Forget the turkey....

In our house, Thanksgiving and Christmas don't bring to mind daydreams of roast turkey. Nope, we get excited and sentimental about ..... cashews! Yup. For 50 odd years a cashew roast has been the centerpiece of our vegetarian holiday feasts. My mom got the recipe decades ago, as a student nurse, and I still have that tattered, stained, original piece of paper, soon to be framed for the kitchen wall. We serve it with all the traditional fixings, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, etc., and it occasionally makes great sandwiches over the next day or two, but, there's rarely enough left for that. Sometimes we'll bake two at Thanksgiving and put one in the freezer to bring out for Christmas dinner.

Cashew Roast

8 oz. can sliced Mushrooms(reserve liquid)             
1 C. Onions, finely chopped  
1 C. Celery, finely chopped  
1-2 Garlic cloves, crushed   
cooking oil                  
3 T. McKay's(or other brand)Chicken flavored seasoning 

1 t. Brewer's Yeast 

4 C. Bread crumbs

2 C. unsalted raw Cashew pieces

1/2 t. Mace 

1 t. Poultry Seasoning

1/2 Salt (optional) 

4 Eggs, well beaten, or equiv egg substitute

Saute first four ingredients in oil. Add enough water to reserved mushroom liquid to equal 2 1/2 Cups, add to sauteed vegetables. Add chicken seasoning and Brewer's yeast (these two ingredients are available at most health food stores). Stir well and simmer.

While above is simmering, mix the bread crumbs, cashews, and spices in a large bowl. Add eggs, stir well. Pour sauteed mixture into cashew mixture and stir well. Pour into well-oiled loaf pan and bake one hour at 350 degrees. Serve with your favorite brown gravy. Also good with cranberry sauce.

I'll have to take a better picture at this week's dinner

Cinnamon Rolls!

Yeah, I know, this shouldn't even be called a blog, as rarely as I update it, lol. But, I made cinnamon rolls this morning, and thought you'd like the recipe. I found the recipe so long ago, that I no longer remember where, but, it's the closest to Cinnabon I've ever found. Enjoy!

CINNABON-ISH CINNAMON ROLLS (makes 24)

1/2 Cup warm water
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 3 1/2 oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
2 Cups milk
1/2 Cup butter/margarine, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
8 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 Cup butter/margarine, melted
1+ Cup granulated sugar
1/4+ Cup cinnamon

In a small bowl, combine water, yeast, and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside. In large bowl, make pudding mix according to package directions with the 2 C milk. Add butter, eggs, and salt; mix well. Add the yeast mixture, blend. Gradually add flour and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in very large greased bowl. Cover, and let rise until double (about 1 hour). Punch down and let rise again (45 minutes). On a lightly floured surface, roll out to a 1/4-inch thick rectangle, 21 inches in its smaller dimension. [Note: you may wish to divide the dough in halves and roll out two rectangles. You may have to partially roll it out, then cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest before finishing.] (I'm pretty easy going with this part, I divide it into two halves, and don't bother to measure, I just roll each into   large rectangle). Spread 1/2 Cup melted butter over surface. Mix cinnamon and sugar together, and spread evenly over surface, leaving a 1-inch margin along one of the long edges. Roll up tightly, starting from a long side. Press together along the edge not covered with cinnamon sugar. Slice at 1 1/4-inch intervals. Place on greased baking pan, ~2 inches apart (I generally put 12 in a 9 x 13 inch pan, and don't worry i it's a bit less than 2 inches between). Cover and let rise until double again (20-30 mins).Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove as soon as they turn golden (check by sticking a knife into one of the center rolls, to make sure no uncooked dough sticks, the knife hole will be covered when you frost them). Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 Cup Butter/margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 Cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

Baked Cheese Party Dip

Was reminded of this recipe while going through ideas for next week's Daytona 500 party. This dip is incredible, and for awhile I had a hard time convincing friends to let me bring anything different to parties. Fair warning, it won't look or smell that promising before baking, but, have faith, and go for it! The original recipe called for hollowing out a loaf of bread, and using that to bake it in. But, I think it works a lot better, and is much less trouble, to bake it in a baking dish. It's great served with tortilla chips, French bread, and/or pita slices. The leftovers, if any, are great on toast or in sandwiches. Enjoy!

Baked Cheese Party Dip

2 T. butter
1 bunch green onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
16 oz. sour cream
12 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
1 can, 14 oz. artichoke hearts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onions and garlic in butter until
onions wilt, do not burn. Cut cream cheese into small chunks.
Add cream cheese to onion/garlic mixture, stir. Add rest of the
ingredients, mix well. Pour into greased casserole dish. Cover
tightly. Wrap in couple layers of foil. Bake for 1 1/2 - 2 hrs.

I didn't even make it out of January!

Yup, it's official, I'm a bust at the whole Project 365 thing. Too easily distracted by other projects and shiny objects. But, hey, let's be honest, looking at the couple of weeks worth of photos I did post, would you really want to be subjected to another 340 or so more of them?! On to bigger and more exciting things!

2010 Project 365

Nancy inspired me, and so this year I'll give the infamous Project 365 a shot! What that means is that I'll try and remember to take and upload one photo each day during the year. I'm not convinced I lead an interesting enough life to make this an interesting project, but, I've heard it's great for practicing and improving your photographic skills, so I'll give it a go. In theory, I've added the widget correctly, so every few days when I upload the photos to my flickr account, it will also add them to this blog, over to the right. Don't worry, I'll try to get more interesting as time goes on.

A Christmas movie

I just watched a holiday movie that I really enjoyed, "Noelle". I love little indie films and this one is visually poetic; with endearingly real characters; and thoughtful questions. If you have Verizon, it's currently On Demand. It's the story of a Catholic priest, who perhaps shouldn't be one, and how we relate to the "people side" of life. After watching it, I read some reviews and was surprised at how many Catholics took it to be anti-Catholic. I actually thought it was respectful of the responsibility and dedication required of someone in the priesthood. I wonder how often we are over-sensitive, thinking that things reflect badly on us when they do the opposite? It was originally titled "Mrs. Worthington's Party", so don't let that part of the trailer confuse you. I also like the fact that the lead actor is also the screnwriter, that always makes things more interesting. (And, is it just me, or does he look like a young Robert Redford?) Anyway, check if out if you're looking for something to watch.