Footsie's Favorite Recipes

Bubba Gump Bubba's Cocktail Sauce
=================================

1 Cup chili sauce
1/3 Cup lemon juice
3 Tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 Teaspoon hot sauce
.
Combine all ingredients; cover and chill.

Source: "The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Cookbook" Copyright: "1994" Yield: "1 1/2
cups"

Servings: 4

Craters of Coconut

1 roll sugar cookie dough

3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened
1 Tbsp. milk
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup crushed skor or heath bars


Preheat oven to 350. Grease mini muffin pans (very important!!! Don't line unless you grease the liners too.)

Cut cookie dough into 9 equal slices and cut each piece into quarters. Put one piece into each muffin cup. Bake for 8 minutes.

Mix remaining ingredients.

Remove muffin pans from oven and put a rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of each partially baked cooked. Return to oven and bake 3-5 minutes more or till cookies are golden.

Let cool on rack at least 10 minutes. Carefully remove cookies from muffin pans. Makes 36 cookies.

Footsie Note: I use either toffee bits or chopped nuts if I don't feel like crushing candy bars. I also usually run out of filling (I guess I over stuff them)but doubling the recipe is too much, so I'll either mix coconut with raspberry jam, or cut up an almond joy/mound bar or something similar.

Cookies are very fragile but oh so good.

Bumping and copying many off to send to my SIL....I raved and she asked, lol!

 Hope you're having fun in NY!

~~susie.

 

Bumping to check these later.

 

Sassygrits

Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake - Excellent

3/4 Cup butter, softened

 1 1/2 Cups sugar

3 lg. eggs seperated

1 Cup water

1/2 Cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 Cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 Cup cocoa

1/2 Cup chopped nuts

3/4 Cup sauerkraut

 

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 10" springform pan or 12 cup bundt pan.

 

Rinse, drain, and chop sauerkraut.

Cream together butter, egg yolks, sugar, water, milk and vanilla. Add sauerkraut. Sift dry ingredients and fold into creamed mixture. Beat egg whites till stiff but not dry and fold into mixture. Add nuts. Pour into pan. Bake 1 hour or till tests done.

Footsie's Buffalo Wing Ring -revised

The original recipe I found called for making a savory dough from scratch. It was good but not worth the trouble, so I used Hot Roll Mix with a few herbs and some sautéed onion. Still good but more work than was necessary. I finally settled on using crescent roll dough as an easy and quick alternative.

 

2 pkgs crescent roll dough

3 chicken breast halves

1 small onion, chopped

1 tsp. minced garlic if desired

Salt and pepper to taste

Ranch dressing

Hot wing Sauce

Pepper Jack Cheese - either shredded or sliced thin

 

Cut chicken into chunks, season with salt and pepper and sauté in 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Remove from pan and dice when cooled. In same pan sauté onion and minced garlic. In small bowl, stir together chicken, onion, garlic and enough hot wing sauce to thoroughly coat chicken.

 

On a piece of parchment paper big enough to cover your cookie sheet, unwrap crescent rolls and arrange triangles in a circle, with points sticking  out like a sunburst and short sides overlapping. Leave a 4-5 inch hole in the middle of the circle. Press together to smooth out but gently lift the inside circle edges with a small cake decorating spatula so that you can later tuck the points underneath.

 

Spread dough with ranch dressing all the way around the circle and up most of the points. Arrange chicken around circle, top with cheese and fold points over top, tucking tips underneath.

 

Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or till golden brown.

When I was in NY for Christmas, I made the Dirty Rice, Crabmeat Stuffed Mushrooms and the Chicken Wing Ring and all were big hits.

I took this up to NY with me and everyone loved it because it wasn't as sweet as are some recipes. I've also made it for DH to take to work, there's never so much as a bite left at the end of the day!

 

Baklava

Cook's Illustrated
3/2004

A straight-sided traditional (not nonstick) metal baking pan works best for making baklava; the straight sides ensure that the pieces will have nicely shaped edges, and the surface of a traditional pan will not be marred by the knife during cutting, as would a nonstick surface. If you don't have this type of pan, a glass baking dish will work. Make sure that the phyllo is fully thawed before use; leave it in the refrigerator overnight or on the countertop for four to five hours. When assembling, use the nicest, most intact phyllo sheets for the bottom and top layers; use sheets with tears or ones that are smaller than the size of the pan in the middle layers, where their imperfections will go unnoticed. If, after assembly, you have remaining clarified butter, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator; it can be used for sautéing.

Makes 32 to 40 pieces

Sugar Syrup
 
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 
 
3/4 cup water 
 
1/3 cup honey 
 
1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
 
3 strips lemon zest , removed in large strips with vegetable peeler
 
1 cinnamon stick 
 
5 whole cloves 
 
1/8 teaspoon table salt 
 

Nut Filling
 
8 ounces blanched slivered almonds 
 
4 ounces walnuts 
 
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
 
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 
 
2 tablespoons granulated sugar 
 
1/8 teaspoon table salt 
 

Pastry and Butter
 
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), clarified per instructions below, melted, and cooled slightly (about 1 cup)
 
1 pound frozen phyllo  , thawed (see note)
 

 

1. For the sugar syrup: Combine syrup ingredients in small saucepan and bring to full boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to ensure that sugar dissolves. Transfer to 2-cup measuring cup and set aside to cool while making and baking baklava; when syrup is cool, discard spices and lemon zest. (Cooled syrup can be refrigerated in airtight container up to 4 days.)

2. For the nut filling: Pulse almonds in food processor until very finely chopped, about twenty 1-second pulses; transfer to medium bowl. Pulse walnuts in food processor until very finely chopped, about fifteen 1-second pulses; transfer to bowl with almonds and toss to combine. Measure out 1 tablespoon nuts and set aside for garnish. Add cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and salt; toss well to combine.

3. To assemble and bake: Brush 13- by 9-inch traditional (not nonstick) baking pan with butter. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Unwrap and unfold phyllo on large cutting board; carefully smooth with hands to flatten. Following illustration 1 below, and using baking pan as guide, cut sheets crosswise with chef's knife, yielding two roughly evenly sized stacks of phyllo (one may be narrower than other). Cover with plastic wrap, then damp kitchen towel to prevent drying.

4. Following illustration 3, place one phyllo sheet (from wider stack) in bottom of baking pan and brush until completely coated with butter. Repeat with 7 more phyllo sheets (from wider stack), brushing each with butter.

5. Following illustration 4, evenly distribute about 1 cup nuts over phyllo. Cover nuts with phyllo sheet (from narrower stack) and dab with butter (phyllo will slip if butter is brushed on). Repeat with 5 more phyllo sheets (from narrower stack), staggering sheets slightly if necessary to cover nuts, and brushing each with butter. Repeat layering with additional 1 cup nuts, 6 sheets phyllo, and remaining 1 cup nuts. Finish with 8 to 10 sheets phyllo (from wider stack), using nicest and most intact sheets for uppermost layers and brushing each except final sheet with butter. Following illustration 6, use palms of hands to compress layers, working from center outward to press out any air pockets. Spoon 4 tablespoons butter on top layer and brush to cover all surfaces. Following illustration 7, use bread knife or other serrated knife with pointed tip in gentle sawing motion to cut baklava into diamonds, rotating pan as necessary to complete cuts. (Cut on bias into eighths on both diagonals.)

6. Bake until golden and crisped, about 1 ½ hours, rotating baking pan halfway through baking. Immediately after removing baklava from oven, pour cooled syrup over cut lines until about 2 tablespoons remain (syrup will sizzle when it hits hot pan); drizzle remaining syrup over surface. Garnish center of each piece with pinch of reserved ground nuts. Cool to room temperature on wire rack, about 3 hours, then cover with foil and let stand at least 8 hours before serving. (Once cooled, baklava can be served, but flavor and texture improve if left to stand at least 8 hours. Baklava can be wrapped tightly in foil and kept at room temperature up to 10 days.)

 

STEP BY STEP: Clarifying Butter

1. Let melted butter settle for 10 minutes. With soup spoon, carefully skim off foam from surface.
 
2. Spoon butterfat into small cup, tipping saucepan gently and only when it becomes necessary.
 

3. Make sure to leave water and milk solids behind in saucepan so they can be discarded.
 
 

STEP BY STEP: Assembling Baklava

1. Cover phyllo to keep moist.
 
2. But phyllo to fit in pan.
 

3. Butter bottom layers.
 
4. Spread nut Filling.
 

5. Butter more layers.
 
6. Compress layers.
 

7. Cut into diamonds, then bake.
 
8. Pour syrup over cut lines and garnish each piece with nuts.
 

 

Footsie Notes: It's worth the extra step of clarifying the butter because it prevents the pastry from getting soggy.

Clams Casino


My family has made this dish for darn near every party I can remember for the last 40 years or more. Really easy, can't mess it up! It can all be mixed in one foil pan, baked, transported, left out and tossed (either out completely or back in the fridge for nuking later)!

3 cans minced clams
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped pimento
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
4 or 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Drain clams reserving juice. Mix all ingredients, adding clam juice a little at a time till it holds together. (If you make it too wet, just add a little more bread crumbs) Put in casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or till firm. Serve with crackers.

*My hubby doesn't like green pepper, so I leave it out and it's never been missed.

Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (24 oz) bag choc. chips (4 cups)

Heat oven to 350°F.

In large bowl, beat butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs on medium speed or with spoon until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in chocolate chips.

On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by tablespoonfuls on #40 cookie/ice cream scoop 2 inchses apart. Flatten slightly.

Bake 11-13 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 1 to 2 minutes, remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

About 6 dozen cookies.

For nut lovers: Stir in 2 cups coarsely chopped nuts with the chocolate chips.

White Lily Cream Biscuits
This is the easiest biscuit you can make and it is also one of the most delicious.

1 3/4 cups White Lily Self-Rising Flour

1 cup Heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup Butter or margarine, melted

 

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Measure White Lily Self-Rising Flour into large bowl. Gradually stir in cream, adding only enough to moisten flour and hold dough together. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Knead gently two or three strokes. Using light touch, pat or roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness.

Cut with a floured 2-inch biscuit cutter, leaving as little dough between cuts as possible. Gather remaining dough and re-roll one time. Discard scraps.

Place biscuits on baking sheet with sides touching for soft biscuits or close together but not touching for crispier sides.

Brush tops with melted butter.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Serve hot.

 

Raspberry Bars

 

2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup raspberry jam
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix all dry ingredients. Cut in butter until crumbly.  Place half of crumb mixture in a 13x9 pan.
Bake 10 minutes, let cool.

Return oven to 325 degrees.
Mix jam and lemon juice well.  Spread carefully over cooled crumbs.  Sprinkle jam with remaining crumb mixture. Gently push crumbs into jam. Bake 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown.

This is the recipe/instructions I used for my Thanksgiving Turkey. From now on, it'll be the only way I roast them!

Roast Stuffed Crisped-Skin Turkey

Cook's Illustrated 11/2000

We prefer to roast small turkeys, no more than 14 pounds gross weight, because they cook more evenly than large birds. If you prefer, halve the amount of salt in the brine and brine 12 hours or overnight. When you remove the turkey from the oven to rotate it, be sure to close the oven door to prevent heat loss. Preheating in a microwave gives the stuffing a head start on cooking so that the turkey does not overcook as it waits for the stuffing to reach the proper internal temperature. A cheesecloth stuffing bag makes easy work of removing the stuffing when it’s time to carve the bird.

Serves 10 to 12

4 cups kosher salt or 2 cups table salt 
1 turkey (12 to 14 pounds gross weight), rinsed thoroughly, giblets, neck, and tailpiece removed and reserved for gravy 
2 medium onions , chopped coarse 
1 medium carrot , chopped coarse 
1 rib celery , chopped coarse 
4 sprigs fresh thyme   
12 cups prepared stuffing  
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, plus extra to grease baking dish 

1. Dissolve salt in 2 gallons cold water in large stockpot or clean bucket. Add turkey and refrigerate or set in very cool spot (about 40 degrees) for 4 to 6 hours. (See Footsie note below)

2. Remove turkey from salt water and rinse well under cool running water. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Place turkey breast-side up on flat wire rack set over rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan and refrigerate, uncovered, 8 to 24 hours.

3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Scatter vegetables and thyme in shallow roasting pan; pour 1 cup water over vegetables. Prepare V-rack according to illustration 4 below.

4. Place about 6 cups stuffing in medium microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap; microwave stuffing on high until stuffing registers 120 to 130 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 6 minutes. Spoon hot stuffing into cavity of turkey; secure opening with turkey lacers or with skewers and kitchen twine. Tuck wings behind back; following illustrations 1 to 3 below, truss turkey. Brush breast with butter, then set turkey breast-side down on foil-lined V-rack; brush back with butter. Roast 1 hour, then reduce temperature to 250 degrees and roast 2 hours longer, adding more water to roasting pan if necessary. Meanwhile, place remaining stuffing in buttered 11- by 7-inch or 9-inch-square baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.

5. Remove roasting pan with turkey from oven; using thick wads of paper towels or potholders, rotate turkey breast-side up and brush with remaining butter. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees; continue roasting until thickest part of breast registers about 165 degrees, thickest part of thigh registers 170 to 175 degrees, and stuffing registers 165 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 1 to 1 1/2 hours longer. Remove turkey from oven and let rest until ready to carve.

6. While turkey is resting, unwrap baking dish with stuffing and bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes.

7. Carve turkey; serve with stuffing and gravy, if desired.

 

Footsie Note: I didn't have a clean bucket and none of my stockpots were big enough. I thought about using my canner but that just took up too much room in the fridge so I got inventive. I took my biggest stockpot and put one of those extra-large ziplock baggies (the kind for sweaters, sports equipment etc. They're food safe.) inside the stockpot and then mixed up the brine. I put the turkey in upside down so the breast was submerged, squeezed all the air out and sealed the bag. This way the whole turkey was in brine plus it fit in my fridge. Worked perfectly.

Drooling!

 

 

~~susie.

 

Sausage Gravy

All measurements (except the sausage) are approximate.

1 lb. bulk pork sausage
1 tsp. Everglades Seasoning (or to taste)
Scant 1/4 cup flour
4 cups (to start) milk, heated but not boiling

Brown sausage, stirring frequently to break up, do not drain. Sprinkle flour over sausage and mix well. Reduce heat to low, stir frequently. You want to cook the flour long enough so it doesn't have that floury taste but you don't want it to brown so scrape the bottom of the pan often with a wooden spoon. It usually takes about 10 minutes. Heat the milk in the microwave while you're cooking the flour and sausage.

Increase the heat to medium and gradually add the milk (in thirds maybe?) stirring all the while. Once the milk is hot, reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened. You'll have to stir and scrape the bottom often so it doesn't get lumpy. A whisk works real good to keep it smooth (but a silcone spatula is better for scraping the sides and bottom).

Serve over fresh hot biscuits.

Notes: You can use up to 1/2 gallon of milk for 1 lb of sausage if you want to stretch it out. Six cups of milk makes a nice meaty gravy and let's you feed a few more people. You'll have to thicken it with cornstarch (like regular gravy) though or make a roux and add it to the gravy because it will take forever to thicken up.

 

White or Cream Gravy

The trick to this is cooking the roux long enough to cook out the floury taste from the flour without letting it get browned. A very light golden color is ok, but too dark and the gravy will be more tan than white.

2 TBSP. oil or pan drippings
2 TBSP. flour
2 Cups milk, half and half or evaporated milk
1/2 tsp. of Everglades Season or salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil or pan drippings on LOW heat. Do not be tempted to turn the heat up or the roux will get too dark and affect the color of the gravy. If you use pan drippings, try to keep some of the little bits from the pan (they add great flavor). Stir in flour and cook about 5 minutes, maybe a little more, stirring constantly. Heat milk in microwave and gradually add to the roux. Stir constantly over low heat till thickened. (Once you add the milk, you can turn the heat up to speed up the process, just stir well and scrape the pan so it doesn't stick and get lumpy. Do not walk away from it.)