Baked Brie

I tasted this at a restaurant once and loved it, so I attempted to duplicate the recipe. This is what I made and what I stick with when I make it.

Baked Brie (from Cardine)

1 wedge package of brie cheese
5 sheets of filo (phyllo) dough
Olive Oil
Butter
Apricot Preserves
Grapes, preferably red
Water crackers

Open the package of brie cheese. Slice off the white outer layer.

When working with phyllo, you have to keep it moist. It dries out so quickly. So, when you unroll the package, make sure you have a damp cloth covering it. And when you peel off a sheet, recover it with a damp cloth. Also make sure it's completely thawed if you've had it in the freezer.

Melt about a Tbsp of butter and mix it in a small bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil. Add olive oil as necessary. Take a sheet of phyllo dough and wrap it around the brie wedge. Brush the outer phyllo dough liberally with the oil and butter mixture. Repeat until you've wrapped it with about five sheets. Make sure the outer layer is sufficiently brushed with oil.

Place the wrapped brie in a baking dish and bake for 10 - 15 minutes at 350 degrees or until it's golden brown. After taking it out of the oven, let it cool for about five minutes and serve it with apricot preserves, water crackers, and red grapes.

Buuz (Mongolian Dumplings)

The way we pronounce "buuz" is "bodes." They are Mongolian dumplings. One time I signed up to feed the sister missionaries in town. One of them was from Mongolia, and while I didn't know her, I wanted to make something that was more reminiscent of where she was from than the spaghetti and pizza she was probably used to having in the states. One of my friends had served a mission in Mongolia, so I asked him what they frequently ate in Mongolia. This is what he told me. I enlisted Dad's help to make this dish because I kind of didn't know what I was doing. We guess that it turned out okay because the sister missionary basically ate all of them. Her companion told us that she hadn't really been eating previously and hadn't ever seen her eat like that before. We counted it as a success, and I hope that the meal was a blessing to her and helped her acclimate a little better to being in the U.S. Since then we've made buuz a few times, which we had to do since she ate most of them, and we didn't get much of a taste.

Buuz (Mongolian Dumplings)

Shells:
Flour
Water

Mix the flour and water to make a dough. Flatten the dough to about 2 or 3 millimeters in thickness. Cut the dough into discs using a cup, glass, or a circle cookie cutter.

Filling:
Minced or ground lamb
Chopped onion
Chopped garlic
Salt
Pepper

Be generous with the salt and pepper to give the meat a better flavor. Otherwise, since the shells are pretty bland, the dumplings don't have much of a flavor. The meat doesn't carry enough in and of themselves to make the dumplings tasty.

Place a ball of meat in the dough shell. Pinch the edges together, leaving an opening on top. Steam the dumplings for about 20 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.

We served this with rice and made up a gravy-type sauce to go with it. The Mongolian sister just ate them how they were.

Peach Pie

I salivate whenever I think of this fantastic fresh peach pie. When the peach blossoms don't freeze and we have them in abundance, I love that Mom and Dad would freeze the peaches in freezer bags so we could pull them out around Thanksgiving time and have a delicious peach pie.

Peach Pie

Unbaked pie crust
Sliced peaches, thawed if frozen (drain of excess liquid)
3/4 cup sugar (a little less)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 Tbps flour

3 Tbsp grenadine syrup
2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 c butter
1/8 tsp mace (optional)

Combine a little less than 3/4 cup sugar, nutmeg, and 3 Tbsp flour. Coat peaches with mixture and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in grenadine and lemon juice. Add this mixture to pie pan.

In a separate bowl cut butter into 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, cinnamon, ginger, and mace. Crumble cut-in mixture on the pie. Cover the edge of the crust with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes. This pie is also delicious after refrigeration.

David Lundgren's Raisin Pie

Once upon a time my mom and/or dad got this recipe from David Lundgren (I'm not sure who he is), and now the pie has become a holiday tradition. This pie is usually at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

David Lundgren's Raisin Pie

3 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cups raisins
3/4 cups chopped walnuts
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
3 Tbsp vinegar

Beat eggs. Add sugar and beat again. Add butter, vinegar, and spices, and beat again. Stir in raisins and nuts. Pour into an unbaked 9 inch pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until light brown & crusty on top. Cool before serving. This pie tastes great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side!

Pumpkin Cake (Pumpkin Delight)

We have typically had your average pumpkin pie for holiday meals, but we've also had this dessert as a tradition. I know that Mom also made this for a holiday activity when she and Dad were in China.

Pumpkin Cake (Pumpkin Delight)

4 eggs
3 cups pumpkin (1 large can)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
3 1/2 c half and half or 2 cans evaporated milk (Mom usually used the evaporated milk)

1 package cake mix (any kind, but Mom usually used white or yellow)
1/2 cup butter
Chopped walnuts

Mix ingredients together (all except cake mix, butter, and chopped walnuts). Pour mixture into a lightly greased 9' x 13' pan. Sprinkle the dry cake mix on top. Melt butter and pour over cake mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 min. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of cake. Bake 10 minutes more or until knife comes out clean.

Asian Green Beans

This is Banana's recipe for green beans that we have used in the past for holiday meals. I enjoy this alternative if the green beans aren't going to have bacon with them.

Asian Green Beans (from Banana)

1 lb green beans, washed and end snipped
1 cup water

Cut green beans (if desired). Add to water in a fry pan, cover, and boil/steam for 10-15 min or until tender.

2 T. olive oil
1/3 cup slithered or sliced almonds

Drain water and add oil and almonds. Sauté for 2-5 minutes.

1 T. honey
1 T. soy sauce
Salt, to taste (about 1/4 tsp.)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Mix above ingredients into a sauce and add to the beans. Heat and serve.

Turkey

I asked my dad for a recipe for cooking the turkey, and this is what I got:

Turkey

1 Turkey

Follow the directions on the package.

The end.

Dad doesn't usually use a bag or cover it or anything. He just lets it sit in the oven and told me that the turkeys are self-basting. Well, okay. There you go!