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♦ WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2006
Planning ahead for the holiday season
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
Journal Lifestyle Editor
If you like to cook ahead
for the holidays, here are
some projects to get started
on now, either for gifts or
for your own entertaining.
The breakfast cookie mix
will need a pretty presen
tation. The branched fruit
requires an early start, and
the others will freeze well.
If you’ve got holiday reci
pes to share or have a spe
cial recipe request, write to
cperkinsfii evansnewspapers.
com.
California
Walnut Breakfast
Cookie Jar
In layers, fill a glass jar
with 1-3/4 cups all-pur
pose flour
1/2 cup instant skim
milk powder
1 teaspoon each baking
soda and cinnamon, salt
1-3/4 cups quick-cook
ing oatmeal [not instant]
1 cup each dried cran
berries and coarsely
chopped California
Walnuts.
Create a gift tag and
write out the following rec
ipe instructions: “California
Walnut Breakfast Cookies.
Be sure to have the follow
ing ingredients on hand
before you start: butter,
brown sugar, vanilla extract,
crushed pineapple.
In large mixing bowl,
with electric mixer, cream
together 1/2 cup butter, soft
ened and 1 cup brown sugar
until fluffy. Beat in 1/2 tsp
vanilla.
Stir in 1 can crushed
pineapple, well drained. In
separate bowl, mix together
flour, milk powder, baking
soda, cinnamon, salt, oat
meal, cranberries and wal
nuts from the jar.
Stir dry ingredients into
pineapple mixture until well
combined. Drop by rounded
Quick cooking: Recipe for polenta lasagna
ByJ.M. HIRSCH
A P Food Writer
Much as I try, I just can’t
get my wife to eat polen
ta. She says it’s a texture
thing.
Sometimes, I just don’t
get her. I’ll eat polenta _
essentially boiled cornmeal,
often spiked with Parmesan
cheese _ any way you serve
it. It usually comes soft
(think mashed potatoes) or
firm (kind of a brownie con
sistency).
On its own, polenta really
isn’t all that exciting. It’s
what you do with it.
CAKE
Front page yC
McCormick® Pure
Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 teaspoons
McCormick® Gourmet
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spoonfuls onto greased bak
ing sheet. Bake in 350 degree
oven for 12 to 15 minutes or
until golden brown. Cool on
baking rack. Makes about 2
dozen large cookies.”
Brandied Fruit
Brandied fruit is an old
fashioned treat for adults
only. It’s wonderful on vanil
la ice cream or with pound
cake during the holidays.
You can also divide it into
small jars for holiday giv
ing.
Basically, you start with
some brandy and the fruit
and sugar you add over a
period of weeks makes more
brandy.
Canned fruit works best
for this. Use pears, peaches,
pineapple in chunks or apri
cots. Maraschino cherries
are good, too.
You’ll need to start soon
if you want this ready for
the holidays. It will help to
mark the dates at two week
intervals on a calendar when
you begin.
To start, mix 1 cup brandy,
1 cup sugar and 1 cup (or
one can) very-well drained
canned fruit. Place in a
large glass jar with a tight
lid. Let the mixture stand
for two weeks. This is your
starter.
After two weeks, add
another can of drained fruit,
and a can of sugar. Repeat
this process every two weeks
until you are ready to serve.
The fruit will rise to the
top.
Bacardi Rum
Cake
Here’s one that’s been
popular for years and is a
lot easier than you might
expect, since it makes use
of a cake mix and pudding
mix.
1 package yellow cake
mix
1 package instant vanil
la pudding mix
4 eggs
Soft polenta often is served
with marinara pooled over
it. I’ve also seen it used as a
nest for roasted lamb chops.
Firm polenta is wonderful
cut into squares, drizzled
with olive oil and tossed on
the grill. It’s heaven topped
with sauteed mushrooms.
But because of my wife,
I’ve mostly stopped tinker
ing with it. That is, until
I saw the June issue of
Gourmet magazine, which
featured a recipe for slices
of firm polenta baked with
tomato sauce and cheese.
It gave me an idea even
Collection® Saigon
Cinnamon, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 pounds sweet pota
toes, peeled and cut into
1-inch chunks
1 cup dried cranber
ries
v...‘ ■
California Walnut Commission
California Walnut Breakfast Cookie Jar.
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Bacardi rum
1 cup chopped pecans
(optional)
Glaze ingredients:
my wife would love _ polenta
lasagna. The Gourmet recipe
calls for layers of firm polen
ta slices topped with tomato
sauce and cheese. Bake it for
20 minutes and enjoy.
I liked the idea, but want
ed to make it more of a meal.
And I wanted to add enough
cheese so my wife would
overcome her aversion to
the main ingredient.
Polenta Lasagna
(Start to finish 40 min
utes)
Olive oil cooking spray
12-ounce package cooked
chicken or turkey sausages
4 tablespoons butter,
divided
1/4 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 400
degrees Mix 1/4 cup of the
brown sugar, juice, vanilla,
1 teaspoon of the cinnamon
FOOD
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Bacardi Rum
Preheat oven to 325
degrees. Grease and flour 10-
10-ounce package frozen
chopped spinach, thawed
Two 18-ounce tubes pre
pared polenta
1 cup lowfat ricotta
cheese
2/3 cup jarred tomato
sauce
2 cups shredded mozza
rella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
cheese
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Lightly spray a 2-quart cas
serole dish with olive oil. Set
aside. Place the sausage in
a food processor and pulse
until it is coarsely ground.
and salt in large bowl.
Add sweet potatoes and
cranberries; toss to coat
well. Spoon into 13 x 9-
inch baking dish. Dot with
2 tablespoons of the butter.
Cover with foil. Bake 30
minutes.
... mated in
•g> * ' * ■ ■■■—.■,
inch tube or 12-cup Bundt
pan. Mix cake ingredients
well and fold in nuts.. Bake
for an hour. Cool before
turning out of pan onto a
big sheet of heavy-duty alu-
Place the spinach in a kitch
en towel, wrap tightly, then
squeeze hard over the sink
to remove excess water. Add
the drained spinach to the
food processor and pulse
several times. Set aside.
Slice each tube of polenta
into about 10 rounds, each
about 1/4 thick.
Arrange five rounds over
the bottom of the casserole
dish. Spoon 1/2 cup ricot
ta cheese over the polenta,
spreading it evenly with the
back of the spoon.
Spread half of the tomato
sauce evenly over the ricot-
Meanwhile, mix flour,
remaining 1/4 cup brown
sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cin
namon in small bowl.
\Cut in remaining two
tablespoons butter with a
fork until coarse crumbs
form. Stir in pecans.
soutfiem belles oj ad ages love
(pe pent (Porcfif
Christmas Parties &
www.frofltporctatea.coni
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
minum foil. Make glaze by
bringing butter, water, sugar
to a rolling boil and sim
mer for five minutes. Then
add rum slowly. Using a
thin skewer, punch holes in
top and side of the cake.
Raise edges of foil and pour
warm glaze over cake. Wrap
securely in more foil, and let
sit for a day. Then freeze,
until ready to serve.
Cranberry Pecan
Bread
Adapted from a classic
from Ocean Spray, this rec
ipe makes one loaf, but you
might as well make several
while you’re at it, because it
freezes well and will be good
to have on hand for break
fast during the holidays. It
will save time to chop the
cranberries in a food proces
sor.
2 cups all-purpose
flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking
powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking
soda
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated
orange peel
2 tablespoons shorten
ing
1 egg, well beaten
1 1/2 cups Ocean Spray
fresh or frozen cranber
ries, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350
degrees. Grease a 9 x 5-inch
loaf pan.
Mix together flour, sugar,
baking powder, salt and bak
ing soda in a medium mixing
bowl. Stir in orange juice,
orange peel, shortening and
egg.
Mix until well blended.
Stir in cranberries and nuts.
Spread evenly in loaf pan.
Bake for 55 minutes or
until a toothpick inserted in
the center comes out clean.
Cool on a rack for 15 min
utes. Remove from pan; cool
completely.
ta, then scatter half of the
spinach and sausage mix
ture over that. Top with 1
cup shredded mozzarella
cheese and another layer of
polenta rounds.
Repeat the layering with
remaining ricotta, sauce,
spinach, sausage and mozza
rella. Cap with a final layer
of polenta (you will have
excess polenta).
Sprinkle top with the
Parmesan cheese. Cover
with foil and bake 25 min
utes. Remove foil and bake
an additional 5 minutes.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Remove sweet potatoes from
oven and stir gently. Sprinkle
with pecan topping.
Bake, uncovered, 25 to 30
minutes longer or until sweet
potatoes are tender and top
ping is lightly browned.
Makes 8 servings.
Holiday Catering
Open Tuesday - Saturday
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
for lunch,
specialty desserts
and afternoon tea
922 Qirroff Street
(Perry, Georgia
31069
478-987-1866
00039720