Episode 13 Show Notes

OUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

Snowballs

½ C butter

2 Tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla

1 C all-purpose flour

1 C pecan pieces

¼ C confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the butter and honey in a mixing bowl and beat with a mixer. Add all other ingredients except confectioners’ sugar. Mix well. 

Shape into 1-inch balls and place them an inch apart on cookie sheet. 

Bake 10 minutes. 

When done, remove and allow to cool slightly. Put confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl (or large Ziploc bag) and coat cookies in the sugar. 

Makes 2 dozen. 

Jean’s Non-alcoholic Eggnog

3 eggs

2 C milk

¼ C sugar

1-2 Tbsp cream (optional)

½ t vanilla

Nutmeg (for garnish) 

Combine all ingredients in blender, except nutmeg. Blend until creamy. Garnish with nutmeg and enjoy. 

Note: If the idea of raw eggs weirds you out, you can purchase pasteurized eggs. OR, you can cook this. It must be done several hours before so it can be chilled. But if you want to cook it, you’ll combine all ingredients except nutmeg in a saucepan on the stove. Cook, stirring slowly but constantly, until an instant read (or candy) thermometer hits 160. Don’t go over this or it will start to thicken (unless you like it thick). Then chill overnight or for several hours. Blend before serving. Garnish with nutmeg. 

Serves 2-3. Double for a big family like mine.

Jean's Broccoli Soup

1 whole onion, diced (or shredded if you've got onion averse people in your house)

1 stick (1/2 C) butter

1/3 C flour 4 C milk (PW recommends whole milk; I use it if we've got it, but it works with 2% also)

2 C half and half

4 heads broccoli, cut into florets

1 pinch nutmeg

3 C grated cheese (I use milk cheddar, but mixing that with Gouda would be wicked good too)

salt and pepper to taste

chicken broth for thinning

Note on cheese: I grate mine. If you buy it pre-grated, they put something on it to keep it from sticking together. This may make it less easy to stir in and melt. I don't know because I haven't used it, but be warned that it might make the cheese harder to incorporate if you use pre-grated.

Melt butter, add onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then sprinkle flour over top. Stir to combine and cook 1 minute. Whisk in milk and then half and half. Add nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Make the broccoli. {Note: You can do this while your onion is cooking if you've got a lot of kitchen coordination going on. Or you can make it before you start the onion/roux/white sauce. Or you can take the white sauce off the heat when you've made it and make the broccoli.} Here's how you nuke your broccoli. Put your broccoli florets into a microwave safe bowl, add some water (let's say 1/2-1 C--you don't need a whole lot) and cover it with plastic wrap or a microwave safe lid. Microwave for 3 minutes. Stir (watch out--steam will pour out of it when you remove the plastic wrap; don't get burned). Put the plastic wrap/lip back on, then microwave for 1-2 more minutes if needed to soften your broccoli. When it's done pour off the water.

Now add the cooked broccoli to the white sauce you've created from the milk/half and half. Cook, stirring, for several minutes. Stir in cheese and allow to melt. Taste for seasonings. Add a bit of chicken broth if you feel it needs it (we never do). Pioneer Woman purees hers, but I like the chunks, although I do mash up/chop up the broccoli so that they're smaller chunks.

We serve it in soup bowls for special occasions, but any old bowl will do.