Joanne Fluke Christmas Bundle: Sugar Cookie Murder, Candy Cane Murder, Plum Pudding Murder, & Gingerbread Cookie Murder (87 page)

(You can do this in a 5-quart slow cooker, or a 325 degree F. oven)

This is Janice Cox’s recipe, and Eleanor and Otis swear it’s going to land them a son-in-law soon.

12 skinless, boneless chicken breasts ***
(or the equivalent)

2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup undiluted
(one can is 10
¾
ounce net weight)

1 can Cream of Chicken soup undiluted
(10
¾
ounces net weight)

1 cup sour cream

2 Tablespoons paprika

¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
(cayenne)

½ teaspoon onion powder

salt to taste

one-pound package wide egg noodles, cooked

***You can also use boneless skinless thighs, chicken tenders, or a combination of the three.

Spray the inside of a 5-quart slow cooker or a large roasting pan with non-stick cooking spray. Put the soups, the sour cream and the seasonings in the pan and stir them around to combine them. Add the chicken and make sure it’s covered with the soup mixture.

For the slow cooker: Cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours. If you’re in a hurry, cook on HIGH for 4 hours.

In the oven: Bake in a tightly covered roaster for 4 hours at 325 degrees F. Then take off the cover and bake for an additional 30 minutes or so.

Serve over cooked egg noodles.

Yield: Feeds at least 8, unless you’re talking about a threshing crew that’s been working the fields all day.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position

This is Loretta Richardson’s recipe. Her daughter, Carly, makes it every time she gets together with her old high school friends.

4 slices of bread, cut into one-inch cubes

1 pound leftover ham, cut into small pieces
(or thinly sliced deli ham)

24 spinach leaves, roughly chopped

12 eggs
(that’s a dozen, not a misprint)

1 cup sour cream
(or
½
cup sour cream and
½
cup cream cheese)

1 cup Half & Half
(light cream)

1 teaspoon ground pepper

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ cup chopped green onion

1 cup grated Swiss cheese
(or Cheddar, or Monterey Jack)

Grease a 9 x 13 inch cake pan. Sprinkle bread cubes over the bottom. Cover the bread cubes with the ham. Cover the ham with the spinach leaves.

Whisk together eggs, sour cream, Half & Half, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Set aside.

Sprinkle the chopped green onions in the casserole. Add the cheese on top. Pour the egg mixture on top of that, cover the pan with foil, and let it sit in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Take off the foil and bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F. for approximately one hour or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: Serves 6 to 8 people for brunch.

Mother says to tell you she has to give credit where credit is due. She got this recipe years ago from her friend Lois Meister.

8-ounce package lasagna noodles
(NOT cooked!)

32-ounce jar plain spaghetti sauce
(approx. 3
½
cups) (Mother uses Ragu)

1 cup milk

1 pound ground beef

2 Tablespoons dried chopped onion
(or one small onion, finely chopped)

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

6 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese

2 cups cottage cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 beaten eggs
(just mix them up with a fork)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons freshly ground rosemary
(or oregano if you can’t get rosemary)

Fry the ground beef until it’s brown and drain it.
(If you’re using the small chopped onion instead of the dried onion, you can fry that in the same pan and drain it with the ground beef.)

Dump the drained ground beef into a large bowl. Add the onions, spaghetti sauce, milk, salt and pepper. Mix it all together.

Grease
(or spray with non-stick cooking spray)
a 9-inch by 13-inch rectangular cake pan. Layer half of the dry uncooked noodles in the bottom of the pan.
Cover with one-half of the sauce mixture. Top that with one-half of the mozzarella.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, grated Parmesan, eggs, garlic powder, and rosemary. Fresh herbs are best, but if you can’t get fresh rosemary in your area, you can use dried.

Spread the cottage cheese mixture in the pan next, put the rest of the dry noodles on top of that, cover with the remainder of the sauce mixture, and spread out the rest of the cheese slices on top.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F. for one hour.

Mother sometimes puts this together in advance. She covers it and refrigerates it for six to eight hours before baking. If it’s chilled, allow an extra 20 to 30 minutes of baking time.

Luanne Hanks made this for the last potluck, and we all fell in love with it. It would be perfect for one of Mayor Bascomb’s tailgate parties.

3 packages cold cuts, 10 or 12 slices per package
(ham, turkey, roast beef, pastrami, whatever)

3 packages sliced cheese, 8-10 slices per package
(Cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, whatever)

2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach leaves
(rinsed and blotted dry with a paper towel)

2 teaspoons prepared mustard
(stone ground Dijon, honey mustard or whatever)

½ cup dried chopped onions

1 loaf frozen bread dough
(or mix up your own if you want)

8-inch round pan with 3-inch tall sides
(you can get by with 2-inch tall sides, but it’s trickier)

9-inch glass pie plate

cookie sheet with sides
(this can be a disposable if you like)

Let the bread dough rise according to package directions, but do it in a greased bowl instead of a bread pan.

When the dough has doubled in bulk, fold it in half and roll it out like a piecrust on a floured board. Spray the 8-inch round pan with non-stick cooking spray, set it on the cookie sheet, and drape the bread dough over it with the sides hanging down on the outside.

Put a layer of cheese in the bottom of the pan. Follow that with a layer of dried onions
(the onions soak up the moisture from the meats)
. Put a layer of meat on top of the onions and brush it lightly with mustard. Follow this with a layer of fresh spinach leaves. Keep layering cheese, meat, onions and spinach leaves until
your layers reach the top of the pan. End with a layer of cheese if you can, so it’s slightly rounded on top.

Bring up the bread dough that’s draped over the sides and carefully stretch it to cover your layers. Work from opposite sides, pinching it together so it doesn’t pull back. Think of a clock—pull 12 and 6 together and pinch them, then do 2 and 8, and finally 4 and 10. It doesn’t matter if the dough separates and there are some holes on the top. The bread dough will rise slightly during the baking, and all will be forgiven.

Spray the inside of your glass pie plate with non-stick cooking spray and invert it over the top of your pan like a little hat. This will help keep your dough from pulling apart and also provide weight so the dough doesn’t rise too much at the top and leave a hollow. Let the sandwich rest while you pre-heat your oven.

Make sure your rack is in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake your sandwich for 50 minutes, and then take off the pie pan hat. Bake it for an additional 15 minutes, or until it’s nicely browned on top.

Let your sandwich cool in the pan for at least 45 minutes to an hour before serving. It has to set so the cheese is no longer runny. Tip it out of the pan by placing your hand on the top with your fingers spread out to hold it and then inverting it. Place the sandwich on a cutting board or a large serving plate. Cut a pie-shaped wedge to start and then let your guests cut the size of wedge they want to eat. You can serve it with ketchup, horseradish sauce, pickles, coleslaw, and potato salad on the side.

This sandwich is wonderful cold or warm and it’s great for picnics. Just leave it in the pan until you’re ready to serve it. The wedges can also be heated in the microwave for those who like things hot. It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s not, and it’s definitely worth it.

Spray the inside of a 4-quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray

OR

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position

¹
/
₃
cup cornstarch

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon powdered ginger
(or 2 teaspoons finely diced fresh ginger)

½ cup red wine vinegar

20-ounce can drained pineapple chunks
(reserve the liquid for later)

¹
/
₃
cup soy sauce

2 cups chopped green bell pepper
(or one 16-ounce package frozen tri-colored bell peppers)

¹
/
₃
cup dried minced onions

4 to 5 pound boneless chuck roast
(or any similar cut of boneless beef)

4-ounce can of mushrooms
(stems and pieces are fine)
OR 1 cup fresh, sliced mushrooms from the grocery store

1 or 2 packets
(.88 ounces per packet)
beef gravy mix
(Mother uses Lawry’s Brown Gravy mix)

Mix the cornstarch, brown sugar, and ginger in a bowl. Stir in the pineapple liquid. Add the vinegar and soy sauce, and stir until smooth. Add the pineapple chunks, onions, and the finely diced green pepper.
(If
you decided to use the tri-colored bell peppers, just cut open the bag and dump them in still frozen.)

Prepare your slow cooker by spraying it with Pam or another non-stick cooking spray. Put a bit of the mixture in the bottom and then set the meat on top. Pour the rest of the mixture over the top, put on the lid, turn the control to LOW, and let it cook for eight to ten hours.

One hour before you’re ready to serve, add the mushrooms.

(Mother puts this in the crock-pot before she goes to work and when she comes home, it’s ready.)

If you’re late putting this up in the slow cooker, you can cook it at HIGH for the first two hours and then switch it to LOW. Using this method, it should take only six hours or so.

If you choose to do this in the oven: Grease the inside of a roasting pan. Follow the directions above and once your pot roast is in the pan, cover it tightly with heavy-duty foil.

Bake at 325 degrees F. for five to six hours, or until the meat is easily pierced with a fork.
(I don’t think you can over-bake this—if it falls apart, that’s good, too.)
Then take off the foil and let it brown in the oven for another 45 minutes to an hour.

Once the meat is ready, take it out of the pan or crock-pot and let it cool for fifteen minutes.

Sprinkle one packet of gravy mix in the liquid and stir until it’s thickened. Add another packet if the sauce isn’t thick enough. Keep the sauce warm in the oven or the slow cooker.

Slice the meat, transfer the slices to a deep platter, pour the thickened liquid over the top artistically
(Mother’s description, not mine,)
and serve.