Merry Christmas, I hope you make the big table, and get extra servings of dessert.

Chili Dump Soup

I am sure most folks have a "go-to" winter soup/ chili recipe. Well so do we, and here is our version. It goes by many names, but we often call it dump soup, because many of the ingredients are dumped in. Get it?

• 1 Lb hot pork sausage, browned
  
• 1/2 Lb cajun sausage cubed and browned
  
• 1 large chicken breast sauteed and cubed

• 1 medium onion diced, sweated

• 1 red or orange bell pepper, diced and sweated with onion
  

• 1 box prepared chicken broth
• 1 can cut corn, drained
  
• 1 can black beans, washed
• 1 can white or navy beans, washed
• 1 can chili beans, unwashed
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 can diced tomatoes, do not drain
  
• optional: fresh garlic for onion sweat, to taste
• 1 package commercial taco seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

So, start with the meat and get everything nice and brown, drained and set aside. Sweat the onions, peppers adding garlic last until translucent in a large 7 Qt or larger soup pot, or dutch oven. Add a touch of flour and splash of oil and mix until there are no lumps in the flour. Add 1/3 of the stock to deglaze the pot then Dump reserved meat back in to onion mixture add the rest of the stock and reduce heat. Pour in taco and Cajun seasoning and stir to remove any lumps. Now start dumping the rest of the ingredients.

You can vary the meats and of course the beans to suit your taste, you can also use beef stock or vegetable stock in place of the chicken. I have been making this for years and no two batches taste the same. We keep it on the spicy side as its great when you have the winter sniffles or just need to have something warm inside.

Garnish with some fresh cilantro and a spoonful of sour cream. Grab a piece of cornbread and you are set.

Belly Scratching Corn Bread

Here is the Gillespie clan's cornbread recipe. If you even think of adding sugar then move along, that's Yankee cornbread. Your oven, skillet and taste may require adjustments to the ingredient list, I find that I rarely measure to exact amounts. Its an art and feel sort of recipe. Your cardiologist will thank me.





• Seasoned cast iron skillet (omit all the following if you do not have this)
• 2 1/2 cups cornmeal (stone ground yellow is traditional, white is gaining ground)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 4 cups buttermilk
• Bacon (grease) for skillet lubrication,
• Cooked bacon for crumbling in the mix (optional)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cut corn (right off the cob is great, canned is fine)

Place a good tablespoon of bacon grease in 12" cast iron skillet and put skillet in oven and set to 400° . When the oven reaches temperature, take out skillet and swirl to make sure grease coats entire pan, including the sides. Once the skillet is in the oven get to work on the steps below.

Combine cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder. If you are using self-rising cornmeal (why is up to you) omit the baking powder.

In a large bowl combine wet ingredients: eggs, butter (save a little for the top) and buttermilk. Add onion and corn and mix. Add this to the dry ingredients, mix until well combined, don't overmix. If you mix is overly "soupy" it will take longer to cook, and if it is too "stiff" it will by dry and crumbly when finished.

Carefully pour mixture into hot skillet. Drizzle the reserved butter over the top and return skillet to 400° oven. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Allow this to cool for 20 minutes, if possible, before serving.

Banana Nut Bread

Preheat Oven to 350º

1 Stick margarine or butter

3/4 Cup sugar

2 Eggs - large

3 Bananas ripe and mashed

2 Cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 Cup nuts - chopped fine

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix dry ingredients and bananas and eggs. Fold to mix completely. Over mixing will toughen the dough. Pour, dump and scrape into a well greased loaf pan. Place in middle of oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 300º and bake for an additional 50 minutes. Let cool in pan and then turn out onto a wire rack to complete cooling before slicing.

Options: Add 1/2 cup of dried fruits such as apricots, cherries, golden raisins.

Decadent Option: After bread is cool wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning slice and place in the toaster or under a broiler with butter. Add peanut butter to the crispy toast and enjoy. Seriously, its killer with a cold glass of milk.

Decadent Option 2: Forget the peanut butter and slather on the Nutella. Now we are gettin' serious.

Aunt Stella's Thumbprint Cookies

Another family favorite that should already be in your file. If not, here is a really good version. Surely the name says it all but here's a tip from Stella. After baking for 5 minutes pull cookies out and press your thumb in the center of the first cookie - they are officially thumb print cookies at this point. Since your thumb is now burned get a spoon to press a dimple into the rest.

COOKIES: 350º Oven (makes 2 dozen)

• 1/2 Cup Margarine or vegetable spread
• 1/4 Cup Brown sugar (dark or light)
• 1 Egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 1 Cup Sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Egg white
• 3/4 Cup Chopped pecans

FILLING:

• 1/3 Cup Butter cream icing, jam, compotes, preserves, or fruit curds for filling or 24 chocolate kisses

Mix margarine with brown sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Sift flour and salt. Combine dry with wet ingredients and mix by hand or mixer on low speed until smooth. Roll dough into 1" balls and dip into beater egg white. Roll coated balls in pecans and place 1" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes and follow instruction above. Return dimpled cookies to the oven and bake another 7-10 minutes or until golden brown (oven temps vary, but you knew that already). Cool 20 minutes on a wire rack and then decorate with icing, chocolate kiss, or other treats.

Making it to the big table

This phrase rings true more with the younger siblings out there. The older brothers and sisters won't understand. Around holiday time when the invitations go out and the head count is finalized the seating shuffle begins. In smaller families, less than eight, there is no sense in reading any further, you won't understand. In my case when we gather the number exceeds 20 so there is a necessity for more than one table, sometimes two or more smaller tables and that is the point of this article. Who sits at the "big" table is typically reserved for the parents, grand-parents, aunts uncles and if there is room some older siblings in birth order.

When I was a teenager this was not a big deal, I was at the smaller, (don't call it the kids table) table with my sister, younger brother and sometimes a cousin or two. We didn't want to sit at the "big folks" table. We were more than happy to sit around card tables in the living room and enjoy our meal in relative peace. As long as the food remained on our plates and not on each other we were pretty much left alone.

Fast forward, grand-parents no longer on the scene, aunts and uncles now living out of town and still I am at the small table around the holidays. The reasons? In-laws. Yep, the brothers and sisters-in-law have taken the empty seats. The older siblings have plopped themselves at the big table and drug their spouses right alone with them. Don't get me started about grandchildren with high-chairs taking up table space.

Still, I am OK with the smaller table reservations. During my college years I was happy to eat my weight in home cooking and my table mates couldn't have mattered less. Nope, the smaller table was fine. I didn't want to answer the endless questions from the grown-ups anyway. (topic of choice: haircut, girlfriends, grades, clothing, music, etc.) The smaller table was still way cooler. And if there ever was something we didn't like on the menu we could pile on whatever we wanted on our plates and pass off anything we didn't want on the plates of the younger ones who had graduated from sitting under their momma's watchful eye. They were so happy to be "independent" they couldn't raise any stink about another helping of oyster stuffing.

Skip to this week, as the family counts off and my folks start rounding up more folding chairs I am going to be sharing the smaller table with my wife of 3 years and eleven months, trying to explain yet again why we aren't at the big table. She is an only child born in Europe and not accustomed to our very odd seating rituals, and only tolerant of some of our holiday recipes. No there seems only two ways I will make the big table at the holidays: attrition (not such a happy thought) and a change of venue, meaning hosting Thanksgiving. Both of these are not likely anytime soon, my mother has been hosting the feast of the beast for the last 50 plus years and there are no signs this will change. She does farm out some of the cooking to those of us who are able, and she has taught most of us on which side of the plate the knife is located. So I will happily spend this Thanksgiving at a folding table enjoying a loud and chaotic meal with my family and I will look forward to Christmas when I will again be at the small table.

George's Potatoes

When your Mother gives you a recipe she got from her Grandmother, you can rest assured this is one good recipe. This simple dish is loaded with flavor and memories. It came from a time when grocery choices were not as abundant and food had more purpose. It also came from a time when men wore hats, ladies wore gloves, and gas was rationed. In other words, the good old days.
George's potatoes got its name from its greatest supporter, my Great Uncle George. When a family meal was presented he carefully positioned both himself and these potatoes in very close proximity. Smart man my uncle George. He was also fortunate to have a buffer at family meals and that was his Ruth, my great aunt. She was not the fan of the potatoes as was George, thus saving another portion that could make its way onto his plate. He never needed to worry so much, my Mother always made sure there was enough for George and all the rest of the assembled clan. There are no instruction on how to store these because if made correctly there will be no leftovers.

GEORGE'S POTATOES (AKA: Pittsburgh Potatoes)

• 2 Cups potatoes, medium to small cubed
• 2 Tablespoons finely diced onion
• 2 Whole pimientos finely chopped (canned)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ Cups grated cheese (experiment with types)
• 1 Cup white sauce*

• 1/2 Cup dry bread crumbs mixed with 2 Tablespoons melted butter

*White Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 Cup whole milk
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch white pepper

Mix butter and flour over low heat to make a blond roux, add spices and slowly pour in milk whisking to avoid lumps. Adjust flavor and use immediately.

PREPARATION:

Peel potatoes and dice, chop onion. Cook potatoes, onion and salt in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain. Put potatoes and onion in buttered baking dish. Make white sauce. Add pimientos, salt, and cheese to sauce and pour over potatoes. Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs over top and bake at 350 degrees until potatoes are soft and crumbs are lightly browned.

Note on back of this recipe. "This is an old favorite that Mother served with ham and green beans over 70 years ago".