Cooking New Year’s Day Dinner (and a Farewell to Patti ❤️)

Arlene’s friend Patti co-starred in a LOT of At Home episodes over the years; more than any other guest on the show. But by the end of 2011, Patti was ready for a new adventure! She started Patti’s Pasticceria, a family bakery outside of Pittsburgh.

In this wonderful show, Patti and Arlene make a big New Year’s Day dinner, including gourmet mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, roast pork, kielbasa and hot dogs, spinach and artichoke dip, fried apples and raisins, creamed cucumbers, and golden fluffy cornbread. At the end of the show, Arlene gives Patti a kind send-off and shares some funny memories. Although Patti’s new bakery kept her very busy, she returned a few times over the years to bake cookies with Arlene.

Golden Fluffy Cornbread

Course Bread

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/4 cups yellow, white or blue cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square pan or 9-inch round cake pan with the cooking spray.
  • In a 1 quart saucepan, heat the butter over low heat until melted.
  • In a large bowl, beat the melted butter, milk and egg with a fork or wire whisk until well mixed. Add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt all at once; stir just until the flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Pour batter into the pan; use a rubber spatula to scrape batter from bowl. Spread batter evenly in pan and smooth top of batter.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm. Makes 12 servings. Enjoy!

Creamed Cucumbers

A classic salad that Arlene has made many, many times!
Course Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 2 long, slender cucumbers
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • Cold water
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 Tbs sugar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 Tbs vinegar
  • 1/4 cup milk

Instructions
 

  • Peel cucumbers and cut into slices 1/8 to 1/4- inch thick. Place in a deep bowl.
  • Peel onion and cut into pieces. Add to cucumbers in bowl.
  • Cover cukes and onions with cold water and add ½ tsp salt. Set aside.
  • ln another bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and whip thoroughly.
  • Drain water off cucumbers. Pour mayonnaise mixture over and mix to cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!

New Year’s Fried Apples

Course Dessert

Ingredients
  

  • 10 Macintosh apples
  • 1/3 cup raisins, optional
  • 1/3 cup butter or more
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar or more
  • cinnamon to taste
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Peel, core and slice apples in medium thick slices. If not using immediately, squeeze with fresh lemon juice to retard browning.
  • In a large nonstick skillet, add butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Place skillet over medium high heat and cook until syrup begins to thicken. Add apple slices and raisins if using, and stir often as apples cook. Apples should be soft and caramelized, but not mushy. Sprinkle with lemon juice and adjust taste for sweetness as some apples may need more sugar. Makes 10 servings. Enjoy!

Best Ever Spinach Artichoke Dip

This dip is very rich, chunky, and cheesy! Try serving it in a bread bowl.
Course Appetizer

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pkg frozen cream spinach (10 oz, each), thawed and drained
  • 2 cans artichoke hearts (14 oz, each), drained and chopped
  • 2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 cups Alfredo sauce
  • 1 loaf round bread

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a casserole dish, mix the spinach, artichoke hearts, cheese, mayonnaise, and Alfredo sauce.
  • Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly bubbly and lightly browned. Serve with crackers or chunks of toasted bread. Makes 12 servings. Enjoy!

Arlene’s Crockpot Sauerkraut and Pork Dinner

Course Main Course

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pork roast (4-5 lb)
  • 1 bag sauerkraut, drained and rinsed (or 2 large cans)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 red apple
  • 1 sweet onion
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • kielbasa, cut into chunks
  • hot dogs, all beef

Instructions
 

  • Place pork roast, kraut, brown sugar, apple onion and water into crackpot Sprinkle with pepper. Turn crackpot to HIGH and cook 4 hours.
  • Place kielbasa and hot dogs into pot and cook an additional hour. Add more water if necessary. Makes 8 to 10 servings. Enjoy!

Gourmet Mashed Potatoes

Course Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 5 lbs red potatoes, cubed
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • minced chives, optional

Instructions
 

  • In a large saucepan, place potatoes and enough cold water to cover potatoes by one inch. Place over medium high heat and bring to boil. Reduce to medium heat, skim off foam, and cover saucepan with lid. Continue boiling potatoes until fork-tender. Drain off all water. Place potatoes back on burner with low heat. Shake pan to dry up any remaining water.
  • Place potatoes in mixer bowl, or, if using a portable mixer leave in saucepan. Add salt and pepper to taste and butter: begin to mash potatoes to break up lumps. Continue beating until lumps are no longer visible. Add cream cheese, sour cream and chives, if using and allow to w hip until smooth and creamy.
  • Place potatoes in heated crackpot and keep warm. Crockpot should be set on low. Makes 12 servings. Enjoy!
  • Note: Sometimes your potatoes may cook up drier, or moister, in which case you would adjust the butter, cream cheese and sour cream. They should be very creamy. Delicious!

Transcript

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