Comfort Food Gourmet

Click here to view slideshow

Lemon Spritzer

• 1 Tablespoon citric acid
• 1 Tablespoon lemon extract
• 2-2 ½ cups sugar (to taste)
• 2 – 2 liters 7 up or Sprite

Mix ingedients well. Be sure to dissolve sugar. Refrigerate. Serve with Ice. Add any garnishes – raspberries, lemon slices, lime slices, cranberries.

Erika discovered this from her caterer friend about 15 years ago We’ve been using it at baby showers and weddings ever since.

Snow Man Cheese Ball!

What could be better than a ball of cheese? Have Fun!

• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cartons (4 ounces each) whipped cream cheese
• Assorted fresh vegetables or crackers

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and pepper sauce until smooth. Stir in the cheddar cheese, bacon and onions. Shape into balls . Cover with whipped cream cheese - can wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled. Garnish as desired.

This recipe started it’s life in our family a few years ago. It has appeared as a pumpkin, Frankenstein, and others. Just tint the whipped cream cheese and off you go!

Wedge Salad

• 8 oz cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Ground black pepper to taste
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into 8 wedges

Toppings

• Grape tomatoes, halved
• Green onions, thinly sliced
• 8 oz crumbled blue cheese
• Diced apples
• Dried cranberries
• Hard boiled eggs
• Bacon crumbles
• Dark chocolate chunks

Combine blue cheese, sour cream, buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, olive oil, sugar, garlic, and pepper in a bowl; blend using a hand mixer; chill until serving. (Better if made the night before!)
Build the salad by placing 1 lettuce wedge on each of 8 plates. Drizzle equal amounts of dressing over each wedge. Scatter desired toppings loosely over wedge.

Our sister Rachel’s favorite salad to bring to family functions

Rolls- Grandma’s best!

This is comfort food royalty

Start 5 hours before serving

• 1 small potato – cooked and mashed or use potato flakes. It needs to equal 1 cup
• 2 Tablespoons yeast dissolved in 1 cup warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 cups evaporated milk (can use 2c evaporated milk-2c water)
• 4 tablespoons melted butter + extra to dip dough=yummy!
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 eggs
• Flour – a lot

Note: I do this in my kitchen aid with mixer and then dough hook
Boil potato, mash (or flakes). Dissolve yeast in water and sugar. Let sit 5 minutes- ish Mix together yeast mixture, warm milk, butter, sugar, salt, eggs and potato. Add just enough flour to make a soft mix (about 3 cups). Mix just until blended and let rest for 10 minutes. Add about 7 more cups of flour ( enough to make a soft dough – you can handle this dough). Turn into a large bowl sprayed with pam. Cover and let rise to double 3 times. Dip roll into melted butter and place on pan. Let rise once more in pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes 4 dozen + rolls.

This recipe is our Great Grandma Safrans’ (from Germany). Every important event in our lives have been accompanied by these!

Grilled Halibut

Just for the Halibut!:)

Marinade (4 steaks worth)

• ¼ cup lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon lemon pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt

Mix ingredients together and place in a Ziploc bag.
Place fish carefully in bag, coat all steaks. Let marinate for 1 hour in fridge.
Grill on medium high for 10 – 12 minutes. Flipping only one time. Fish should be flakey and opaque all the way through.

Tip: Spray the bottom of a grill basket with oil and cook fish in basket. If you don’t have a basket…buy one. Otherwise coat the grill with oil before igniting.
This is a new recipe…we couldn’t resist pairing it with cranberry relish – Hope you like it!

Cranberry Relish

Fresh and Yummacious!

• 1 orange
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1 cup diced red delicious apple
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) can unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained

Cut unpeeled orange into 4 pieces, remove seeds.  Position knife blade in food processor bowl.  Add orange, and process until finely chopped.  Transfer to a non-aluminum bowl.

Place cranberries in processor bowl, process until coarsely ground.  Add cranberries, apple, sugar, and pineapple to chopped orange; stir well.  Cover and chill at least 8 hours.  Yield: 12 (1/4 cup) servings.

This is one of Mike’s Family recipes….try it with turkey!

Sweet Potato Delishesness!

( Is that a word?)

• 3 large cooked (boiled) sweet potatoes – peeled
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping

• 1/3 cup melted butter – no substitute
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon (I use pampered chef cinnamon plus)
• Chopped pecans

Combine and mash the first five ingredients. Pour mix into a baking dish. Top mixture with melted butter. Mix flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over potatoes. Top with chopped pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

A Thanksgiving Tradition for many years - Elfrieda Style (Erika’s Mom)

Fudge – tastic!

What better ingredients are there than chocolate, butter, and sugar?

• 1 1/2 Cups Sugar
• 2/3 Cup evaporated milk
• 4 Tablespoons butter 
• 1 1/2 Cups mini marshmallows
• 1(11oz) package milk chocolate chips
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Mix sugar, evaporated milk and butter.
Cook over medium heat, stir constantly to a full rolling boil.
Boil, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, mix in the rest. tip:(Marshmallows first then choc chips works best. Add vanilla after those two are mostly melted.)
Pour fudge into pan and let set in fridge.
You can add nuts at this point or leave plain. If you wait until it has cooled a bit you can add nuts and mini marshmallows for Rocky Road.
Prep: Line an 8x8 or 9x13 pan with Tin Foil depending on how thick you want the fudge (I spray with a little veg oil) . (A double batch works well in a 9x13)
Variations
Add peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips
Add mint chips instead of chocolate chips
This is a Lowder Family favorite…It appears during our holidays…Christmas, Thanksgiving, Wednesday’s… And any other excuse we can think of.

Peppermint Oreos

All we can say is OHH LA LA!

• 2 cups worth of peppermint flavored chips – Kitchen Kneads brand is best
• A spoonful of Crisco
• A bag of double stuff oreos

Melt the chips and Crisco in a glass dish.. we use a pyrex measuring cup. Start with 30 seconds and add 30 seconds at a time. Stirring after each time. Peppermint is done when you can stir in the last remaining lumps – DON’T OVERCOOK
Place on waxed paper- decorate at will
This recipe came from an old friend…There is generally begging and bribery associated with the making of these.. Our brother in law will do just about anything to have them.

Divinity

REMINDS ME OF FRESHLY FALLEN SNOW

• 1 JAR (7OZ) OF MARSHMALLOW CRÈME
• 2 CUPS SUGAR
• ½ CUP WATER
• ½ TEASPOON VANILLA + ½ TEASPOON PEPPERMINT
• (CAN DO ALL VANILLA)

BRING SUGAR AND WATER TO A FULL BOIL OVER MEDIUM HEAT. COOK FOR 2 MINUTES. ADD FLAVORING AND POUR OVER MARSHMALLOW CRÈME. (I DO THIS IN MY KITCHEN AID WITH THE BEATER ATTATCHMENT) BEAT UNTIL COOL ENOUGH TO DROP IN SPOONFULS. DROP ONTO WAXED PAPER.

WE JUST PLAIN LOVE DIVINITY!!! IT SHOWS UP DURING THE HOLIDAYS JUST LIKE THE SNOW.

Sugar Cookies

If you eat just one- you are a better woman than me! (not that it’s hard)

• 4 to 4 ½ Cups flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 Cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ¾ Cup sugar
• 3 eggs

Mix shortening and sugar til fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until smooth. Gradually mix in the rest of the ingredients. The flour depends on the day.. It should pull away from sides of bowl, soft enough to handle but not too dry. Roll to desired thickness ( I like em thick!) Cut and place on baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.. They should just start to crack on the surface. Let rest on pan for a few minutes before moving to cooling rack.

Frosting
This is where it gets fun!

• Mix a cube of softened butter (no changies!!!) with a ¼ cup warm milk. 
• Add ¾ of a bag of powdered sugar. (2 lb standard size). 
• A dash of salt. 
• Then use your imagination! A teaspoon of extract in any flavor! 
• We used peppermint… I love orange, almond, vanilla, lemon.

The lady that took care of me growing up always used this recipe. Not a holiday ( or snow day) goes by without some version of these cookies appearing!

S’mores Hot Chocolate

Hello Happiness!!!

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 – 4 oz bar semisweet chocolate, chopped (I use Ghiradelli’s)
• 4 cups milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 – 8oz container frozen whipped topping
• 1 – 7oz jar marshmallow creme
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• Garnish: crushed graham crackers, chocolate shavings

In a large saucepan, combine cream and chocolate over medium heat, whisking constantly, until chocolate is melted. Add milk, sugar, and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently: do not boil.
In a medium bowl, combine whipped topping and marshmallow crème. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add graham cracker crumbs, beating until well combined. Spoon or pipe cream mixture on top of hot chocolate. Top with garnish, if desired.
This is a new recipe that we just couldn’t pass up!