Artichoke-Parmesan-Sourdough Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 onions (3/4 lb. total), chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• About 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 loaf (1 lb.) sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-in. cubes
• 2 jars (6 oz. each) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves or 3/4 tsp. crumbled dried rosemary
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg

Preparation

1. In a 12-in. frying pan over high heat, cook butter, onions, celery, and garlic, stirring often, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Pour into a large bowl. Add a bit of broth to pan and stir to scrape up browned bits. Add to bowl.

2. Pour 2 cups broth into bowl and add bread, artichoke hearts, parmesan, and rosemary; mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make a well in stuffing. Add egg and beat with a fork to blend; mix egg with stuffing.

3. Preheat oven to 325° to 350° (use temperature turkey requires; see Note below). Spoon stuffing into a shallow 3-qt. (9- by 13-in.) casserole. For moist stuffing, cover with foil; for crusty stuffing, do not cover. Bake until hot (at least 150° in center) or lightly browned, about 50 minutes.

Make ahead: Up to 1 day ahead, make stuffing, put in casserole, cover, and chill. Allow about 1 hour to bake.

Scalloped Potatoes with Leeks and Slow-Cooked Onions

Makes a 9" x 13" pan
This recipe is from Palisades; the measurements are approximate (like making a lasagna). It's important to blanch the potatoes as a first step. Best if made a day ahead.

Ingredients:
2 pounds of russet potatoes, peeled, blanched and sliced 1/4 inch thick
Parmesan cheese - one cup, grated
Gouda cheese - one cup, grated
black pepper
sea or kosher salt

Leek/onion mix:
2 T. olive oil
1 large sweet onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium leeks, washed, trimmed, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp. ground thyme

White sauce:
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1 cup vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

Heat olive oil in large frying pan. Add the onion, garlic and leeks. Saute until the mix begins to caramelize, Add thyme, reduce heat to low and let onion mixture cook and mature until tender.
De-glaze with white wine and reduce until mixture is almost dry.

To make the white sauce, begin by melting the butter in a sauce pan. Whisk in the flour, creating a roux. Cook without scorching for 3-4 minutes. Add the broth, whip cream and bay leaf. Whisk to blend, and cook until sauce is smooth. Turn off heat and blend in the sour cream and salt. Remove bay leaf before assembling the dish.

To assemble:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Evenly layer half the potatoes in buttered pan. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Layer half of the onion-leek mixture on top of the potatoes

Mix grated parmesan and gouda together, and scatter half on top of the onion mixture

Layer the rest of the potatoes evenly into the pan. Season with the remaining salt and pepper.

Top with the rest of the onion/leek mixture

Pour the sour cream sauce over the potoatoes (you don't need to use all of it if the pan seems to full). Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

Cover the pan with foil and cut a couple of vent slits in the foil.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, then remove foil and bake another ten minutes.

If making ahead, cool, refrigerate and re-heat for 25 minutes until heated through.

Christmas morning glory muffins

Makes 12 muffins (adapted from Macrina's Cookbook)

2/3 cup toasted and chopped walnuts
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 and 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium carrot, grated
1 Granny smith apple, peeled and grated
3/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained (one small can)
3 beaten eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
6 T. butter, melted
1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush the inside of a muffin tin with canola oil.

Sift flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Mix gently with a wooden spoon and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine walnuts, carrot, apple, pineappe, eggs, canola oil, meltd butter, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and coconut, and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Add dry ingredients and continue stirring just until all the dry ingredients are moistened. It's important not to overmix.

Scoop batter into oiled muffin tin, filling cups to the top. Bake on center rack of the oven for 40 minutes; finished muffins will be deep brown.

Easton/Farrell family Thanksgiving applesauce

18 apples (I used Granny Smiths for a tart sauce, the recipe suggests McIntosh)
1 cup apple cider
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbs. vanilla
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Peel, core, and quarter apples

Combine all ingredients in a large, heavy-bottomed sauce pan with a lid. Cook on medium heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring often, until apples are saucy. Mash any remaining large apple pieces with a spoon.

Taste the applesauce and add more sugar and spices as needed.

Applesauce can be stored for 2 to 3 days in the fridge.

Two-Tone Potatoes Anna

Makes 8-10 servings

If making up to one day ahead, let cool, cover airtight and chill. Reheat, covered, in a 425 degree oven until hot in the center, 25 to 30 minutes

One-and-a-half pound of yams or sweet potatoes

One-and-a-half pound russet potatoes

Ten T. melted butter (I use less)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (also good with gouda)

Two teaspoons crumbled dried rosemary

Salt and pepper

Peel yams and russet potatoes. Cut yams and potatoes into uniformly thick 1/16" slices. As cut, immerse russets into water to prevent browning.

Put two T. butter into a 10 " ovenproof nonstick frying pan and spread to cover bottom

Drain russet potatoes and pat slices dry. neatly overlap 1/4 of the russet slices to cover pan bottom. Drizzle with 1 T. butter and sprinkle with 1 T. cheese and 1/4 tsp. rosemary. Neatly overlap 1/4 yam slices over russets; repeat butter, cheese adn rosemary. Repeat layers, alternating russets and yams, until all the vegetables are in the pan. Drizzle with any remaining butter. Cover pan tightly with foil.

Bake on the lowest rack in a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until potatoes are tender when pierced and edges are brown and crips, about 35-45 minutes longer. Let stand 5-10 minutes.

Drain off excess butter. Run a knife between pan sides and potatoes. Invert a platter over pan; holding together, invert both to release vegetables...

Artichoke-Parmesan-Sourdough Dressing

Serves 10-12

Cut one loaf (1 lb.) sourdough bread into 1/2 inch cubes

One T. butter

two sweet onions, peeled and chopped

one cup chopped celery

Two T. minced garlic

Two cups vegetable broth

Two jars (6 oz. each) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

One and a half tsp. minced fresh rosemary leaves or 3/4 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary

salt and pepper

One large egg

Spread bread cubes in a single layer on flat pans or cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes or until toasted golden brown. Turn cubes with a spatula occasionally, and switch pan positions after 15 minutes.

In large frying pan, combine butter, onions, celery and garlic. Stir often until vegetables are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Pour into large bowl. Add a little broth to the pan, and scapr up brown bits, add to the bowl.

Pour two cups of broth into the bowl, add the bread cubes, artichoke hearts, cheese, rosemary and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make a well in the dressing, add the egg, beat with a fork to blend, then mix egg into the dressing.

Spoon mixture into a shallow 3 quart casserole (9 x 13 inch pan) For moist dressing, cover with foil; for crusty dressing, do not cover. Bake at 325 degrees until hot or lightly browned, about 50 minutes (at least an hour if chilled).

cinnamon almond stars

These star-shaped cinnamon almond cookies from Churer, Switzerland, are crisp, chewy and utterly sublime. A sweet meringue serves as both an element of the cookie dough and a baked-on frosting for the finished cookies. The name means cinnamon stars, and the cookies are traditionally no more than a couple of inches across.

Makes 3 dozen

1 ½ cups whole, natural almonds

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

1/4 cup egg white

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 pinch salt

1 ½ cups powdered sugar, plus powdered sugar for rolling

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment.

2. In a food processor, combine almonds, cinnamon and lemon zest. Pulse the motor on and off until the almonds are roughly ground, then leave the motor on and grind the almonds finely, about 30 seconds.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, whip the egg whites with the lemon juice and salt until they are very foamy. Continue whipping vigorously until the egg whites hold stiff peaks. Gradually whisk in the powdered sugar to make a stiff meringue. Set aside 1/3 cup of the meringue, covered in plastic wrap.

4. Stir the ground almond mixture into the remaining meringue mixture until the mixture comes together to form a stiff dough.

5. On a surface coated in powdered sugar, roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick. (This is thicker than most cookies, so be careful not to roll it out too thinly.) With a 2-inch, star-shaped cookie cutter dipped in water between each cut, cut the rolled dough into cookies and transfer the cookies to lined baking sheets. Reroll any scraps of dough and cut it in the same manner.

6. Add a few drops of water to the reserved meringue to make it spreadable, and brush it onto the tops of the cut-out cookies.

7. Bake the cookies just until they are firm to the touch but still moist inside, 12 to 14 minutes. (Do not overbake, or the cookies will harden as they cool; they should be tender and chewy.) Cool the cookies completely and keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

LIme and Pecan Shortbread Snowballs

Recipe: Lime and Pecan Shortbread Snowballs
Makes 4 dozen 1 cup butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest 1 ¾ cups unbleached white...

We've always been fond of the powdered-sugar-covered shortbread balls known as Mexican Wedding Cakes or Russian Teacakes. And this cookie belongs to that same family of buttery goodness. Here, pungent lime zest and toasted pecans lend the cookies extra character; cornstarch replaces some of the flour to make the cookies extra-tender.

Makes 4 dozen

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest

1 ¾ cups unbleached white flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup lightly toasted pecans, cooled and chopped

1 cup powdered sugar for rolling

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with baker's parchment.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together butter, powdered sugar and lime zest. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt. Add flour mixture and pecans all at once to butter mixture and stir just until mixture comes together to form dough.

3. Divide dough into four parts and shape each into a 3x4-inch rectangle. Cut each rectangle into 12 1-inch cubes. Arrange cubes of dough 1 inch apart on cookie sheets and bake 10 minutes.

4. As soon as cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Allow the cookies to cool completely, then roll in powdered sugar again.

Christina's Brown Sugar Shortbread

One pound of butter
One pound of flour (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 pound of brown sugar, packed (about one cup)
1/3 cup of cornstarch
1 tsp of salt if the butter is unsalted
1 Tablespoon of vanilla.

Combine dry ingredients in a food processor. Add butter at refrigerator temperature, vanilla, and process until a clump forms.

Chill in flat rounds. Roll out chilled circles (not too think) cut into shapes and freeze before baking. Warm the oven to 350 degree, put the frozen shapes on the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 15 minutes.