Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Thank you

This past Sunday, our Relief Society President and her counselors were released.  They have served the sisters of our ward with love and diligence.  We thank you for all you have done that we were able to witness and for all that you have done that some of us will never know of.  We love you!

Sunday, December 4, 2011

recipes from the ward Christmas Dinner

Below are some of the recipes we used for our ward Christmas dinner. We've had a couple requests for these, so here they are. Enjoy. 

Irish Potato Soup
INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 leeks, sliced
3 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3 (14 1/2-ounce) cans vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Toppings: shredded Cheddar cheese, crumbled cooked bacon, chopped fresh chives

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat; stir in onion and leek. Cover and cook 20 minutes. 
2.  Stir in potato; cover and cook 15 minutes. Stir in broth, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil.
3.  Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until potato is tender. Remove from heat, and cool slightly. 
4.  Process soup in batches in a blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides; return to saucepan, and cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated. 
5.  Serve with desired toppings. 

Yield: 11 cups

PRINTABLE VERSION
Spiced Sweet Potato Casserole
You can assemble this casserole in its baking dish and store it, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a day.
INGREDIENTS:
3 pounds sweet potatoes
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1/4 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 350°.
2.  Pierce potatoes with a fork; arrange in a circle on paper towels in microwave oven. 
3.  Microwave at HIGH 16 minutes or until tender, rearranging potatoes after 8 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. 
4.  Cut each potato in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp into a large bowl. Discard skins. 
5.  Add sugar and next 5 ingredients (sugar through nutmeg), and beat with a mixer at low speed until combined. Add eggs; beat until smooth. 
6.  Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish; sprinkle with pecans. 
7.  Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until thoroughly heated. 

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)
Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2001

PRINTABLE VERSION
Vegetable Tian {aka Roasted Vegetables}
INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
1 large sweet yellow onion cut in half and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 russet potatoes, unpeeled
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
3 large Roma tomatoes
Sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Dried thyme, to taste
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 60 seconds. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the greased baking dish.
Slice the potatoes, zucchini, squash and tomatoes in 1/4 inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly into a spiral, making only one layer. Season with sea salt, black pepper and dried thyme, to taste. Drizzle the last tablespoon of olive oil over the top.
Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Uncover and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until browned. Enjoy.
PRINTABLE VERSION