By the time this 2006 episode came around, Arlene had already made lots of Christmas episodes with ham, turkey, and even beef dinners. To do something different, she decided to make stuffed pork chops for Christmas. Combined with cheesy potatoes, creamed peas, and Jello salad it’s a fancy and festive dinner anyone could enjoy!
Arlene’s Christmas Pear Salad
This is a nice and easy, light and colorful salad to accompany Christmas dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 package lime gelatin (large 6-serving size)
- 1 can pear halves in syrup (15 oz)
- 1 small jar maraschino cherries, drained
- whipped cream (for garnish)
- pecan halves (for garnish)
Instructions
- Drain pear halves syrup into a 2-cup measure. Set aside. Place pear halves, cut side up, into a 9-inch square glass dish.
- Prepare lime gelatin according to package directions using 2 cups boiling water to dissolve thoroughly. For the 2 cups of cold liquid, add enough cold water into reserved pear syrup to make 2 cups. Combine with dissolved lime gelatin and pour carefully over pear halves in dish. Distribute cherries in pear centers and then sprinkle rest throughout lime gelatin. Cover carefully and chill until sets, usually about 2 to 3 hours.
- To serve, cut squares of gelatin salad and place on lettuce-leaf lined salad plates. Top with whipped cream and a few pecan halves for garnish. Makes 6 to 9 servings. Enjoy!
Cheesy Potato Casserole
This easy side goes with almost any kind of meat, and everyone loves it.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper (or less, to taste)
- 4 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4" slices
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Add flour and cayenne, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly.
- Layer half of potato slices, onions, salt and pepper, grated cheese and white sauce in order given, in a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Repeat layers. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until knife pierces potatoes easily. Makes 8 servings. Enjoy!
Holiday Stuffed Pork Chops
These fancy pork chops are a nice twist on a traditional holiday meal.
Ingredients
Stuffing
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/4 chopped red bell pepper
- 1/3 cup frozen corn (thawed)
- 2 cups prepared cornbread, crumbled (homemade or store bought)
- 1/2 cups golden raisins, chopped
- 1/4 cups chopped pecans
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 cup chicken brother (more or less)
- salt and pepper
Pork Chops
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 bone-in pork chops, 1 1/2 inch thick
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat, adding onion, celery and red pepper. Saute' until tender. Add remaining ingredients, adding enough chicken broth to moisten as desired. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
- Make a small cut on the meaty side of the pork chop. Insert knife to the bone, working knife tip back and forth to make a pocket. Making this smaller cut on the outside will help to keep the stuffing in better. Stuff chops with cooled stuffing, and set aside remaining stuffing.
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, brown chops on both sides in vegetable oil. Place browned chops into casserole and spoon remaining stuffing over the chops. Scrape bottom of skillet to loosen browned bits and pour drippings over chops. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until chops are cooked through. Makes 4 servings. Enjoy!
Arlene’s Creamed Peas
A way to spruce up humble peas into something fancy.
Ingredients
- 2 cans Le Seur petit peas (15 oz)
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1/4 cup flour
Instructions
- Place entire contents of pea cans into a medium saucepan. Season with salt and pepper and butter. Over medium heat, bring to JUST a boil.
- In a small bowl, combine cold water and flour and whisk until smooth, making sure there are no bits or lumps in bowl. When peas are almost boiling, while stirring constantly, pour flour mixture into peas in a thin stream. You will feel peas getting thick and the liquid will become cloudy. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Makes 8 servings. Enjoy!
Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms
These work well as an appetizer or as part of a fancy dinner.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup chopped flat parsley
- 6 oz cooked shrimp (chopped)
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup chicken brother
- 1 lb mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a baking sheet with sides.
- Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. transfer to medium bowl; mix in shrimp, breadcrumbs, cheese. Moisten with enough chicken broth so filling sticks together. Season with salt and pepper.
- Arrange mushrooms, rounded side down, on prepared baking sheet. Mound shrimp filling in mushrooms, pressing filling to compact slightly.* Place in preheated oven and bake mushrooms until tender and filling begins to brown, about 35 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 20 servings. Enjoy!
Transcript
The transcript for this episode is not available.
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