Well with all this AIP stuff taking up so much space we thought we had better add a few pages so we can bring you some Christmas cheer. During Christmas there’s always a lot of visiting so I thought I would include some recipes for your visitors. Neil loved the Christmas Bread recipe so expect some if you visit him. Normally I don’t include very many sweet tooth or fattening recipes but the Candy Cane Fudge is an exception I’m making. It’s simple, fast and will be gone before you know it.
At the end is a very nice recipe that I have tried out recently.
I used moose for the stroganoff and it was great. Thanks to my buddy for passing this one on to me. The cranberry sauce is an easy one to make and tastes great. Goes great with turkey!
Merry Christmas to one and all from Will on the Grill!
Christmas Tree Bread
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, yolk and white separated 3/4 cup (4 ounces) diced dried fruit mix
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
(or 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon & 3/4 tsp ground cloves)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut to small pieces Granulated sugar
Check to see that one rack is in bottom third of oven and heat oven to 425 degrees F. Measure milk in a 2-cup measure, add sugar and egg yolk, stir to mix well. Stir in dried fruit. Let stand until ready to use. Put flour, baking powder, spice, and salt into a large bowl, stir to mix well. Add butter and cut in with pastry blender or rub in with fingers, until mixture looks like fine granules. Stir milk mixture and pour over flour mixture. Stir with a fork until a soft dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and give 10 kneads. (If very sticky, let stand 3 or 4 minutes or add a little more flour.)
Cut off about one-fourth of the dough. Put remaining dough on an ungreased cookie sheet at least 16 inches long. Using both rolling pin and fingers, pat and roll dough into a flat triangle about 12 inches long and 9 inches wide across the bottom. With scissors, make about ten diagonal cuts down each long side of the triangle, cutting to within about 1 inch of the center. Shape a small piece of reserved dough into a trunk at bottom of tree and remaining dough into a “pot.”
Dough may now be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated
for a couple of hours or frozen for up to 2 weeks.
Bake tree 10 minutes. Beat egg white with a fork until broken up. Brush over hot bread, sprinkle with sugar. Bake 5 to 8 minutes longer, until light brown.
With two spatulas, carefully transfer tree to a wire rack. If possible, cool at least 2 hours before serving. Let guests break off small pieces.
Candy Cane Fudge
12 oz white chocolate, coarsely chopped 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk 1/4 c coarsely chopped peppermint candies
Butter an 8-inch square baking pan; line bottom and sides with foil allowing foil to extend over sides of pan by about 1″. Butter foil.
Over medium-high heat in top of double-boiler or heatproof bowl set over pot of hot water combine white chocolate and condensed milk. Cook, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth, 5 minutes. Pour mixture into pan; sprinkle candy over top. Using knife lightly swirl candy into chocolate mixture. Refrigerate until firm, about 6 hours or overnight. Cut into 1″ squares, diamond shapes or rectangles. Store in refrigerator.
Mulled Cider
1/2 C Brown Sugar
2 Qt Cider Vinegar 1 Tsp Allspice — whole
1 1/2 Tsp Cloves — whole
2 Sticks Cinnamon Orange Slices
Put all ingredients in crock-pot. If desired, tie whole spices in cheesecloth or put in tea strainer. If spices are added loose, strain before serving. Cover; cook on Low 2 to 8 hours. Serve from the crock pot with a ladle, or if using a coffee pot, right out of the spout in place of coffee.
Chocolate Mint
6 Peppermint tea bags 6 cups (48 oz.) milk 6 tablespoons hot chocolate mix
Place tea bags in bottom of pan. Add milk and heat to just under boiling. Remove tea bags. Place one tablespoon chocolate in each mug and pour one cup of hot-minted milk over chocolate.
Holiday Wassail
4 cups Apple juice or cider 1 cup Water 4 Tea bags
1 cup Cranberry juice
2 tbs Lemon juice 1/3 cup Brown sugar
3 Whole allspice 3 Whole cloves 1 Cinnamon stick, broken
1/8 tsp Ground nutmeg Sliced apple rings (for garnish)
Bring apple juice and water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add tea bags, cover and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags. Stir in remaining juices and spices. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain out the spices and serve, with apple rings for garnish.
Marmalade Tea
5 cups boiling water 3 tea bags
1/2 cup orange marmalade 2 tbs sugar 2 tbs lemon juice
Add tea bag to hot water and let steep for 5 minutes. Stir in marmalade, sugar and lemon juice. Strain if desired. Makes about 5 cups
Spirit of the Season Punch
1 quart water 5 Tea Bags
1 gallon apple juice or cider
1 cup lemon juice
2 cups brown sugar 12 whole allspice 12 whole cloves 4 cinnamon sticks, broken 1 bottle (4/5 qt.) red wine Apple slices
In large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add tea bags; cover and brew 5 minutes. Remove tea bags. Stir in juices, sugar and spices. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Remove spices; stir in wine and heat through. Garnish with apple slices. 40 (5-oz.) servings.
Caribou or Moose Stroganoff
1-1/2 pounds caribou or moose cut in thin strips
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 stick butter
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced onion
1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 tsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 cups beef bouillon 1 cup sour cream
Roll the steak in a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, dill, and paprika.
Brown the butter in a large skillet. Add the steak, mushrooms, onions and garlic. Add bouillon and let simmer for about 45 minutes. Stir in sour cream (make sure mixture does not come to a boil).
In a different pot boil stroganoff noodles.
Simmer a few more minutes until heated through and serve over hot noodles.
Beginner’s Cranberry Sauce
24 ounces fresh or frozen whole cranberries (washed and picked over)
2 cups Sugar 2 cup Water
2 whole cinnamon sticks
This is a nice simple recipe to start with. You’ll taste the difference between it and the canned variety.
Mix sugar and water in a saucepan. Stir to dissolve sugar and add cinnamon sticks. Bring to boil, add cranberries, return to boil, reduce heat. Boil Gently stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the berries begin to pop. Remove from heat. Cool completely at room temperature and refrigerate.
