By Estella Tullgren | Photographed by Deb Peterson
I want to wish each and every reader a very special Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. It is this time of the year in which we do all those special little things that create memories for our families and friends. Maybe it is making those yummy cookies we bake only around the holidays or making the traditional dishes to accompany our holiday meals. Cook something special for your guests—they will appreciate you! I am including three recipes that always show up on my holiday table, and a new one that I just started preparing—I think you will like all of these. Happy Holidays!
THE BEST COFFEE CAKE. EVER.
Serves 14–16
If you want to bake something that makes your whole house smell wonderful…this is it. This is a very moist, cinnamon-y coffee cake. It’s important to use a baking dish with high sides (at least 2 inches.) Courtesy of Ree Drummond at thepioneerwoman.com.
Cake ingredients:
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups scant sugar
3 cups flour, sifted
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3 whole egg whites, beaten until stiff
Topping ingredients:
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped (optional)
Preheat oven to 350. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Beat egg whites and set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined. Don’t overbeat. Fold in beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula. Spread in a well-greased 9x13x2-inch baking pan.
In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle over the top. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until no longer jiggly. Serve warm—delicious!
SHAVED BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND SHALLOT SAUTE’
Serves 8–10
Are you looking for that extra special vegetable dish for your holiday meals? You and your guests will love this. One of my favorite foodie friends, Deborah Knox, served this one night for dinner, and Chris and I think of it as one of our favorite ways to have this vegetable. Have all your ingredients ready ahead of time—it is so easy to prepare.
1 3/4 pounds brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
12 medium shallots, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Working in small batches, place brussels sprouts in feed tube of processor fitted with thin slicing disk; slice.
Melt butter with olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté until almost translucent, about 3–5 minutes. Add garlic; stir for a couple of minutes. Add brussels sprouts; increase heat to medium-high and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons pine nuts and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon pine nuts and serve.
SOUTHWESTERN PUMPKIN SOUP
Serves 6
This recipe is so easy—we love soups at our house. Once the weather turns chilly for the first time, Chris is asking for this soup.
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 15 ounce can pure pumpkin
3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Garnish: grated sharp cheddar cheese
Chopped fresh cilantro
Bring chicken stock and heavy cream to a boil in heavy medium-sized pot. Whisk in canned pumpkin, brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, coriander and nutmeg. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until soup thickens slightly and flavors blend, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each serving with cheddar cheese and cilantro, and serve. Soup can be prepared up to one day ahead. Cool. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally.
QUINOA CHOWDER WITH SPINACH OR KALE
Serves 6–8
My dear friend, Judy Loving, gave me this recipe, and I will have to admit I was a bit leery to try it. Tofu? Quinoa? I could not have been more wrong about a recipe—this soup has such wonderful flavors. I’m on my second batch already and I’ve had the recipe for only one month! Let me know what you think. And oh…thanks, Judy!
3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed well in a fine sieve
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeño chile, finely diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, including the greens
3 cups spinach or kale, or a mixture, finely sliced
1/4 pound firm tofu, finely diced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼ inch cubes
1 avocado, sliced for garnish
Put the quinoa and 2 quarts water in a pot, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. While it is cooking, dice the vegetables and tofu. Drain, saving the liquid. Measure the liquid and add water to make 6 cups, if needed. (Note: if you prefer to use chicken stock for the soup, use the amount of water suggested on the quinoa package to cook the grain and add the chicken stock in the next step rather than the reserved quinoa water.)
Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and chile. Cook for about 30 seconds, giving it a quick stir. Add the cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and the diced potatoes, and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Don’t let the garlic brown. Add the quinoa water or chicken stock, half the scallions, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the quinoa, spinach/kale and remaining scallions, and simmer for 3-5 minutes more. Turn off the heat and stir in the tofu and cilantro. Season the soup with pepper, ladle into bowls and garnish with the avocado slices. Judy also tells me that she sometimes adds fresh corn from the cob during the sauté stage and maybe a bit of diced red/green/orange bell peppers.
M! DJ 2013
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