unorthodoxchef

To mix it up a bit and take a detour from my normal unorthodox activity on this blog, I have decided to share with you a virtual vault of my favorite holiday recipes and this is why….…

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays and it goes so much further than just the presents and the food. The sounds of the season and the trickling snow flakes falling on the grass makes for a perfect holiday season. Of course, being in Florida and not seeing snow for the past nine years has been a challenge. It’s hard to get into the holiday spirit when your staring a palm tree in the face all year round.

Side Dishes

Holiday Scalloped Sweet Potato Dauphinois

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs sweet potato peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove sliced in half
•  1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 ounce butter
• salt and white pepper

Method

1. Butter a shallow baking dish and rub the garlic clove all over the bottom.
2. Whisk the cream and the milk together.
3. Place one layer of sweet potato slices on the bottom of the dish.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Pour a a layer of the cream mixture over the potato’s.
6. Continue this method until there is no more potato or cream mixture remaining.
7. Bake at 325 for 1  hour and 15 minutes.

Note: If you’d like to speed up the process, precook the sweet potatoes to cut about 20 minutes off your cooking time.

Creamy Corn Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 can condensed chicken soup
• 3 cups fresh or frozen drained corn
• 3 tbsp butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
•  1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1/3 cup slivered almond (optional)
• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs

Method

1. In a medium skillet, saute celery, onion and red pepper in 2 tbsp butter until tender.
2. Remove from the heat and add the soup, corn, chestnuts, and almonds.
3. Transfer to a casserole dish.
4. Melt remaining butter and toss with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle on top.
5. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Entrees

Champagne Cream Roasted Chicken(Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup champagne or chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp flour
• Garlic Salt
• Lemon pepper seasoning

Method

1. Season chicken with garlic salt and lemon pepper and place in saute pan with butter.
2. Saute chicken for 2 minutes on each side.
3. Add broth or champagne. Bring to a boil; cover and let simmer for 10 minutes until chicken is fully cooked.
4. Remove chicken from pan and place on a platter.
5. Stir heavy cream and flour together before adding to pan.
6. Add cream mixture to pan and cook until thick.
7. Season to taste.
8. Spoon sauce over chicken.

Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Mustard Sauce (Serves 4-6)

Ingredients

• 2 Pork tenderloins
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp sage leaves
• 1 Tbsp thyme leaves
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• ½ Tsp kosher salt
• ½ Tsp White Pepper

Blackberry Mustard Sauce

Ingredients

• ½ cup blackberry preserves
• ½ cup Dijon mustard

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 Degrees.
2. Rub pork with sage, thyme, garlic, salt, and sugar.
3. Place in a glass baking dish and pour can of chicken broth around the edges of the pork.
4. Bake until desired internal temperature. Note: Pork tenderloin can be consumed at Medium temperatures but, that’s up to you.
5. Remove Pork from glass dish and place to the side.
6. Pour remaining sauce from the glass dish into a sauce pan.
7. Bring to a slight boil and add preserves and mustard.
8. Whisk until smooth.
9. Remove from heat and pour over Pork Tenderloin on serving dish.
10. Garnish with whole blackberries.

Desserts

 Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Filling recipe

• 1 1/2 lbs cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 5 eggs
• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 cup melted chocolate

Method

1) Cream the cheese’s  and sugar together with your kitchen aid mixer or an electric hand held mixer.

2) Slowly add one egg at a time. Let them incorporate fully.

3) Add the chocolate sauce in a steady stream to the mixture while blending.

4) Add the raspberries into the batter and fold mixture until blended.

5) Pour batter into a spring-form pan over your crust of choice.

6) Bake this cheesecake at 325 degrees for 2 hours in a water bath.

Almond Graham Cracker Crust

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup chopped toasted almond

Method

Blend all of the ingredients together is a mixing bowl and press into a oiled spring-form pan. Pre-bake the crust for at least 5-8 minutes on 350 to set the crust.

Graham Cracker Crust

If you need recipes for a simple graham cracker crust for your cheesecake here is the simplest way to produce the perfect outcome.

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp butter

Method

Blend all of the ingredients together is a mixing bowl and press into a oiled spring-form pan. Pre-bake the crust for at least 5-8 minutes on 350 to set the crust.

Granola Crust

• 2 cups granola
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp butter

Method

Blend all of the ingredients together in a food processor and press into an oiled spring-form pan. Pre-bake the crust for at least 5-8 minutes on 350 to set the crust.

For more amazing Holiday Recipes, check out Friends Revolution 

The Frozen Chicken Caper

This story has been told all over parts of Europe during the 1970’s. A person is caught stealing a frozen chicken which they have stuffed down their pants or under a hat. The person is caught only when the blood from the chicken starts running down their face or down their legs. Sometimes, they faint when the cold takes over their skin or chills their brain.

Green M and M’s: Sex Sells

Source

During the 80’s, people believed that green M & M’s would enhance your sex appeal and vigor.  Around 1997 Mars Inc, the maker of M & M’s, made a reference to the legend in their advertising campaign during Super Bowl that year. The rumors and folklore seemed to stick around considering the amount of gag gifts seen in places like Spencer gifts and sex shops around the globe.

The Kentucky Fried Rat

Coming from a person that’s been in the industry for many years, I have heard this legend time and time again. A customer, usually a women, buys a bucket of chicken and brings it home. She sits and eats a piece in a low lite area, and after she has eaten half a piece she notices that it has a tail. Of course, there has never been a documented case of this happening. However, stories like this, especially when we are discussing a huge corporate company, have a way of becoming bigger than they really are because of the medias obsession with contamination in restaurants.

The Red Velvet Cake

Source

Around the 1960’s, a rumor circulated that a restaurant goer at the Waldorf Astoria in New York asked for the recipe of their famous red velvet cake. They paid close to $100.00 for it. However, their secret ingredient happened to be red food coloring. The person was outraged, so they decided to circulate the recipe to hundreds of people. However, it did seem that the recipe was pleasing to many people so it found it’s way into supermarkets and cake shops. So next time, when you pay extra for that fancy cake at the shop or market, make sure you are actually getting the real thing and not white cake with food coloring.

Collagen from Unborn Babies as a Makeup Ingredient

During the 1970’s and 80’s rumors were floating around that collagen taken from aborted babies were being used for makeup manufacturing. The companies claimed that it was a necessary action so that customers could reap the benefits of youth. The Food and Drug Administration was quick to dispel any rumors, however they did admit that the protein from placentas were sometimes used. The use of fetuses for makeup production has never been documented in the United States. Furthermore, Ann Landers wrote an article in the mid 80’s that claimed the rumors were “garbage-thereby killing the claims for good.”

The McDonalds WormBurger

This is a perfect example of anti-corporate folklore. As many will agree, we love to make out corporate giants as being the enemy and most of the time they are. During the late 1970’s, a legend was circulating that the late Ray Kroc, president of McDonald’s at the time, was a member of the Church of Satan. Although, it wasn’t a legend anymore when he supposedly professed his beliefs on a national talk show. His name, which was foreign sounding and contained a K, always symbolized something sinister to many.

At the same time, rumors were circulating claiming the burgers at McDonald’s were made out of worms, with some alternative ingredients like sawdust and spider eggs. The stories of contamination were said to be the result of big corporations taking out local businesses and destroying the cultural landscape.

 A bakers dream or a Chef’s nightmare. These freaky and weird cakes will have all of your guests running for the door. So what does it take to make a cake like this? A whole lot of patience, a ton of red die, and some obscure creativity from the artist. So instead of making another boring cake from the box this year for Halloween, try your hand at a  scrumptious decapitated head, a moist brain with lovely gray icing, or why not some bleeding lungs. Oh so yummy…….. enjoy!

Source

Source

Source

Source

Source

Source

Source

Source

Source

Source

Many years ago, as I was reminded yesterday when I turned 32 years old, I was a member of the girl scouts. One of our field trips was to a McDonald’s in Ohio where we were given the grand tour of the restaurant and we were given a first hand look at what it takes to make a Big Mac and what makes it so unique.

The McDonald’s Big Mac consists of  two 1.6 oz beef patties, special “Mac” sauce ( Thousand Island dressing⁾, iceberg lettuce, American cheese, pickles, and onions, all served on a three part sesame seed bun. Hmmm, I want one right now.

Over the years, the Mac has gone through many stages  and variations. Of course, when it comes down to it you just can’t beat the real thing.

The Mega Mac

Source

The Mega Mac  has 4 1.6 oz beef patties and an extra slice of cheese.  It’s available in China, Ireland, Serbia, Japan, Turkey, Malaysia and Thailand, however it was discontinued in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, with limited availability in the United States and Canada.

 Monster Mac

Source

Here’s a heart attack waiting to happen.  The Monster Mac consists of 8 1.6 ozbeef patties and extra cheese. Discontinued in Germany.

Mckinley Mac

The Mckinley-Mac is made with two quarter pound patties. The Mckinley Mac was named after Mt. McKinley in Alaska, and also as the Bigger Big Mac, which is sold as an LTO product to celebrate the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

 Maharaja Mac

Source

Due to the large Hindu population in India, the Maharaja Mac was made with lamb instead of beef. However, it had now changed to chicken.

The Big Mac Wrap

Source

This new concept of a Big Mac wrapped in a soft flour tortilla in place of a hamburger bun is available in all Canadian McDonald’s locations, although Eat Me Daily reports that the wraps are also being tested in Houston, Phoenix, Milwaukee, and Michigan City. 

Mega Tamago

In Japan, there was a version with egg, called the Mega Tamago. This recipes called for the drop of one patty, with the trade up of an egg. It has since been discontinued and I have to say I’m glad.