Welcome to My Kitchen

Holiday cooking can get hectic without planning ahead. Now would be a good time to revisit Mise-en-place. No, this is not a town in the south of France, but a French phrase, meaning “put in place”. The practice of putting everything in place in the kitchen, clearing the workspace, assembling all ingredients and utensils before starting to cook will make time in the kitchen more enjoyable.

Clear the counters

Read through the recipe

Assemble ingredients.

Gather bowls, pots and tools

Now you are ready to cook. Let’s start out with Kathie Donahue’s Cajun Black Bean Soup. The recipe makes a large pot of soup perfect for busy nights leading up to Christmas.

Besides the ingredients in the recipe, you will need two 6 quart kettles, liquid measuring cup, a paring knife and a chefs knife, measuring spoons, colander, can opener and a spoon for stirring.

Cajun Black Bean Soup

4 cups dry black beans

12 cups water

8 carrots, chopped, plus 1/2 carrot left whole

8 celery stalks, chopped, plus 1/2 stalk left whole

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

5 cloves garlic crushed

3 tsp salt

1 quart meat broth

2 onions, peeled and chopped

1/2 a yellow or red pepper, chopped

2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies

4 German sausages (6 inches long) sliced

4 Cajun sausages (6 inches long) sliced

2 Tbsp lime juice

2 Tbsp granulated sugar or Splenda

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Pepper to taste

Optional: Sour cream for garnish

In large kettle combine dry beans with the 1/2 whole carrot, 1/2 whole celery, onion powder, garlic powder and water. Bring to a simmer and cook until beans are tender. Drain beans, discard carrot and celery.

Meanwhile in another kettle combine chopped carrots, chopped celery, salt onion, peppers, sausages and meat broth. Simmer until vegetables are tender and sausages cooked through. Add cooked beans and enough hot water to cover, about 1 quart.

Add lime juice, sugar, 1/2 of the crushed garlic, and sugar. Simmer about 1/2 hour. Do Not let it boil, ever. Stir in remaining garlic and the cilantro just before serving. Optional: garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream. Yield: 12 servings.

Note: for meat broth I used 2 beef bouillon cubes in a quart of hot water. This soup holds well in a slow-cooker set on warm or low.

Fruit Salad is an easy and colorful way to expand a meal for extra company at the last minute. Try this recipe for Kiwi Dressing, created by Edna Hoffman, Hebron, IN as published in the 2006 edition of Christmas Taste of Home magazine. This tangy dressing will make any combination of fruits special.

Kiwi Dressing

1/4 cup white grape juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp lime juice

2 kiwi fruit, peeled and quartered

Dash salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender, cover and process until smooth. Serve over your favorite fruit salad mixture. Yield: 1 cup dressing.

My sister-in-law, Tammy Bubemyre of Hoodsport, WA, sent a list of time saving tips via email. One of those tips is using the plastic tab that comes on the bread sacks to identify electrical cords.

Use a permanent marker to write what appliance or device the cord goes to, then place it on the cord near the plug end. This can save you time trying to figure out which cord goes to what.

Cougar Candy, a recipe submitted by Lecia Fink is a fast and fun sweet treat to whip out for last minute gifts. You will need a 10x15 inch baking pan, aluminum foil, cooking spray, medium saucepan, measuring cup, kitchen timer, heat resistant spatula or wooden spoon and scissors for opening packages.

Cougar Candy

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 cup (6 ounces) milk chocolate chips

1 cup (6 ounces) white chocolate chips

1 sleeve Saltine crackers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 10x15 inch baking pan with aluminum foil then spray with cooking spray. Arrange crackers in a single layer in pan. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring brown sugar and butter to a boil and continue boiling 3 minutes (NO LESS). Pour sugar mixture evenly over crackers and bake 8 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chips over top. When melted, spread chips over all. Place pan in freezer for a few minutes to cool. When hardened, remove foil and break into pieces.

Several requests came in for Debbie Walter’s Apple Crisp that she often brings to Quail Court Family Potlucks. She reports that you must use gala apples to get the same flavor in this recipe that she adapted to her tastes. This would make tasty alternative to the usual pie for dessert of holiday meals.

Apple Crisp

8 cups peeled and sliced gala apples

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 cup uncooked oatmeal

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

2/3 cup soft butter

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt or 3/4 tsp regular salt

Place apples in a greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Combine remaining ingredients, cutting in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Note: I preheated the oven and baked mine for 40 minutes. The apples I used were cold from the refrigerator, which can increase baking time.

One more organizing tip: before filling the refrigerator and freezer with holiday food, clear out all the science experiments lurking in the back corners and freezer burn victims, giving them a decent burial in the compost bin or trash can. You will appreciate the added space.

Share your favorite holiday entertaining recipes by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa WA 99159 or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record Office. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.