‘Tis the season to be rockin’…..in the kitchen that is! As the touring schedule comes to a temporary stopover and the pen is put down from song writing, it is time for these talented musicians to spend some time with family and friends. Sitting down around the table and celebrating at parties is the best time to share some home-cooking and loving. Here, some of our favorite women share their favorite recipes and traditions during the holiday season.
Oklahoma country music star and actress Reba McEntire has just the side dish of comfort food. The star of “Malibu Country” provided Good Housekeeping magazine with her recipe for Praline Sweet Potato Casserole in November of 2012. This recipe is good ANY time of the year:
PRALINE SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
Serves 6
1 (40-ounce) can sweet potatoes, drained
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
Topping:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease shallow 1 ½ quart casserole dish. In a bowl, mash sweet potatoes. Stir in granulated sugar, margarine, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and eggs. Spoon into prepared casserole dish. Mix topping ingredients. Sprinkle on potato mixture. Bake 30 minutes.
Los Angeles singer-songwriter Meiko’s favorite recipe is for turkey meatballs which make great appetizers for any holiday setting, or for any time of the year for that matter.
Meiko’s Famous Turkey Balls
Calories: 80
Fats: 2 grams
Carbs: 4 grams
Protein: 11 grams
Ingredients:
2 lbs ground turkey (Vegetarians use Ground Seitan)
3 egg whites
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dry yellow mustard
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp garlic powder (2 cloves minced)
1 small onion (finely chopped)
2 celery stalks (finely chopped)
P.S. Add 1 tsp of cayenne pepper for an extra kick in your balls.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Put baking cups in muffin pan.
Mix all your ingredients together in one large bowl.
Roll the mixture into balls and place in muffin pan. Balls should be about the size of a golf ball.
Bake for 40 minutes.
Makes 12 balls
Guitar queen Jackie Chambers of the British heavy metal band Girlschool is frequently associated with the folks of Motörhead. Featured in the rock n’ roll cookbook Moshed Potatoes by Steve Seabury is a recipe for Yorkshire Pudding. The book is divided into opening acts (appetizers), headliners (entrees), encores (dessert) and features 147 recipes. Here is Chambers’ hang-over cure:
YORKSHIRE PUDDING
serves 4 (or 2 very hungover people)
Vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 16oz bottle of Grolsch beer
Heat oven to 350°F. Pour oil into each muffin tin and place into oven. Whisk eggs, milk, flour and salt to incorporate as much air as possible. Add a “splash” of beer. Pour mixture into tins. Be sure oil is hot enough or pudding will sink. Place in oven for 20 minutes or until pudding rises. Be careful about opening the oven door because pudding could sink!
Native to the “Garden State,” Laura Cheadle has four successful albums out, including a Christmas one and has opened for big names such as The Jonas Brothers, Spin Doctors, and John Oates of Hall & Oates, just to name-drop a few. South Jersey Magazine recognized Cheadle because of her active charity work and named her “Super Woman of South Jersey.” Cheadle is truly a beautiful person inside and out and whose spirit shines through her voice. Her recipe was graciously shared for the readers of Guitar Girl Magazine with the statement, “Since I am a healthy strict vegan, my holiday recipes are always on the health-conscious side, but still delicious! I want to share my favorite Christmas Eve Dish with all of you:”
STIR FRIED VEGETABLES WITH GRILLED TOFU IN PONZU SAUCE
Ingredients:
Pressed extra firm tofu
Brown rice
Asparagus
Red Bell Pepper
Onion
Broccoli
Carrots
Garlic
Grill the freshly pressed tofu in rice bran oil. Cut into pieces, set aside. Stir fry veggies in rice bran oil. Introduce tofu into wok with veggies. Stir fry until desired.
Ponzu Sauce
Sprinkle in ¼ cup of soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
Juice of half a lemon
Orange zest
Stir fry until mixed adding more soy sauce if needed. Serve with brown rice. Enjoy!
American pop-singer and songwriter Jenni Alpert’s music has been heard on the well-known TV shows featured on MTV like Teen Mom, The Real World, and 16 and Pregnant. She has four self-released albums and has performed in over 14 countries. Hanuaka is not complete without this favorite dish, featured and reprinted with permission from The Book of Jewish Food: An Odysessy from Samarkand to New York.
POTATO LATKE
Ingredients:
2 lbs (1 kg) potatoes
2 large eggs
salt
oil for frying
Peel and finely grate the potatoes. Put them straight into cold water, then drain and squeeze them as dry as you can by pressing them with your hands in a colander. This is to remove the starchy liquid, which could make the latkes soggy.
Beat the eggs lightly with salt, add to the potatoes, and stir well. Film the bottom of a frying pan with oil and heat. Take serving-spoonfuls, or as much as ¼ cup (50 mL), of the mixture and drop into the hot oil. Flatten a little, and lower the heat so that the fritters cook through evenly. When one side is brown, turn over and brown the other. Lift out and serve very hot.
****You may add black pepper, chopped parsley, and finely chopped onion to the egg and potato mixture. Adding 4 tablespoons of potato flour binds the fritters into firmer, more compact cakes, easier to handle but not quite as lovely to eat.***
Guitarist and composer from Nashville Muriel Anderson’s favorite holiday recipe from her many travels around the world is a dessert called Christmas Stollen. Stollen is a traditional German cake typically eaten during the Christmas holidays.
Christmas Stollen
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon yeast
2/3 cup warm milk
2/3 cup currants
1/3 cup plump raisins
2/3 cup diced candied citron
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
(optiona filling: marzipan)
Instructions:
Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Let stand about 8-10 minutes
Beat together yeast mixture with sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups bread flour.
Add the rest of the flour, 1/4 cup at a time. When the dough has begun to pull together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead in the currants, raisins, dried cherries, and citrus peel. Continue kneading until smooth, about 8 minutes.
Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.Place the loaf, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and bake for a further 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow loaf to cool on a wire rack. Dust the cooled loaf with confectioners’ sugar, and a little cinnamon if desired.
(variation: place a roll of Marzipan in center of dough before cooking)
*****
Pre-heat the oven to rock and turn the music up because the holidays are here. Be sure to find your inner Betty Rocker this season and try these recipes out!