Maude's Tucker's Christmas Date Pudding

My grandmother made old English date pudding every single year for Christmas dinner.  This "pudding", which is really more like a moist cake, was served with whipped cream over it.  This is the stuff of childhood memories for me.
My grandmother was an incredible cook, a farm wife who measured intuitively (much to the chagrin of her daughter-in-law, my mother, who was not an inspired cook by any stretch!).  Over the final years of my grandmother's life this recipe began to change, and not for the better.  The moist pudding became a dry, less-appetizing cake.  I tried, tried, tried! over the years to reproduce the earlier, original version of her pudding, but never achieved it.

Then, by chance, I stumbled upon another recipe for date pudding and even though the ingredients were identical, the preparation was quite different.  Shazam!  I had it again!

So, here is the recipe for my grandmother's date pudding, back in its original format.  Served with lightly sweetened whipped cream, it is absolutely a taste of my childhood with my very English grandparents.  Please enjoy!

DATE PUDDING SYRUP: 1 c. brown sugar 2 c. water 1 tsp. butter PUDDING: 1 c. flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 c. chopped dates 1 c. brown sugar (additional) 1 tbsp. butter 1/3 c. milk 1 tsp. cinnamon To prepare syrup, bring to boil 1 cup brown sugar, 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon butter. Pour into baking dish*. To prepare pudding, mix flour, baking powder and all other ingredients. Mix well. Drop by spoonful into syrup. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve warm. (NOTE: Batter will spread, dates settle on bottom.) *This is the part that got lost.  It seems very odd, I realize, to pour this into the dish first.  Trust me.

Gulliver's Creamed Corn

This recipe is from a famous prime rib restaurant in Irvine, CA Gulliver's, that has been in business for 41 years.  I've been serving it for our traditional Christmas dinner for the last 15 years.

1-lb frozen corn (I use Trader Joes corn)

1 carton of whipping cream (I use half n'half)

1-1/2 T butter, 1-1/2 T flour, 1/2 t salt

2T sugar, 1/2 t Accent, 3T Kraft Parmesan cheese

Fresh Parmesan cheese to taste

Cook the corn, drain.  In a stock pot, cook over low heat the remaining ingredients, and then add the corn.  Can be put into a crock pot and cooked on high for 3 hours, then on low till ready to serve.

When I make it for 25 people, I use 8  bags of corn, 2 quarts of half n'half, 1C sugar, 1-1/2 C Parmesan cheese, 2 sticks of butter, salt, accent, flour and fresh Parmesan cheese to taste.  It is an excellent compliment to prime rib.  Note:  you can make this recipe without Accent.  Throw in a pinch of cayenne pepper to spice it up a bit.  There are several versions of this recipe on-line.

Grandma Norm's Famous Holiday Sugar Cookes

Nothing says Christmas like beautifully decorated sugar cookies!  Each year we make and bake off a batch of these buttery cookies.  It just wouldn't be Christmas without them.
Below you will see what happens when 3 art school kids get hold of sugar cooke dough.  I can't find the naked women cookies, but be assured that I will post them when they surface.  In the meantime, here is my mother-in-law's famous recipe, along with photos.  Enjoy!

Grandma Norm’s Xmas Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

2 cups butter

3 eggs

6 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

1 slightly rounded teaspoon salt

1 tsp vanilla

½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

finely chopped zest from one-two lemons (optional)

Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add eggs, vanilla, and optional ingredients.  Gradually add flour.  The dough will become very dry.

Cover and refrigerate until dough is chilled through. 

Roll dough in roughly one cup increments to ¼ inch thickness.  Use a dusting of flour on work surface and rolling pin to prevent sticking. 

Cut cookie shapes and place on cooking baking sheet.  You may wish to place on parchment paper or a silpat.

Bake at 350 for 8=12 minutes, depending on personal preference.

Frost and decorate!

*Optional ingredients were added by Leslie to this recipe over the years to adjust for taste.

a custom designed cookie depicting our Schnauzer, Bizzi

I'm sure you all remember the Furby craze....

the contoured pear

Claire at the cookie decorating station

Claire frosts cookies while Natalie supervises

a selection of fantastic cookies

Luren offers a selection to her father

A Holiday Consideration

I've been very lax in posting about cooking, of late.  I have been cooking, just not anything very interesting.  December, typically a month where I do a lot of exotic food preparation, has been spent primarily in my studio.  That's what multiple deadlines at the end of December (?) will do for you.
I'm not good without a healthy deadline, so needless to say I've been spending a lot of hours working with fiber of the cloth variety.
I've had a lot of time to think about things that matter to me.  I like to take stock of my life this time of year. I'm sure a lot of people do.  I'm fortunate to have wonderful health, a loving family and wonderful friends.
I have a home.
I have food security.
It absolutely kills me that food security is an issue for a lot of people.  Food insecurity is an issue for 49 million Americans.  Of those, 17 million are children and 5 million are seniors.  Last year over 37 million people accessed a food bank for emergency food assistance.
 A few years ago, my good friend Frances Holliday Alford spent a year working on something she called "The Hunger Project".  She sent blank checks to many of her friends for a set amount and asked us to research our local resources and make a contribution to one we were interested in funding.  I thought this was brilliant:  a perfect way to get others to look into local organizations and educate ourselves about them.  I learned about our local food bank:  the San Antonio Food Bank.  I learned that, for every dollar given, the SA Food Bank can stretch it to the equivalent of $15.  I was impressed!
Every year, rather than exchanging gifts with extended family members, each family unit makes a charitable contribution.  I always give to the local food bank.
I know each of us has a pet project.  Some of us cannot afford to give beyond what we can do for our immediate family members.
I'm really not trying to be preachy (I detest that!):  I'm simply planting a seed of an idea.  I encourage you to look into the possibility of contributing to a local food bank.  They are really good at stretching a food dollar.  Thank you for your consideration.  Have a wonderful holiday season.

I promise to start cooking some interesting food.  Soon!

Cranberry Cordial for the Holidays

Jamie’s Cranberry Cordial

2 cups sugar
2 cups of inexpensive Vodka
4 cups of fresh cranberries
6 whole cloves
1 strip of orange peel

Mix sugar and vodka in a non-metallic container - add cloves and orange peel and stir together. 

Chop cranberries in a food processor and mix into sugar mixture.  Makes 1 quart.  I usually triple the recipe to make a large batch.  Cover and let it sit on the kitchen counter for a few weeks, stirring it occasionally, every few days.

When finished soaking together, strain through a sieve and pour into bottles or jars and give as gifts to friends and family.  It is a very festive hostess gift.  The cordial can be added to champagne for a colorful holiday cocktail, or you can make martinis with it.  I think it’s delightful in a cup of peppermint tea to warm you up on a cold night.

Okay, now you’re looking at those leftovers, the cranberries soaked in vodka - what to do with them.  I’ve used them in a cake or cranberry bread.  Cheers!  I haven't bottled this patch yet, so there is no picture of the end result.  Should be good for at least 6 months, and just leave it on the counter, but not in direct sunlight.  Cheers to you!

Company Potatoes

 

Company Potatoes - the Basic Recipe

8-10 large potatoes, slice 'em up to cook

or you could use red potatoes - about 20-25 - skins on

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup - undiluted (you can use Healthy Choice too)

1 cube of butter, sliced (you can use unsalted butter)

3T chopped green onion

1 tub of sour cream (you can use low-fat)

salt and pepper

1/2-1 lb cheddar cheese, grated

Cook the potatoes till fork tender, turn out into a large bowl and mash.  Add all of the ingredients, except cheese and mash together, then use a spoon to mix it up completely.  Spread into a 9x13 glass baking pan, and sprinkle the top with the cheddar cheese and bake for 1 hour in a 350 oven.