Writers for Over The Mountain Journal not only love to share the stories presented in each issue but also enjoy making holiday favorites for our families and friends. Here are some of our can’t miss recipes sure to please your guests. Happy holidays!
Anne Ruisi
Beef Lasagna
My father’s side of the family is Italian-American from New York state and I grew up in a close circle of relatives who loved to cook. For Christmas, we didn’t have the typical platters of ham or roast beef that my non-Italian friends enjoyed. We ate homemade lasagna or manicotti made with loving care by my Aunt Lucy or Aunt Caroline.
This lasagna recipe is likely from Aunt Caroline’s mother, my great-grandmother Palma. She came to America from Sicily in 1906.
Like many recipes from the old country, this one didn’t have specific measurements for the ingredients, but I’ve made this dozens of times over the years and these are the amounts I use. This recipe makes 10-12 servings.
If there is leftover meat and cheese, do like I do and make some extra in a small baking dish. Bake it along with the main pan and you’ll have a nice sample to try before you serve the big dish at your feast.
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning or 1 teaspoon
each oregano and basil
4 cups ricotta cheese (Polly-O brand
recommended)
1 8-ounce package of shredded mozzarella
cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 teaspoons parsley
1 package lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
2 32-ounce jars of spaghetti sauce (Rao’s marinara sauce recommended)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown the ground beef and drain the grease using a colander. Put the beef in a bowl and mix in Italian seasoning or oregano and basil. Set aside.
Mix the ricotta cheese with the Parmesan cheese, egg and parsley well. You can even whip the mixture on low for a few seconds if you want to give it a bit of extra body.
Spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a lasagna baking dish or a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place 1 layer of lasagna noodles lengthwise in the baking dish, then drop generous tablespoons of the cheese mixture onto the noodles. Use a rubber spatula to gently spread the cheese on the noodles.
Top with half the ground beef by generous handful, scattering it across the noodles. Ladle a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on top and add another layer of lasagna noodles.
Repeat the cheese, beef and sauce layers, then top with lasagna noodles and spread sauce on top.
Cover with foil and bake 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes to allow it to firm up before cutting into servings.
Heat up the extra sauce and serve alongside the lasagna with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.
Donna Cornelius Hot Chocolate Station
If you’re looking for a fun holiday party treat that involves very little cooking, try a hot chocolate station. Just make your favorite hot chocolate recipe. I go with Ina Garten’s version from the Food Network website. Then set out a variety of toppings and mix-ins, which you can put in Mason jars tied with festive ribbon and string if you don’t have enough fancy containers.
Here are some ideas, but you’ll probably enjoy coming up with your own extras. Tip: For an adults-only party, nobody’s going to complain if you set out some bourbon, rum, Baileys or Kahlua.
Mix-Ins:
Mini marshmallows
Toffee bits
Chocolate chips
Caramel syrup
Crushed graham crackers
Toasted coconut
Mini peanut butter cups
M&M’s (the red and green version, of course)
Sprinkles
Sea salt
For Stirring:
Pretzel sticks dipped in chocolate
Peppermint sticks
Cinnamon sticks
Pirouette cookies
Peppermint Whipped Cream
Don’t forget the whipped cream, which is so easy to make and so much better than the grocery store versions. This recipe makes about 4 cups.
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
½ cup powdered sugar
1½ teaspoons peppermint extract
Peppermint bits, optional
Put a metal mixing bowl and metal whisk attachment into your freezer for at least 10 minutes.
Pour the cream into the bowl, then add the sugar and peppermint extract. Beat on low until well mixed.
Increase the speed and beat until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle with peppermint bits if you’d like to.
Cranberry-Jalapeño Salsa
Here’s an easy dish that adds a little spice to the usual holiday appetizer lineup.
Ingredients:
12 ounces fresh cranberries
¾ cup sugar (add a little more if you want a
sweeter concoction)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
½ cup cilantro
3 green onions, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons lime juice
Pinch of salt
2 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese
Place all of the ingredients except the cream cheese in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency. I like mine a little chunky. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours – preferably overnight. Serve over cream cheese with crackers. You’ll have enough to cover two blocks of cream cheese.
June Mathews Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball
This appetizer is a longtime favorite at our house because it’s easy to make, easy to serve and looks as festive as it is delicious. Each bite is loaded with the pleasing pungency of chives and garlic, and the combination of toasted pecans and cranberries lends the perfect nutty/fruity flavor to the mix. Fair warning, though: It’s addictive!
Ingredients:
8 oz. block of cream cheese
1 cup white sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup dried cranberries, chopped and divided
1 cup pecans, chopped, toasted and divided
1/4 cup chives or green onions, chopped (plus an additional 2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
To toast the pecans, preheat oven to 375F and spread chopped pecans on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes or until aromatic. Remove from oven and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup toasted pecans, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, the chives or green onion, and garlic powder until well combined. I’ve found mixing this with my hands to be most effective.
Form into a ball shape and place mixture in the center of a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper and cover completely. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Just before serving, combine the remaining 1/2 cup pecans, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, and 2 tablespoons chives on a flat surface or cutting board. Unwrap the ball and roll in cranberry-pecan mixture.
Serve with crackers, pita chips, pretzels, carrots or celery.
Susan Swagler Savory Scones
This recipe by Birmingham baker Telia Johnson, of Telia Johnson Cakes, makes beautiful scones that rise like the flakiest biscuits, and a savory scone is an unexpected treat. Plus, you can make them and freeze them to bake later.
My family loves these savory scones during the holidays, and I always keep a dozen or so in the freezer. Frozen, they make great hostess gifts, too!
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt (I like Diamond Crystal)
½ cup cold butter, cubed or shredded (I shred it)
¾ cup shredded sharp or extra sharp cheddar
¼ cup chopped green onions
4 slices cooked thick bacon, chopped
1 cup heavy cream (plus a little extra to brush
on top before baking)
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Gently stir in butter or use a pastry cutter/dough blender hand tool. Chill or freeze for 15 minutes.
Stir in cheese, green onions and bacon. Stir in cream.
Pat into a round of about 7 inches wide and cut into eight wedges.
Pull apart and brush with a little cream.
Bake at 400 degrees for 16-18 minutes.
You can make these and freeze them unbaked. Just cut into wedges, place them in a cake pan and cover with plastic wrap. Transfer the fully frozen wedges to a thick plastic bag for easy storage. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 and put the scones in the oven while it is preheating to get the chill off them. Then bake for 20-25 minutes until they are golden outside and done inside.
Ana Good Joel Good’s Butternut Squash Soup
Every holiday season, our family eagerly anticipates my husband’s delicious butternut squash soup. This creamy, rich soup has become a beloved tradition that we look forward to all year long. We always serve it with a warm, toasted baguette perfect for soaking up every last drop. Even our 5-year-old can’t get enough of this cozy, comforting dish! For an extra touch, you can top it with a sprig of fresh thyme before serving. This recipe serves six.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 small onion, diced, soaked in cold water for 10
minutes and drained
4 cups cubed butternut squash, fresh
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Dice carrots, celery and onion into similar-sized chunks.
Peel butternut squash and slice the ends off to help stabilize it. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scrape out and discard the seeds. Cube the remaining squash.
Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced carrots, celery and onion. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables have started to soften and onion is translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add cubed butternut squash, thyme, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is fork-tender, about 30 minutes.
Let the soup cool slightly and puree small batches in an upright blender. Blend until smooth.
Madoline Markham Koonce Pecan Pie
A college roommate of mine shared this classic recipe with me years ago, and it’s become an annual staple for dessert after my family’s Thanksgiving feast. If there are any leftovers, we eat it with homemade ice cream the next day.
Ingredients:
1 frozen 9-inch deep dish pie crust
3/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups pecan halves
In a saucepan, boil sugar and corn syrups together for about 2 minutes, stirring often; set aside to cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with a fork until the yolk and white are well mixed and very slowly pour the syrup mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly. Add melted butter, salt, vanilla and pecans. Pour the entire mixture into the pie crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until set. Shake the pie for doneness, and the center should move like set gelatin. The pie will “fall” after being removed from the oven. Cool overnight or at least 4 hours to let it set.
English (US)