Spice up your holiday season with a new recipe - Issuu (2024)

Submitted by JNOW READERS

If you’re like us, you like to eat during the holiday season. What better way to add a little fun and flavor to your holiday gathering than a new recipe. Our readers and staff offer a few suggestions to spruce up your table.

DRESSING AND GRAVY (EASY AND FABULOUS)

Frozen hush puppies are the base. To do a big pan, I use five bags (four in the pan and one extra just in case). The ones with onions are the best, but others will do.

You’ll also need:

• Garlic powder

• Sage

• Pepper and salt

• Chicken broth (2 boxes)

• Cream of chicken soup (2)

• Cream of celery soup (2)

• Red onion (1 large)

Directions: Thaw hush puppies Break up in large bowl Add 1/2 can of each of cream soups Add half box of broth Dice onion Add garlic (generously) Add, salt and pepper to taste Add sage (good amount) Mix it all together, busting up all the clumps Taste (it’s fine everything is cooked already) Add spices as needed It should be gummy, not dry and not mushy. If it’s too dry add more broth. If it’s too mushy add a few more hush puppies or some cornmeal. Keep adding moisture, spices and hush puppies as needed. Put in buttered pan and cook at 425 for 40 minutes. If knife comes out clean when you cut, it’s done. You can cover with foil for the first 20 minutes.

Gravy

Same ingredients minus the hush puppies. Pour soups and broth into pot. Add spices. Add two boiled eggs (smash the yolk up and slice the whites). I don’t add giblets, necks, etc. but you can. Just boil them with some salt first and then break up the meat into the gravy. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer.

Hope it turns out great and you enjoy! — Nikki Lane

BROWN SUGAR BOURBON BRIE

What you’ll need

• 1 cup bourbon

• 1.5 cup brown sugar

• 1 small wheel of brie at room temp

• 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions: With a sharp knife carefully cut the top rind off the wheel of Brie. Set aside. On the stove bring the bourbon to a slow boil. Mix the brown sugar in and stir until completely melted and mixture starts to foam. Mix in nuts. Place wheel of brie in a pie plate and pour bourbon mixture over the wheel of brie. Serve with Carrs Water Crackers.

— Submitted by snaCKs Provision Co.

CARAMEL TOFFEE APPLE DIP

What you’ll need

• 1 8-ounce block cream cheese at room temp

• 1 cup toffee bits (find them near the chocolate chips in the store)

• 1 jar caramel sauce

Directions: Place the block of cream cheese on a plate and top with caramel sauce and toffee bits. Serve with sliced green apples, Nilla Wafers, pretzels and graham crackers.

— Submitted by snaCKs Provision Co.

FRIED TURKEY

What you’ll need

• A turkey fryer (propane, electric or air)

• 10-12 pound turkey

• Seasoned salt

• Injector and marinade (the Tony Chachere’s kit works well, but you can make your own if you’re feeling creative)

• Meat thermometer

Directions: Thaw your turkey. I can’t stress this enough. You need a day in the fridge (not the freezer) for each four or five pounds of turkey. I always go for at least three days, just to be sure. After it’s fully thawed and you’re a few hours away from cooking it, rinse the turkey. I usually do this the night before. Remove the pop-up timer and the bag of giblets and anything else from the neck area. You’re looking for ice, too. You don’t want any.

Pat dry. Apply seasoned salt and any other seasoning you like generously and rub it in. It’s injecting time. If you found the premade kit at the grocery store, it has some instructions. But here are the broad strokes.

You want to make as few holes as possible, since we’re trying to get the stuff to stay in the turkey. After drawing some marinade, make an injection (about a third of what you drew) on one side of the breast. Now, without pulling the needle all the way out, pull up and change the angle. You should be able to get three injections in one hole — one straight in, one angled up and the other angled down).

Repeat this process for the other side of the breast, both thighs and both legs. Any leftover marinade can be injected into the back of the turkey or poured over top of it. Wrap the turkey in aluminum foil and put it back into the fridge until it’s time to cook.

When that time arrives, heat the fryer to 350 degrees. For my electric fryer, it takes as long to heat up the grease as it does to cook, but appliances vary. When it’s ready, following your appliance’s instructions, begin cooking the turkey.

For oil people, you’re SLOWLY lowering it, breast-first, into the oil. It’s going to take between three and five minutes per pound. I check it at a little more than three minutes per pound, so for a 12-pound turkey, I’m having a look at about 40 minutes. Check the temperature in a couple of places, remembering that you need an internal temperature of 165 for it to be done.

— Randy Capps

MIKE’S SPECIAL FRUIT CAKE

What you’ll need

• One fruit cake

Directions: Go to your favorite store and purchase a fruit cake. It needs to be a Claxton’s Fruit Cake. Those are by far the best ones. Bring the fruit cake home and put it in the refrigerator for a few hours. Then, cut it into even slices (or as even as you can get) and arrange on a plate. This is a delicacy, so enjoy.

— Mike Bollinger

SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE DIP

What you’ll need

• 1 bag of frozen chopped spinach

• 2 jars of alfredo sauce (garlic flavored is best)

• 2 large jars of artichokes

• 4 ounces of softened cream cheese

• Parmesan cheese (bagged/shredded is best)

• Mozzarella cheese

• Jalapenos (chopped)

Directions: Defrost frozen spinach and drain to remove as much water as possible and place in large bowl. Drain artichokes and chop them into small pieces and add to the spinach in the bowl. Mix in softened cream cheese and mix together the first three ingredients. Stir in alfredo sauce and mix thoroughly.

Add jalapenos to taste based on heat level desired. Mix in one cup of parmesan cheese. Mix in 2-3 cups of mozzarella cheese. Mix should now be wet and together but not watery and capable of being poured. Spray a 13X9 casserole dish with nonstick spray. Pour mix into dish.

Top dish with enough Mozzarella to cover up mixture and then top off with a little more Parmesan cheese. Place into a 375-degree oven for 35 minutes, covered. Be careful to cover with foil, but make sure foil does not touch the cheese or it will stick to the cheese while cooking.

Uncover after 35 minutes and cook an additional five minutes at 400 degrees, watching to make sure it does not burn the top. Serve with tortilla chips.

— Stephen Turner