Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

6C ♦ 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 Pick up your LED Christmas lights and watch them glow for five years! # % # i I * 1 • I , % •' ■ ■ c//*e Hijfitinj Stcrc j A Division of Southeast Electrical Supply gr 926 Carroll St. • Perry, GA 31069 478-224-8888 T-F 9am-spm SAT 10am-2pm 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