Holiday Recipes to Feed the Soul

Share a rich and filling meal with your family on your holiday gathering this year with any of these recipes, courtesy the Grafton Garden Club cookbook.

BBQ Meatloaf (75th Anniversary Edition Cookbook, 2006; Jan LaPointe)

1⁄2 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped

1⁄2 cup onion, finely chopped

11⁄2 pounds lean ground beef, 85% lean 

3⁄4 cup old-fashioned (not quick-cooking) oats

1 egg

1⁄2 cup BBQ sauce, divided

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine green pepper, onion, ground beef, oats, egg and 1⁄4 cup of the BBQ sauce, thyme and pepper. Mix lightly and put into a loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes. Spread the remaining BBQ sauce over the loaf and bake for another 10 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160°F. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Baked Chicken Parisian (Fran Bramhall) 

5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream of 1⁄2 cup milk

1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained

1⁄2 cup sherry or dry white wine

paprika

Place chicken in an 11 by 7 inch baking pan. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the soup, sour cream (or milk), mushrooms, and wine. Pour over the chicken. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake in a 350°F oven for 11⁄2 hours or until tender. Serves 5.

Scallop Casserole (Fran Bramhall) 

1 pint scallops

3⁄4 cup light cream

3 cups soft breadcrumbs

1⁄2 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon celery seed

Put scallops in a casserole dish. Pour part of the cream over the scallops. Combine breadcrumbs, butter, salt, pepper, and celery seed; sprinkle over the scallops. Pour the remaining cream over all. Cream should come 3⁄4 of the way up on the scallops. Bake in a 375°F oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve over rice.

Sweet Potato Casserole (a fines herbes Luncheon, 1967)

Make a sauce of 6 red apples, cored and sliced, but not peeled, 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 cup of water, and 1 teaspoon of caraway seed. Let the apples cook until they are soft but not mushy; avoid a runny sauce. In a long, narrow 2-quart casserole, arrange sweet potatoes from an 18-ounce can. Sprinkle with 1⁄2 teaspoon oregano.

Cover with 3⁄4 cup of brown sugar and 1⁄2 cup of raisins, preferably a Muscat type. Spread with the applesauce and pour in 1⁄4 cup sherry. Top with bread crumbs mixed with cinnamon or with just a sprinkling of grated nutmeg. Bake in a 350°F oven about 30 minutes, or until ingredients are well blended. Serves 6 to 8.