Lpsg christmas - holiday potluck

[LaFemme]

We have some pretty fine cooks around here. Let’s have a Christmas/Holiday potluck.

Post your favourite recipe for what you’re bringing to our potluck.

Main dishes
Sides
Desserts
Beverages
Baked goods
Vegetarian/vegan
Gluten free

Whatever your heart desires! Who knows? Maybe we’ll come away with some new ideas!

 

[LaFemme]

So I brought this to the office potluck yesterday. People were eating with a spoon. I’m pretty fast and loose with the cheddar and spinach - closer to 2 cups of cheddar and sometimes I double the spinach. More dill, as well. I like it in a bread bowl better, but if time is short, a small casserole dish is fine.

Bacon Spinach Dip

• 1/2 Cup mayonnaise
• 8 oz Pkg cream cheese, softened (2 pkg)
• 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese (Grated)
• 10 oz Pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1/2 Cup Chopped fried bacon (about 6 strips)
• 1/4 Cup Finely, chopped onions
• 2 tsp dried dill weed
• 1 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 Large round bread loaf

1. Fry bacon until crispy.
2. Beat cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Add remaining ingredients (except bread). Stir together.
3. Slice off top quarter of bread loaf. Pull out chunks of bread, leaving about a 1” wall. Pour dip mixture inside. Replace top. Wrap in a double layer of heavy foil.
4. Bake at 325 for 2 hours. Use reserved bread chunks for dipping.
   
   Dip may also be baked without bread loaf in a casserole dish for 35 to 40 at 350. Use a French loaf for dipping.

 

[918177]

What about a lovely Aussie punch? Or meringue? Actually, just show up. I’ll feed you.

A pavlova topped with sweetened whipped cream and tropical fresh fruits.
With a side of cold banana brandy custard.

 

[LaFemme]

I have been suggesting for years that the ladies pf LPSG get together and publish a cook book. Throw in a page or so of kitchen photos ( non X-Rated ); and sell it for $ 20. Special autographed copies, signed by the chefs would go for $ 50

You will be $$$$$ over night

You’d get the first copy, dude.

 

[LaFemme]

1. I got this recipe from Michael Symon. Once I made it, I never made any other kind. It’s make ahead, so that’s a huge benefit.

Turkey gravy

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Turkey neck
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Cup Chopped Onion
• 1/2 Cup Carrots (Chopped)
• 1/2 Cup Celery (Chopped)
• 4 Tbsp Flour
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 Sprig thyme
• 4 Cups Chicken Broth
• Drippings of one turkey

1. Place a cast iron stock pot over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil along with the turkey neck. Brown the neck on all sides, about 5 minutes, remove to a plate, and then add the butter to the pan.
2. When the butter has melted add the onion, celery, carrot, thyme and bay leaf with a large pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, until all of the vegetables are aromatic and slightly caramelized.
3. Next stir in the flour to coat the vegetables and absorb the butter. Add the turkey neck back to the pan. Whisk in the turkey stock and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes.
4. Drippings from Roast Turkey
5. After 45 minutes, whisk in any pan drippings from roasting your turkey, and give the gravy a taste, adding more seasoning if necessary. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and keep warm.

Helpful Tips:
1. Make the gravy in the morning or the night before, then add the drippings once the turkey finishes cooking.
2. Chop the vegetables for the mirepoix in a food processor to save time.
3. Customize your gravy by adding any other vegetables like fresh fennel.
4. If you don’t have stock, you can use water because you are getting a ton of flavor from the turkey neck and pan drippings.
5. Don’t worry about lumps in your gravy, because they will be strained out with the vegetables.
6. For completely smooth gravy, you can also strain the pan drippings before combining with the gravy.

 

[918177]

It's too hot here in the far north of the Southern Hemisphere for baked dinners at Christmas.

It'll be salads, cold cuts, cold ham, cold roasted chicken, seafood - prawns, smoked salmon, oysters, whole steamed reef fish.
Luscious tropical fruits - mango, custard apples, jakfruit, lychees, and stone fruits.

Lots of ice cold beer, and white wine and champagne- either plain or mixed with tropical fruit juices.

 

[Enid]

As many of you know, I am an awful cook, at least I do make a bunch of jokes about it, but my one thing I like to help make is this. It takes a LONG ass time (also, double or triple ingredients if you want soup servings for 8 or 12 which in my household means my sis gets 2 servings and I get 6 or 10....kidding, kind of). But my sister complains each time she makes it that I eat it all up and leave her none. That is not true. I leave her like a bowl. Haha. Anyway it is GOOD. No, GREAT. She wouldn't make it for Thanksgiving this year, so I asked her to make it for Christmas dinner as my gift. I'll do all grunt work, she can oversee or do the stuff requiring skill. Guys, THIS is my FAVORITE tomato soup in whole wide world. For reals. I will snarf it up like it's fucking crack. I'll drink it cold in a mug. I love it that fucking much. I also think, thinking back to what sis has said, that you should roast the stuff in oven at a lower heat for longer for better flavor

Roasted tomato soup

Ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil

3 or 4 lbs plum tomatoes, halved

1 big onion, thinly sliced

2 fat garlic cloves, halved

handful of thyme sprigs

1 teaspoon caster sugar

small handful of basil sprigs

32 oz chicken stock or vegetable nage

3 smoked sun-dried cherry tomatoes in oil, drained (or 2 semi-soft sun dried tomatoes and 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

to serve,

2 tablespoons olive oil

10 oz baby cherry tomatoes on the vine

small basil leaves

Serves 4

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Pour the olive oil into a roasting tin and heat in the oven until almost smoking. Carefully tip in the tomatoes, onion rings and garlic, then toss to coat in the oil. Scatter over the thyme sprigs, sprinkle with sugar and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until nicely caramelised, stirring once or twice and adding the basil towards the end of cooking.

2. Tip the roasted tomatoes and flavorings into a saucepan, discarding any woody thyme stalks. Bring the stock to the boil in another pan, then pour over the tomatoes. Bring to the boil, add the smoked tomatoes (or semi-soft sun-dried tomatoes plus barbecue sauce) and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Strain the stock, reserving the tomato mixture. Tip the tomatoes into a blender or food processor and whiz, gradually adding the stock back in, until smooth and creamy. Pass the soup through a sieve into a clean pan or bowl, rubbing with the back of a ladle. taste and adjust the seasoning.

4. For the garnish, heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Snip the vine tomatoes into four clusters and fry them on the vine for about a minute.

5. Reheat the soup if necessary, but it’s best served warm rather than piping hot. Pour into warmed bowls and top with pan-roasted vine tomatoes. Drizzle the pan juices around the tomatoes and scatter with basil leaves.

 

[ronin001]

I have been suggesting for years that the ladies pf LPSG get together and publish a cook book. Throw in a page or so of kitchen photos ( non X-Rated ); and sell it for $ 20. Special autographed copies, signed by the chefs would go for $ 50

You will be $$$$$ over night

 

[bwhip1011]

I have been suggesting for years that the ladies pf LPSG get together and publish a cook book. Throw in a page or so of kitchen photos ( non X-Rated ); and sell it for $ 20. Special autographed copies, signed by the chefs would go for $ 50

You will be $$$$$ over night

Excellent idea, Ronin! I'd certainly buy a copy.

 

[ronin001]

Excellent idea, Ronin! I'd certainly buy a copy.

Good man

 

[Enid]

You’d get the first copy, dude.

I'll design cover and layout.

And take the photos. (In theory, obvi)

Oooh!! We can all choose iconographic copyright free photos (ofc) to represent us for anonymity sake

 

[Enid]

It should be called

LPSG Easy Bake (C)oven Recipes for All Appetites


Maybe

 

[EllieP]

My holiday fare is pretty standard stuff, but I grew up with a strange hybrid celebration. Mum always made Christmas Pudding, and Dad always made tamales. The house smelled wonderful!

All I could contribute is a photo of me in the kitchen with just an apron. Sorry.

 

[LaFemme]

I'm bringing biscochitos and empanadas made from scratch. Empanadas will be filled with apricot and pork. (Yes, fruit AND meat, together... Taco Bell has people fucked up not knowing how to food properly) I'll bring some with only fruit and made with vegan dough for those who do not consume flesh.

I'll bring some fresh pork or mushroom tamales too, with red chili.

That sounds amazing. And of course fruit and meat go together. My people survived for years on by drying fruit and meat together to last on trips.

Anyway, got any recipes? I’ve never made biscochitos, but I’ve made empanadas a time or two. A lady at work makes great pork/fruit ones, but charges $20/dozen. I don’t freakin’ think so.

Also, I have a tamale addiction. Cannot make those for the life of me. I order those from the Latin place next door. They make ‘em good!

(Btw, Taco Bell doesn’t make any form of ethnic food. They make a Taco Bell. If I want Taco Bell, I’m not looking for Mexican food.)

 

[LaFemme]

Mix me my favourite drink. I think it’s called a Paloma.

Fill a Collins glass with ice
2 oz resposita Tequila
Juice of 1/2 lime
Top with grapefruit flavoured soda = Jarritos, preferred (I buy it by the case at the Latin store) or Fresca or Sprite and a dash of grapefruit juice.

Garnish with with the lime half if you’re fancy.

 

[693987]

Nutella Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
Enough 1/4" slices of home-style or bakery white bread or baguette, with or without the crusts, to cover the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish, not too tightly, with 2 layers of bread
1/4 to 1/2 cup Nutella
5 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
Scant 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/4 cups heavy cream

Instructions:
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325F. Put the bread in the bottom of the baking dish to make sure you have sliced enough to make two layers. Remove the bread from the dish. If the bread is fresh, lay slices on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes on each side, or until very lightly toasted. Let the slices cool.

Spread one side of each slice of bread with Nutella. Cut or break large whole slices (not baguette slices) into 4 pieces each. Arrange the bread. Nutella side facing up, in the baking dish in one layer of overlapping pieces, with rounded crusts or trimmed angles showing attractively.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and salt together. Gradually whisk in the milk and cream. Pour the egg mixture through a strainer into the baking dish. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap and press any floating bread pices back into the egg mixture. Let stand for at least 15 minutes to allow the bread to absorb the liquid.

Put a kettle/pot of water on to boil. Uncover the pudding and place it in a baking pan large enough to hold it with a little space on all sides, and then into the oven. Pull the oven rack out and carefully pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until a knife inserted into the pudding comes out free of custard (or with a little Nutella clinging to it), 50-55 minutes. Cool for at least 1 hour.

Serve the pudding warm or at room temperature. Goes amazingly with some vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and/or sliced fresh strawberries.

 

[693987]

Roast Garlic Focaccia

Recipe is from Serious Eats' website

Ingredients

• For the Focaccia:
• 1 whole head garlic
• 5 tablespoons (75ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt, for seasoning
• 500g all-purpose or bread flour (17 1/2 ounces; about 3 1/4 cups)
• 15g kosher salt (1/2 ounce; about 1 tablespoon)
• 4g instant yeast (0.15 ounce; about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 325g water (11 1/2 ounces; about 1 1/2 cups minus 1 tablespoon)
• For the Garlic Butter:
• 2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions

1. 
   For the Focaccia: Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Remove 4 cloves garlic from head and set aside. Place remaining head in the center of a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil and season with salt. Wrap tightly with foil and place in an oven-safe cast iron, carbon steel, or stainless steel skillet, then transfer to oven. Roast until garlic is completely tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and refrigerate until ready to use the next day.
   
   
2. 
   Combine flour, salt, yeast, and water in a large bowl. (To account for rising, the bowl should be at least 4 to 6 times the volume of the dough.) Mix with hands or a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains.
   
   
3. 
   Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, making sure that edges are well sealed, then let rest on the countertop for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Dough should rise dramatically and fill bowl.
   
   
4. 
   Add 3 tablespoons (45ml) olive oil to a 12-inch cast iron skillet or large cake pan. Transfer dough to pan by tipping it out of the bowl in one large blob. Turn dough to coat in oil. Using a flat palm, press dough around skillet, flattening it slightly and spreading oil around the entire bottom and sides of pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let dough stand at room temperature for 2 hours. After the first hour, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 550°F (288°C).
   
   
5. 
   At the end of the 2 hours, dough should mostly fill skillet, up to its edge. Use your fingertips to press it around until it fills every corner, popping any large bubbles that appear. Lift up one edge of dough to let any air bubbles underneath escape. Repeat, moving around dough, until no air bubbles are left underneath and dough is evenly spread around skillet. Peel roasted garlic cloves and break up large cloves into 2 or 3 pieces each. Scatter roasted garlic evenly over surface of dough, then push down on each clove until it is embedded in a deep well of dough.
   
   
6. 
   Transfer skillet to oven and bake until top is golden brown and bubbly and bottom appears golden brown and crisp when you lift it with a thin spatula, 16 to 24 minutes. If bottom is not as crisp as desired, place pan on a burner and cook over medium heat, moving pan around to cook evenly, until bottom of focaccia is crisp, 1 to 3 minutes.
   
   
7. 
   Meanwhile, Make the Garlic Butter: Mince 4 reserved raw cloves of garlic. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil with butter in a small skillet and melt over medium-low heat. Add garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant and garlic is just beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl and season with salt.
   
   
8. 
   When focaccia has finished baking, spread garlic butter over top with a spoon. Transfer to a cutting board, allow to cool slightly, slice, and serve. Extra bread should be stored in a brown paper bag at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in a 300°F (149°C) oven for about 10 minutes before serving
   
   I can't make this bread very often, because Rem and I will eat the entire thing

 

[LaFemme]

It's too hot here in the far north of the Southern Hemisphere for baked dinners at Christmas.

It'll be salads, cold cuts, cold ham, cold roasted chicken, seafood - prawns, smoked salmon, oysters, whole steamed reef fish.
Luscious tropical fruits - mango, custard apples, jakfruit, lychees, and stone fruits.

Lots of ice cold beer, and white wine and champagne- either plain or mixed with tropical fruit juices.

What about a lovely Aussie punch? Or meringue? Actually, just show up. I’ll feed you.

 

[Enid]

Some notes. She uses more basil than indicated, I believe. She likes smoked sun dried tomatoes and extra of those. A little extra thyme. Chicken stock preferred (by her). I'm drooling thinking about it

Also when it says cook for 5 mins, she doesn't do that, lower heat and longer since she usually makes big batches

This is what I would bring if invited to an LPSG holiday potluck event though if I wanted to make it vegan I'd go with veg stock and not chicken stock

And I'd probably have to pay my sister handsomely plus do all grunt work under supervision just to get it

 

[LaFemme]

Peanut butter pie for dessert?

Recipe?