Holiday recipes and cooking tips

[marleyisalegend]

I hope it doesn't seem like I'm being lazy. I've googled all sorts of recipes and whatnot, I made this thread hoping we could share personal recipes or tips. I'm not the world's greatest cook but I know enough that we don't repeat the same meals in the same month.

Anywho, just share personal recipes or tips that you tried or learned from your parents or partners.

Rum Cake

This isn't anything new, but I LOVE making rum cake. I buy a Duncan Hines Spice Cake in the box and follow the instructions with two exceptions. Instead of x amount of water, you exchange that with the same amount of Captain Morgan's rum. The regular rum, not black rum or anything, and all of my friends like the rum cake with cream cheese frosting.

I'm telling you from experience, this does NOT work with other rums. When times were hard I substituted Captain Mo's with a cheaper rum and it was awful. I tried it with Bacardi rum and it was pretty flat.

So that's the first variation, the second is that you put a small spoonful of icing into the actual batter. The rum adds some extra flavor but if you put a little icing into the batter it'll retain all the sweetness. If you're conservative with frosting you'll only need one can, but I always get two cans of frosting.

A variation of cornbread that my friends all enjoy is honey cornbread with a cup of fiesta corn and ham bits.

Wish I had more to share but, like I said, I'm not the world's greatest cook. Thanks in advance for any ideas/recipes shared.

 

[Principessa]

:angryfire2: Since when are holiday recipes and cooking tips a women's issue? :irked: I say move this to etc., etc.

 

[goodwood]

well, who can say no to a nice rum cake with cream cheese frosting? not me.

in preparing chickens, turkeys, doves or cornish hens, instead of slipping butter beneath the skin, what about putting softened butter in a bowl with thyme and rosemary, a bit of salt and craming the herbed butter mixture together and put that between the skin of the foul.

a friend of mine here wondered about including honey into that mixture. it sounds like a good idea and worth trying.

for green bean casserole - first fry up some bacon (about a pound), set aside.
sautee some mushrooms of choice in some red wine with garlic and onions,
use golden mushrom soup cut with milk/cream/stock of choice. combine all of the ingredients salted to taste and bake with the french fried onion topping.

for mashed potatoes - boil the potatoes (gold yukon) in salted chicken stock (or stock of choice) with skins on. rather than milk, introduce sour cream, cream cheese, feshly chopped leeks or chives, a dash of white wine, and whatever you can think to add beyond that.

 

[marleyisalegend]

:angryfire2: Since when are holiday recipes and cooking tips a women's issue? :irked: I say move this to etc., etc.

Are you fucking kidding me? Men are NOT allowed in the kitchen. One of my boyfriends tried heating up some butter for some broccolli and somehow set the pot on fire. How do you set butter on fire?

Plus I don't imagine men participating in this thread, guys only like threads about boobs, Zac Efron, or showing off their dicks.

 

[Principessa]

The BEST rum cake is the Original Bacardi Rum Cake. ​

BACARDI RUM CAKE
Printed from COOKS.COM​

1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
1 pkg. (2 layer size) yellow cake mix
1 pkg. (4 serving size) Jello brand vanilla flavor instant pudding & pie filling
4 eggs
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. oil
1 cup sugar (for glaze)
1/2 c. Bacardi dark rum (80 proof)​

Do not prepare the pudding prior to adding to cake mix!
Just add the powdered pudding mix.

Or use pudding included yellow cake mix; decrease water to 1/4 cup. ​

Sprinkle nuts evenly in bottom of 10 inch tube or fluted tube pan that has been greased and floured or sprayed with Pam pure vegetable cooking spray. Combine remaining ingredients in large mixer bowl. Blend, then beat at medium speed for 4 minutes. Pour into pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour or until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan. DO NOT UNDERBAKE. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Prepare glaze. Invert cake onto serving plate. Prick with cake tester or wooden pick. Carefully spoon warm glaze over warm cake.​

GLAZE:​

Combine in saucepan:​

1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. water
1 cup sugar​

Stir until mixture comes to a boil; boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/2 cup rum; bring just to boil.​

 

[marleyisalegend]

^Have you tried that recipe? How did it come out? I'm always worried that my cakes are going to come out really spongey.

BTW Thanks Godwood and NJ. I doubt LPSGers are going to be copying and pasting these pages en masse but if anybody tries anything that's shared, let us know. I will definitely be cooking for some friends so I'm gonna be using somebody's recipe.

 

[nudeyorker]

I moved the tread...I'm more comfortable posting my culinary skills in this forum. Stay tuned. I have fabulous holiday fare.

 

[goodwood]

what? this thread is not in 'women's issues'? WHAT?! damnit. i am going ot have take off my hostess apron now. lmao.

 

[MickeyLee]

adding bourbon to your pecan pie.
adding bourbon to whipping cream.
drinking the remaining bourbon while you're cooking.
passing out and leaving the clean up to the sober people.
drawback you might wake up after the pie is gone.

 

[Principessa]

adding bourbon to your pecan pie.

adding bourbon to whipping cream.
drinking the remaining bourbon while you're cooking.
passing out and leaving the clean up to the sober people.
drawback you might wake up after the pie is gone.

I like how you think. You are a woman after my own heart.:tongue:

 

[invisibleman]

Are you fucking kidding me? Men are NOT allowed in the kitchen. One of my boyfriends tried heating up some butter for some broccolli and somehow set the pot on fire. How do you set butter on fire?

Plus I don't imagine men participating in this thread, guys only like threads about boobs, Zac Efron, or showing off their dicks.

It can happen if you don't know what the fuck you are doing. Men (as well as women) should learn to cook.

Learn food safety first. www.foodsafety.gov.
Has valuable tips. You don't want to get sick by improper food storage and cooking and/or cross contamination, do ya? Handwashing is important.

Then, you learn how to measure using dry measuring cups (dry goods), wet measuring cups (liquid and dense foods) and the spoon measures (for small measures of dry and/or liquid goods.

Mise en place: Everything in its place at the ready...Gather all ingredients needed (properly measured) to be used to add to your recipe and at the time/ stage of the recipe it is used.

 

[MickeyLee]

*shares the bourbon balls from Mrs See's with NJQT* the world is a nice place all sugar coated and liquored up.

ML

 

[Hockeytiger]

Buttered Rum

2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 pinch of salt

3 sticks of cinnamon

6 whole cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon works too)

2 cups rum

2 quarts hot water

TOPPINGS

heavy cream-whipped

ground nutmeg-for topping

Put all ingredients, except rum, whipped cream, and ground nutmeg (for topping) into a crockpot. Stir well. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours. Add rum, stir to blend. Serve from pot into warm mugs. Top with whisper of nutmeg (optional) and scoop of whipped cream (optional).

 

[AquaEyes11010]

Wow, this site truly has posts about anything and everything...that's why I love it! I love to cook, and I've found some really easy recipes for desserts at VeryBestBaking - NESTLE - Welcome. I highly recommend that site. As a couple of additions, I found that making stuffing using pumpkin bread instead of regular bread makes an awesome break from the change. I use whole wheat flour instead of white flour, dark brown sugar instead of white sugar, and I really load up on the spices ("pumpkin pie spice" and clove, in double or triple the amount per recipe...using "pumpkin cranberry bread" from Very Best Baking as my base). If you google "pumpkin bread stuffing" you'll come across "Ibby's pumpkin bread mushroom stuffing" which is awesome. Try throwing in apples, raisins, wild rice, or whatever else you want to experiment with. As a cute little treat, make "bite-size apple pies" by peeling, coring and slicing into wedges a bunch of sweet fresh apples, dust them in brown sugar and cinnamon, and wrap them individually in half a piece of crescent roll dough. Here's my favorite recipe for eggnog, with my own notes below:

Makes about 40 servings

12 eggs, separated
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 pint (=2 cups) cognac
1 pint light rum
6 cups milk
1 pint heavy cream
freshly grated nutmeg

Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until thick, then slowly stir in the cognac, rum, milk and cream. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Refrigerate egg whites separately.

About 15 minutes before serving, remove egg whites from refrigerator to warm slightly. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold into the chilled mix, but don't stir. Sprinkle with some nutmeg and serve.

NOTES:
1) Use free-range organic eggs to avoid salmonella. I get the expensive ones sold in the half-dozen for this recipe. I think the brand is Happy Hen or something to that effect. I remember on the carton it being said that they test for salmonella and have never had it come up.
2) When separating eggs, do it one at a time in a separate small bowl if you're not used to doing it without breaking the yolk. It's ok if some whites get in with the yolks, but you can't have any speck of yolk in the white if you want them to get fluffy. Have a couple extra eggs just in case.
3) Try using Lactaid whole milk to avoid discomfort by lactose-intolerant guests. There is no taste difference.
4) When I make the recipe, I use half the amount of each alcohol indicated in the recipe above. I first made it as-is and it was about as strong as a shot and somewhat thin. Try it with half the amount first, and then add more to taste.
5) Try using spiced, gold or dark rum for richer flavor, keeping in mind that this will make the eggnog somewhat darker.
6) Try beating the heavy cream slightly before adding to the rest if you want it thicker, but don't go as far as making whipped cream.
7) Besides nutmeg, you can use cinnamon and/or clove, and also try the mix called "pumpkin spice" which contains cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and possibly something else, but doesn't include clove. I like the eggnog spicier, so I throw some in with the egg yolks and sugar at the start.
8) The finished product will look like a cappuccino, with the egg whites forming the foam on top. It will not look like the eggnog from a can or carton, which has been homogenized into something like thick half-and-half.
9) If you're serving this in a punch bowl, have the bowl resting on ice. Don't add ice to the bowl of eggnog itself.

Enjoy!

 

[Deno]

My tip is keep the tip covered, its never a good idea to cook naked. Not even bare footed.

 

[Deno]

My tip is keep the tip covered, its never a good idea to cook naked. Not even bare footed. And keep your birds in the cage also. I had a friends whos bird did a dive in a pot and didn't survive to chirp about it.

 

[invisibleman]

Best Turkey/ Beef Gravy

I heat up some about a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add about a teaspoon of all-purpose flour. A teaspoon of chicken seasoning and garlic powder. Stir in the mixture with a slotted spatula until mixture turns a golden brown color and all cooked flour has thoroughly combined without any lumps. Add gradually while stirring the roux some pan drippings (a cupful) from a thoroughly cooked roast turkey or pot roast. Stir the gravy until well-combined and simmer for awhile. You can taste a little bit of the gravy to see if it is seasoned right...if not add a bit more. Or if you want to add some white wine (turkey) or burgundy wine (beef). Slow simmer for twenty minutes on low heat covered.

You can pour the gravy through a sieve into your gravy bowl if you want. I don't.

 

[MagicJohnsonFan]

*shares the bourbon balls from Mrs See's with NJQT* the world is a nice place all sugar coated and liquored up.

ML

I want in on this too!!!! :trink26:

 

[MickeyLee]

*hands the box of candies to Miss Chic* i'm not to be trusted with candy. :frown1:

 

[Principessa]

I haven't tried this yet, but it looks good.

Buffalo Chicken Dip
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 1361 members
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Ready In: 45 Minutes
Yields: 20 servings

"This tangy, creamy dip tastes just like buffalo chicken wings. It's best served hot with crackers and celery sticks. Everyone loves the results!"

INGREDIENTS:
2 (10 ounce) cans chunk
chicken, drained
2 (8 ounce) packages cream
cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing
3/4 cup pepper sauce, such as
Franks® Red Hot®
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar
cheese

1 bunch celery, cleaned and
cut into 4 inch pieces
1 (8 ounce) box chicken-
flavored crackers

DIRECTIONS:

1.Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.
​