Wonderful Winter Recipes

We have some wonderful winter recipe ideas for you this week. It’s a new year with new foods, give them a try.

If you have a favorite dish, that you would like to share, we would love to hear from you! Recipes, with photo (and a short story/history), if available, can be submitted to ads@thedrummer.com.

Bacon Corn Pancakes 

2 c. gluten-free all-purpose baking flour or all-purpose flour

1 T. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 lg. eggs, room temp.

1-1/2 to 1-3/4 c. rice milk

2-1/2 c. fresh or frozen corn

1 c. crumbled cooked bacon

1/3 c. chopped onion

Maple syrup

Preheat griddle over medium heat. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and rice milk; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in corn, bacon, and onion.

Lightly grease griddle. Pour batter by 1/4 cupful’s onto griddle; cook until edges are dry and bottoms are golden brown. Turn; cook until the second side is golden brown. Serve with syrup. Yields 18 pancakes

Freeze option: Freeze cooled pancakes between layers of waxed paper in a freezer container. To use, place pancakes on an ungreased baking sheet, cover with foil and reheat in a preheated 375° oven until heated through, 5-10 minutes, or place a stack of 3 pancakes on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high until heated through, 45-90 seconds.

Fried Lemon-Pepper Wings

2-1/2 lbs. chicken wings

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Oil for deep frying

2 T. butter, melted

1-1/2 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning

2 T. minced fresh parsley

Cut wings into 3 sections; discard wing tip sections. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Add wings, a few at a time, and toss to coat.

In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 375°F. Fry wings, a few at a time, until no longer pink, 3-4 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. In a large bowl, combine butter and seasoning. Add wings; toss to coat. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately. Makes 2 dozen.

Old-Fashioned Macaroni Salad

4 eggs

1-pound large elbow macaroni

4 ounces ham steak, finely chopped

2 stalks chopped celery, including leaves

1 large shallot, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Dressing:

2/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 (4-ounce) jar chopped pimentos, drained

3 tablespoons sweet pickled relish

Kosher salt and pepper

To make the hard-boiled eggs: Add the eggs to a medium-sized saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring up to a boil over medium heat. Cover with a lid and turn off the heat. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for 14 minutes. Drain and cool under cold running water. Peel the eggs and chop. Reserve.

While the eggs are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and add the macaroni. Cook until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large serving bowl, combine the eggs, ham steak, celery, shallots, and lemon juice Add the macaroni and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, pickled relish, and salt and pepper, to taste. Add the dressing to the macaroni and toss to coat. Season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Cover and chill for 2 hours for the flavors to meld. 4-6 servings.

Instant Pot Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. plus 2 T. water, divided

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1 T. minced fresh rosemary

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 T. soy sauce

2 pork tenderloins (1 lb. ea.), halved widthwise

1 T. olive oil

1 T. cornstarch

In a small bowl, whisk brown sugar, 1/4 cup water, vinegar, rosemary, garlic, and soy sauce; set aside. Select sauté or browning setting on a 6-qt. electric pressure cooker. Adjust for medium heat; add oil. When oil is hot, brown pork in batches. Press cancel. Return all pork and vinegar mixture to pressure cooker.

Lock lid; close pressure-release valve. Adjust to pressure-cook on high for 20 minutes. Let pressure release naturally. Remove pork to a serving platter. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons water until smooth; stir into pressure cooker. Select sauté setting and adjust for low heat. Simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, 3-5 minutes. Drizzle over pork. If desired, sprinkle with additional rosemary. Serve pork over egg noodles, rice, potatoes, etc. 8 servings.

West African Red Bean & Sweet Potato Stew

1 onion chopped, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded & chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne

1-1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2” dice

1 can petite diced tomatoes

2 tsp. miso paste or soy sauce

2 c. vegetable stock, divided

2 (15 oz.) dark red kidney beans, rinsed & drained

2 T. smooth peanut butter

1/4 c. dry-roasted peanuts

1/2 tsp. black cumin (nigella seeds)

Heat 1/4 cup water in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic, cover and cook 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in ginger, cumin and cayenne, cook 30-40 sec., stirring once. Add sweet potatoes, stirring to coat. Stir in tomatoes, miso paste and 1-3/4 cups vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in beans; simmer another 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix remaining vegetable broth and peanut butter until smooth; let sit until thick; stir into stew. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chopped peanuts and black cumin.

Note: If you want a thicker stew, puree 1 cup of stew in a blender or food processor and stir back in pot. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

Serves 4.

Custardy-Center Cornbread

3 T. unsalted butter, melted, plus extra butter for brushing the baking dish

1 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. sugar

Kosher salt

2 large eggs

2 c. milk

1 T. plus 1-1/2 tsp. white distilled vinegar

1 c. fine yellow cornmeal

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish that is at least 2 inches deep. Place the buttered dish in the oven while you mix the batter.

Whisk together the heavy cream, 1 teaspoon of the sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Whisk together the eggs and melted butter in a large bowl until well blended. Add the milk, vinegar, the remaining sugar and 1 teaspoon salt and beat until mixed well. Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl.

Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into the preheated dish, then slowly, pour the seasoned cream into the center of the batter about 1-inch away from the edge. Don’t stir the cream into the batter.

Bake until the top of the cornbread is lightly browned, and a toothpick inserted near the edge of the bread (not the center) comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Serve warm. 12 pieces.

Cranberry Cake

Tart fresh cranberries and sweet buttery cake are perfectly combined in this popular dessert!

Prep Time: 20 min.

Cook Time: 45 min.

Total Time: 1 hr. 5 min.

Yield: 16 servings

3 eggs

2 c. sugar

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. all-purpose flour*

12 oz. fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip this step. This mixture should form a rippon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.

Add the butter and vanilla; mix two more minutes. Stir in the flour until just combined. Add the cranberries and stir to mix throughout.

Spread in a buttered 9x13 pan. (This pan is my favorite!) Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. (I baked mine for 43 minutes.)

Let cool completely before cutting into small slices. I cut mine into fairly small pieces, about 1”x2”, so that they could be easily eaten at a party. Enjoy!

Note: *Gluten-Free Substitution: 1-1/4 cup brown rice flour + 1/2 cup potato starch + 1/4 cup tapioca starch + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum may be substituted for the amount of all-purpose flour listed in the ingredients above.

Quote of the Week:

“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

~ Abraham Lincoln