Holiday Food HOLIDAY HUMDINGERS

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Schwarties Hash Browns
Randi Heinrichsen


2 lbs. frozen shredded hash browns
2 cups sour cream (can use light)
2 - 10 oz. cans mushroom soup
1/2 cup melted butter
grated onion to taste (I used half of a yellow onion)
salt to taste
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese

Thaw potatoes slightly in their bag. Mix sour cream, mushroom soup, butter, onion, salt together in a bowl - warm the ingredients a bit so it mixes better.
Pour hashbrowns and cheddar cheese in a 9 x 13" baking dish, mix up a bit
before adding the soup/sour cream mixture. Mix well.

Sprinkle parmesan on top and bake at 350 degrees F uncovered for 1 hour.

Great for buffets! Freezes well. Serves 8-10.

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Cheese Potatoes
(another version of the recipe above)
Ginny Gomez


32 oz.     Hash Browns (partially thawed)
1/2 c.      Margarine (melted)
1/2 c.      Chopped Onion
1/2 can   Cream of Chicken Soup (I have heard of people using Mushroom or Celery soups)
8 oz.       Sour Cream
8-12 oz.  Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

Melt margarine in large pot.  Remove from heat and mix in onion, soup, and sour cream.  Then gently mix in the cheese and hash browns.  Pour it into a buttered 13 x 9 pan.  Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes.

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Taco Bake Casserole
Ginny Gomez


1 lb.        Ground Beef
8             Corn Tortillas (cut into 1x1 pieces)
1 can       Tomato Soup
1 c.          Salsa
1/2 c.       Milk
1 c.          Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

Brown ground beef and drain.  Mix together ground beef, soup, salsa, milk and 1/2 c. of the shredded cheese.  Add in the tortilla pieces and pour into a 13 x 9 pan.  Cover and bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Top with remaining 1/2 c. of shredded cheese and serve.

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Broccoli-Cheese-Rice Casserole
Ginny Gomez


1 pkg.     Frozen Chopped Broccoli
1             Onion (diced)
1/2 stick  Margarine
1 can       Cream of Chicken Soup
3/4 c.       Milk
1/2 c.       Cheese Whiz
1 c.          Minute Rice

Cook broccoli as directed and drain.  Saute onion in margarine.  Mix together soup and Cheese Whiz in a casserole dish (1 1/2 - 2 qt size).  Stir in sauted onion mixture and broccoli, then Minute Rice and milk.  Mix well.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

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Holiday Punch
Vicki Rasmussen


Simple Syrup: 4 C water, 3 1/2 C Sugar, boil to dissolve, cool

Add: 48 oz cranberry juice ( I used cran-raspberry)
         48 oz pineapple juice
         2 T almond extract
         Juice of 1 lemon
         Raspberries, fresh or frozen; optional

Freeze in 2 containers (I use gallon sized zip lock bags)

Pull out of freezer at least 1/2 hr before serving.  Place frozen mixture in punch bowl with 1-2 liters of ginger ale and fresh /frozen raspberries.

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Toffee Grahams
Vicki Rasmussen


12 Graham crackers or as many as will fit into your 15” x 10” jelly roll pan
1 cup butter (margarine OK, but not nearly as good)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup nuts, sliced or chopped almonds or chopped pecans work well

Heat oven to 350°. Line jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides) with foil and allow for some overhang. Arrange crackers (in even rows, no spaces inbetween) over bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top.

In small saucepan, combine butter and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil 2 minutes, stirring slowly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat; pour evenly over crackers and almonds.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Toffee mixture will bubble up and look very light in color, with browner edges. Take out of oven at this point, and as it cools the toffee darkens a bit and becomes a smooth glaze. Do not overbake or let it turn too brown; cracker bottoms will burn! Wait until cool and break into pieces. (Or, for a neater look, you can cut into squares or diamond shapes while hot, right out of the oven.)

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Starlight Three-Fruit Punch
Dee Castagnoli


12 oz. Can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
12 oz. Can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
6 c. Water
1 (46oz.) Can pineapple juice
1 c. Sugar
3 c. (24 oz.) Ginger ale, chilled

Combine concentrates, add water and pineapple juice, stir in sugar.
After mixing well, ladle into containers and freeze. (Leave space)

To serve, partially thaw juice mixture at room temperature. Place in punch bowl, stir with fork to break up large chunks. Add ginger ale, mix, and serve.

(NOTE: I doubled the recipe to serve about 25)


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Spicy Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Chunks
Sally Brooks-Schulke
Christmas 2006


1 pkg (2-layer size) spice cake mix
1 pkg (8 oz) Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
6 squares Baker's Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping (Sally used real whipped cream)
2 Tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare cake mix as directed on package, reducing water to ½ cup and increasing oil to ½ cup. Add half of the cream cheese, the pumpkin, cinnamon and ginger. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into greased 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

Mix remaining cream cheese, whipped topping and sugar until well blended. Spread on top of cooled cake. (Sally left it as a "side".)

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Marinated Cheese
Kathy Roessler
Christmas 2008


1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons minced green onions
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (2 oz) jar diced pimiento, drained
1 5 1/2 x 2 x1 inch block sharp Cheddar cheese (8 oz), chilled
1 5 1/2 x 2 x1 inch block Jack Cheese (8 oz), chilled (OR 8 oz package cream cheese)
Garnish: fresh parsley sprigs

Combine first 10 ingredients in a jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously. Set marinade mixture aside.

Cut block of Cheddar cheese in half lengthwise. Cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices; set aside. Repeat procedure with Jack cheese. Arrange cheese slices alternately in a shallow baking dish, standing slices on edges. Pour marinade over cheese slices. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 8 hours.

Transfer cheese slices to a serving platter in the same alternating fashion, reserving marinade. Spoon marinade over cheese slices. Garnish if desired. Serve with assorted crackers.

Yield: 12 to 16 appetizer servings

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  Scalloped Corn
Marilyn Pfefferlen
Christmas 2018
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1  15 1/2 oz. can of cream style corn
1  15 1/2 oz. can whole kernel corn (do not drain)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 small package corn muffin mix (I use Jiffy 8 1/2 oz. from Safeway)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Beat eggs.  Stir in cream style corn, whole kernel corn, and melted butter.  Add sour cream.  Fold in muffin mix, salt, and pepper.
Pour into greased round casserole dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

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  Corn Souffle
Sue Ballard
Christmas 2019
Ingredients:
1 can cream style corn 14.75 ounces
1 can whole kernel corn 14.75 ounces, drained
1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 ounces
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed, 1/2 an 8 ounce bar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs
1 stick salted butter (I used unsalted to lessen the salt)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt the butter, drain the corn, and then put all the ingredients in a blender and blend together.
3. Pour into a greased 8x11.5 (2qt) baking dish and bake for approximately 55 minutes or until golden on top.
4. Serve and enjoy this wonderful corn souffle!

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