Festive Eating: Week Three
The staff at the Birmingham Public Library are excited to enter the third week of sharing recipes with loyal patrons. If you have prepared any of the festive eats from the previous two blogs, we welcome your feedback and photographs!
This week, the staff at the BPL offer up yet another platter of enticing dishes. Melinda Shelton, who maintains the BPL website, contributes her mother's recipe for Caramel corn, which is made with both peanuts and pecans. Jon Michael Coe of the Inglenook Branch and North Birmingham Regional Branch Libraries shares a recipe for a no-cook fudge that is simple enough for children to make.
For those on keto or gluten-free diets, Casandra Scott of the Avondale Regional Branch Library includes instructions for spring onion and sharp cheddar pancakes. And Lynn Carpenter of the Five Points West Regional Branch Library shares her quick-&-easy hamburger stroganoff.
There is still time to send in your favorite holiday recipes for publication on the BPL website and social media pages. We look forward to receiving them!
Please consider contributing to the BPL this December. Your gift allows us to provide the community with informative programs, enlightening activities, and books that empower. Thank you, and happy holidays!
OLIVIA'S CARAMEL CORN
Melinda Shelton, Central Library—Web Services
My mom used to make this for our family every Christmas. Since she passed away, my dad has continued the tradition and makes each of us a full gallon of our very own caramel corn to carry home. Better watch out, though, and make sure a sibling doesn't try to sneak away with your bag. It's quite tempting!
Ingredients
6 qt popped corn 1½ C pecan halves 1½ C firmly packed brown sugar ¾ C butter | ¾ C light corn syrup 1½ C raw peanuts ½ tsp baking soda 1 tsp vanilla extract |
Directions
Coat two large roasting pans with cooking spray. Combine popcorn and pecans in pans. Set aside. Combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and peanuts in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. (When boiling starts, reduce to medium heat). Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla extract.
Pour mixture evenly over popcorn. Stir with a long-handled spoon that has been lightly greased until popcorn is well coated. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately pour mixture onto wax paper, breaking it apart as it cools. Store in airtight containers. Makes 6½ quarts.
KID-FRIENDLY NO-COOK FUDGE
Jon Michael Coe, Inglenook Branch and North Birmingham Regional Branch Libraries
This is a simple recipe that you can let your kids pretty much do on their own with minimal supervision. It lets them feel like they've contributed to Christmas or made a special gift for someone. All you need is a microwave-safe mixing bowl, a French spatula or mixing spoon, and a microwave.
Ingredients
1 10–12-oz package chocolate chips (use semi-sweet for a more authentic fudge taste, or use full sweet milk chocolate chips for more of a candy flavor)
½ 10–12-oz package peanut butter chips (if you can't find peanut butter chips or are making this for someone with nut allergies, consider toffee chips or just another half-bag of chocolate chips)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Optional
Nuts (peanuts, slivered almonds, cracked walnuts, cashew pieces are all good)
Directions
Add all the chips to your microwave-safe bowl and mix together. If adding nuts, mix in about 5 or 6 ounces to your chips. Add sweetened condensed milk. Give a big stir to get as many chips coated with milk as possible. Pop in the microwave for 1 minute. Give another big stir to get the peanut butter mostly incorporated into the chocolate. Microwave for 30 seconds. Give another stir. Microwave for 30 more seconds. Give one last stir and pour out onto wax paper.
Spread the mixture out to about a ½-inch thickness using the back of your spoon or spatula. Let sit on the counter for about 4 hours to harden or, if you have room in your refrigerator, about 1 hour should do it. Remove from the wax paper and cut into individual pieces. Can be stored at room temperature in a sealed container for about a month.
QUICK-&-EASY HAMBURGER STROGANOFF
Lynn Carpenter, Five Points West Regional Branch Library
This flavorful dish made with egg noodles is even better the next day as leftovers. It is easy to make after a long day at work but tastes like you worked on it for hours. Add mushrooms if you like! Takes 30 minutes to make and serves 6.
Ingredients
1 (16-oz) package egg noodles 2 Tbsp butter 1 onion, chopped 2 (10.5-oz) cans cream of mushroom and roasted garlic soup (like Campbell's®) | 1 Tbsp garlic salt 2 C sour cream 1 C merlot 1 lb. ground beef |
Directions
Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rapid boil. Cook egg noodles at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onion in hot butter until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef in small chunks; cook and stir beef until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes.
Sprinkle flour over beef mixture; cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms and garlic salt. Pour in mushrooms and chicken soups; cook and stir until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream until smooth and heated through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Serve beef mixture over cooked egg noodles.
FRUIT CAKE COOKIES
Lynn Piper Carpenter, Five Points West Regional Branch Library
Ingredients
¼ C butter ½ C brown sugar 2 eggs 1½ tsp baking powder 1½ C flour ½ lb. candied pineapple | ½ lb. candied cherries ½ tsp nutmeg 1½ oz bourbon 1½ tsp cinnamon 1 box white raisins 3 C chopped pecans |
Directions
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Dissolve cinnamon and nutmeg in bourbon. Cream butter with brown sugar. Blend in eggs. Fold in half of the baking powder and flour. Add the bourbon mixture. Fold in the rest of the flour mixture. Add the fruit and pecans until everything is evenly coated with batter. Drop spoonsful of cookie batter on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
BOILED PEANUTS
Cheyenne Trujillo, Central Library—PR Department
My sister and I grew up eating boiled peanuts that my grandparents made. This recipe is from my sister, who is now trying her hand at making boiled peanuts now that we're older.
Ingredients
1 lb. fresh, raw or "green" peanuts 4 C water | ¼ C kosher salt, or 2 Tbsp table salt |
You can also add in about 2 Tbsp of whatever other seasonings or flavors you would like
Directions
Thoroughly rinse raw, unshelled peanuts in water. Add the water, salt, seasoning, and peanuts to a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat just enough to maintain a low boil. Boil for at least 2 to 3 hours or until peanuts reach desired level of softness. You can even boil your peanuts all day. When they reach their level of softness, pull off heat and enjoy.
SPRING ONION & SHARP CHEDDAR PANCAKES
Casandra Scott, Avondale Regional Branch Library
This is my modified version of a favorite, keto-friendly, savory pancake recipe I found online during the early shelter-in-place months of the pandemic. They are crispy, cheesy, light, and the perfect complement to a comforting bowl of soup or chili at a time when comfort is what is called for.
Ingredients
¼ C + 1 Tbsp coconut flour 3 extra large eggs 2 Tbsp olive oil + extra for frying 1 Tbsp sugar-free syrup 1 tsp baking powder (aluminum free is best) | ⅛ tsp fine sea salt 1 C finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese 2 chopped spring onions ¼–½ C seltzer |
Optional
Coarse kosher salt for sprinkling over finished pancakes
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: coconut flour, baking powder, and salt. Then add eggs, oil, sugar-free syrup using a whisk to stir it all together, breaking up any clumps. Stir in cheese and spring onions. (The batter should be fairly thick at this point). Stir in seltzer a little at a time to thin the batter somewhat (I like the consistency of a Wendy's Frosty).
In an oiled skillet over medium-low heat, add 2–3 tablespoons of the pancake batter per pancake and allow it to cook until bubbles start to form in the middle of the pancake, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the pancake and let it cook on the other side, about 4 more minutes, or until both sides are golden. Don't be tempted to increase the heat to speed up the cooking time, or the outsides of the pancake might burn before the inside is cooked through and fluffy.
Repeat with the remaining batter, making roughly 10–12 small pancakes (about 3-inces in diameter). Serve warm with a little sour cream.
These are about 3g carb per pancakes go great with a bowl of your favorite keto soup or chili. Leftover pancakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or about a month in the freezer.
You can find more recommendations and recipes in Season's Readings Week One and Week Two and Festive Eating Week One and Week Two blogs.
By Margaret Splane | Library Assistant Ⅲ, Development Office
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