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Loosen your belts and get out the fancy china. Here come the recipes the Gazette solicited from among your departments' favorite holiday cooks. It's evident that no calories were spared in the making of most of these dishes, but if the testimonals are true, all the concoctions will be worth taking that extra walk around the block.
* Debbie Anderson's cooking is well-appreciated throughout Facilities, and her admirers say "her fudge is out of this world."
Chocolate Fudge
5 c sugar
8 T cocoa
1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow cream
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 t vanilla
1 c nuts (optional)
2 sticks butter
Mix sugar, cocoa, milk and butter in a large sauce pan. Bring to boil. Start timing, and cook 10 minutes. Mix marshmallow cream and chocolate chips in a bowl. Pour into cooked mixture. Add vanilla extract. Beat with electric mixer until creamy. Add nuts. Pour into a 9" x 9" buttered pan. Let cool and cut into squares. Yield: 5 pounds.
Peanut Butter Fudge
5 c sugar
12 oz can evaporated milk
2 sticks butter
3 6 oz pkgs peanut butter chips
1 c peanut butter (chunky or extra chunky)
1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow cream
Bring first three ingredients to a boil. Start timing, and cook at rolling boil 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and immediately add remaining ingredients. Stir until well blended. Pour into buttered 9" x 13" pan. Let cool and cut into squares. Yield: 5-6 pounds.
* Lindsley Bowen's contribution, as nominated by University Relations, is a recipe both savory and spicy, and according to Bowen it's "excellent served before or with a meal involving pork."
Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
1 T butter
1 onion, diced
1 butternut squash (cut in half and baked at 350 degrees for 30 min), peeled, seeded and chopped
4 red and/or golden apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 t coarse salt
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t cayenne pepper (can be reduced or eliminated if too hot)
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
3 T sugar
2 c chicken stock (vegetable stock may be substituted)
Saute' onion in 1 T butter over medium heat for about four minutes until onion turns a golden yellow. Add the chopped squash, stirring occasionally until it softens, about 10 minutes. Add apples and all spices. Add stock plus 2 to 2 1/2 c water (just enough to cover). Bring ingredients to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until all vegetables and apples are soft, about 30 minutes. Puree in batches in a food processor or blender until smooth. Return to saucepan over low heat; thin with water if needed, and serve hot. May be garnished with chopped apples, diced jalapenos and sour cream.
You may substitute acorn squash for butternut squash; both are equally delicious. Using a pear instead of one of the apples adds a nice twist, but no more than one should be substituted or your soup will have a pear-like consistency.
Serves 4-6.
Preparation time: 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
* Betty Futrell The grateful Department of Dramatic Art enthusiastically nominated Futrell, who "at least once a week, holiday or not, bakes something delicious... The unanimous favorite is her Monkey Bread."
Monkey Bread
1 pkg Rich's rolls, frozen
1/2 pkg vanilla pudding, 4 serving size, not instant
1 c pecans or walnuts, chopped
2 t cinnamon
1 stick butter or margarine
3/4 c brown sugar
Spray a bundt pan, put in the rolls and sprinkle the dry pudding over the rolls.
Mix the nuts with cinnamon, and sprinkle over the rolls.
Melt the butter, add the brown sugar, and cook until smooth and sugar is melted. Pour over nuts.
Cover with foil and let rolls rise. Do this in the evening and let it rise over night. In the morning, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Hints: If you plan on baking early in the morning, prepare early in the evening, and if you bake later in the morning, prepare later in the evening. Also, you know your oven, but I usually place the foil lightly over the rolls so they will not get too brown, or you can remove the foil and keep checking during the cooking time. Remove from oven, let the bread cool about five minutes, then place a cake plate over the rolls and turn upside down.
* Wanda Gunter's cooking brings raves from her Facilities co-workers, who love her Hershey Bar Cake. "It is so light and yummy, it doesn't last long when brought to work. The upcoming holiday season would be a perfect time for this delightful, sinful creation."
Hershey Bar Cake
1 box Swiss cake mix
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
3 eggs
1 1/2 c milk
1 c oil
Mix all ingredients together. Divide into three 9" cake pans and bake according to directions on cake mix box. When done, cool layers completely.
Icing
1 c powdered sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
8 oz cream cheese
12 oz Cool Whip
4 Hershey Bars (chopped in food processor)
1/2 c pecans, chopped
Mix together sugars. Cream with cream cheese. Stir in Cool Whip, Hershey Bar bits, and pecans. Once layers are completely cool, ice layers of cake.
* Debra K. Horne Materials Management nominates Horne as "an excellent example of someone who enjoys cooking, has a natural flair, and on many occasions has shared many of her `goodies' with her co-workers." Of her recipe, Horne says it's a "family favorite; it wouldn't be Christmas without it."
Peanut Butter Fudge
2 c sugar
3 T butter
1 c evaporated milk
1 c mini marshmallows
1 12 oz jar peanut butter
1 t vanilla
Combine sugar, butter and milk in electric skillet set at 280 degrees. Bring to a full boil stirring constantly. Boil for 5 minutes (time it; don't guess). Turn off heat; add marshmallows, peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until well mixed. Pour into buttered dish. When set but still slightly warm, turn out onto a cutting board, and using a long, thin knife, cut into neat squares. Pack into Christmas tins for gifts.
* Sarah Nagae And now for a calorie-conscious intermission, here's what promises to be a delicious main dish from Nagae, H.E.E.L.S for Health's nutritionist. There won't be any regrets of having overindulged at a holiday meal that features this heart-healthy recipe.
Bagel Souffle
3 large stale bagels
4 oz low-fat, or nonfat cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs + 3 egg whites, beaten; or 1 c egg substitute
2 1/4 c low-fat or skim milk
2-3 t Dijon mustard
sprinkling of salt and pepper
2 green onions, chopped
1 c chopped fresh spinach, or 1/2 c frozen spinach, thawed and drained
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut bagels into 1" cubes. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients except the bagels and parmesan cheese. Add bagels and mix. Regrigerate 20-30 minutes. Spray an 8" square pan with non-stick cooking spray (preferably olive-oil based). Pour mixture into pan and sprinkle with a thin layer of parmesan cheese. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Serves 4.
* Ruth Williams' nomination comes from Facilities, where she is hailed as one of the Horney Building's great cooks. "Whenever there is a special occasion or holiday, Ruth can be counted on to bake one of her famous Chocolate Chip Pound Cakes. Rumor has it that the cake is actually made from a mix, but we really don't believe it and would like to see the recipe ourselves."
Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 3.9 oz chocolate instant pudding
3/4 c water
3/4 c vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 c sour cream
6 oz pkg chocolate chips
Mix together cake mix, instant pudding, water, oil. Beat eggs and add to other mixture along with sour cream. Stir mixture and then fold in chocolate chips.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.
* Melanie York's Derby Pie was a hit at University Relations' Thanksgiving pot luck lunch. She got it from a friend when she lived in Lexington, Ky. "This is a very popular and traditional Kentucky dessert," she says.
Derby Pie
9" pie shell
3 oz cream cheese
2 sticks butter, softened and divided
1 1/2 c flour, divided
1 c sugar
1/4 t salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 t vanilla
1 c chocolate chips
1 c pecans, chopped
Mix 3 oz cream cheese, 1 stick butter and 1 c flour. To that add 1 c sugar, 1/2 c flour, 1/4 t salt, 1 stick butter, 2 eggs and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.
Spoon into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Note: At your discretion, you can add up to 2 T bourbon to give the pie an even more authentic Kentucky flavor.
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