Welcome to My Kitchen

Christmas is just a few days hence. Turkey, hams or other large cuts of meat should be thawing in your refrigerator by now. Be sure to place in a dish large enough to catch any thawing juices and prevent cross contamination with other foods. Keep refrigerated until ready to roast or bake.

Oven space is often at a premium when preparing large holiday meals. Side dishes to prepare stove top or in a slow cooker will free up oven space. Additionally, dishes prepared ahead, ready to bake during turkey or ham resting time can take advantage of an already heated oven.

Diane Eastman of Ritzville shared her recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole. The topping mixture includes coconut, which gives a sweet, toasted flavor to the dish. You can prepare this dish ahead to bake while the turkey rests.

Sweet Potato

Casserole

4 cups cooked, peeled and mashed sweet potatoes

1/3 cup melted butter

2 beaten eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Topping:

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp melted butter

Combine the mashed sweet potatoes, 1/3 cup melted butter, beaten eggs, milk, vanilla and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Spread in a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish.

Combine topping ingredients and spread evenly over sweet potato mixture. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 25 minutes. Yield 6-8 side servings.

Note: if you make ahead and refrigerate, remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before ready to bake. Additionally, if your family doesn’t care for coconut, you may omit from the topping, adding about 1/4 cup more nuts. Diane didn’t say to grease the casserole dish, but I did use a light coating of cooking spray.

Pecan pie is a favorite treat for many at holiday meals. Pecan pie can be made a day or two ahead, freeing up day before cooking space. Nut allergies can be a concern about what to serve at large gatherings. Faux Pecan Pie, made with crushed pretzels is a solution to this dilemma. Just be sure to select pretzels noting made in a nut free plant.

Faux Pecan Pie

Filling:

4 eggs

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

6 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

Single unbaked deep dish pie shell

Topping:

1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels

3 Tbsp melted butter

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl combine the first five ingredients and mix with a wire whisk until sugar dissolves and ingredients are well combined. Pour mixture into pie shell.

In a medium bowl combine all the topping ingredients, stirring well with a spoon to evenly coat the pretzel pieces. Sprinkle topping evenly over pie.

Bake for 1 hour, covering loosely with foil after 30 minutes to prevent over-browning. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before serving. Yield: 6 to 8 slices.

Stuffing or dressing, which ever name you prefer, is a must have favorite for many. Cooking it in the turkey makes the roasting time longer as you must add cooking time for each pound of dressing. There are any number of stovetop preparation options, but the stope top space is often filled with other meal items, so I turned to one of my favorite cookbooks, Fix-it and Forget-it Cookbook by Dawn J Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good and Slow Cooker Poultry Stuffing, attributed to Pat Unternahrer of Wayland, IA The recipe is easy to prepare.

Slow-Cooker

Poultry Stuffing

1 large loaf bread, cubed and dried (about 13-14 cups)

1 to 2 cups cooked and chopped turkey or chicken giblets

1 large onion, peeled and diced fine

3 stalks, celery, chopped fine

1/2 cup melted butter

4 cups chicken broth

1 Tbsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp salt

4 eggs, well beaten

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients, mixing well and pour into slow cooker crock.

Cover and cook on high 1 hour, then reduce heat to low and cook an additional 6 to 8 hours. Yield: 18 side servings.

Note: it is very important to reduce the heat after the first hour to prevent burning of the edges and drying out. Also, lining the crock with a slow-cooker bag makes cleanup easy.

Chex Party Mix in various forms is another popular holiday treat. All American Snack, made in your slow-cooker, is a recipe popular in the mid-west. Easy to prepare several days ahead while you are doing other meal preparations.

All American Snack

3 cups thin pretzel sticks

4 cups Wheat Chex

4 cups Cheerios

1 can (12 ounces), salted peanuts

1/4 cup melted butter or margarine

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp celery salt

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Combine pretzels, cereal, and peanuts in a large bowl.

Stir seasonings into melted butter, along with parmesan if using. Pour over pretzel mixture and toss mixture gently until well mixed.

Pour into slow cooker, cover and cook on low 2 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Remove lid and cook another 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in a tightly covers container. Yield: about 3 quarts snack mix.

Note: it is easy to substitute other cereals and nuts in this recipe.

Our next column will come out in the new year. We will focus on using up any leftover Christmas baking items and getting our kitchen pantries in order.

Share your favorite after holidays recipes, pantry organizing hints and must have pantry staple lists with your fellow readers by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Record Times, 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.

While the weather is still mild, now is a good time to check flowerbeds and shrubs for a proper level of protective winter mulch of straw or leaves.