Get Ya’ Drunk Fruitcake
This drunk fruitcake is the most polarizing Christmas cake in my family. No joke. The only two people who ate it were my Pop-pop and the dad-man. All the dad-man’s sisters hate it. Hated that Pop-pop made it. All because it smelt so bad. Well, it’s got two full bottles of brandy and a month of sitting under its belt. It’s not going to smell like an apple simmer pot.
This recipe took multiple phone calls to three of my aunts and one very confusing interview with my mom-mom Diane. From which I learned that Pop-pop just used a boxed cake and put random spices in it and hid the rest of the baking sins in Brandy. Now, in my defense, I have never made this recipe to its full potency. Mostly out of fear.
To quote my aunt who got the recipe from mom-mom, “It’s pound cake Diane; you just season it. Then get it drunk.” Which isn’t exactly a recipe, but that’s how pop-pop would explain drunk fruitcake to anyone who would ask.
Get Ya’ Drunk Fruitcake
Equipment
- 2-3 loaf pans
- glass bowl w/ lid
- Stand mixer
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
Ingredients
- 1 box pound cake mix
- 1 bottle brandy
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 c butter
- 1 t ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 t ground mace
- 1/2 t ground allspice
- 1/4 c Candied ginger
- 1/2 c Candied pineapple
- 3/4 c Candied cherries
- 1/2 c Raisins
Instructions
- Put fruit into a sealable glass bowl and pour 3/4 c to 1 c brandy over the fruit. Give it a good mix and let sit for at least 24 hours.
- Make the cake according to the box, adding in the cinnamon, ginger, mace, and allspice and replacing the water with the brandy. Fold in the candied fruits and brandy that didn’t soak in.
- Bake according to the back of the box for the appropriate pan.
- While still warm, drizzle with 1/4 c of Brandy. After they’ve cooled, wrap them in cheese cloth and liberally soak them in brandy. Place the loaves into an airtight storage container and store in a cool, dry place. Soak wrapped fruit cakes every few days for at least 3 weeks before serving.
Notes
Nothing says merry Christmas like big bottles of booze and saturating a cake in it. All jokes aside, this drunk fruitcake is not for the weak, or lightweight. I don’t personally drink and therefore do not make this cake every year. You can find my go-to fruitcake recipe here, the petite fruitcake. Or my rum fruitcake.
East Coast Chicken Bowl Pie (Flat Dumplings)
Chicken Bowl Pie is about as simple as it comes, while still being hearty and stick to your ribs. It is a staple back east where the dad-man and ma’ grew up. We call it bowl pie, but to others it is chicken and dumplings. To me, they are two different things even though I put similar things into both.
In its most basic form, the recipe came from the dad-man’s childhood best friend, Shemp. Specifically, it was Mrs. Shemp’s chicken and dumpling recipe. I changed the name when I got this recipe plus the one from my Aunt Linda, which used biscuit dumplings. The dumplings in bowl pie are pasta like and flat and I personally like the texture over biscuit dumplings.
Chicken Bowl Pie
Ingredients
Bowl Pie
- 3 c cooked, shredded chicken
- 2 qts chicken broth
Dumplings
- 2 c all purpose flour
- 1 t salt
- Ice water
Instructions
- Combine chicken, and broth in a Dutch oven and bring to a boil.
- For Dumplings, place flour and salt on a clean work surface. Slowly work in the water until a firm dough forms. Lightly flour the work surface, and roll out dough to one quarter inch thick. Cut dough into 2 inch squares.
- Place dough squares in the pot and cook at a boil for about 5 min. Add frozen vegetables and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Spicy Pretzels
Spicy pretzels are not in fact spicy, but heavily seasoned pretzels. They make a great snack with a long shelf life. Great any time of year, these have become a staple on my holiday cookie trays as well as a go to snack.
The story behind these is pretty simple… I wanted something salty on the cookie trays because I make so many sweets at the holidays. So, I combined seasonings that sounded good and put them on pretzels. As is with many things that I make, I mix things together until they look good.
They are a bit labor intense. Simply because you have to keep an eye on the pretzels while they’re in the oven so that they don’t burn.
Spicy Pretzels
Ingredients
- 2 12 oz bags pretzels
- 1/2 c butter, melted
- 1/4 c canola oil
- 3 T ranch seasoning
- 1 t garlic powder
- 1 t cajun seasoning
- 1/4 t onion powder
- 1/4 c grated parmesan cheap works best
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 deg. Pour pretzels onto two sheet pans.
- Whisk melted butter, oil, ranch seasoning, garlic, cajun seasoning, and onion powder. Pour over pretzels and mix to combine.
- Sprinkle parmesan and mix again.
- Bake until dry and crunchy (30-45 min), stirring every 15-20 min. Let cool completely and store in a sealed container.
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
My family calls them stuffed cabbage rolls, but others call them pigs in a blanket. I’ve even heard them be called cows in cabbage. Which is kind of a fun name. I find cabbage rolls to be a great, quick cool weather dish. Yes, even in the desert we like a cozy warm dish.
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 c day old rice
- 8 large cabbage leaves
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/4 c chopped onion
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1 t salt
- 1/4 t ground black pepper
- 1 can condensed tomato soup 10.75 oz
Instructions
- In a large, wide saucepan bring slightly salted water to a boil. Cook for 2-4 minutes, until softened; drain water.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine ground beef, rice, egg, salt, pepper, along with 2 tablespoons of tomato soup. Mix thoroughly.
- Divide beef mixture evenly among the cabbage leaves. Roll and Securewith a toothpick or kitchen string.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, place cabbage rolls, and pour the remaining tomato soup over the top. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring and basting with liquid often. Serve hot.
I find that this meal is the best with mashed potatoes or simple buttered potatoes because the tomato gravy provides so much flavor. I also like to top my plate with a little bit of cheddar cheese.
Farmhouse Succotash
Succotash is one of the Dad-man’s favorite sides for thanksgiving, or really any time of year. This adapted recipe from an old church community cookbook has become his favorite for Thanksgiving. The addition of the onion, tomato and roasted peppers adds just enough flavor to make you go “hmm” without taking away the flavor of the corn and lima beans.
Farmhouse Succotash
Ingredients
- 1 bag frozen corn, thawed 10 oz
- 1 bag frozen lima beans, thawed 10 oz
- 1 tablespoon jarred roasted red pepper, diced
- 1 T jarred sun dried tomatoes in oil, diced
- 1/4 c chopped onion
- 1/2 stick Butter
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the bottom of your skillet, saute onions until golden brown.
- Add corn, roasted pepper, sun dried tomatoes and lima beans into the pan on medium heat. Heat veggies through; add butter and melt butter to coat veggies.
- Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Roasted Garlic Potato Soup
Cooler weather is upon us in the desert… for the week. Nothing warms the soul like Roasted garlic potato soup. It is no surprise at this point that I love potatoes. I also love garlic and this marries the two perfectly.
Roasted Garlic Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 3 lbs red potatoes
- 4 c water or broth
- 1-1/2 c heavy cream
- 1/4 c red onion, diced
- 1/4 c roasted garlic cloves, minced
- 1 stalk celery
- 2 t creole seasoning
- 1 t black pepper
- 2 t garlic powder
- 2 t onion powder
- 1 t chili powder
- 1 t paprika
- Sour cream, shredded cheese, chives, bacon to serve
Instructions
- Rinse potatoes, cut them into cubes and put them into a pot of water. Boil until fork tender.
- In a large pot, saute onion, celery and spices until translucent. Add garlic and pour in water/broth.
- Once potatoes are cooked, rice about â…” of them into your pot of sauteed veggies. Throw in the other â…“ of diced potatoes. Mix well and cook on low for 45 min to an hour.
- Add cream and mix to combine. Cook for an additional 20 min with no lid, so the soup thickens slightly. Stir and serve with toppings.
I find that this soup goes amazingly with pretzel rolls or soft pretzels. But, I just like pretzels in general. The saltiness just works with the soup.
BBQ Meatballs
BBQ meatballs are a family favorite appetizer that comes together quick and can live happily in a crock pot for hours. Despite the name, BBQ meat balls are not made with BBQ sauce. It is a whopping 3 ingredients. Perfect for a quick snack that feeds a houseful.
You can just eat them with a fork or toothpick, or make it into an entire meal with rice and a veggie.
BBQ Meatballs
Ingredients
Supplies
- Crockpot
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 26 oz frozen, fully cooked meatballs
- 18 oz grape jelly
- 12 oz heinz chili sauce
Instructions
- Combine grape jelly and chili sauce in a bowl and stir. Add frozen meatballs to a crockpot, and cover with the sauce mixture.
- Heat on HIGH for 3 hrs, stirring occasionally. Let simmer on low. Serve on slider buns or over rice.
Savory Snack Mix
I’m one of those people that needs a savory snack with my sweet snacks. So, every year I make a savory snack mix and what I call spicy pretzels (a story for another day). That is the whole story. I’m not one to drone on if I don’t have to. I mean, I always skip the most of those blog posts anyway.
Chex Mix
Ingredients
Mix
- 3 c Corn chex cereal
- 3 c Rice chex cereal
- 1 c cheddar crackers
- 1 c pretzel sticks
- 1 c bagel chips
Seasoning
- 6 T butter or veg oil
- 1-1/2 T worcester sauce
- 3/4 t seasoning salt
- 1/2 t garlic powder
- 1/2 t onion powder
Instructions
- Measure the mix ingredients into a large mixing bowl, set aside. In a large microwave safe bowl, microwave the butter until it’s melted. Stir in seasonings. Stir in mix ingredients until coated.
- Spread onto baking sheets & bake at 250 deg for 1 hr, stirring every 15 to 20 min.
- Allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Classic Cheese Ball
Cheese balls are an easy classic that you can put on top of crackers, bread or veggies. I mean, I think there are few things you can dip veggies in… maybe ketchup, but French fries exist. I digress. Cheese balls are certainly your grandma’s classic; she probably made an iteration of this for every occasion.
Classic Cheese Ball
Equipment
- Spatula
- 2 Pieces of Plastic wrap
- Cheese grater
- Flat dish
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1 c cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
- 1/2 t ½ t worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 t ½ t hot pepper sauce
- 1/2 t ½ t dried parsley flakes
- 1/4 t ¼ t garlic powder
- 1/4 t ¼ t dried oregano leaves
- Dash of ground black pepper
- 1/3 c bacon bits see notes for alternative coatings
Instructions
- Place cream cheese in a bowl and mix until smooth. Add cheese, green onion, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and spiced; mix well to combine.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and gather it into a lump. Lightly grease your hands and form the mixture into a ball.
- Place topping on a plate. Hold the cheese ball in one hand and scoop the topping onto the outside of the ball, pressing them in lightly and turning the ball to coat all sides.
- Cover the cheese ball in cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow it to firm up.
- Take the ball out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before serving to allow it to soften slightly. Serve with crackers, pretzels, vegetables, or other favorites!
Notes
Puppy Chow Snack Mix
Puppy chow, muddy buddies, monkey munch. Whatever you call it, it is bound to be a hit. A sweet snack mix made with chex cereal, chocolate and peanut butter. And… if you’re me, a few extra sweet surprises in the form of candy coated chocolates.
This is by no means a secret family recipe. One year, I prepared it from the back of a Chex cereal box, and my aunt got hooked on it. Now, I’m contractually obligated to make it every Christmas for her. Only minor inconvenience of that is the fact she now lives across the country. So? I ship a gallon of this stuff to her in the south every year along with her yearly dose of canned Hatch green chile peppers.
Puppy Chow
Equipment
- Extra large mixing bowl
- sturdy spatula or wooden spoon
- 1 qt Microwave safe bowl
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- 2-3 gallon bags
Ingredients
- 1 box Chex cereal 9-10 cups
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1-1/4 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Pour cereal into the large bowl, set aside.
- In a quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter uncovered in 30 second increments until it can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla.
- Pour Mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.
- Pour a quarter of the powdered sugar into each gallon bag. Transfer coated cereal equally into each bag. Pour rest between each bag.
- Seal bags and shake until well coated. Open bags and leave to dry out for 24-48 hours.
