From PSIGEN Kitchens to Yours

This one is dubbed EMERGENCY because it is quick and easy to prepare. It freezes well! So, if you have several parties to attend during the holidays, you can make oodles of them to freeze and have on standby.

Ingredients:

• 1 – large can of chicken, drained and flaked
• 1 – 8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened
• 1 – dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (= 3 TBS)
• ½ cup – pecans, chopped

Directions:

By hand, thoroughly mix the top 3 ingredients. Shape into a ball. Roll cheeseball in chopped pecans.

Serve with your favorite crackers, pita chips or stuff into celery.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 slices thick cut bacon
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1.5 cups brown rice
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp Cayenne
• 3 cups chicken broth (I use low sodium)
• 4 cups collard greens, remove stems and slice thin
• 2 cans black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup sliced green onions

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over med heat and cook the bacon
   • Once crispy, remove and place on paper towel lined plate to cool
   • Once cooled crumble up and set aside
2. Add the chopped onion to the pan with the bacon grease and sauté until tender (5min)
3. Add garlic and sauté for another minute
4. Add rice, salt, pepper, and cayenne and stir.
5. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil
6. Once boiling cover and reduce heat. Cook until the rice has consumed almost all of the liquid (about 2-4 min less than what the rice package will suggest)
   • Pre-heat oven to 350 and spray a 9×13 dish with cooking spray
7. Uncover pot and add in sliced collard greens, stir, and cover
   • Turn off the heat and let sit for 5min
8. Transfer rice mixture to a large bowl and stir in the black-eyed peas and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese
   • If mixture seems dry add a quarter cup of chicken broth
9. Transfer to casserole dish and bake for 20min
10. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese and bake for 5min
11. Remove from oven and sprinkle the bacon and green onion over top of the dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1-1/2 cups cooked rice (parboiled is best)
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts; drained
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• Salt and pepper to taste

Topping:

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/2 cup crushed cornflakes
• Sliced almonds, optional

Directions: 

In a skillet, saute celery in butter until tender. Remove from the heat; add the next nine ingredients. Spoon into an ungreased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish.

Combine melted butter and cornflakes; sprinkle on top of casserole. Sprinkle with almonds if desired. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp gelatin
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
• 1 baked pie shell
• Nutmeg to sprinkle on top

Directions:

Soak gelatin in cold water. Scald milk in top of double boiler. Combine sugar, corn starch and salt and mix thoroughly. Add to scalded milk and cook until thick and smooth, stirring constantly. Pour into double boiler and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir a small amount of mixture into beaten egg yolks, return to double boiler and cook a few minutes longer. Add gelatin. Add butter. Cover and cool normally. Add vanilla and lemon juice. When cold, fold whipped cream into custard mixture. Pour into baked pie shell (if lumpy, pour thru strainer). Sprinkle nutmeg on top. Refrigerate.

It’s not Christmas at my house without a steaming cup of Granny’s Russian Tea. This was always something that she had when we visited for Christmas, and the smell and taste take me back there. I’ve often seen other recipes for Russian Tea, but most are made with instant tea, Tang, and ground spices – that’s ok, but not what Granny made!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 2 family size (or 8 individual size) tea bags (Lipton or similar)
• 8 oz Cinnamon Imperials (I find Brach’s dissolve better, but if you can’t find them, Ferrara Pan’s Red Hots are usually available)
• 1 12 oz can Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate (your choice as to how much pulp)
• 1 12 oz can Frozen Lemonade Concentrate
• 1 46 oz can Pineapple Juice
• pinch of salt
• Optional – Sugar or Artificial Sweetener to taste if you like it sweeter

Directions:

1. In a 6-8-quart Dutch oven, bring water to boil.
2. Add tea bags, remove from heat, cover and let steep for at least 5 minutes.
3. Remove tea bags when tea has brewed and add Cinnamon Imperials/Red Hots and stir over low heat until dissolved.
4. Add Orange Juice and Lemonade Concentrates and Pineapple Juice and stir until mixed well, and heat through.
5. Add salt and sweeten (optional) to taste.
6. Enjoy!

With much apologies to Sammy Cahn and Dean Martin:

“If the weather outside is frightful,

and the fire is so delightful,

and (seriously) if you’ve no place to go,

Drink it slow!  Drink it slow!  Drink it slow!”

First, the Ingredients you need to make the “Christmassy Good Stuff”:

• 4 oz of unsalted butter
• 1 cup of brown sugar (I prefer dark)
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt

With the butter at room temperature, smash all the ingredients together in a bowl with a fork until fully combined.  Transfer the Christmassy Good Stuff to a sealed container and refrigerate for later use.

Directions for whenever the mood strikes you for a warm cup of Christmas Cheer:

Toss two tablespoons of the Christmassy Good Stuff into a mug and pour about 6 oz of hot cider (or hot water, or a mix of both) on top of the mixture and stir until it is completely dissolved. Add dark, aged rum, about 1.5 oz or so, depending on your desired “cheer” level. Stir to incorporate all the flavors, then add a little sprinkle of nutmeg on top. Finally, go warm your toes by the fire, enjoy your drink, and wait for that jolly-old-elf guy to slide down the chimney. If you drink enough of this stuff, you’ll swear the next morning that you saw him…