Christmas Dinner '07

Merry Christmas!

We spent a wonderful but quiet Christmas with just our family this year. So I decided to keep our dinner simple too. Our menu of Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Stuffing, Cranberries, Green Beans, Cheddar Bay Biscuits (think of your favorite seafood place!), and homemade apple pie was a raving success with my family! Now I say simple, but yes, everything was homemade and I started cooking the day before. Still, my kids ate everything!!! That is what a call a successful dinner!

Super Cheese Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 4 slices provolone cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (fresh, not the stuff in the can!)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 1 1/2 quart or larger casserole dish with butter or nonstick spray.
2. Layer half of the potato slices in the bottom of the casserole dish. Dot with half of the butter cut or pinched into small pieces. Arrange half of the garlic slices over the potatoes, then pour half of the heavy cream over. Sprinkle one cup of Cheddar cheese over the layer, and season with salt and pepper. Repeat layering of potatoes, garlic, cream and Cheddar cheese, then top with the slices of provolone cheese. Season again with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 1/2 hour in the preheated oven, then sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top. This will create a semi-hard cheese crust. Continue baking uncovered for another 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender when tested with a fork.

Amandine Green Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh or frozen green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, bring beans and water to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the beans are crisp-tender; drain and set aside. In a large skillet, cook almonds in butter over low heat. Stir in lemon juice and seasoned salt if desired. Add beans and heat through.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 4 cups baking mix
• 3 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 1/3 cups water
  
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon dried parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the baking mix, cheese, and water. Mix until dough is firm. Using a small scoop, place dough on the prepared pan.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
4. Combine the melted butter, garlic powder, salt, onion powder and parsley. Brush over baked biscuits immediately upon removing from oven.

Grandma's Apple Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie**
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
2. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
3. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

**You can use a pre-made pie crust, found in the refrigerated section near the Pillsbury cans of biscuits, or you can use the recipe below that I used. You need time to make good pie crust, so plan to start the pie the day before!

Butter Flaky Pie Crust

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
• 1/4 cup ice water

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
2. Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Perfect Pie Crust tips!! - keep it cold & work it sparingly. Here's how: Chill water with ice cubes and set aside in refrigerator. Cut very cold unsalted butter into cubes & cut it in the flour with a pastry blender (or pulse in food processor) until it resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer to large bowl & gently toss water into crumbs 1 tsp at a time with a fork. Do not use food processor to incorporate water - it's too easy to overwork the dough. The dough should have small bits of butter - this makes the crust flaky. Cool off hands under cold water, pat dry, gather the crumbs into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate. Previously, I over-worked the dough, used too much water, and/or didn't keep the dough cold enough, which made the crust tough and soggy. *update* You'll probably need to roll out the dough twice. First roll out is usually crumbly, uneven, and has large breaks. Gently gather in edges to form another ball and roll out again. Smooth, round, even crust should be easier the second roll out.