Welcome! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed so you won't miss the Blarties (=blog+party) on the weekends. To find out more about our Blarties check out this post, too. Looking forward to seeing you on the weekends!

No, it’s not Thursday Thirteen, LOL. I threw a list together offering some cooking and baking ideas that may come in handy during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. You may already know most of these. Feel free to jump in and share some of your own, I’m always eager to learn new ideas. As I think of, or come across others I’ll drop them in the comments.

Hints, Suggestions, Substitutions…

1. When microwaving – Do not salt foods on the surface as it causes dehydration and toughens food. Salt after you remove from the oven unless the recipe calls for using salt in the mixture.

2. Substitutions – One cup self-rising; substitute one cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and one teaspoon baking powder.

3. Equivalency

– One pound powdered sugar equals 3 ½ cups.

– 4 Ounces (1 ¼ cup) Uncooked Macaroni equals 2 ¼ cups cooked

– One medium Onion equals ½ cup

– One medium Lemon equals 3 tablespoons juice

– One cup regular Rice equals 3 cups cooked

4. Icing Cakes – If you sprinkle cake with powdered sugar first icing will remain where you put it.

5. Cream Pies – Sprinkle crust with powdered sugar in order to prevent cream pies from becoming soggy.

6. Do not despair if you oversalt gravy. Stir in some instant mashed potatoes to solve the problem. Just add a little more liquid in order to offset the thickening.

7. To keep celery crisp, stand upright in a pitcher of cold, salted water and refrigerate.

8. To keep cauliflower white while cooking, add a little milk to the water.

9. Use greased muffin tins as molds when baking stuffed green peppers.

10. When baking muffins or cupcakes, fill any empty tins 2/3 full of water to ensure even baking.

11. When adding raw, beaten eggs to hot mixtures and sauces, temper the eggs. Add small amounts of hot mixture to beaten eggs first slowly bringing them up to temperature; such as in making cornbread dressing. This will keep you from having scrambled eggs in your dishes.

12. To avoid tears when cutting onions, briefly place them in the freezer before cutting.

13. When making meringue, egg whites need to be at room temperature for greater volume when whipping.

Bon Appetite
The Backseat Gourmet

Popularity: 4% [?]

Hi All! GUESS WHAT’S NEXT WEEK! Yea, I know Thanksgiving, BUT what else? Black Friday, the BIGGEST shopping day of the year! I heard it through the grapevine that Kohl’s Department Stores will be opening at 4 am. Friday, November 23. I LOVE to shop, but I’m not camping out all night at the stores to get trampled going after that one “Hot Item”. No Sirree Bob. Remember what happened the year the cabbage patch dolls came out?

Of course there are those that will camp out at the stores, not necessarily because they are shopping for kids or grandkids on their list. They are looking to capitalize by purchasing those “hot items” that are in short supply only to turn around to resell them on ebay to the highest bidder.

Perusing through the circulars and sale papers, watching football, and just lying around like beached whales is generally the consensus in our family after a big Thanksgiving meal. What are your plans for Thanksgiving, cooking, going out to eat, having your meal catered?

This year I have two Thanksgiving Dinners to cook for, neither of which is at my house; two separate meals on two different days. My contributions will be desserts, side dishes, and finger foods. More often than not I get asked, “will you please bring deviled eggs”? Or sometimes, depending on the occasion, my homemade pimento cheese sandwiches, not that there’s any secret ingredient to mine? Maybe it’s the Miracle Whip. LOL. What do you always get asked to bring?

One of the Thanksgiving Dinners I will be cooking for will be vegetarian. I saw THAT, don’t snarl your nose. LOL. Aside from the absence of a big juicy Butterball Turkey, and, or a Honey Baked Ham, you’d never know this was a vegetarian meal. There’ll be cranberry sauce, rolls, potatoes, rice balls, green beans, corn casserole, etc., etc., and Dressing. Yea, dressing. I won’t be furnishing it for this particular meal, but I have a recipe for Squash Dressing. Okay, carrot cake doesn’t taste like carrots, and squash dressing doesn’t taste like squash. What’s in a name? BTW, you can also make this recipe with chicken if you prefer.

Squash Dressing

2 Cups Cooked Squash (yellow), mashed (you can use canned, drained)
2 Cups Cornbread, crumbled
½ Cup Chopped Onion
1 Can Cream of Celery Soup (you can use Cream of Mushroom)
¼ Cup Melted Butter
½ Cup Milk
Salt, Pepper, and Sage to taste (I use 1 ½ Tablespoons Sage, unless I double the recipe)
Broth (Either “No Chicken” Chicken Broth, or Vegetable Broth)*

Mix all ingredients together adding broth last. If needed, add small amounts of broth at a time to get desired consistency (not too dry, or too soupy). Bake in a 2 quart casserole dish at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until brown.

I always double the recipe when I make it, and bake in a 13×9 inch glass pan lightly sprayed with Pam. I have also made it and added cooked, shredded chicken breasts.

*If preferred, you can use regular chicken broth.

Bon Appetite
The Backseat Gourmet

Popularity: 7% [?]

Happy November Everyone! Yes, it’s November already; can you believe it? Please don’t tell me you’re one of those people that’s done with all your Christmas shopping. I probably won’t be finished until the last minute, but I refuse to be out shopping Christmas Eve, I have too much baking and cooking to do.

Yep, ’tis the season for shopping, baking, and EATING. Thanksgiving then Christmas, retailers aren’t the only ones looking to get lucky either. All those fitness clubs, spas, and weight loss centers are lurking, just waiting to say, I told you so. LOL.

What I wanna know is, why do have to wait ‘til Thanksgiving and Christmas for all the really GOOD STUFF? Have you been to the grocery store lately? Well, don’t go if you’re hungry. You’ll end up with more than you can fit in your car. The store shelves are overflowing into the aisles. Not just with regularly purchased staples, but items you usually only see this time of year. Thanksgiving must be the time of year when the food manufacturers debut all their new creations too.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, for years I thought everybody had the same traditional Thanksgiving meal I did, Turkey and Cornbread Dressing. Not! It wasn’t until I visited family during the holidays in Louisiana that I realized this. A typical Thanksgiving Dinner in Southern Louisiana might consist of Rice Dressing and Turducken. Okay, I saw that coming…it’s a Chicken stuffed in a Duck stuffed in a Turkey. They’re very good, you can actually order one from www.cajungrocer.com. What does your traditional holiday meal consist of?

Okay everybody get your paper and pencils out we’re going to have a Pop Quiz. WAIT, I’m joking. LOL. Seriously though, initialize you printer, or get your paper and pen ready; you’re not gonna wanna miss this. This recipe I am about to share with you is one of my most prized, excluding old family recipes. When my family and friends find out I’m whipping up a batch of these babies, the doorbell starts ringing. Scouts Honor.

These appetizer balls grace the buffet table at all of our family holiday meals. If you miss them your first trip around, you’re S.O.L. (So-outta-Luck), there won’t be any left when you go back for seconds. I’ve even caught my sister wrapping some in a napkin and stuffing in her purse to take home. True Story! BTW, I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, thank you Cindy, we all do. LOL.

Rice Balls

1/4 Cup Margarine
1/3 Cup Flour
1 - Cup Milk
1 - Teaspoon Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Paprika
1- Teaspoon Sage
1- Teaspoon Onion Powder

4 - Servings Instant Rice, cooked, (about 4 cups)
1 ½ Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I use 2% sharp)
1 - Small Jar Pimentos, drained

2 - 3 Eggs, beaten
Kellogg’s Corn Flake Crumbs, about 2-3 cups, (not bread crumbs, usually found on the same aisle)

Combine rice, cheese, and pimentos in a large bowl, mix and set aside. In saucepan combine margarine, flour, milk, salt, paprika, sage, and onion powder, heat and stir over medium-high heat until thick. Pour over rice mixture and mix until well blended. Refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, form rice mixture into balls, (about 1 ¼ - inch), dip in beaten egg and roll in corn flake crumbs. Deep fry until golden brown; don’t let them get too brown, and be sure to use fresh, clean oil, not previously used. Drain on paper towels and serve with your favorite salsa

Ding-Dong! Ooops, there goes the doorbell now…see what I mean. Hehehehe.

Bon Appetite
The Backseat Gourmet

Popularity: 6% [?]