Cooking With Gogi » Holiday Recipes

QUICK ORANGE NUT BREAD

Cooking With Gogi — Sun, 04 May 2008 19:12:07 +0000

Here is a quick bread for breakfast or a brunch.

3 cups baking mix

1/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 T. grated orange peel

3/4 cup orange juice (fresh or frozen)

3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Orange glaze:

Makes one loaf 9x5x3- preheat oven 350 degrees

Mix baking mix, sugar, eggs, orange peel and orange juice and beat 1/2 minute on slow speed. Beat another 2 1/2 minutes on medium. Stir in nuts and bake for 55 to 60 minutes.

Orange glaze: Mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup butter or margarine melted, 1 T. grated orange peel, 1 T. orange juice. Mix thoroughly… If needed add more juice.

Try this some morning with a great cup of your favorite coffee!

Gogi

EASY PARTY CHEESE BALL

Cooking With Gogi — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:18:13 +0000

This is a cheese ball you can make ahead without much fuss.

2 pkgs. cream cheese

2 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese

l T. chopped green onion

l T. chopped green and red bell pepper

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. lemon juice

Finely chopped pecans (amount as desired)

Soften and mix cheeses. Add remaining ingredients except nuts. Chill. Add nuts and form into ball. Save some of the nuts to roll the cheese ball in.

You could make this into a centerpiece for a a snack table.

Enjoy,

Gogi

CRANBERRY ORANGE GLAZE/SAUCE

Cooking With Gogi — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:13:06 +0000

2 T. cornstarch

1 tsp. lemon peel

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 – 16 ounce can whole cranberry sauce

In pan combine coornstarch, lemon peel , salt; stir in orange juice and lemon juice until smooth.

Cook over high heat until thickened and smooth.

Stir in cranberry sauce and heat thoroughly. Makes 3 cups. Serve hot or cold.

This is a great sauce for baked ham or pork.

Enjoy,

Gogi

MORNING FRENCH TOAST

Cooking With Gogi — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:37:44 +0000

Here is an excellent recipe to fix for 4-24 hours ahead. After you finished preparing the dish, cover and put in the refrigerator.

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter melted

3 tsp. cinnamon (equals 1 T.)

1 cup chopped apples

1/2 cup cranraisins ( or raisins or dried cranberries)

1 loaf of French bread sliced

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 T. vanilla

Combine brown sugar, butter and 1 tsp. cinnamon . Put in 13 x 9 baking dish . Add apples and cranberries,raisins, or cranraisins. Stir to coat. Spread evenly over bottom and arrange bread on top.

Mix eggs, milk, vanilla and remaining 2 tsp. of cinnamon until well blended. Pour over bread soaking completely. Cover and refreigerate.*

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 minute more. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.

*Don’t put a glass baking dish directly from the refriegerator into the hot preheated oven. It is best to let it set on the cabinet for a while so the temperature of the dish rises and the shock of putting it into the oven will not crack the baking dish.

Serve with syrup, whipped cream or whatever else suits your fancy! While you are baking the french toast, you can be preparing the rest of the menu. This is a great brunch recipe. You can add fresh fruit, bacon, coffee, juice, and you have a complete brunch in a jiffy. Simple but scrumptuous.

Invite some friends over!!

Gogi

COOKIE PIZZA

Cooking With Gogi — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:28:10 +0000

I just finished making the crust for a cookie pizza. I took a package of sugar cookie mix from the cupboard, mixed as directed and spread it on an ungreased round pizza pan and baked according to directions. It is cooling now and later I will put the topping on it.

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chopped salted peanuts

Mix together first 3 ingredients and spread on cooled crust. Sprnkle peanuts over top. Take chocolate ice cream or carmel topping and drizzle across the top. Makes a great snack or dessert for family or company. Refrigerate leftovers.

If you are going to eat this right away, slice some granny apples, dip in lemon juice and scatter across the top of pizza before adding the topping. I prefer not to unless I know it is going to be used right away because the apples might not look so great after a while even if you dipped them.

Enjoy,

Gogi

QUICK OATIES

Cooking With Gogi — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:20:48 +0000

Combine 1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cuup brown ssugar

2 unbeaten eggs

Sift together

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Add to creamed mixture above.

Then add to that mixture

1 cup coconut

1 cup oats

i tsp. vanilla

Drop from a spoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

This is a really quick and inexpensive recipe to make. You can add raisins, nuts, cranraisins, or any other cut up dried fruits or just leave it plain.

LIKE I ALWAYS SAY- BE CREATIVE!!!

Gogi

EASY MACAROONS

Cooking With Gogi — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:35:00 +0000

2 8 ounce pkgs. shredded coconut

1 15 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix ingedients. Drop from teaspoon onto well greased cookie sheet (or use brown paper liner). Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly and remove from pan to rack. Bake at 350 degrees. Makes about 4 dozen.

This is certainly an easy recipe and very, very good. This was given to me by a friend, Judy Boyd, who moved away a few years ago to North Carolina. We miss her but still get to taste her wonderful recipe.

Thanks Judy.

Enjoy

Gogi

REGARDING HAM

Cooking With Gogi — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:06:49 +0000

Things you might not know about hams:

Bone-in ham or its two halves—butt half and shank half.

Partially boned hams are either shank less or semi-boneless.

Boneless hams are known as rolled shaped or formed hams and sold in 7 to 14 pounds weights.

Canned hams are always boneless and fully cooked – may be smoked or unsmoked.

Boiled ham is sold sliced by the pound or prepackaged.

Prosciutto is an Italian-style pressed ham- deep red in color with a strong flavor-sold paper thin.

Cook before eating hams are usually sold with bone-in. Country hams are usually heavily cured and smoked and require soaking and precooking unless label directs you otherwise.

Always check the wrapping for roasting timetable and directions. A cook- before- eating ham or picnic should be cooked to an internal temp of 160 degrees, a picnic to 170 degrees. Plan to have meat ready 15 minutes before serving so it can set 15 minutes before carving.

If you are going to glaze the ham, start glazing it 30 minutes before the end of cooking time.

Gogi

RUM CAKE

Cooking With Gogi — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:37:35 +0000

Previously, I gave you a rum cake recipe from a friend of mine. It actually was not a legitimate recipe and just made for a good laugh! This recipe is very legitimate. It is so easy and made with Bacardi Rum and Jello pudding. In fact the recipe recommends you use Bacardi Rum and Jell-O pudding. This is one of my family’s favorites during the holidays.

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 18 ½ ounce of yellow cake mix*

1 3 ¾ ounce pkg of Jello-O vanilla instant pudding and pie filling

4 eggs

½ cup cold water

½ cup cooking oil

½ cup Bacardi dark rum 80 proof

*If using cake mix with pudding already in it, omit the pudding and use 3 eggs instead of 4, 1/3 cup of oil instead of ½.

Glaze:

¼ lb. of butter (or 1 stick)

¼ cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup Bacardi Rum

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10” tube or 12 cup Bundt pan sprinkle nuts in bottom of pan. Mix all ingredients together and bake l hour.

Cool. Invert cake on plate and prick top so when you brush the glaze on the cake it will be able to absorb the glaze better. Brush the glaze evenly over top and sides until the glaze is gone.

Glaze directions;

Melt butter, water, and sugar in pan. Boil, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add rum.

Keep cake in a covered cake plate and it will stay moist and the flavor will be more intense and wonderful.

Enjoy

Gogi

POUND CAKE

Cooking With Gogi — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 03:43:05 +0000

Do I have a story for you today!! I was going through my recipes looking for a pound cake recipe of which I have many, and I found one that had been given to me back in the late 50’s or maybe early 60‘s by my good friend Barbara McKenzie. Here name is now Barbara McGuire. I got to reminiscing and decided to try to look her up on the internet. To my surprise I found her. She is still in Macon Georgia and over the years has become a true southern bell. I was so excited about being able to chat with her after all these years. We talked and talked and I asked her if I could post her recipe and she said yes, so here it is……….

You must have a cold oven. Do not preheat. This is ½ of a recipe- double it if you like.

6 medium eggs

1 ¾ cups sugar

½ lb. butter

2 cups plain flour

Separate eggs. Beat egg whites until stiff and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar adding egg yolks one at a time.

Add flour on low speed.

Last add well beaten egg whites.

Flavoring is optional. She uses lemon and vanilla.

Put cake in tube pan or angel food cake pan.

Put cake in oven and turn oven to 325 degrees.

Bake 40 minutes and check for doneness. If not done, increase time and keep checking. Depending on your oven it could take a little longer. Half of a recipe does not take as long as it would if you doubled the recipe.

I have been telling you folks all along that cooking brings family and friends together. Today I proved it. What a great day!!!!

Enjoy,

Gogi

Thanks Barb for the recipe!!!