Literary Club

The St. Joseph Literary Club
would like to thank everyone for their participation in our first Christmas recipe contest. We had many delicious recipes to choose from!

All entries were divided into four categories: appetizers, main dishes, desserts, and "unique". So amny desserts were submitted that we doulbed the number of winners. Winners are listed below:

Appetizers
Holly Guay - Apple Fritters
McKenzi McNemar - Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Claire-Chapin Perilloux - Monkey Bread

Main Dishes
Jacob Schmaltz - crawfish or Shrimp Fettuccini
Reid Lambert - Lambert House Gumbo
Blake Vampran - Grammy's Bread Dressing

Desserts
Chloe Ernst - Sugar Coated Pecans
Logan Henley - Candy Cane Brownie Lollipops
Emily Waddell - Cherry Candy Cane
Lauren McKneely - Marshmellow Balls
Billy Walch - Oreo Balls
Savanna Barrient - Reindeer Pie

"Unique"
Jeb Kraft - Christmas Crickets
Nicholas Falcon - Christmas Milk
Paige Polito - Christmas Grapes

Winner recipes are listed below:

APPLE FRITTERS - Holly Guay
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups finely chopped apples
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp oil
powdered sugar
oil for frying

Directions
Stir ingredients until moist. Next, carefully drop batter by rounded tablespoons into hot oil. make sure you cook only a few at a time, turning once. Fry for 2-3 minutes. Drain. Sift powdered sugar over fritters.

Yields - about 3 dozen fritters

SPINACH and ARTICHOKE DIP - McKenzi McNemar
Ingredients
1 stick butter
1/2 white onion, chopped
8 oz sour cream
4 oz cream cheese
2 boxes chopped spinach
1 can artichoke hearts
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Monterey Jack cheese

Directions
Cook spinach according to directions on package and drain. Saute onions in butter. Mix in sour cream, cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese until creamy. Chop artichoke hearts and add to mixture along with the spinach. Pour into baking dish and add a light layer of Monterey Jack cheese. Cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with torilla chipas, salsa, and sour cream, in desired.

MONKEY BREAD - Claire-Chapin Perilloux
Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 pkg (10 biscuits each) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle pecans in bottom of well-greased 10-inch Bundt pan. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together granulated sugar and cinnamin. Cut biscuits into quarters. Roll each biscuit piece in the sugar mixture and place in prepared pan, arranging pieces to fill pan evenly. In small bow, stir together brown sugar and melted butter; pour over biscuits.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until dark golden brown and top springs back. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Invert onto a serving platter. Serve warm.

CRAWFISH or SHRIMP FETTUCCINI - Jacob Schmaltz
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups margarine
3 onions, chopped fine
3 bell peppers, chopped fine
1/4 cup flour
4 tbsp parsley
3 lbs crawfish/shrimp
1 pint half and half
1 lb Velveeta
4 oz mild jalapeno relish
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans sliced mushrooms and water
1 lb fettuccini pasta
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

Directions
Cook pasta al dente. Drain.

Melt margarine. Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Cover. Cook until tender. Add flour. Cover and cook 15 minutes, stirring often. Add parsley and crawfish/shrimp. Cover and cook 15 minutes, stirring often. Add half and half, cheese, jalapenos, mushrooms and water, and salt and pepper. Cover. Cook 30 minutes on low heat. Stir often.

Add pasta to crawfish/shrimp mixture. Toss. Pour into buttered 3 quart casserole. Top with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

LAMBERT HOUSE GUMBO - Reid Lambert
Ingredients
1 - 3 lb bag of yellow onions
1 bunch of celery
3 medium bell peppers
1/2 head of garlic, crushed
1/2 cup olive oil
1 pint jar Savoie's or Richard's dark roux
3 - 49.5 oz cans of chicken broth
4 bay leaves
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Tony Chachere's seasoning
1 1/2 lb andouille sausage, sliced
1 1/2 lb smoked sausage, sliced

Directions
First, prepare gumbo base. Begin by chopping vegetables. i use a food processor for convenience, being careful not to puree vegetables. Saute them in a 12 quart stockpot with olive oil until soft. Add roux, mix well, and simmer about 10 mintues. Add cans of chicken broth and bay leaves. Cook over medium high heat about 30 minutes while meat is being prepared.

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season liberally with Tony's. Brown in a large cast iron Dutch oven in about three batches. Place browned meat into gmbo base. next, brown sausage and add it also. Simmer gumbo about one hour. Adjust seasoning. Let cool and remove oil from top. Refrigerate overnight for best results. Serves 30-40.

SUGAR COATED PECANS - Chloe Ernst
Ingredients:
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 pound pecan halves
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
¾ tablespoon salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250º. Grease one baking sheet. In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy. In a large Ziploc bag, mix together sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add pecans to egg white mixture, stir to coat the nuts evenly. Remove the nuts and toss them in the sugar mixture. Shake them gently to cover evenly. Spread the nuts on a prepared baking sheet. Bake at 250º for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool. Store in an airtight container.

CHRISTMAS GRAPES - Paige Polito

Ingredients:
2 pounds of green grapes
2 pounds of red grapes
½ cup of white sugar
8 ounces of cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup of chopped pecans
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of sour cream

Directions:
Let the cream cheese get soft, then mix it with white sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix that with the grapes. When you are done with this, pour it into a Christmas tree shaped bowl. Then you are able to mix your brown sugar and your pecans and sprinkle them over the top of the salad. Now you are ready to enjoy your holiday friendly grape salad.

CHRISTMAS MILK - Nicholas Falcon

1. Get a coffee cup and pour in some milk.

2. Put the cup in the microwave for one minute or until hot (not
bubbling).

3. Put in some red or green food coloring. (You could try both!)

4. Add cinnamon.

5. Enjoy!

REINDEER PIE - Savanna Barrient

Ingredients:
1 graham cracker pie shell
½ cup of milk
6 Hershey bars with almonds
9 ounces of Cool Whip
18 – 24 marshmallows

Directions:
Place milk, candy bars, and marshmallows in the top of a double boiler and melt. When melted, set aside, and cool completely. Fold Cool Whip into the chocolate mixture. Pour into pie crust and chill in refrigerator for at least three hours or until ready to serve.

OREO BALLS - Billy Walch

Ingredients:
1 package regular size Oreo cookies, crushed
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 package white almond bark
1 package chocolate almond bark

Directions:
Using a blender or hand held mixer, mix Oreos and cream cheese together. Roll into walnut-sized balls. Chill for an hour.

Melt approzimately ¾ package of white almond bark. Stick a toothpick in an Oreo ball and dip it in the melted white almond bark. Allow to harden on waxed paper (about 15 minutes).

While waiting, melt about ¼ package of chocolate almond bark. When Oreo balls are no longer sticky to the touch, decorate with drizzles of chocolate and white almond bark. (Drizzling can be done by cutting a small hole in the corner of a Ziplock bag.)

MARSHMELLOW BALLS - Lauren McKneely

Ingredients:
10 cookies of any kind
3 cups of marshmallows
Chocolate syrup

Directions:
The first step is to take 10 cookies of any kind and place them into a plastic bag. Then you crush them with your hands. Once they are crushed, you should pour them onto a plate. Next, you take three cups of marshmallows and put them into the microwave until they melt. Then you take a medium sized amount of crushed cookies in your hand, and form them into a ball. Next, you take a little bit of melted marshmallows, be careful not to burn yourself, and cover the ball of cookies with it. You do that until you run out of either cookies or marshmallows. Once you have all the snacks on the plate you can cover them with chocolate syrup if you like. You’re finally finished!

CHERRY CANDY CANE - Emily Waddell

Ingredients:
2 packs crescent rolls
1 8-ounce package cream cheese softened
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 16-ounce can cherry pie filling

Glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk

Directions:
Heat oven to 350º. Unroll crescent rolls. Separate them into 16 triangles. Put 4 on the side for decoration. On a large flat pan, arrange 12 triangles in the shape of a large candy cane, with the wide ends toward the outside edge and the points toward the center. Press seams together to seal the dough.

For filling, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg, and vanilla. Spread the mixture over the dough to shape of candy cane. Top cream cheese with cherry pie filling.

Cut each remaining triangle into thirds. Arrange the dough strips evenly in spoke-like fashion over the filling. Press ends to seal at edges. Bake 25 minutes until golden brown. For glaze, mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth and drizzle over candy cane.

CANDY CANE BROWNIE LOLLIPOPS - Logan Henley

Ingredients:
1 package (18-21 oz) fudge brownie mix (plus ingredients to
make brownies
24 candy canes
10 ounces chocolate-flavored almond bark
Additional decorations, such as red jimmies (optional)

Directions:
1. Line medium sheet pan (or 9 x 13 in metal pan) with a 13 inch piece of
parchment paper. Lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Pour batter into
pan. Bake 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes
out with moist crumbs attached. Remove from oven to a stackable cooling
rack. Cool 20 minutes or until slightly warm.

2. Meanwhile, cut straight ends of candy canes off to form 4 ½ inch sticks
using a utility knife. Place candy cane tops into resealable plastic bag and
crush using the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Set aside.

3. Using a medium scoop, scoop brownie into 24 rounded scoops, packing the
brownie with your hands (entire brownie will be used). roll brownie scoops
into smooth balls. Insert candy cane sticks into centers of balls,
mounding brownie around each stick to secure. Pinch each brownie ball
where candy cane and top of ball meet.

4. Place almond bark into small batter bowl. Microwave according to
package directions until smooth. Spoon melted bark evenly over each
brownie ball, turning to coat completely. Be sure to coat where candy
cane stick meets brownie ball. Allow access bark to drip off. Dip into
reserved crushed candy canes or jimmies and stand upright on a piece of
parchment paper. Repeat for each. Let stand until set and serve in
miniature cupcake liners.

Literary Club sponsor is Mrs. Sandy Gaines.

Literary Club

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