Hometown Recipes for the Holidays invites you to pull up a chair to America's dinner table and enjoy more than 250 cherished family recipes, special memories, and dozens of beautiful photographs. You'll find the perfect dish for each of your favorite celebrations: New Year's Day, the Fourth of July, Columbus Day, Passover, Easter, Memorial Day, Labor Day, President's Day, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
The editors of American Profile have compiled the nation's most delicious recipes—straight from their readers—in this book, which is modeled after the magazine's most popular section, "Hometown Recipes." You'll find everything from breakfast with Grandma's Christmas Casserole and Wake-Up Casserole to the perfect additions to jazz up your buffet, such as Julia's Fresh Cranberry Relish and Aunt Peggy's Salmon Pasta Salad, to sit-down dinner options such as Almost Lasagna Zucchini Casserole and Ben's Swiss Steak. Top it all off with a decadent dessert, such as Butter Rum Cake, or something a little easier, such as No-Roll Sugar Cookies or Quick-and-Easy Family Peanut Brittle, to create an experience that your family and friends will remember for years.
American Profile, one of America's most widely circulated magazines, celebrates hometown life, and in Hometown Recipes for the Holidays editors Candace Floyd, Anne Gillem, Nancy S. Hughes, and Jill Melton do just that.
Good Morning Oatmeal
Gwen Swanson, Pukwana, South Dakota
Serves 6
"We eat this breakfast to help control our blood pressure, to improve the health of our arteries, and to lower our cholesterol. It is also very delicious."
Ingredients:
1½ cups apple juice
One 7-ounce package mixed dried fruit
1⁄3 cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 pears, cored and chopped
2½ cups milk
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
Two 6-ounce containers vanilla yogurt
1 cup granola
Instructions:
Combine the juice, dried fruit, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
Add the pears and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Cool, drain, and discard the cooking liquid. Set aside.
Bring 2½ cups water and the milk to a boil in a saucepan; add the salt and oats. Reduce the heat to medium; cook for 1 minute; stir.
To serve, spoon the oatmeal into 6 cereal bowls and top each with the fruit mixture, yogurt, and granola.
Green Eggs and Ham Cups
Gay Martin, Albertsville, Alabama
Serves 4 to 8
"I first served these miniature quiches at a family Christmas brunch and chose the name of the recipe with a nod to Dr. Seuss because it describes the dish and appeals to kids."
Ingredients:
3 eggs1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar
1⁄8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste
1 cup spinach leaves, loosely packed
8 thin slices ham
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 8 cups of a muffin tin or eight 4-ounce ramekins.
Combine the eggs, flour, butter, cottage cheese, Cheddar, and hot sauce in a food processor or blender. Process until well blended. Add the spinach and pulse briefly. Do not overprocess; green flecks should be visible.
Line the muffin tins with the ham slices, pressing down with your fingertips. Pour equal amounts of the egg mixture, a scant 1⁄3 cup, into each tin.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overcook...
