Welcome to My Kitchen

Soon, many area kitchens will be bustling with week-before-Christmas preparations. Company may be coming, kids home from college and you need something for the breakfast crowd. Ground Beef Strata, a recipe I developed, is a breakfast-type casserole that can be made ahead to be ready for baking in the morning. With an hour and a half baking time, set it to bake before present-opening time if a brunch following is in your plans.

Ground Beef Strata

1-1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

3 cups cubed garlic bread

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

3/4 tsp ground mustard

1 Tbsp ground sage

Dash ground black pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1 can (11 3/4 ounces) cream of mushroom soup

1 can (8 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained

6 eggs, well beaten

2 1/2 cups milk

2 tsp prepared horseradish

2 Tbsp chopped chives or green onion tops

Optional: if bread is plain, toss with 1 tsp onion powder and 1/2 tsp garlic powder.

Brown ground beef in a large skillet and season with sage, pepper and 1 tsp onion powder. Drain excess fat.

In a greased 9 x 13-inch glass or ceramic baking pan, layer bread cubes, ground beef and cheese.

In a large mixing bowl, combine mushroom soup, eggs, milk and chives, mixing well. Pour over layers in pan. Cover with foil and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place foil covered casserole in oven and bake 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil during the last 10 minutes of baking time. Yield: 8-12 servings.

Note: this casserole will hold nicely for 30 to 40 minutes if needed.

Ruth Gies of Odessa suggested a recipe for a corn side dish, Kansas City Cheesy Corn. Perfect for holiday meals, it is prepared on the stove top with just a few minutes under the broiler to brown the surface. With some preparation of ingredients before hand, this dish can be ready in 20 minutes.

Kansas City Cheesy Corn

2 slices bacon, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

3 cups fresh corn kernels (4-5 ears)

4 ounces ham steak, cut in 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup whole milk

8 ounces cream cheese

1 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, divided

Adjust oven rack to 6 inches from the broiler element.

In a large saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add corn, ham, milk, cream cheese and seasonings to saucepan, breaking up the cream cheese with a heat proof spatula or spoon.

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until cream cheese is melted and mixture just begins to bubble at the edges of the saucepan, 8 to 10 minutes. Mixture will be quite liquid-y.

Turn off heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, mixing until melted, about 30 seconds. Transfer corn mixture to a 1 ½-quart broiler-safe baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Place under broiler and broil until cheese just begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Yield: 6-8 side servings.

Note: I used 2 cans of kernel corn, well drained (3 cups frozen corn kernels could also be used).

We may sing about Figgy Pudding this time of year, but Sour Cream Fig Cookies are much easier to make for family or sharing. Fig Newtons may be made in a home kitchen as well but take quite a bit of preparation time. These cookies will satisfy the taste buds for most fig-based recipe lovers.

Sour Cream Fig Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 egg

2/3 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup finely chopped dried figs

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together, butter, sugar, egg and sour cream.

Stir in vanilla, nutmeg, figs and nuts. Mix well.

In a small bowl, combine flour and leavenings. Stir flour mixture into fig mixture.

Drop cookie dough by the spoonful onto prepared cookie sheets. Flatten dough with the back of a greased spoon. Bake cookies 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Remove cookies to cooling racks to cool completely. Yield: about 3 dozen cookies.

Holiday meals often call for fresh herbs, and many times there is more in the bundle than required for the recipes. A great tip came from Teresa Stone, daughter of the late Mildred Deife, for preserving herbs from her garden, but the method works equally well with purchased herbs.

Herbed Butter Cubes

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 –1/3 cup chopped herb of your choice (basil, thyme, tarragon, rosemary, oregano)

Combine both ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and combine thoroughly. Using a small scoop or teaspoon, place mixture in tablespoon size balls on a waxed paper lined baking sheet. Place in freezer over night or until firm. Package and label , then return to the freezer. Use when browning meat or vegetables for recipes, or when making the base in a cream sauce for added flavor.

Refrigerators get full this time of year, and the juggle is constant to fit in holiday foods. Take a look at Welcome to My Kitchen’s Facebook page for a tip on using cooling racks to create more flat surfaces for stacking containers without them squashing or sinking into the container below.

Also young cooks, be watching for some possible GoOdessa cooking videos for kids during the Christmas school break.

– Share your favorite holiday and winter cooking recipes and tips by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record Office. Seed catalogs have been arriving. Might be another year to order early and get the varieties you want.