86-L«ncaster Farming, Saturday, December 23, 1995
Holiday Buffet
Whenever you choose to have
your holiday gatherings, food is
sure to be an important part of the
event —whether it’s Christmas
Day, a New Year’s party, an open
house, or serving overnight guests.
For many families, the week
between Christmas and New
Year’s is filled with holiday
celebrations.
Your menu, whether casual or
more formal, is part of the festive
season so you want to serve some
thing special.
The more you can prepare in
advance for the holidays, the more
you’ll enjoy the time you have to
spend with family and friends.
Buffets lend themselves to make
ahead dishes. Also, they’re great
for having guests bring a dish to
add to the selection.
Many of these recipes came
from readers who forgot to include
their names. We appreciate the
recipes readers send, and we really
do want to give credit. Readers,
make sure your name and address
is marked on every recipe you
mail. Also, it’s a good idea to
include your phone number in case
we have a question about the
recipe.
PINEAPPLE
CHEESE CASSEROLE
2 16-ounce cans chunk pineap
ple, drained
I'/a cups granulated sugar
V* cup all-purpose flour
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar
cheese
1 stack Ritz crackers
2 slicks butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread pineapple in a 2-quart cas
serole. Mix together the sugar,
flour, and grated cheese. Add to
casserole, mixing into the pineap
ple. Crush crackers and spread
over top of pineapple cheese mix
ture. Melt butter and pour over
crackers. Bake 30 minutes. Can be
served hot or cold.
MINTY PEAS
'A cup water
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon dried peppermint
leaves
3 10-ounce packages frozen
baby peas
Place water, butter, and mint in a
large saucepan and bring to a boil.
Let boil one minute. Add frozen
peas, cover, and cook 3 minutes.
Toss gently and serve. Serves 10.
Recipe Topics
If you have recipes for the topics listed below, please
share them with us. We welcome your recipes, tut ask that
you include accurate measurements, a complete l.stof ingre
dients and clear instructions with each recipe you submit.
Send your recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming,
P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522. Recipes should reach our
office one week before publishing date.
'ftegamber
Your Favorite Recipe
From Lancaster Farming
January
6-
13-
20- -
MARINATED FRESH
VEGETABLES
Broccoli, washed and broken
into small buds
Cauliflower, washed and bro
ken into small flowerets
'Broccoli and cauliflower may
be blanched in hot water for sever
al minutes and then crisped in cold
water before using.
Mushrooms, cleaned and thinly
sliced
Sweet peppers (red and green)
cleaned, seeded, and thinly sliced
Zucchini, washed (not peeled)
and thinly sliced
Other choices include green
beans, peas, onions (preferably
small green ones), cherry toma
toes, celery, carrots, asparagus,
and more.
Dressing;
'A cup cider vinegar
V> cup granulated sugar
'A cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated onion
Salt and ground pepper, to taste
Mix together the vinegar and
sugar in a heavy saucepan over
very low heat, stirring until the
sugar is completely dissolved.
Remove from heat Whisk in the
oil, onion, and seasonings. Refrig
erate until ready to combine the
vegetables.
Prepare all the vegetables, drop
ping them in cold water to keep
them crisp. When they are all
ready, drain, pat dry, and put into a
container with a tight lid. Pour the
marinade over the vegetables.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to
serve (at least several hours). To
serve, drain or transfer the vege
tables to a serving dish or platter
with a slotted spoon. Garnish with
tomato wedges.
APRICOT SLUSH
2 46-ounce cans apricot nectar
2 46-ounce cans pineapple juice
2 12-ounce cans frozen orange
juice concentrate, thawed and
undiluted
6-ounce can frozen lemonade
concentrate, thawed and undiluted
67.6 ounce bottle ginger ale.
chilled
Combine first 4 ingredients in a
large container, freeze until Arm.
Remove punch from freezer
l‘/a hours before serving. Place
mixture in a punch bowl, break
into chunks, add ginger ale. Stir
until slushy. Yields: 7 quarts.
Betty Light
Lebanon
From Our Files
Low-Fat Recipes
Meatless Meals
Hosting a party this holiday season? Try a buffet for a more casual entertaining
style.
LAYERED CRAB
TACO DIP
2 6-ounce cans lump crabmeat,
drained
2 green onions minced
54 cup diced cucumber
'A cup diced red onion
1 medium tomato, finely
chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh
parsley
A cup lime juice
'A cup lemon juice
'A cup orange juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
to taste
2 8-ounce packages cream
cheese, softened
'A cup mayonnaise
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and
diced
Tortilla chips, to serve
In a glass bowl, combine crab
meat, green onions, cucumber, red
onions, tomato, and parsley. In a
small bowl, combine juices. Stir
into crab mixture. Add salt and
pepper to taste. Cover and refrig
erate for six hours or overnight.
Combine cream cheese and
mayonnaise, blending well.
Spread over bottom of serving
platter.
Spread avocado o»or*ere*m
cheese mixture. Drain liquid from
crab mixture, pressing out as much
moisture as possible. Spread mix
ture over avocado. Serve with tor
tilla chips. Yields 554 cup dip.
Rgfc4?
Featured Recipe
Mifflin County Dairy Princess Diane Yoder reminds dairy farmers
to use an abundance of dairy products in the foods they prepare for
holiday entertaining. Have recipes readily available so that when
guests ask for the recipes you are able to encourage them to use real
dairy products.
Here is a recipe that works well for a holiday buffet or a way to use
up leftover turkey and filling.
TURKEY CASSEROLE
6 cups filling OR
16 slices bread, crumbled
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
14 teaspoon salt
14 teaspoon pepper
Mix together remaining ingredients with filling:
4 cups turkey or chicken, cubed
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can mushroom soup
3 eggs
3 cups milk
I cup djeddar cheese
Mix filling or equivalent, meat, mayonnaise, eggs, and mdk.Placc
in casserole dish or 14x9-inch pan. Pour mushroom soup over top.
Coyer and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours. The last 15 minutes,
sprinkle Cheddar cheese over top. May be made one day ahead and
refrigerated.
(Turn to Pag* B 8)