Recipes- Pina Colada Salad

My Mom Karen made this to go along with our Christmas Dinner.  I kept calling it a dessert (it's NOT) but it's as good as one!  Great to have as any side dish!

Di's Pina Colada Salad

1 small box peach jello

1 cup Pina Colada Mix

1 Pina Colada yogurt

1 can Mandrin oranges - drained

1 can pineapple tidbits - drained

1 banana - sliced

Dissolve jello in 1 cup boiling water, add rest of ingrediants and refrigerate to set..overnight is good..use a pretty glass dish or pan

Topping

1 box vanilla instant pudding, make as directed

1 8 oz. Cool whip

Fold together and put on top of jello...garnish with extra fruit or nuts or just leave as-is, it's pretty.  If you are not serving it right away, poke toothpicks into the top (to keep plastic from touching the topping) and cover with saran wrap.  Before serving, remove picks, plastic wrap and top with nuts to garnish (0pt)

Dish is in waaaaaay back- sorry not a close up photo

Recipes- French Style Croissants Made In The Country

One of my long-standing food memories is of my Mom Karen making croissants.  These are THE. BEST.
I can clearly see in my mind her making them so I was glad that this Christmas I got a chance to photograph her at least at the tail end so that the grandkids will have the memories (and recipe), too!

Quick Butter Croissants
Pulled from an old cookbook
"We have discovered a remarkably simple method of making croissants that closely resemble the traditional ones the French serve for breakfast.  You cut firm butter into flour (as you would when making baking powder biscuits), then blend this mixture with a yeast batter.  The resulting dough is marbled with pockets of butter that form flaky layers when the croissants are baked.  You can store the dough in the refrigerator up to 4 days, until you're ready to shape and bake the rolls."


1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (about 110*)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
5 1/4 to 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled
1 cup (1/2 lb) firm butter or margarine, at refrigerator temperature
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water


In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water.  Add milk, salt, sugar, egg and 1 cup of the flour.  Beat to make a smooth batter, then blend in melted butter; set aside
In a large bowl, using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the 1 cup firm butter into 4 cups of the remaining flour until butter particles are the size of peas.  Pour yeast batter over top and carefully turn mixture over with a spatula to blend just until all flour is moistened.  Cover with clear plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 4 days.

Turn dough out onto a floured board, press into a compact ball, and knead briefly on a lightly floured board to release air.  Divide dough into 4 equal parts.  Shape 1 part at a time, leaving remaining dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, in refrigerator.  

On a floured board, roll 1 part of dough at a time into a circle, 17" diameter.  Using a sharp knife, cut circle into 8 equal wedges.

For each croissant, loosely roll wedges toward point.  Shape each roll into a crescent and place on an ungreased baking sheet with point down, 1 1/2" apart all around.  

Cover lightly and let rise at room temperature in a draft-free place.  (Do NOT speed rising of rolls by placing them in a warm spot.) 
When almost doubled (about 2 hours), brush with egg-water mixture.
Bake in a 325* oven for about 35 minutes or until lightly browned.  Serve warm, or let cool on racks.  Makes 32 croissants.
To reheat, arrange rolls (thawed, if frozen) in single layer on baking sheet; place, uncovered, in a 350* oven for about 10 minutes.

Recipes- Baked Potato Soup and Waste-Not-Potato Skins

My mother Karen (like her mother AND grandmother before her) belongs to an S.O. (serving others) Circle at her church.  If they host a large luncheon or dinner, they will send duplicate recipes home to their members, and bring the smaller batches all made so that way they can feed a whole bunch of people the same meal.
This Baked Potato Soup from her S.O. Circle is what my mom served us for part of our Christmas Eve dinner (see the Trinidad Slaw recipe here).

Baked Potato Soup
Can be doubled
4 large baking potatoes or 8 small ones (about 2 1/2 lbs)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups milk
1 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, divided
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided (we used leeks...cause we had them)
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled.
Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400* for one hour or until tender.  This step can be done in advance or you can even you can even use leftover baked potatoes.  Allow to cool.  Slice in half and then scoop insides into bowl (there will be some potato still inside the skins).  Discard the skins (OR see our Potato skin recipe below) and break any large potato chunks into bite-sized or smaller pieces.

Place flour into a large pot and gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended.  Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly but do NOT bring to a full boil!!!!  Boiling will lead TO CURDLED SOUP, and hey, no one likes curdled soup!  (direct quote from recipe)

Add potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt and pepper.  Stir until cheese melts and remove from heat.  Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions.

Cook over low heat until soup is heated thoroughly.  Again, this is a reicpe where you have to be vigilant!! Don't let it boil and don't let it burn the bottom of the pot....no running off to check you email (once again, another actual quote LOL).
Serve warm- garnish with rest of cheese, rest of onions and top with bacon.


Waste-Not-Potato-Skins

Using the skins leftover from making the soup, melt some butter and brush onto the potatoes in the skins.  Top with cheese, bacon (we used a reserve from the soup recipe above), and salt and pepper.
Broil for 2-4 depending on distance of shelf in oven.
Serve with sour cream (optional) or dip into your soup, or ranch dressing.

We wanted something nice & cozy and this was perfect after sitting around the bonfire singing Christmas carols!  Thanks Mom!