I’m a Midwestern-born-and-raised home chef who loves to make family recipes and cultivate new flavors. I’m a wife, mom, daughter and sister who believes in the power of a home cooked meal and has been in the kitchen for more than 20 years, making meals that are fun, flavorful and feisty.
Whether throwing a dinner party, making my daughter’s favorite macaroni and cheese or cooking chili for the big game, I live and love food, as it is a connector for me. I share good eats and food for your soul over at Foodlovetog.com, but today I want to share with you a few of my favorite holiday recipes for the entire family.
Braised cabbage and Johnny cakes
Braised cabbage
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup Cajun Trinity (Dice 1/2 onion, 1 celery stalk, 1/2 green bell pepper)
1 large green cabbage, sliced in ribbons
1 cup water
1/3 cup Liquid Smoke
Pinch salt
Pinch red pepper flakes
Johnny cakes
Ingredients
1⁄2 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
Braised cabbage
Instructions
Melt butter on medium heat in large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot.
Sauté the Cajun Trinity for three minutes.
Add cabbage and stir to combine.
Add water, Liquid Smoke, salt and red pepper flakes.
Stir to combine.
Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 45 minutes to an hour or until tender.
Johnny cakes
Instructions
Pre-heat a shallow skillet and melt the 2 tablespoons of butter.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cornmeal, milk, beaten egg, baking powder and salt. Mix well to combine.
Just before frying, stir in the 1/2 stick of melted butter. The batter will be lumpy.
Pour batter into circles in heated pan.
Fry on one side, just until bubbling occurs.
Flip and fry for two minutes until golden brown
Serve cabbage atop Johnny cake.
Cranberry orange punch
Ingredients
Half gallon orange-pineapple juice
Half liter Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash
1 cup ginger ale
2 cups rose Champagne or sparkling sweet wine
(can be omitted for an alcohol-free drink)
3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (frozen cranberries will alleviate the need for additional ice)
1/2 orange, sliced in wedges
Ice (optional if items are chilled)
Instructions
Combine orange-pineapple juice, cranberry soda, ginger ale and wine and stir lightly to combine.
Add in cranberries and
garnish each glass with an orange wedge.
Serve and enjoy!
Snack cornucopias
Ingredients
Waffle cones (enough for each guests)
Your favorite snack mix (I used popcorn, nuts, chocolate candies, pretzels)
Yarn or string
Round paper cutouts
Markers or colored pencils
Instructions
Fill each waffle cone with your favorite snack mix and personalize them by adding a name tag to each one.
Write each guest’s name on a round paper cutout.
Punch a small hole in each cutout and thread a piece of yarn or string through each.
Tie around snack cornucopia and serve!
Sweet potato pecan bread
Ingredients
1 large sweet potato, cooked and mashed (to yield 1 cup)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch salt
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine mashed sweet potatoes, sugars, nutmeg, cinnamon and applesauce. Stir gently to combine.
Stir in baking soda, salt, melted butter and vanilla extract.
Add flour and stir well to combine.
Fold in chopped pecans.
Add the mixture to a prepared loaf pan and bake at 350 for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean.
Let cool and serve with butter alongside your favorite milk.
For more recipes, visit FoodLoveTog.com.
