Joanne Fluke Christmas Bundle: Sugar Cookie Murder, Candy Cane Murder, Plum Pudding Murder, & Gingerbread Cookie Murder (89 page)

Edna Ferguson used to make her meatballs by hand, until she came up with this really good mushroom sauce and discovered that no one could really tell the difference. She likes to make hers in the slow cooker because they’ll hold for a couple of hours that way, and they’re really easy to take to a potluck dinner.

1 five-pound bag cooked, frozen meatballs
(about 120 meatballs)

1 restaurant-sized can cream of mushroom soup undiluted
(50 ounces)

1 cup whole milk, Half & Half, or cream
(depending on how rich you want it)

¹
/
₃
cup dried onions
(or one large onion, finely chopped)

1 teaspoon Seasoned Pepper
(or freshly ground black pepper)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 envelope
(.88 ounce)
brown gravy mix
(just in case you need it)

Cooked egg noodles, fettuccine, mashed potatoes, or rice

Spray a 5-quart slow cooker or a large roasting pan with Pam or other non-stick cooking spray. Combine everything except the frozen meatballs in the bottom of the slow cooker or the roasting pan. Mix in the frozen meatballs, making sure the tops are covered with the sauce.

Cook in the slow cooker on low for 6 to 7 hours, or in a tightly covered roasting pan at 350 degrees F. for 5 to 6 hours.

Check meatballs a half hour before the end of the cooking time. If there’s too much liquid, sprinkle some brown gravy mix over the top and stir it in. If there’s not enough liquid, add more milk or cream. Check for salt at this time and add it if needed.

Finish cooking and serve over egg noodles, fettuccine, potatoes, or rice.

These can also be served as appetizers if you cut back on the liquid. Present directly from the slow cooker or roaster, and provide food picks and small plates for your guests.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F., rack in the bottom position

This is the turkey that Rose uses at the café for her hot turkey sandwiches with the mashed potatoes and gravy on top, and her turkey salad.

Note: DO NOT put stuffing in this turkey!!! The cavity must be empty except for gizzard, neck, & liver if you want to use them.

One uncooked
(doesn’t that sound better than “raw?”)
turkey, thawed, rinsed, and patted dry

A roaster big enough to hold the turkey

A meat rack big enough to hold the bird & small enough to fit in the roaster

If you want to roast the gizzard, liver, or neck, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and place them inside the largest cavity of the turkey.

Spray the rack and roaster with Pam or other non-stick cooking spray.

Spray the turkey with non-stick cooking spray. Salt and pepper the outside of the turkey. Place the turkey, BREAST DOWN,
(Rose knows this is unusual, just do it)
on the rack in the roaster.

Roast turkey at 275 degrees F., uncovered, for 23 minutes per pound.

Remove the turkey from the oven. Cover it loosely with foil and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.

Carve in the kitchen.***

***
Rose say this turkey doesn’t at all resemble that gorgeous brown centerpiece turkey that wives carry
out and place on the table for their husbands to carve. This turkey must be carved in the kitchen, and you’ll find the meat practically falls off the bone. You’ll also find that the meat is moist and delicious and much better than meat from a bird that looks gorgeous.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position

This recipe is from Stan Kramer’s sister Kitty. (When they were growing up, Stan used to tease that she was fated to marry a man named Katz.) Kitty says you can use pink salmon, but the loaf turns out looking a little gray. Red salmon’s more expensive, but it’s worth it if you’re serving this for company.

2 cans red salmon
(I used two 14.75-ounce cans)

1 cup finely ground bread crumbs
(or cracker crumbs or matzo meal)

1 cup evaporated milk
(or light cream)

2 beaten eggs
(you can just beat them up with a fork)

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon sage

½ teaspoon ground oregano

¼ cup melted butter
(
½
stick,
¹
/
₈
pound)

¼ cup dried chopped onions
(or
½
small onion, finely chopped)

8-ounce package frozen green peas

Spray a bread pan with non-stick cooking spray.
(The one Kitty uses is glass and the bottom measures 4-inches by 8-inches.)

Drain the salmon in a strainer. Prepare it by taking out the bones and removing most of the silver skin. Let it continue to drain while you mix up the rest of the loaf.

In a large bowl, mix the ground breadcrumbs, evaporated milk, beaten eggs, and seasonings. Add the melted butter and dried chopped onions, and mix well.

Add the salmon and the frozen peas, and mix it all up with a big wooden spoon.
(You may have to get in there with your hands to make sure it’s thoroughly mixed.)

Transfer the salmon mixture to the pan you’ve prepared, filling it to within a half-inch of the top. If you have any salmon mixture left over, shape it into patties, separate the patties with wax paper, stick them in a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer. They make wonderful salmon patties. Just thaw them and fry them in butter.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 to 1 ½ hours. If the top starts browning too rapidly, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top.

Let cool for ten minutes and then slice and serve. This is especially good with dill sauce.

Dill Sauce:

This sauce must be made at least 4 hours in advance (overnight is even better.)

2 Tablespoons heavy cream

½ cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon crushed fresh baby dill
(if you can’t find baby dill, you can make it with
½
teaspoon dried dill weed, but it won’t be as good)

Mix the cream with the mayonnaise until it’s smooth and then mix in the dill. Put the sauce in a small bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours.

A note from Stan’s wife, Lolly: This looks really pretty if you make a double batch of piecrust dough, roll half in an oval for the bottom, and hand-shape the salmon mixture on top of that, leaving 2 inches of dough uncovered around the outside. Roll out the other half of the dough, drape it over the top, and tuck up the bottom edges, crimping them as you would for a pie. Cut slits in the top and a hole in the center to serve as a vent, then brush the entire surface of the dough with egg yolk mixed with a bit of water. Bake it the same as you would for a regular salmon loaf and serve it as a “company dish.”

***THIS RECIPE MUST BE STARTED 3 DAYS IN ADVANCE!

Marguerite and Clara Hollenbeck bring this to every Lake Eden Potluck dinner. People start lining up early so they’re sure to get some.

3 ½ to 4 pound boneless beef roast
(rump or sirloin tip preferred)

Marinade:

1 cup water

1 cup vinegar

2 limes, sliced with peels
(or 1 lemon)

1 teaspoon ground cloves

10 whole green peppercorns

2 Tablespoons salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground Mexican oregano

For Later:

1 cup chopped onion

4 four-ounce cans mushrooms with the liquid

One .88-ounce package beef gravy mix
(enough to make one cup of gravy)

12 gingersnaps, crushed

16-ounce package wide egg noodles

Place meat in a glass or ceramic bowl that’s deep enough to hold it and leave two inches at the top.

Mix marinade ingredients together in a large saucepan. Heat until almost boiling.

Pour marinade over the meat, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 hours to 36 hours, turning the meat every 6 hours or so.
(Nobody’s going to time you—you don’t have to be exact.)
Or, you can borrow Clara’s trick and make double the marinade so it covers the meat entirely and you don’t have to turn it.

When the meat has marinated, place it in a greased crock-pot. Stir the marinade in the bowl and remove one cup of the liquid
(no lime slices.)
Pour this cup of marinade over the meat.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.

Remove the meat from the crock-pot and toss out the marinade. Put in one cup of chopped onions, and four 4-ounce cans of mushrooms
(stems and pieces are fine)
including the mushroom liquid.
(You can also use a large one-pound can of mushrooms, if you can find it or even 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup diluted with one can of water.)

Sprinkle in half of an .88-ounce packet of beef gravy mix, reserving the rest for later, and stir it all up. Then place the meat in the crock-pot, pour in enough water to just cover it, and cook it on LOW for an additional 2 hours.

Remove meat to a carving platter. Stir the juices in the crock and turn the control to HIGH. Crush the gingersnaps and add them to the juice. Stir, cover, and let the “gravy” cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
(If it’s not thick enough, add the rest of the beef gravy mix, whisk it briskly, and cook it for another minute.)

While the gravy is cooking, boil salted water and cook the egg noodles, according to the package directions. Drain them, butter them, and serve them with the meat.

Carve the meat
(if it needs carving—it may just fall apart and that’s fine,)
arrange it on a serving platter, and pour some of the gravy over the top. Sprinkle with fresh parsley, if desired. Serve the remainder of the gravy in a gravy boat or bowl.

Most people like to put the meat on top of the egg noodles and then pour on a bit more gravy.

Laura Jorgensen got this recipe from her friend, Dee Appleton, who lives in Texas. It’s wonderful!

1 package boneless chicken breasts
(skinless is fine—my bag was 4 pounds and contained 7 large boneless skinless chicken breasts)

½ cup butter
(1 stick,
¼
pound)

½ cup flour

1 Tablespoon Season Salt
(see Mrs. Knudson’s recipe on backmatter)

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon ground oregano

½ teaspoon ground thyme

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ cup dried chopped onion

1 Tablespoon parsley flakes

1 teaspoon sweet basil
(not absolutely necessary, but adds a lot)

1 teaspoon chervil
(not absolutely necessary, but adds a lot)

1 cup dry white wine
(or water with a Tablespoon of red wine vinegar)

Take out your largest frying pan and melt the butter on medium heat. Mix the flour, salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, thyme and garlic powder in a bowl. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and brown it in the butter.
(If there’s any flour left in the bowl, just dump it in on top.)
Do the underside of the chicken breasts first, so that when you’re finished browning both sides, the right side is up.
(This should take about five minutes per side.)
When the chicken is browned, sprinkle the dried onion, parsley, sweet basil, and chervil over the top. Then dump in the wine, turn the heat down to
simmer, and cover the pan. Let it cook for 45 minutes or until the chicken breasts are fully cooked.

Laura serves this with egg noodles and makes a sauce. After removing the chicken to a platter with sides, I pour in a little more white wine or water and cook the pan drippings for 2 or 3 minutes until they’re the right consistency. Laura serves this separately so folks can pour it over their noodles and chicken.