Edna’s Holiday Buzz

Bev’s Baked Beans were a real crowd pleaser at my Backyard Potluck party and serves lots of hungry folks.

Ingredients:

• 4         16 oz cans of your favorite brand Baked Beans
• 1         20 oz  can crushed pineapple fresh, drained
• 1 c     molasses
• 1 c    BBQ sauce
• 2 Tbs yellow or brown mustard
• 5 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
• 1       6 oz can french fried onion rings Crushed
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method 1: Combine all above ingredients and put in crock pot on low for at least 2 hours.

Method 2: Heat oven to 350 degrees

• Reserve 1/3 of the crushed onion rings
• Combine all the remaining ingrediants and put in covered baking dish. Bake in oven for 1 hour. 
•  When ready to serve sprinkle top with crushed onion rings.

Recipe shared by: Bev Osborne

http://ednasholidayplace.com/store/page2.html

  Live eBay Selling classes

Presented by Patricia Coleman (me)

Long Beach, CA

Education Specialist, trained by eBay.

Tomato Bruschetta

Recipe from my dear friend and great cook;  Linda Holcolm

Ingredients; combine the following, cover and chill.

• 6       Plum Tomatoes – cut to 1/4 inch pieces
• 20    large leave fresh basil, sliced thin
• 4      cloves fresh garlic diced ( use as much or as little as you like)
• 3 TBS  extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste.

1    loaf french bread baguette sliced diagonally in 3/8″  width

Toast in oven, on cookie sheet

Serve tomato mixture in bowl, on a platter with a serving spoon. Scatter toast on platter.

Serves 8-10

These were a big hit at my recent Backyard Potluck Party and would travel well for a tailgating event.

This recipe is from my friend Doris Trait who got it from her Granddaughter, Jennifer Shaw.

Easy Cheesy Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1   can cream of chicken soup
• 3   green onions finely chopped
• 1   2 lb. bag frozen hash browns
• 1 pt. sour cream
• 2-3  cups grated cheese, (use your favorites)

Instructions:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees,  have ready a 9″x 13″ baking dish
• Melt butter in saucepan, add undiluted soup, mix and heat thoroughly
• Reserve 1/2 cup cheese for topping
• In a large bowl, place hash browns,  onions and cheese and toss to distribute evenly
• Add sour cream and butter/soup mixture and combine
• Spray the dish with vegetable spray
• Spoon mixture into a 9″ x 13″ baking dish and
• Bake, uncovered,  for 45 minutes or until the top is lightly brown.

Thanks Doris and Jennifer!

Patty Coleman

www.ednasholidayplace.com

Sweet and Tangy Tri Colored Pasta Salad

• 1 box tri colored Rotini Pasta (spiral) Cook, al dente, as per box instructions
• 1/2 -1 stalk celery chopped 1/8-1/4 inch
• 1 small sweet onion chopped small 1/8 to 1/4 inch
• 12 oz crab leg meat or shrimp (both if you like)

Dressing; Mix together

• 1 cup Marzetti coleslaw dressing (or your favorite brand)
• 1/2 cup Miracle Whip Salad dressing
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Combine the cooked pasta with celery, onion, seafood and toss with dressing mixture.

Cover and refrigerate.

Serves 8-20–depending on how many other dishes are at the potluck.

From the recipe file of my friend: Susan McVay

Mediterranean Yogurt Cheese Spread

This has been a favorite dish with my family, friends and neighbors for many years.  No cooking — just assembling!

Ingredients;

• one  32 oz carton of Low Fat Plain Yogurt.  The natural type without gelatin.
• 2-3 T Sun Dried tomatoes chopped in 1/8 to 1/4 bits. I use the kind preserved in olive oil.
• 2 T Pesto Sauce
• 2-3 T chopped Kalamata olives, olive Tapenade or your favorite
• Optional; red pepper flakes

One day or the night before;

• Line a medium to large strainer with coffee filters.
• Add entire contents of yogurt.
• Cover with more coffee filters. Place a plate over yogurt to weigh it down
• Place  strainer, with yogurt, over glass bowl to catch the whey and then place in the refrigerator.
• The yogurt should reduce by 1/2 the container size.

Line a 6″ x 2″ +/- dish with plastic wrap. Leave enough plastic wrap to cover the top. This will help release the torte from the dish when it is inverted onto the serving platter.

Begin layering:

1. On the bottom of the dish place a scattering of tomatoes, olives and pesto.
2. Cover width of dish with a layer of yogurt cheese
3. Spread a layer of tomatoes
4.  and make certain that you can see each layer  from the side
5. Add another layer of Yogurt cheese
6. Layer of pesto
7. Layer of Yogurt cheese
8. Layer of olives (add pepper flakes if you desire)
9. Finish with Yogurt cheese
10. Cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate until party time.  To serve open plastic wrap,

• place a plate over the top of the container
• flip it over,  remove plastic wrap and add a couple of butter knives.
• Serve with whole grain crackers

This can be made several days in advance. Leftover torte is great on salads and sandwiches.

Recipe from:

Patty Coleman

www.ednasholidayplace.com

Artichoke Parmesan Spread

Another quick and easy recipe for any gathering. It is great cold, warm or straight from the oven.

1. one 15 oz. can artichoke hearts in water.  Drain the water.
2. 3/4 cup Mayonnaise
3. 3/4 cup Grated Parmesan
4. 1/8 tsp. white ground pepper
5. Paprika

Place first four ingredients in a food processor an pulse until smooth.

Put in a covered baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Uncover and return to oven for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and lightly dust with paprika.

Serve with your favorite buttery cracker.

http://stores.ebay.com/Ednas-Holiday-Place_Dining-Cookie-Jars  Check this for a Tuscan Style platter, dip bowl and pitcher set.

My neighbor, Dana brought this dip to my recent backyard potluck party. Only two (or three) ingrediants, this easy Chili Cheese dip was yummy on chips and crackers.

• one  8 oz.  package of cream cheese
• one 15 oz. can of your favorite chili beans.  (Dana used Hormel)
• Optional; add your favorite hot sauce to taste. (Tabasco)

Bring cream cheese to room temperature.   Add all to a bowl and mix until creamy.

Enjoy!!

Oven Roasted Smoked Brisket of Beef

• 5 lb Beef Brisket
• One large onion sliced 1/4 “. (I like red or Vidalia)
• 1/2 C. Worcheshire Sauce, 2-4 drops liquid smoke
• Your favorite rub. I use Old Bay Seasoning, garlic granules and ground pepper.
• Olive Oil

Bring meat to room temp.

Preheat oven to 225 degrees

Rub olive oil on meat and then the seasonings

Rub in Woscheshire Sauce and liquid smoke mixture

Place onions in bottom of baking pan

Place meat fat side down on onions

Cover Pan with foil

Place on middle rack of oven and bake for 6 hours.

• This will make Au Jus.

Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

Slice thin for sandwiches.

Serve with small rolls and Au Jus for dipping.

Note:

• Serves 10-12 (probably more if you have a lot of other dishes)
• I find that small sandwiches fit on the plate better and save room for all the other side dishes.

Enjoy,

Patty

www.ednasholidayplace.com

Entertaining doesn’t have to stop when money is tight.  As we all find way’s to scale back on our expenses, we find that a simple life can have forgotten benefits. Socializing with family and friends, at home, instead of a restaurant saves lots of money and allows for more relaxed conversations and fun.

Start with a Potluck party. Lunch, Dinner, BBQ, it’s up to you.

I am taking my own advise and hosting a Backyard Potluck party.  My friends are very enthusiastic.  This gives everyone a chance to bring their favorite dish.  For those who don’t cook, they bring drinks, bread, ice, paper plates etc.   

Every potluck party I have is better than the last.  The food is ALWAYS great,  the conversations lively and my friends take over the clean up!!  Fabulous!!

We play a form of cutthroat croquet.    Since no one wants to read the rule booklet, it seems the rules change as the game proceeds.  Lots of  fun and laughs.  However for those who are very competitive, reading the rules might be a good idea.

This year,  I purchased a digital projector for use in teaching my “How to Sell on eBay” courses. ( I am an Education Specialist; trained by eBay.)  It seems like a good time show a movie in the backyard.  Of course, being somewhat technologically challenged, I will have to enlist the help of  my friends with the VCR/CD  and speaker connections.  The set up of the equipment should be as much fun as watching the movie.

The party is in 10 days. I have scheduled the completion my “spring cleaning”  to coincide with the arrivals of the party guests.  Another benifit to having company: it  is always a” Stimulas Plan” for household  fixups.

I am asking my friends to share the recipe for each dish they bring.  After the party, I’ll enter them in the “Recipe Exchange” catagory.

Your recipes and party suggestions are always welcomed. 

Wishing you joy,

Patty Coleman

www.ednasholidayplace.com