medium high heat. Dice onion, bacon, and celery to roughly the same size as the bread. Add a TBSP of butter to each pan then cook onions and bacon in one and celery in the other until softened and starting to brown. Add butter a couple of times during the process. Once cooked, add the onions, bacon, and celery to the bread (and the Pepperidge Farm stuffing) and mix it all up. Next you’ll make the broth using 2 cups of warm water and mixing it with your chicken broth. Add broth to the bread mixture and mix together until it’s sticking together. Heat oven to between 350 and 400 degrees and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Note from me - This shit is bomb. Stuffing is my favorite part of Thanksgiving and Jonathan made four smaller pans worth of this recipe last year…it was gone within a couple of days. So good. Highly recommend!
Roasted Butternut Squash - Submitted by Sarah
Ingredients:
1-2 medium to large Butternut Squash
Preferred seasonings (garlic and salt or cinnamon and sugar for examples)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel you squash and cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out all the seeds and gunk. Cut into 1 inch squares. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Add preferred seasoning. Put in oven 20-25 minutes.
Note from Sarah - “They end up getting soft and sort of remind me of yams. But honestly, maybe better.”
Pierogi Potatoes - Submitted by Colleen
Ingredients:
1 (12oz) package of egg noodle bows
1 lb Velveeta cheese (cubed)
4 large onions (sliced)
6-8 medium potatoes (boiled, mashed, and buttered. Add milk to consistency.)
Directions:
Boil noodles according to directions. Drain and place in 9x13 inch pan. Mash potatoes, butter, and milk until very smooth. Add cheese cubes and continue to whisk until very smooth and cheese is melted. (Add more butter and milk if they become too stiff.) Spread over noodles. Cook onions in butter until soft. Dot potatoes with butter and place onions on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Desserts
Cranberry Lime Pie - Submitted by Courtney
Ingredients:
Crust
4 oz of gingersnaps
1 cup pecans
4 TBSP unsalted butter (melted)
3 TBSP light brown sugar
Filling
1 12 ounce package of fresh (or frozen and thawed) cranberries
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 tsp finely grated lime zest
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temp, cut into pieces)
Pinch of kosher salt
Directions:
Crust
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse cookies in food processor until very fine. Add pecans and pulse until fine. Add butter and brown sugar. Pulse to combine. Put into 9 inch pie dish. Press firmly onto bottom and up sides. Bake until firm and a little dark in color, usually 10-15 minutes. Let Cool
Filling
In a large saucepan bring together the cranberries, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup of water to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until cranberries burst and most of the liquid evaporates, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool then puree in blender until smooth. In a large pot/heatproof bowl placed over a pot of simmering water (but not touching the water) combine the puree, eggs, egg yolks, lemon zest, lime juice, salt 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1tsp lime zest. Cook 8-10 minutes, stirring and scraping down sides of bowl, until curd thickens. Let cool just until warm. Use an electric mixer on medium high to beat curd. Add butter a piece at a time to curd and beat in after each addition until curd looks lighter in color. Pour into crust and chill until firm (2 hours.)
Note from Courtney - “This pie is outstanding. I am so over everything being pumpkin. But this offers a taste of fall that is different and a nice ending to a super indulgent meal.”
Apple Galette - Submitted by Courtney
Ingredients:
1/4 cup salted butter
1/2 vanilla bean (split lengthwise)
All purpose flour (for dusting)
1 lb baking apples (scrubbed and sliced 1/8 thick)
3 TBSP dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 TBSP granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
2 TBSP pure maple syrup
Check out this recipe for a basic tart dough!
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place rack in the middle. Place butter in a small pan and scrape in the vanilla seeds then add pod. Cook over medium heat 5- 8 minutes, stirring often until butter browns. Remove pan from heat and remove bean pod. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface into a 14x10 rectangle at about 1/8 thickness. Move to parchment lines baking sheet. Arrange apples on top, overlapping them and leaving a 1/2 inch border. Brush apples with brown butter and sprinkle with brown sugar. Lift edges of dough over the apples, tucking and overlapping as needed to keep shape. Brush crust with an egg wash, sprinkle with granulated sugar and bake 40-50 minutes, rotating once. Apples should be soft and crust should be golden brown. Let cool until it won’t burn your mouth and enjoy.
Note from Courtney - “Vanilla beans are expensive AF so extract works just fine.”
Leftovers
Pasta Deli Salad - Submitted by Zandy
Ingredients:
1 lb box pasta of your choice (boiled)
1 - 1 1/2 lbs of deli cooked ham/salami/cooked chicken/cooked turkey (cubed)
1 lb fresh or regular mozzarella (cubed)
1 container fresh grape tomatoes (cubed)
1 bunch fresh parsley leaves (chopped)
Optional: 1 can of black olives (halved,) 1 large green pepper or 1 red onion (sliced and cubed)
Directions:
Mix ingredients together in large bowl. Coat with dressing.
Dressing Ingredients:
1 cup light olive oil
6 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar or Heinz Gourmet Salad vinegar
3 Tablespoons dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon dry oregano
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Dash of salt
Direction:
Whisk together or use a hand blender for best result
Note from Zandy - “If I’m taking it somewhere, I will make a flower on top using pepper strips as the stem and leaves and rings of the red onion to form the flowers.”
Did you find something you’ll be giving a try for your stay at home holiday? Or were you inspired to call your family/friends who have been making your favorites for years and finally ask how they do it? Should I put together a Readers’ Potluck during the other seasons? Let me know your thoughts and your favorite holiday recipes in the comments below! And giving a very special shout out and thank you to everyone who submitted a recipe! Ya’ll are the best!