2007 RECIPES

Let’s start out with three recipes used for the Christmas lunch – every one of them has mushrooms!

DivaAnnie made this soup for the 2007 Holidiva Day

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Adapted from a recipe posted by Theresa/Thunderbird via Recipezaar.com

8-12 servings

40 minutes- 15 minute prep

½ cup chopped onions

¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine

6 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

¾ cup all-purpose flour

4 regular-sized cans chicken broth

2 cups half-and-half

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

In a large saucepan, sauté onion in butter until tender

Add mushrooms, continuing to sauté until the mushrooms are tender

Mix flour & Broth until smooth, stir into the mushrooms

Bring to boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened

Reduce heat

Stir in the half-and-half, salt & pepper

Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring often.

DivaSophia made these as an appetizer for Holidiva Day

Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms

From chef and author Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

· 1 1/2 pounds white button mushrooms, wiped clean

· 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

· 6 ounces hot Italian sausage

· 6 ounces sweet Italian sausage

· 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onions

· 2 tablespoons finely chopped green bell peppers *

· 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery

· 1 teaspoon minced garlic

· 1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs

· 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

· 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

· 1 teaspoon Emeril's Original Essence *

[* Sophia didn’t use the two starred ingredients when she made the recipe.]

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and mince to make 1 cup. Discard the remaining stems.

3. In a large bowl, toss the mushroom caps with 1/4 cup of the olive oil.

4. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, stirring, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add onions, bell pepper, celery, and minced mushroom stems and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

5. Place sausage mixture in the bowl of a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons of the cheese, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the Essence, and the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. Pulse to combine.

6. Fill each mushroom cap with about a heaping teaspoon of the sausage filling and place on a large baking sheet.

7. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons cheese and sprinkle over the mushroom caps. Bake until the filling is browned and the mushrooms are tender, 15 to 18 minutes.

8. Transfer to a serving dish or platter, garnish with the remaining 2 teaspoons parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

DivaKarla used a recipe from Central Market here in Austin for the Holidiva Lunch

Autumn Squash and Mushroom Sauté

Serves 6-8

3 T canola oil or 1 T canola oil and 2 T butter

3 cups winter squash [Butternut, Hubbard, Acorn Kabacha] peeled and diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup assorted mushrooms [Crimina, Shitake, Chantrelle, Oyster, porcini] cleaned

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

2 T fresh rosemary

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

2 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish [optional]

Heat the shortening in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the cubed squash and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms (if necessary cut the larger mushrooms so that all the mushrooms are about the same size) and stir gently. Sauté until the mushrooms begin to soften, then add the garlic. Add one cup of the broth, rosemary and seasonings. Simmer until the squash is just tender, adding more broth if needed. Check the salt and pepper, adding more if needed. Serve at once, with Parmesan garnish if desired.

DivaAnnie made this cake for her February 2007 Garden Day

Orange-Almond Cake via MARTHASTEWART ~ http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/orange-almond-cake

Place 6 whole, unpeeled navel or other sweet oranges in a large saucepan or stockpot, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer gently, 2 hours. Drain; set oranges aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350º F. Using unsalted butter, grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan; set aside. Halve cooked oranges, and remove any seeds. Place 7 of the cooked orange halves into a food processor, and pulse until pureed but still chunky. This should yield about 3 cups; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups finely ground blanched almonds (about 6 ounces), 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat 6 large eggs with 1 cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Stir in orange puree until just combined. Stir in flour mixture; pour into prepared pan.

Bake until cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack. After 15 minutes, run a small spatula or paring knife around edge to loosen cake; let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make orange topping: Chop remaining 5 orange halves into 1/2- inch pieces, and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar with 3/4 cup water. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved.

Add chopped oranges to saucepan, and reduce heat to medium. Simmer gently until most of the liquid has evaporated and thickened into a syrup, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool completely.

To assemble, remove ring from pan; transfer the cooled cake to a serving platter. Arrange chopped oranges and any remaining syrup over top of cake. Cut into wedges, and serve. You may store this cake, covered, in the refrigerator up to 2 days.

In March, DivaKarla’s menu included this egg dish

Swiss Eggs

3 Tablespoons butter

8 eggs

½ cup milk

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Seasoned salt

1 cup grated Jarlesberg Cheese

1 Tablespoon dry breadcrumbs

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy skillet. Beat eggs with milk salt and pepper. Pour in to skillet and cook, stirring constantly until eggs are set but still soft. Pour into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with seasoned salt and with cheese. Dot with remaining 1 Tbsp. Butter, sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake at 400º F for 10 minutes until eggs are puffy and golden brown. Serves 4 to 6.

Here’s how to make the pecan bread served by Glinda in October

PECAN BREAD – adapted from the Fanny Farmer Cook Book, with apologies to Mrs. Beeton

Plant 2 pecan trees. Wait for years and years until tree are large enough to bear.

Pray for a year with sufficient rain. If you get a crop, watch for the husks to start opening and curling back into points.

Quickly start gathering pecans before squirrels take them.

Circle the area under the trees a couple of times a day bending to pick up nuts, while shaking fist at tree rats.

Let pecans dry inside safe warm garage. Talk someone else into cracking them.

Once pecans are ready – start baking!

Sift into a bowl

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

½ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

Using electric mixer beat in 3 tablespoons softened Smart Balance spread

Add

1 egg

1 cup of 1% milk

A splash of Southern Comfort

1 cup pecan meats, broken into pieces

Beat thoroughly. Spoon into loaf pan, sprayed with butter-flavored canola pan spray and sprinkled with Hawaiian turbinado sugar.

Bake at 350º F for about 45 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out and let cool on its side on wire rack.

Negate healthy ingredients by slathering thick slices with butter.