Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (115 page)

Carlsbad, NM

Old-Fashioned Stuffing

Elaine Rineer

Lancaster, PA

Rhonda Freed

Croghan, NY

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 20-30 minutes

Cooking Time: 5 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter

1½ cups chopped celery

1 small onion, chopped

12-oz. pkg. bread cubes,
or
about 15 slices stale bread

½-¾ tsp. salt

⅛ tsp. pepper

1-2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

2 eggs

1½ cups milk

1. Melt butter in skillet. Sauté celery and onion in it.

2. Meanwhile, spray interior of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place bread cubes, salt, pepper, and parsley in cooker.

3. Pour in sautéed vegetables, eggs, and milk. Stir together gently until well mixed.

4. Cover. Cook on High 1 hour. Stir.

5. Cover. Cook on High 4 more hours.

Tip:

This is delicious and an easy way to free up oven space for the rest of your meal.

Corn Stuffing Balls

Mable Shirk

Mt. Crawford, VA

Makes 4-5 servings

Prep. Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 3-4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 2- to 4-qt.

½ cup celery with leaves, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 cups cream-style corn, canned,
or
frozen

¼ cup water

⅛ tsp. pepper

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

8-oz. pkg. herb-seasoned stuffing mix

2 slightly beaten eggs

half a stick (4 Tbsp.) melted butter

1. In mixing bowl, combine celery, onion, corn, water, pepper, poultry seasoning, stuffing mix, and eggs.

2. Shape into 7 or 8 balls. Arrange in slow cooker. Pour butter over top.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 3-4 hours.

Serving suggestion: Serve with
gravy
and alongside
broiled meats
or
roasts
, or use as extra stuffing with
turkey
.

Mashed Potato Filling

Betty K. Drescher

Quakertown, PA

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking Time: 4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

½ cup diced onions

1 cup diced celery

1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter

2½ cups milk

4 large eggs, beaten

8 oz. bread cubes

4 cups mashed potatoes

1½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1. Sauté onions and celery in butter in skillet for 5-10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

2. Combine onions and celery, milk, and eggs in mixing bowl.

3. Place bread cubes in large mixing bowl. Pour vegetable-milk-egg mixture over bread cubes. Mix lightly.

4. Stir in potatoes and seasonings.

5. Spoon into greased slow cooker.

6. Cover. Cook on Low 4 hours.

Sweet Potato Stuffing

Tina Snyder

Manheim, PA

Makes 8 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped onions

half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter

6 cups dry bread cubes

1 large sweet potato, cooked,
*
peeled, and cubed

½ cup chicken broth

¼ cup chopped pecans

½ tsp. poultry seasoning

½ tsp. rubbed sage

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1. Sauté celery and onions in skillet in butter until tender. Pour into greased slow cooker.

2. Add remaining ingredients. Toss gently.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 4 hours.

*
To prepare a cooked sweet potato, wash, dry, and prick it at about 4 different places with a sharp fork. Lay on a paper towel in the microwave. Cook on High 1½ minutes. Turn over. Cook on High another minute. Jag with fork to see if it’s tender. If not, continue cooking for 30-second intervals on High, turning over each time, until tender.

Allow to cool. When you’re able to handle it, gently peel and cube.

Scalloped Pineapple

June Groff

Denver, PA

Makes 8 servings

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 3 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 2- to 3-qt.

1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter, softened

½ cup sugar

4 eggs

20-oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

5 slices fresh bread, cubed

1. Cream butter and sugar together in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

2. Add eggs. Mix well.

3. Add drained pineapple. Blend.

4. Fold bread into mixture.

5. Pour into slow cooker.

6. Cover. Cook on High 2 hours and then on Low 1 hour.

Serving suggestion: This is a good accompaniment to
turkey
,
ham
, and
chicken
, especially at holiday-time. Small individual servings add a bright sweetness to special meals.

Back in the 1930s, a doctor and his wife lived in Wausau, WI, where the local hospital served a large, mostly rural region. Many children in the area were pretty confined during the holidays. This couple baked and frosted cookies by the hundreds. Walking into their house was like going to Mrs. Claus’ kitchen; there were cookies everywhere. They distributed the cookies to the children on Christmas Day.