I made Tourtiere for Xmas eve. I also had some extra
kale left over from when I made my Portuguese Turkey,
Potato, and Linguica Soup earlier in the month with my
leftover T-day turkey carcass, so I cooked the kale with
garlic, olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, and red wine
vinegar.

ORIGINAL CANADIAN TOURTIERE

1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground veal
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. water
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. savory
1-2 potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 pastry for 8" double-crust pie

Preheat oven to 425F. Place pork, veal, onion, and water in a
saucepan. Simmer until color changes. Adding seasonings; simmer for a
little longer. Thoroughly drain meat. Mix in mashed potatoes. Fit
bottom pastry into 8" pie plate. Fill with meat mixture. Cover with
top crust. Seal edges as desired and vent top to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 10 minutes; lower oven temperature to 400F and bake for 20-25
minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is hot. Serves 6.
Note: If you prefer a spicier tourtiere increase seasonings to your
taste. (From Good Friends Cookbook)

Since I have 10" pie plates I doubled this recipe. Also, I sort
of combined it with a couple of other recipes as far as cooking
technique was concerned. I basically briefly sauteed the onion
in my large skillet and then added the meats and the seasonings
and some water and cooked it until the meat was done. Then I
mixed in the mashed potatoes and let it cool before putting it in
the crust. I used sage instead of savory (one of the other recipes
called for sage and I was out of savory).

For the crust I used my usual Betty Crocker recipe. This crust
turned out to the be the very best crust I have ever made. The
texture was perfect, beautifully flaky. I'm now afraid to ever
make pie crust again as I don't see how I can ever live up to this
crust! I usually make very good pie crust! I'm very picky about
pie crust and almost never like anyone else's and especially not
the crap you get in bakeries and restaurants. However the last
couple of years, for some unknown reason, I have been coming up
with less than perfect crusts, even when using Betty Crocker's
recipe, which is our family standard. (Although, even my *bad*
pie crust is better than most!)

So the Tourtiere was excellent! And the kale was a nice
accompaniment.

GARLICKY KALE

2 pounds kale (~ 2 bunches)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic
pinch red pepper flakes
splash red wine vinegar
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Remove stems from the kale and chop the leaves coarsely. Wash and drain
well but do not dry. Heat a large saute pan, add 3 tablespoons of the
olive oil and enough kale to cover the bottom of the pan, and cook over
high heat while stirring to rotate the leaves. Add more kale as the
leaves wilt. When all the kale has been added, season with salt, cover,
and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally; the cooking
time will depend on the maturity of the kale. Young kale will be tender
after 4-5 minutes. It may be necessary to add a splash of water if the
leaves begin to scorch. When the leaves are tender, remove the lid and
allow any excess water to cook away. Remove the kale to a warm bowl and
set aside. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan along
with the garlic and red pepper. Saute just until you smell the aroma of
garlic. Sprinkle the garlic and red pepper over the kale and toss with
a splash of vinegar. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm
or at room temperature.

For dessert I made my Baklava (recipe was recently posted) which
is made with pistachios and an apricot syrup.

For Xmas day brunch I made Egg and Grits Breakfast Casserole.
I think I got this recipe on rfc or maybe on rfr. I've made this many
times, it's one of my favorite recipes.

EGGS AND GRITS BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

3 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup old-fashioned grits
3 lg. eggs
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
4 tbsp. butter, cut up
1/3 lb. sausage, browned and drained well
1 med. onion, chopped
4 oz. diced green chiles
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. cilantro, dried (2 tbsp. if fresh)
1 tsp. cumin
4 12" tortillas

Heat milk in a saucepan until almost boiling. Slowly stir in grits and
stir. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until
thickened, about 15-20 minutes. While grits are cooking preheat oven to
350F. Beat eggs and mix well with cheeses, cut up butter, sausage,
onion, green chile, salt, pepper, cilantro, and cumin. Mix this into
cooked grits completely. Pour into a buttered 9"x13" pan. Place
tortillas over top evenly. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes.
Serve with fresh salsa. (I don't bother with the tortillas. Also,
I usually use a lot more sausage. I put in at least 1/2 lb., sometimes
a whole lb. Also, you can use instant or quick-cooking grits.
It doesn't really matter. I often just buy a package of Mexican
4-cheese blend of shredded cheeses. That's what I used this time.

I usually have Mimosas with my Xmas brunch but this year I made
Bellinis. I used Freixenet instead of Prosecco as the Prosecco
was too expensive. I used frozen peaches. It was pretty good.

My aunt made Xmas dinner. We had Greek - moussaka, spanakopita, and
pita and hummus. For dessert she made apple dumplings. My aunt makes
the world's best apple dumplings.

On Saturday I made my Grittibanz (recipe recently posted) and Pear
Honey. I used the Pear Honey recipe Barb Schaller sent me since I
have lost my old recipe. It's pretty good but very different from
the recipe I used to use. It's just pureed pears and sugar. It
turned out great. I gave a Grittibanz and a jar of pear honey to
a friend and one of each to my aunt. I was going to give some to
another friend whom i could not reach and since I didn't have room
in the freezer to save the bread for her I have to eat it all myself,
in addition, of course, to the one I made for myself. Damn! What
a pain! ;-)

Yikes! I haven't been this prolific at Xmas for quite a few years
now. I can't believe I did all that cooking. Well, actually I could
when I was doing all the dishes! It took me all week to get the dishes
done! ;-)

Happy New Year!
Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

"Kate Connally" > wrote in message
...
>I made Tourtiere for Xmas eve. I also had some extra
> kale left over from when I made my Portuguese Turkey,
> Potato, and Linguica Soup earlier in the month with my
> leftover T-day turkey carcass, so I cooked the kale with
> garlic, olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, and red wine
> vinegar.
>
> ORIGINAL CANADIAN TOURTIERE
>
> 1/2 lb. ground pork
> 1/2 lb. ground veal
> 1/4 c. chopped onion
> 1/4 c. water
> 1/4 tsp. white pepper
> 1 tsp. salt
> 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
> 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
> 1/4 tsp. celery salt
> 1/4 tsp. savory
> 1-2 potatoes, boiled and mashed
> 1 pastry for 8" double-crust pie
>
> Preheat oven to 425F. Place pork, veal, onion, and water in a saucepan.
> Simmer until color changes. Adding seasonings; simmer for a little
> longer. Thoroughly drain meat. Mix in mashed potatoes. Fit bottom
> pastry into 8" pie plate. Fill with meat mixture. Cover with top crust.
> Seal edges as desired and vent top to allow steam to escape. Bake for 10
> minutes; lower oven temperature to 400F and bake for 20-25 minutes or
> until crust is golden brown and filling is hot. Serves 6. Note: If you
> prefer a spicier tourtiere increase seasonings to your taste. (From Good
> Friends Cookbook)
>
> Since I have 10" pie plates I doubled this recipe. Also, I sort
> of combined it with a couple of other recipes as far as cooking
> technique was concerned. I basically briefly sauteed the onion
> in my large skillet and then added the meats and the seasonings
> and some water and cooked it until the meat was done. Then I
> mixed in the mashed potatoes and let it cool before putting it in
> the crust. I used sage instead of savory (one of the other recipes
> called for sage and I was out of savory).
>
> For the crust I used my usual Betty Crocker recipe. This crust
> turned out to the be the very best crust I have ever made. The
> texture was perfect, beautifully flaky. I'm now afraid to ever
> make pie crust again as I don't see how I can ever live up to this
> crust! I usually make very good pie crust! I'm very picky about
> pie crust and almost never like anyone else's and especially not
> the crap you get in bakeries and restaurants. However the last
> couple of years, for some unknown reason, I have been coming up
> with less than perfect crusts, even when using Betty Crocker's
> recipe, which is our family standard. (Although, even my *bad*
> pie crust is better than most!)
>
> So the Tourtiere was excellent! And the kale was a nice
> accompaniment.
>
> GARLICKY KALE
>
> 2 pounds kale (~ 2 bunches)
> 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
> 4-5 cloves garlic
> pinch red pepper flakes
> splash red wine vinegar
> salt to taste
> freshly ground black pepper
>
> Remove stems from the kale and chop the leaves coarsely. Wash and drain
> well but do not dry. Heat a large saute pan, add 3 tablespoons of the
> olive oil and enough kale to cover the bottom of the pan, and cook over
> high heat while stirring to rotate the leaves. Add more kale as the
> leaves wilt. When all the kale has been added, season with salt, cover,
> and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally; the cooking
> time will depend on the maturity of the kale. Young kale will be tender
> after 4-5 minutes. It may be necessary to add a splash of water if the
> leaves begin to scorch. When the leaves are tender, remove the lid and
> allow any excess water to cook away. Remove the kale to a warm bowl and
> set aside. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan along
> with the garlic and red pepper. Saute just until you smell the aroma of
> garlic. Sprinkle the garlic and red pepper over the kale and toss with a
> splash of vinegar. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at
> room temperature.
>
> For dessert I made my Baklava (recipe was recently posted) which
> is made with pistachios and an apricot syrup.
>
> For Xmas day brunch I made Egg and Grits Breakfast Casserole.
> I think I got this recipe on rfc or maybe on rfr. I've made this many
> times, it's one of my favorite recipes.
>
> EGGS AND GRITS BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
>
> 3 1/2 cups milk
> 3/4 cup old-fashioned grits
> 3 lg. eggs
> 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
> 1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
> 4 tbsp. butter, cut up
> 1/3 lb. sausage, browned and drained well
> 1 med. onion, chopped
> 4 oz. diced green chiles
> 1/2 tsp. salt
> 1 tsp. pepper
> 1 tbsp. cilantro, dried (2 tbsp. if fresh)
> 1 tsp. cumin
> 4 12" tortillas
>
> Heat milk in a saucepan until almost boiling. Slowly stir in grits and
> stir. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until
> thickened, about 15-20 minutes. While grits are cooking preheat oven to
> 350F. Beat eggs and mix well with cheeses, cut up butter, sausage, onion,
> green chile, salt, pepper, cilantro, and cumin. Mix this into cooked
> grits completely. Pour into a buttered 9"x13" pan. Place tortillas over
> top evenly. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes. Serve with fresh
> salsa. (I don't bother with the tortillas. Also,
> I usually use a lot more sausage. I put in at least 1/2 lb., sometimes
> a whole lb. Also, you can use instant or quick-cooking grits.
> It doesn't really matter. I often just buy a package of Mexican
> 4-cheese blend of shredded cheeses. That's what I used this time.
>
> I usually have Mimosas with my Xmas brunch but this year I made
> Bellinis. I used Freixenet instead of Prosecco as the Prosecco
> was too expensive. I used frozen peaches. It was pretty good.
>
> My aunt made Xmas dinner. We had Greek - moussaka, spanakopita, and
> pita and hummus. For dessert she made apple dumplings. My aunt makes
> the world's best apple dumplings.
>
> On Saturday I made my Grittibanz (recipe recently posted) and Pear
> Honey. I used the Pear Honey recipe Barb Schaller sent me since I
> have lost my old recipe. It's pretty good but very different from
> the recipe I used to use. It's just pureed pears and sugar. It
> turned out great. I gave a Grittibanz and a jar of pear honey to
> a friend and one of each to my aunt. I was going to give some to
> another friend whom i could not reach and since I didn't have room
> in the freezer to save the bread for her I have to eat it all myself,
> in addition, of course, to the one I made for myself. Damn! What
> a pain! ;-)
>
> Yikes! I haven't been this prolific at Xmas for quite a few years
> now. I can't believe I did all that cooking. Well, actually I could
> when I was doing all the dishes! It took me all week to get the dishes
> done! ;-)
>
> Happy New Year!
> Kate
>
> --
> Kate Connally
> “If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
> Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
> Until you bite their heads off.”
> What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?
>

that sounds wonderful, Kate. How was the weather in your neck of PA for
Christmas? Ours was damp and dreary.
-ginny

Thanks for the recipes, I would love to try the Garlicky Kale. <Please
pardon my top posting, I didn't want to delete the recipes or make
everybody scroll down.>


Becca


Kate Connally wrote:
> I made Tourtiere for Xmas eve. I also had some extra
> kale left over from when I made my Portuguese Turkey,
> Potato, and Linguica Soup earlier in the month with my
> leftover T-day turkey carcass, so I cooked the kale with
> garlic, olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, and red wine
> vinegar.
>
> ORIGINAL CANADIAN TOURTIERE
>
> 1/2 lb. ground pork
> 1/2 lb. ground veal
> 1/4 c. chopped onion
> 1/4 c. water
> 1/4 tsp. white pepper
> 1 tsp. salt
> 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
> 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
> 1/4 tsp. celery salt
> 1/4 tsp. savory
> 1-2 potatoes, boiled and mashed
> 1 pastry for 8" double-crust pie
>
> Preheat oven to 425F. Place pork, veal, onion, and water in a
> saucepan. Simmer until color changes. Adding seasonings; simmer for
> a little longer. Thoroughly drain meat. Mix in mashed potatoes. Fit
> bottom pastry into 8" pie plate. Fill with meat mixture. Cover with
> top crust. Seal edges as desired and vent top to allow steam to
> escape. Bake for 10 minutes; lower oven temperature to 400F and bake
> for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is hot.
> Serves 6. Note: If you prefer a spicier tourtiere increase seasonings
> to your taste. (From Good Friends Cookbook)
>
> Since I have 10" pie plates I doubled this recipe. Also, I sort
> of combined it with a couple of other recipes as far as cooking
> technique was concerned. I basically briefly sauteed the onion
> in my large skillet and then added the meats and the seasonings
> and some water and cooked it until the meat was done. Then I
> mixed in the mashed potatoes and let it cool before putting it in
> the crust. I used sage instead of savory (one of the other recipes
> called for sage and I was out of savory).
>
> For the crust I used my usual Betty Crocker recipe. This crust
> turned out to the be the very best crust I have ever made. The
> texture was perfect, beautifully flaky. I'm now afraid to ever
> make pie crust again as I don't see how I can ever live up to this
> crust! I usually make very good pie crust! I'm very picky about
> pie crust and almost never like anyone else's and especially not
> the crap you get in bakeries and restaurants. However the last
> couple of years, for some unknown reason, I have been coming up
> with less than perfect crusts, even when using Betty Crocker's
> recipe, which is our family standard. (Although, even my *bad*
> pie crust is better than most!)
>
> So the Tourtiere was excellent! And the kale was a nice
> accompaniment.
>
> GARLICKY KALE
>
> 2 pounds kale (~ 2 bunches)
> 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
> 4-5 cloves garlic
> pinch red pepper flakes
> splash red wine vinegar
> salt to taste
> freshly ground black pepper
>
> Remove stems from the kale and chop the leaves coarsely. Wash and
> drain well but do not dry. Heat a large saute pan, add 3 tablespoons
> of the olive oil and enough kale to cover the bottom of the pan, and
> cook over high heat while stirring to rotate the leaves. Add more
> kale as the leaves wilt. When all the kale has been added, season with
> salt, cover, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring
> occasionally; the cooking time will depend on the maturity of the
> kale. Young kale will be tender after 4-5 minutes. It may be
> necessary to add a splash of water if the leaves begin to scorch.
> When the leaves are tender, remove the lid and allow any excess water
> to cook away. Remove the kale to a warm bowl and set aside. Add the
> remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan along with the garlic and
> red pepper. Saute just until you smell the aroma of garlic. Sprinkle
> the garlic and red pepper over the kale and toss with a splash of
> vinegar. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room
> temperature.
>
> For dessert I made my Baklava (recipe was recently posted) which
> is made with pistachios and an apricot syrup.
>
> For Xmas day brunch I made Egg and Grits Breakfast Casserole.
> I think I got this recipe on rfc or maybe on rfr. I've made this many
> times, it's one of my favorite recipes.
>
> EGGS AND GRITS BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
>
> 3 1/2 cups milk
> 3/4 cup old-fashioned grits
> 3 lg. eggs
> 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
> 1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
> 4 tbsp. butter, cut up
> 1/3 lb. sausage, browned and drained well
> 1 med. onion, chopped
> 4 oz. diced green chiles
> 1/2 tsp. salt
> 1 tsp. pepper
> 1 tbsp. cilantro, dried (2 tbsp. if fresh)
> 1 tsp. cumin
> 4 12" tortillas
>
> Heat milk in a saucepan until almost boiling. Slowly stir in grits
> and stir. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally,
> until thickened, about 15-20 minutes. While grits are cooking preheat
> oven to 350F. Beat eggs and mix well with cheeses, cut up butter,
> sausage, onion, green chile, salt, pepper, cilantro, and cumin. Mix
> this into cooked grits completely. Pour into a buttered 9"x13" pan.
> Place tortillas over top evenly. Bake in preheated oven for 50
> minutes. Serve with fresh salsa. (I don't bother with the tortillas.
> Also,
> I usually use a lot more sausage. I put in at least 1/2 lb., sometimes
> a whole lb. Also, you can use instant or quick-cooking grits.
> It doesn't really matter. I often just buy a package of Mexican
> 4-cheese blend of shredded cheeses. That's what I used this time.
>
> I usually have Mimosas with my Xmas brunch but this year I made
> Bellinis. I used Freixenet instead of Prosecco as the Prosecco
> was too expensive. I used frozen peaches. It was pretty good.
>
> My aunt made Xmas dinner. We had Greek - moussaka, spanakopita, and
> pita and hummus. For dessert she made apple dumplings. My aunt makes
> the world's best apple dumplings.
>
> On Saturday I made my Grittibanz (recipe recently posted) and Pear
> Honey. I used the Pear Honey recipe Barb Schaller sent me since I
> have lost my old recipe. It's pretty good but very different from
> the recipe I used to use. It's just pureed pears and sugar. It
> turned out great. I gave a Grittibanz and a jar of pear honey to
> a friend and one of each to my aunt. I was going to give some to
> another friend whom i could not reach and since I didn't have room
> in the freezer to save the bread for her I have to eat it all myself,
> in addition, of course, to the one I made for myself. Damn! What
> a pain! ;-)
>
> Yikes! I haven't been this prolific at Xmas for quite a few years
> now. I can't believe I did all that cooking. Well, actually I could
> when I was doing all the dishes! It took me all week to get the dishes
> done! ;-)
>
> Happy New Year!
> Kate
>

On Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:30:41 -0500, Kate Connally >
wrote:

>It took me all week to get the dishes
>done! ;-)

That's impressive.

Lou

Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:
> that sounds wonderful, Kate. How was the weather in your neck of PA for
> Christmas? Ours was damp and dreary.
> -ginny

Well, we had snow but not too much. It was cold,
naturally. Xmas day was a little dreary but we got
some sun and blue skies on the Sunday after.
This week it's been in the 20's with light, dry
snow every day. But not too bad.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

Okay, I'll forgive you. ;-) But scrolling down is practically
the only exercise some of us get! ;-)

Kate

Becca wrote:
> Thanks for the recipes, I would love to try the Garlicky Kale. <Please
> pardon my top posting, I didn't want to delete the recipes or make
> everybody scroll down.>
>
>
> Becca
>
>
> Kate Connally wrote:
>> I made Tourtiere for Xmas eve. I also had some extra
>> kale left over from when I made my Portuguese Turkey,
>> Potato, and Linguica Soup earlier in the month with my
>> leftover T-day turkey carcass, so I cooked the kale with
>> garlic, olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, and red wine
>> vinegar.
>>
>> ORIGINAL CANADIAN TOURTIERE
>>
>> 1/2 lb. ground pork
>> 1/2 lb. ground veal
>> 1/4 c. chopped onion
>> 1/4 c. water
>> 1/4 tsp. white pepper
>> 1 tsp. salt
>> 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
>> 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
>> 1/4 tsp. celery salt
>> 1/4 tsp. savory
>> 1-2 potatoes, boiled and mashed
>> 1 pastry for 8" double-crust pie
>>
>> Preheat oven to 425F. Place pork, veal, onion, and water in a
>> saucepan. Simmer until color changes. Adding seasonings; simmer for
>> a little longer. Thoroughly drain meat. Mix in mashed potatoes. Fit
>> bottom pastry into 8" pie plate. Fill with meat mixture. Cover with
>> top crust. Seal edges as desired and vent top to allow steam to
>> escape. Bake for 10 minutes; lower oven temperature to 400F and bake
>> for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is hot.
>> Serves 6. Note: If you prefer a spicier tourtiere increase seasonings
>> to your taste. (From Good Friends Cookbook)
>>
>> Since I have 10" pie plates I doubled this recipe. Also, I sort
>> of combined it with a couple of other recipes as far as cooking
>> technique was concerned. I basically briefly sauteed the onion
>> in my large skillet and then added the meats and the seasonings
>> and some water and cooked it until the meat was done. Then I
>> mixed in the mashed potatoes and let it cool before putting it in
>> the crust. I used sage instead of savory (one of the other recipes
>> called for sage and I was out of savory).
>>
>> For the crust I used my usual Betty Crocker recipe. This crust
>> turned out to the be the very best crust I have ever made. The
>> texture was perfect, beautifully flaky. I'm now afraid to ever
>> make pie crust again as I don't see how I can ever live up to this
>> crust! I usually make very good pie crust! I'm very picky about
>> pie crust and almost never like anyone else's and especially not
>> the crap you get in bakeries and restaurants. However the last
>> couple of years, for some unknown reason, I have been coming up
>> with less than perfect crusts, even when using Betty Crocker's
>> recipe, which is our family standard. (Although, even my *bad*
>> pie crust is better than most!)
>>
>> So the Tourtiere was excellent! And the kale was a nice
>> accompaniment.
>>
>> GARLICKY KALE
>>
>> 2 pounds kale (~ 2 bunches)
>> 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
>> 4-5 cloves garlic
>> pinch red pepper flakes
>> splash red wine vinegar
>> salt to taste
>> freshly ground black pepper
>>
>> Remove stems from the kale and chop the leaves coarsely. Wash and
>> drain well but do not dry. Heat a large saute pan, add 3 tablespoons
>> of the olive oil and enough kale to cover the bottom of the pan, and
>> cook over high heat while stirring to rotate the leaves. Add more
>> kale as the leaves wilt. When all the kale has been added, season with
>> salt, cover, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring
>> occasionally; the cooking time will depend on the maturity of the
>> kale. Young kale will be tender after 4-5 minutes. It may be
>> necessary to add a splash of water if the leaves begin to scorch.
>> When the leaves are tender, remove the lid and allow any excess water
>> to cook away. Remove the kale to a warm bowl and set aside. Add the
>> remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan along with the garlic and
>> red pepper. Saute just until you smell the aroma of garlic. Sprinkle
>> the garlic and red pepper over the kale and toss with a splash of
>> vinegar. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room
>> temperature.
>>
>> For dessert I made my Baklava (recipe was recently posted) which
>> is made with pistachios and an apricot syrup.
>>
>> For Xmas day brunch I made Egg and Grits Breakfast Casserole.
>> I think I got this recipe on rfc or maybe on rfr. I've made this many
>> times, it's one of my favorite recipes.
>>
>> EGGS AND GRITS BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
>>
>> 3 1/2 cups milk
>> 3/4 cup old-fashioned grits
>> 3 lg. eggs
>> 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
>> 1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
>> 4 tbsp. butter, cut up
>> 1/3 lb. sausage, browned and drained well
>> 1 med. onion, chopped
>> 4 oz. diced green chiles
>> 1/2 tsp. salt
>> 1 tsp. pepper
>> 1 tbsp. cilantro, dried (2 tbsp. if fresh)
>> 1 tsp. cumin
>> 4 12" tortillas
>>
>> Heat milk in a saucepan until almost boiling. Slowly stir in grits
>> and stir. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally,
>> until thickened, about 15-20 minutes. While grits are cooking preheat
>> oven to 350F. Beat eggs and mix well with cheeses, cut up butter,
>> sausage, onion, green chile, salt, pepper, cilantro, and cumin. Mix
>> this into cooked grits completely. Pour into a buttered 9"x13" pan.
>> Place tortillas over top evenly. Bake in preheated oven for 50
>> minutes. Serve with fresh salsa. (I don't bother with the tortillas.
>> Also,
>> I usually use a lot more sausage. I put in at least 1/2 lb., sometimes
>> a whole lb. Also, you can use instant or quick-cooking grits.
>> It doesn't really matter. I often just buy a package of Mexican
>> 4-cheese blend of shredded cheeses. That's what I used this time.
>>
>> I usually have Mimosas with my Xmas brunch but this year I made
>> Bellinis. I used Freixenet instead of Prosecco as the Prosecco
>> was too expensive. I used frozen peaches. It was pretty good.
>>
>> My aunt made Xmas dinner. We had Greek - moussaka, spanakopita, and
>> pita and hummus. For dessert she made apple dumplings. My aunt makes
>> the world's best apple dumplings.
>>
>> On Saturday I made my Grittibanz (recipe recently posted) and Pear
>> Honey. I used the Pear Honey recipe Barb Schaller sent me since I
>> have lost my old recipe. It's pretty good but very different from
>> the recipe I used to use. It's just pureed pears and sugar. It
>> turned out great. I gave a Grittibanz and a jar of pear honey to
>> a friend and one of each to my aunt. I was going to give some to
>> another friend whom i could not reach and since I didn't have room
>> in the freezer to save the bread for her I have to eat it all myself,
>> in addition, of course, to the one I made for myself. Damn! What
>> a pain! ;-)
>>
>> Yikes! I haven't been this prolific at Xmas for quite a few years
>> now. I can't believe I did all that cooking. Well, actually I could
>> when I was doing all the dishes! It took me all week to get the dishes
>> done! ;-)
>>
>> Happy New Year!
>> Kate
>>


--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?