Green Bean Casserole (Thanksgiving continued)

Fresh Beans make the Bean Casserole yummy

Green Bean Casserole

Today I bought fresh beans, which I am going to wash and blanch quickly in boiling water, then freeze until Thanksgiving Day. This saves on time. I only make this dish on Thanksgiving, I once deleted it but got so many complaints, it’s back in as an old time favorite.
Ingredients

Green Beans partially cooked
1 can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Can French’s Fried Onions
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup milk

Directions
Wash the beans, top and tail and cut in half. Bring a saucepan filled with water to the boil, put a tablespoon salt in the water and drop the beans in for 6 minutes. You can then either freeze the beans or proceed with the recipe.
Combine all above ingredients, reserving 2/3 cup of the French’s onions for the topping.
Place in a pyrex dish and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and browned on top.

Thanksgiving Menu

Getting ready for Thanksgiving is like preparing to paint a room, first I see who's coming and then I make a list.......... starting with a menu, I can gently start buying items that are non perishable. I'm going to post my steps and the recipes this year. Our family keeps growing! There will be fifty of us this year. My favorite holiday by far!

Menu

Shrimp with dip
Cheese with Crackers
Vegetables with dip
Spring Rolls
Mexican Dip with Corn Chips
Turnip/hot pepper/hummus platter

Turkey (3) 2 steamed by Chris and 1 roasted in oven.
Stuffing
Gravy (Jason)
Tabuli with Romaine Lettuce
Peas
Creamed Corn
Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potato & Leek Gratin
Sweet Potato and Peaches
Mashed Yams
Cranberry Relish
Creamy Cranberry Relish
Fresh Cranberry Sauce (Jason)
Jellied and Berry Cranberry Sauce

Cheese Cake (2)
Pumpkin Pie (2)
Pecan Pie (2)
Apple Pie (2)
Fruit Platter
Marmoul (Nuwal)


I make the Cranberry Relish first and keep it in a large jar in the fridge.


Cranberry Relish

Make this seven days before eating, can be stored in refrigerator for 2 -3 weeks

Ingredients

2 12 oz packages fresh cranberries
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 12oz frozen orange juice
2 cups raisins

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
2 cups chopped celery stalks
2 cups chopped pineapple
2 cups chopped apple
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Wash cranberries first, discard any berries that are not firm.
Then in a saucepan put 2 cups sugar, 2 cups water and the drained cranberries. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes.
Let cranberries cool while you are chopping the other ingredients.
In a large bowl, place the frozen orange juice and add the cranberry mixture to the frozen orange juice. This speeds up the thawing process.
Add remaining ingredients, mix well and then refrigerate for at least one week. This can be stored for up to 3 weeks.

I also make the cheese cake and put it in the freezer. Cheese cake freezes really well.

Cheese Cake
This is from Vincent Price’s Cookbook, now out of print, but a fabulous recipe book. This cheese cake is unusually light, not dense or heavy. I make this every Thanksgiving, it freezes well so I make this ahead of time. This can be made up to a month ahead and kept in the freezer.

I doubled Vincent Price’s recipe so I used a 12 inch spring form cake pan instead of an 8 inch pan. Using a 12 inch spring form cake pan, grease the inside of the pan with 2 tablespoons butter and then coat the butter with graham cracker crumbs. Coat the sides first by turning the pan on its side, and shake the pan so the crumbs can stick, keep turning the pan and adding more crumbs as needed. When the sides are well coated, shake a light coating of crumbs onto the bottom of the pan. Put spring form cake pan in freezer for at least 30 minutes.
If you want to make this recipe with an 8 inch cake pan, cut the ingredient amounts in half.Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
24 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
8 egg yolks
4 tablespoons flour
3 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit
Put 24 oz cream cheese in a large bowl and let it come to room temperature.

Pour 4 cups heavy cream in a saucepan and heat over low heat, not allowing the cream to boil.

In a separate bowl, separate 8 egg yolks and the egg white.
To the cream cheese and egg yolks, add 1 1/2 cups sugar, 4 tablespoon flour, 3 teaspoons vanilla and 1 teaspoon salt. Beat thoroughly until with an electric mixer until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Turn speed to lowest and gradually pour in 4 cups scalded cream

Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry.
Add to cream cheese mixture and fold the egg whites in lightly.

Pour mixture into prepared spring form cake pan, then set pan in a shallow pan containing 1 inch of hot water.
Bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.
Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.

Sauteed Cauliflower Heads

Sauteed Cauliflower Heads

Ingredients

1 Whole Cauliflower
3 Eggs
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable Oil

Directions

Slice the cauliflower straight through the center so that the stalk is halved. Then slice off the cauliflower heads leaving
about 2 - 3 inches of the stalk attached. Wash the cauliflower heads and drain in a colander. Pat dry with a paper towel.
Beat 3 eggs in a bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
In a saucepan, pour enough vegetable oil so it is approximately 1 inch deep. Heat over medium high heat. Dip 4 cauliflower heads in egg mixture and then carefully drop into the hot oil. Turn the heads so that they become golden brown on all sides. Place on a paper towel to drain the oil.
Arrange on a platter and serve as finger food. Delicious hot or cold.

Mnaquish bi-Zatta (Thyme, Sumac and Sesame Seed Pizza)

Zatta is a blend of thyme, sumac and sesame seeds. Mixed with olive oil and lemon juice, it is spread evenly over flat dough and baked in the oven served in the shape of a pizza or flat bread. Zatta can be bought at Samir’s in Syracuse or any specialty market. Delicious eaten with yoghurt, good to eat any time of  the day.
When making fataya, there is often some left over dough, this is a good chance to make a couple of these zatta mnaquish.

Ingredients
3/4 cup zatta
1 1/2 tablespoons sumac
3/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Use the recipe for dough for spinach fataya (posted 1/7/12) 
For the Dough

Ingredients

4 cups bread flour
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 packet or 2 tblsps yeast
1 cup spry (Crisco)
2 cups water

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together bread flour, cake flour, salt and sugar. Make sure the ingredients are thoroughly blended.
Add the spry and work into the flour mixture by rubbing the flour and spry together with your hands, make sure all the flour is mixed in well with the spry (Crisco).
Take a smaller bowl, add the yeast and mix with 1/2 cup warm water to soften the yeast, mix quickly with a spoon and pour over the flour mixture. Next add another two cups warm water. (Situ Stevens used to use 1 cup milk and 1 cup water)
With your hands, mix it all in together, it will form into a ball of dough, it shouldn’t be too wet .... you can add a bit more flour if it is, or water if too dry. It can be tacky and sticky in texture. Knead the dough a few times but not excessively. Then cover the bowl with saran wrap and a blanket. Leave aside to allow the dough to rise.
I often make this in the morning and then return to make the fataya/zatta in the afternoon.
You can also keep in the fridge, but make sure the dough is at room temperature before trying to roll it out.


To Make the Zatta

Preheat the oven to 390 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roll dough into half inch thick circle. Spray a pizza pan with Pam and place the rolled out dough on a pizza pan. Flute with fingers around the edge of the circle forming a lip.
In a bowl mix 3/4 cup zatta, 1 1/2 tablespoons sumac, 3/4 cup olive oil, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. If the mixture is too thick, add more olive oil or if too runny, add more zatta. Spread the zatta paste on to the dough and place in oven. Bake at 390 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes.

Sauteed Sliced Egg Plant

These are delicious sliced and sauteed in oil. Eat as a sandwich in pita bread.

Egg Plant on right, shown with cousa slices (posted 7/8/12)

Ingredients

2 large firm egg plants
salt
olive oil

Directions

Place the eggplant in a bowl of cold water and rinse well. Slice off the stalk. Slice the eggplant about 1/8 inch thick horizontally so that you have round shapes. You can also slice the eggplant lengthwise, this works better on smaller sized
eggplants.
Place sliced eggplant on a plate, sprinkle with salt and let stand for an hour.
The salt draws out the moisture and prevents the eggplant from becoming heavy and oil laden when frying. Pat dry with a paper towel.

In a skillet, pour olive oil so it is 1/4 inch in depth, heat up the oil and saute no more than six at a time. Let drain on a paper towel and then arrange on a platter.

Very nice with pita bread or as an addition to a creative sandwich.
These keep well in the fridge, covered and are great for a lunch on the run.

Chicken Tenders in Italian Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
12 Chicken Tenders
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 Vidalia onion
1 clove garlic
1 package white mushrooms
4 ripe tomatoes
1 red pepper
fresh basil (3 stalks)
fresh Italian parsley
oregano
salt
pepper
Parmesan/Reggiano Cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray a pyrex dish with Pam.
Make the sauce first.
Boil a pan of water and drop 4 tomatoes in, leave for 1 minute then remove. Doing this makes it very simple to peel off the outer skin. Chop the tomato and set aside in a bowl.
Chop 1 sweet onion, finely chop 1 clove garlic, and in a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter.
Add the chopped onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, wash and chop the red pepper.
Wash the mushrooms, discard the stalks and slice the mushroom head.
Add the pepper, chopped mushrooms and chopped tomato.
With scissors cut up the leaves of three stalks of fresh basil and about 10 stalks of Italian parsley, snip the leaves and tender stalks.
Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground oregano and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Next, prepare the chicken tenders.
In three bowls, place 1 cup flour, 1 egg beaten and 1 cup Panka breadcrumbs.
Dip the chicken in flour, then the egg and finally the Panka breadcrumbs
Heat 4 tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet and saute chicken till golden brown.
Place the chicken in a pyrex dish (sprayed with Pam) and
pour the tomato sauce over the top, spread evenly and sprinkle 3 tablespoons ground parmesan/reggiano cheese.
Place in preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes uncovered.

Nice with new potatoes and a salad/

Baked Haddock with Parmesan/Reggiano Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

4 filets of haddock (about 1 lb)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 Vidalia onion
1 clove garlic
4 ripe tomatoes
1 red pepper
fresh basil (3 stalks)
fresh Italian parsley
oregano
salt
pepper
Parmesan/Reggiano ground cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray a pyrex dish with Pam.
Boil a pan of water and drop 4 tomatoes in, leave for 1 minute then remove. Doing this makes it very simple to peel off the outer skin. Chop the tomato and set aside in a bowl.
Chop 1 sweet onion, finely chop 1 clove garlic, and
in a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter.
Add the onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the red pepper.
Add the pepper and chopped tomato.
With scissors cut up the leaves of three stalks of fresh basil and about 10 stalks of Italian parsley, snip the leaves and tender stalks.
Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground oregano and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Wash the fish and place in the pyrex dish.
Pour the tomato sauce over the top, spread evenly and sprinkle 3 tablespoons ground parmesan/reggiano cheese.
Place in preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes uncovered.
Nice served with linguine and salad.
Also good with salt potatoes, asparagus and salad.