A Final Feast for Orphan Black

Tonight was our final Orphan Black gathering. I'm so sad it's over, but it ended in a very satisfying way. As for our finale feast with my seestras, I was originally planning on doing something fabulously thematic. But I couldn't go to the grocery store to get stuff yesterday because my car died. (Boo hiss.) So I had to make do with what I had on hand. It was like my own episode of Chopped!

First, I looked through the freezer, and I found a spiral ham and a turkey. (LOL! Of course I did.) Now, I couldn't thaw a turkey by today, but I could make the ham (glazed with Dijon mustard and brown sugar). And I made fresh bruschetta for an appetizer (and bought crostini to serve it on from Hannaford's bakery). For sides, I had some of my favorite broccoli salad leftover from a potluck yesterday (based on a friend's mom's recipe), and I also unearthed a package of frozen hash browns, so I made what the Mormons call Funeral Potatoes. Funeral potatoes for the ending of my beloved Orphan Black seemed quite fitting, and all in all, I think I cobbled together an excellent feast!

The ham was about nine pounds and pre-cooked, of course. I pitched the glaze packet that comes with (I always do--I don't usually care for the spices they use), then all I did was slather the ham with Dijon mustard, coated it with brown sugar, wrapped it in foil, and heated it at 325 degrees for about an hour and a half (10-12 minutes per pound). It was sweet, succulent, and delicious!

Funeral Potatoes
(Source: adapted from Cooking Channel)

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1 medium onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 30-ounce bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, lightly thawed (I used cubed "southern-style" hash browns)
1 10.5-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (I used seasoned salt)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups shredded sharp yellow cheddar (I used 1 cup each Monterey Jack and cheddar, plus I added about 4 oz. of goat cheese/chevre)
1 1/2 cups lightly crushed corn flake cereal (I omitted the topping)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat two tablespoons butter over medium heat in a skillet. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about six minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant and softened, an additional two minutes. 

In a bowl, toss together the cooked onions and garlic, hash brown potatoes, condensed soup, sour cream, Parmesan, salt, pepper and 1 1/2 cups cheddar. Spread the mixture in a sprayed 9-by-13 inch casserole dish. Melt the remaining two tablespoons butter. Top the casserole with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese, corn flake cereal and melted butter. 

Bake in the oven until it bubbles around the sides, about one hour.

Party-Sized Broccoli Salad
(Source: adapted from Ivel Kelly)

2 bunches/heads broccoli, cut into florets
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup slivered red onion
8-10 slices cooked bacon, chopped

Cole Slaw Dressing*:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon granulated garlic, optional
squirt of sriracha, optional

Combine the first set of ingredients, then mix the dressing. Stir everything together and refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

*I usually make about half again as much of the dressing, depending on how big my broccoli bunches are.

HAPPY EASTER 2013!

It's a low-key holiday around here, but just because it's only me and the roomie, that doesn't mean we shouldn't have a proper Easter feast! First, I colored some eggs...because that's what you do.

Then I tried to make Polish Easter Bread, but I'm sad to report that it did not turn out well. The dough was WAY too soft, even when I kneaded an extra cup of flour into it. So I'm wondering if something was wrong with the recipe? Also, the heat from the oven cracked the eggshells and the colors bled, and it was just a big old mess. Oh well. Win some, lose some.

I also made a ham based on The Pioneer Woman's recipe, but with MUCH less brown sugar (one cup), and I used a bottle of root beer instead of Coke or Dr. Pepper. Also, I didn't pre-cook the glaze. I just whisked together the brown sugar, mustard, and apple cider vinegar, then glazed the ham with it right from the beginning, poured the root beer in the bottom of the pan, covered the whole thing with foil, and cooked it for two hours. Then I uncovered it and basted it with the glaze frequently until it was cooked through. Easy and DELISH!

Root Beer-Glazed Easter Ham
(Source: adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

1 whole fully cooked bone-in ham (15-18 pounds--mine was about 10 lbs.)
whole cloves (I skipped these--the root beer has a similar spicy flavor)
3 cups brown sugar (I used only one cup)
1/2 cup spicy brown mustard
1 can Dr Pepper or Coke (or root beer!)
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Score the surface of the ham in a diamond pattern about 1/8-inch deep. Place cloves in the middle of each diamond. Place the ham in a large roasting pan with a rack, tent it with foil, and bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours---or longer, depending on the package directions. (Some hams may require 3 to 3 1/2 hours at a lower temp; just check the package.)

Heat the brown sugar, mustard, vinegar and soda in a small saucepan until bubbly. Cook until reduced and a bit thicker, about 15 minutes. (I didn't cook the glaze ahead of time. It turned out fine even with skipping this step!)

After about two hours of baking time, remove the foil and brush the glaze on the ham in 20 minutes intervals (put the ham back in the oven, uncovered, in between) until it's nice and glossy. Remove from the oven and allow to rest 15-20 minutes before carving.

To go with the ham, I made another classic PW recipe, the same Spanish-style green beans I made at Thanksgiving (a new favorite around here!), and to complete the motif, a recipe for Potatoes Romanoff from a reader posting to PW's Tasty Kitchen site. I'm not sure how these potatoes are much different from twice-baked, just without the skins, but who cares? They are YUMMY! The main thing I did differently was to nuke the potatoes in the microwave, and then I sliced them in half and grated the flesh. So much easier than peeling potatoes!

Potatoes Romanoff
(Source: adapted from Tasty Kitchen)
 

3 whole large russet potatoes, unpeeled (I used six medium Yukon Golds)
2 large minced shallots
2 1/2 cups grated white cheddar cheese, divided (I used an aged Swiss)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups sour cream

Preheat oven to 425 F. Wrap potatoes in aluminum foil. Bake potatoes on a pan in the oven until done, about an hour. Remove foil and let potatoes cool to room temperature. Put potatoes on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. (I nuked mine, then grated them as soon as they were cool enough to handle.)

Grate the chilled potatoes including skins (I grated the flesh only.) You can use a large box grater or a food processor. Transfer grated potatoes to a bowl and sprinkle in the shallots, 1 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and pepper.

Use your hands to gently toss together. Then fold in sour cream.Transfer mixture to a 1 1/2 quart gratin dish, making sure that you don’t compress it. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. (I covered mine as I don't like browned cheese.)

Bake at 350 F until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Serves 6.

Lastly, for dessert I made a poppyseed version--adding 1/4 cup of poppy seeds--of my favorite Austrian tea cake with a simple almond-flavored glaze on top. DELISH!

Vanilla Almond Glaze
(Source: Food.com)

2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In a medium sized bowl mix all ingredients together until smooth. Add more milk for desired consistency. You may also use regular milk, but I must say that evaporated milk gives a WAY better taste!

Drizzle over desired desserts.