As the holidays approach, whispers of all the best family recipes have been sweeping the office, with staff competing for who has the best family recipes, what were most excited for, and of course – a bit of time off.
While the The Martin Group’s office might quiet down in the coming weeks, our holiday appetites are certainly ramping up. We thought it was only fair to share some of our secret family recipes with our clients and friends alike. From starters to the best of desserts, check out our favorite seasonal eats:
Mary Kate’s Baked Brie – For When You’re Late to the Party
Brie Wheel of choice
Pillsbury Crescent Dough
Jam
Preservatives
Wrap brie wheel in Pillsbury Crescent dough
Bake at 350 until dough is goldent
Drizzle jam & preservatives of choice on top
Serve with crackers or by itself!
Marley’s (Mom’s) Bacon Weenies – For Post-Late-Night Grease Cravings
Package of cocktail weenies
Package of bacon
Brown Sugar
Line a casserole dish with tin foil or parchment paper.
Wrap each weenie in half pieces of bacon (enough to wrap around weenie once) and pin with toothpick to hold in place
Line weenies along casserole dish until full.
Cover bacon-wrapped weenies in generous amount of brown sugar
Bake at 375 degrees until brown & bubbly
Natalie’s Mincemeat Pie – For Cooks Who Don’t Cook
Store-bought mincemeat filling
Pie Crust
Heat oven to 425.
Roll out the pastry dough on 9 in plate.
Fill it w mincemeat then cover the top with more pastry and roll the edges and cook for 30 min
Rah (Davison’s) Apple Crisp – For When You Need a Holiday Classic
8 cups of apples
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 sticks of butter (softened)
1 cup of water
2 cups of sugar
1 ½ cups flour
Butter casserole dish.
Add apples and pour cinnamon and water (mixed together) over the apples.
Work the softened butter, flour, and sugar together until crumbles form – spread over apples.
Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
Eat accompanied by glass of milk, thick stout, port wine, or coffee/tea.
We always called this Steamed Pudding but the yellowed notecard my Aunt Sally has calls it Poor Man’s Pudding courtesy of good old Uncle Clarence. This is served hot, so the “hard sauce” (which is essentially frozen sugar and butter) melts over the spiced cake. According to my mom: this recipe never had directions, because “Everyone in those days knew how to cook.” But here is here is her interpretation:
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp nutmeg 1 cup dates (or raisins, but the real way is using dates)
Spice Cake
Combine brown sugar and shortening
Beat until light in color, approximately 2 minutes
Stir in egg
In a small bowl sift together flour, baking soda and nutmeg
Add in sugar mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour
Stir in dates
Spread into buttered steamed pudding pan
Put lid on pan and into simmering hot water
Steam about 4 hours
Serve hot
Hard Sauce
Beat ½ cup butter until very creamy, fluffy and light in color.
Gradually beat in 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar. Stir in 2 tsp of vanilla (or rum)
Serve cold, so it melts over the hot cake.
The Martin Group’s Spicy Party-Starter
Spicy Ginger Syrup
½ cup honey
Fresh ginger – sliced
½ tsp. cayenne
Mint
Bring ingredients and ½ cup water to boil. Strain and cool.