Recipe 30- Mashed Turnips

                                                            MASHED TURNIPS

3 large turnips
1 medium potato
1/4 stick of butter
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 C milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon parsley
paprika

Cut the top off of the turnips and peel turnips and potato. Then cut the turnips and potato into quarters.  Boil turnips and potato for about 30 minutes.Drain and add the seasonings except the paprika. Mash thoroughly adding the milk and butter gradually. Add a little paprika to the top.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste ****

Throughout my childhood, my mother and my Aunt Aurelie always served mashed turnips at our Christmas and Thanksgiving. I loved their dish.  So, this year, I decided to add it to our Christmas 2013 dinner.

I chose to cook the turnips with the purple top instead of the rutabaga type of turnip which my mother and aunt always used. The dish was very tasty. I will absolutely serve this dish again.  

Recipe 29- Buttery Holiday Story Cookies

                                           BUTTERY HOLIDAY STORY COOKIES

1 C butter, softened
1 C firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon rind
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 C unsifted all-purpose flour
1/4 C milk

In large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg, lemon rind, lemon extracts. Stir in dry ingredients alternatively with milk. Chill 1 hour. on lightly floured surface, roll 1/4 inch thick. Place lightly floured plastic pattern with sharp knife. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes. Cool. Decorate.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste **

As a child, my mother and I would bake butter cookies at Christmas time and then decorate them.  I found this recipe inside a folder of recipes kept by my mother in her kitchen at 9 Janes Lane, Lloyd Harbor, New York.

My mother in law Ellen Grady Welch  flew in from Syracuse, New York to spend Christmas 2013 with us in California. Lindsey, Caroline, and their Grandmother baked these butter cookies.  The cookies looked great but everybody thought that they tasted too lemony.  If I were to bake the cookies again, I would reduce the lemon rind and lemon extract and add vanilla.  

                        

Recipe 28- Shepherd's Pie

                                                                SHEPHERD'S PIE

2 1/2 C dried roast lamb
4 small onions
3/4 C lamb gravy
1 package frozen mixed vegetables
2 C mashed potatoes
1 egg
1/4 C warm milk
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter

Pan fry meat and sliced onions. Pour off fat. Add gravy and vegetables and place in baking dish.

Mix well mashed potatoes, egg, warm milk, and butter. Spread over meat vegetable mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty **
Taste ****

Lindsey and I prepared this meal for the family on a cold December night. It was an ideal choice. Although most family members enjoyed the meal, one person thought it tasted rather bland. I will prepare this meal again on another winter night.  Perhaps, I will add more gravy. Also, I had substituted the lamb for ground beef. Next time, I will try the lamb and see if that will enhance the flavor.

I found this recipe on one of my mother's handwritten recipe cards that she kept in her kitchen in Lloyd Harbor, New York.    

Recipe 27- Pumpkin Pie

                                                                   PUMPKIN PIE

1 unbaked 10-inch pie shell
1 egg white. lightly beaten
2 eggs
2/3 C milk
1 1/3 C evaporated milk
1 C granulated sugar
1 T ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound (2 cups) mashed fresh or solid-packed pumpkin (not pumpkin-pie filling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brush bottom of pie shell with egg white and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add milk and evaporated milk and mix. Add sugar, cinnamon, ginger,cloves,nutmeg, and salt. Mix well. Add pumpkin and mix well.  Pour mixture into prepared shell. Bake for 1 hour. Remove pan top wire and cool.  Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste ****

My mother Carol Callaghan had given me a cookbook entitled "Kathleen's Bake Shop Cookbook" that she had picked up from Kathleen's Bake Shop in Southampton,Long Island, New York.  My mother told me that the bakery was terrific. Over the years, when I have baked, I always follow the recipes in this cookbook.
I served this pie at Thanksgiving 2013 for my family and the Paul McCarthy family. It was a hit!
  

Recipe 26- Baked Butternut Squash

                                                    BAKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

6 small butternut squashes
1/2 stick butter
3/4 C maple syrup

Bake squash in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes.  Peel, scoop out seeds, mash squash.  Add dots of butter and whip. Add maple syrup and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste **

For Thanksgiving, I served this vegetable dish.  However, I used frozen squash instead of fresh squash.  As a result, I had a hard time coordinating the amount of butter and maple syrup to add to the dish. Unfortunately, the dish had the improper proportions and the dish was too liquidity.  I will try again.

Despite the fact that this vegetable dish was not well received, the Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful.  My cousin Paul McCarthy and his wife Chrissy and their children Sean and Kallen  were visiting us from their home in Atlanta, Georgia. We cooked our turkey on the barbecue and enjoyed a great feast!  

I found this recipe on one of my mother Carol Callaghan's handwritten recipe cards.    

Recipe 25- Mozzarella Zucchini Spears

                   
                                           MOZZARELLA ZUCCHINI SPEARS

3 small zucchini

1 T olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon basil

2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)

Cut each zucchini lengthwise into quarters. In a 10 inch skillet over medium heat, in hot oil, cook zucchini, salt and basil until zucchini is lightly browned and tender, about 10 minutes turning occasionally. Sprinkle zucchini with mozzarella cheese and cover skillet. Cook until cheese melts.

Ratings (out of five)

Difficulty *

Taste **

I served this appetizer at the murder mystery party that I hosted for my 50th birthday. I would not recommend this appetizer because it did not plate well and it needed to be cooked about 20 minutes before it was served. Despite the fact that this appetizer was not a hit, the murder mystery party was a smashing success! The solution was Ms. Jade with the revolver in the kitchen.

This recipe was taken out of a magazine and stapled to a recipe card and placed in my mother's recipe box.