December 2013 – Eating Cardinals

December 31, 2013

Cardinal Sugar Cookies

Cardinal Sugar Cookies

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ sticks butter

2/3 cups shortening

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. In a nother bowl, beat butter and shortening together. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, milk and vanilla; beat well. Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture beating until well combined. Cover and chill 4 hours or overnight. Roll on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into cardinal shapes and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Allow to cool. Decorate with frosting and red sugar crystals.

Julie Murphy at Christmas Brunch 2007

Cardinal Sugar Cookies

December 31, 2013December 31, 2013

Ground Beef Chili

Ground Beef Chili

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 ½ pounds ground chuck beef

3 tablespoons chili powder

½ teaspoon seasoned salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes with sweet onions (undrained)

1 10-oz can milder diced tomatoes with green chiles (undrained)

1 16-oz can chili beans in mild sauce (undrained)

1 15-oz can black beans (drained)

1 (10.75-oz) can condensed tomato soup

Preheat large saucepan on medium–high heat 2-3 minutes. Place beef, chili powder, seasoned salt, pepper and ½ of the onions in pan; cook 4-5 minutes, stirring to crumble meat, or until meat is brown and no pink remains. Stir in remaining ingredients, including remaining ½ onions. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 10 minutes more to blend flavors.

Kim Deutsch

December 31, 2013

Carol McGahee’s Cream of Broccoli Soup

Carol McGahee’s Cream of Broccoli Soup

2 10-oz packages of frozen chopped broccoli

1 pound Velveeta cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 quart half and half milk

Boil the broccoli in a large pot of water; about 10 minutes or until tender. In another large pan, pur ½ and ½ in and then slowly add cheese. Keep heat low. Add the mushroom soup. Drain broccoli and add to the ½ and ½ pan. Stir constantly until cheese melts.

Nancy Steadman and Carol McGahee

December 31, 2013

White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili

2 c diced onions
2 c diced celery
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 pounds frozen chicken breast, cooked and diced
5 c water
1 bay leaf
2 4oz cans diced green chilies
2 4 oz cans diced jalapeños
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/4 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/2 7 oz can can chipotle in adobo, chopped
4 tbsp chicken base
2 pickled jalapeño, chopped
2 cans white (northern) beans, drained and mashed with immersion blender (I do this because I don’t like beans, but it also makes the chili thicker. Without mashing beans, it’s thinner like soup.)
1 additional can white beans, drained (optional) – I add a can of whole beans if I’m making this for others who like beans
1/2 c heavy cream
Sour cream

Sauté onion, celery, and garlic in oil until tender, about 5 minutes. In a large stockpot, add chicken, water, bay leaf, chilies, jalapeño, oregano, cumin, dry mustard, basil, Old Bay, Cajun seasoning, chipotle, chicken base, pickled jalapeño and beans and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add the heavy cream and simmer for 1 hour. Garnish with sour cream.

I usually double this and freeze half. It’s good in a crock pot too. It’s yummy with Kim’s Broccoli cornbread!

Gina Tiedemann

December 31, 2013

Spinach Salad with Strawberries

Spinach Salad with Strawberries

Dressing:

1 cup salad oil

1/3 cup cider vinegar

¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon celery seed

2 tablespoons corn syrup

Salad:

6 cups fresh spinach, washed and dried

2 cups strawberries, sliced (or any fruit)

¾ cup red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 cup glazed pecans, chopped

Shake together dressing ingredients and toss with salad just before serving.

Nancy Perkins

December 31, 2013

Frozen Fruit Salad

Frozen Fruit Salad

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

½ cup powdered sugar

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup mayonnaise

16-ounce can sliced peaches, drained

1/3 cup maraschino cherry halves

1 16-ounce can fruit cocktail, drained

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1/3 cup whipping cream

Few drops red food coloring

Additional whipped cream for garnish

Whip cream cheese in a mixer. Add powdered sugar and mix until well-blended. Add vanilla and blend in mayonnaise. Fold in fruit and marshmallows. Whip cream and fold into fruit mixture. Add food coloring and mix – salad should be pale pink. Ladle into 5-ounce soufflé cups. Freeze immediately at least overnight.

Janet Wachsler via Rich’s Tearoom

December 31, 2013

Pepper Steak

Pepper Steak

1 pound filet mignon cut into strips

1 large green bell pepper cut into strips

1 medium onion cut into strips

¼ cup soy sauce

1 ½ cups water

Olive oil

Flour

Salt and pepper

Roll steak strips in flour, salt and pepper. Place olive oil in a pan and cook steak strips over medium heat; turn to brown. Remove steak strips from pan and drain on paper towels. Remove any excess oil and return steak to pan.. Add water, soy sauce, pepper strips and onion strips. Simmer for 25 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add a salad and some garlic bread for a complete meal.

Joanna Addison

December 31, 2013

Symphony Brownies

Symphony Brownies

2 boxes walnut brownie mix prepared according to directions on box
3 jumbo Symphony bars with almonds and toffee

Line 13 x 9 Pyrex dish with aluminum foil and spray with Pam. Spread half of the brownie mix in pan. Cover with Symphony bars. (Steve says eat the candy that doesn’t fit.) Co er with remaining brownie mix and bake according to brownie mix directions. You’ll probably need to bake about 10 minutes more. The top brownie should be done, but the middle will be melty due to the chocolate.

Let the brownies cool. I put them in the refrigerator. Invert them onto a cutting board and peal the foil off. Then invert them again and cut into squares.

Gina Tiedemann

December 31, 2013

Strawberry Cheesecake

Strawberry Cheesecake

Graham Cracker Crust:

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

½ cup butter,melted

Filling:

32 ounces cream cheese

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

5 large eggs

¼ cup heavy cream

½ cup strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of springform pan. Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter thoroughly, and press into bottom of pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar, blending with mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add one egg at a time, scraping sides of bowl iwht spatula. Mix until well-blended. Add heavy cream and continue to mix for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour filling into pan and gently swirl strawberry jam throughout, starting at center. Bake for 3 hours, remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Cooling to room temperature before putting it in the refrigerator is very important. Refrigerate overnight. Serve with fresh sliced strawberries.

Kim Deutsch at Christmas Brunch at Joanna’s

December 31, 2013

Jewell’s Banana Pudding

Jewell’s Banana Pudding

7 large bananas

1 ½ box of vanilla wafers

1 can Carnation Evaporated Milk (Nestle brand)

1 can Carnation Evaporated Milk (Pet brand)

2 ½ cups sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Dash of salt

4 eggs

In a medium saucepan stir all dry ingredients together until you cannot see the cornstarch and flour; no heat. Add both evaporated milks and one can of water or milk (better with milk) to dry ingredients. Stir on medium heat (being sure to scrape sides and bottom of sauce pan) until mixture heats. Beat 4 egg yellows, and stir in the mixture. Turn heat up slightly stirring constantly until mixture comes to a slight boil and then turn heat back down to medium. Continue to stir mixture until it begins to thicken. Remove mixture from heat. Layer serving dish alternating banana slices and vanilla wafers. Pour liquid mixture over layered bananas and vanilla wafers. Top with crumbled vanilla wafers. Good werved warm or chilled.

Terri Hull and Jewell Fuller