Pumpkin Bread

It's getting to that time of year when pumpkins are available and cheap. So get on out to the market and buy fixings for yummy deliciousness!

PUMPKIN BREAD
1 ½ cups sugar (or half sugar and half molasses)
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ⅔ cups flour, sifted
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon each cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves (ground ginger is also good)
2 eggs
½ cup salad oil
1 cup pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients. Mix together eggs, oil and pumpkin and add to dry ingredients, stirring to combine. Bake 1 hour. Makes 1 loaf.

If you make this for your neighbors they will love you FOR. EVER.

Contributor: Karin Buck

Funeral Potatoes

Everyone has a different version of this recipe. This is how the Buck family makes 'em.

FUNERAL POTATOES
32 oz. bag frozen Southern-style hash browns, thawed*
2 10.5-oz. cans condensed cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup (Vanessa says mushroom is better)
1 pint sour cream
1 small onion, finely minced, or the same amount of green onions (aka scallions), finely minced
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese (the sharper the better, IMO)
¼ cup melted butter
crushed cornflakes and additional butter for topping**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. At this point you may sauté the onion in a little butter if you want to make sure the onion flavor isn't too overpowering in the final dish, but it's up to you. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except cornflakes and butter; turn into a lightly greased 9x13" glass casserole dish. Combine a generous amount of crushed cornflakes with enough melted butter to hold them together and sprinkle it over the top of the casserole. Bake 45 minutes or until bubbly and browned. Soooooo many carbs.

Serves 8 people or 1 hungry teenage boy.

*This casserole was originally created to use up leftover baked potatoes. If you don't have a bag of hash browns but you do have whole potatoes, you can still make this if you're willing to do a little more work. Peel about 2 lbs. worth of russet or red potatoes and cut them into small dice. Rinse off the excess starch, pour diced potatoes into a pot, cover with water and boil about 5 minutes or until they're just barely cooked (remember, they'll cook another 45 minutes in the oven). Drain potatoes completely and proceed with recipe.

**I've also made the casserole topping using crushed Kettle brand salt and pepper potato chips and butter. I thought it tasted pretty good, but Vanessa informs me that this variation is culinary heresy. For her it's cornflakes or nothin'.

Stolen from numerous Mormon farming cookbooks and tweaked to perfection!

Marshmallow Fudge

I know, everybody makes this one. Because it's WONNNNNDERFUL, that's why!

MARSHMALLOW FUDGE
2 ¼ cups sugar
¼ cup butter
1 cup marshmallow creme (or use about the same volume of mini-marshmallows)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup evaporated milk
16 oz. chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Butter an 8- or 9-inch square pan. In 3-quart saucepan, mix sugar, butter, milk, creme and salt, stirring over medium heat until mixture boils and bubbles. Keep at boiling point for five minutes, stirring constantly to make sure mixture doesn't stick to the pan. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and vanilla until chocolate is thoroughly melted. Stir in nuts, if using. Spread into prepared buttered pan, cool thoroughly and cut into pieces. Omnomnom.

Don't add walnuts if you're making these for Julie. They tear up the roof of her mouth.

Stolen from the back of the marshmallow creme jar.

Not Just Ordinary Carrots

Originally a way to use up leftover cooked carrots, NJO Carrots has become a common side dish at Thanksgiving. People tend to have... strong opinions... about the carrot-and-horseradish flavor.

NOT JUST ORDINARY CARROTS
6-7 cups cooked carrots
1 cup mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons horseradish
2 green onions
12 finely crushed saltine crackers
1/4 cup melted butter
salt and pepper to taste

Slice carrots into rounds and cook until tender.* Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, horseradish, finely minced green onions, salt and pepper. Drain the carrots well, mix them into the mayonnaise mixture until well combined, and turn out into a casserole dish. Combine saltines with butter and sprinkle over top of casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 8-10.

*If you want your carrots to retain their sweetness, cook them in barely enough water to cover.

I'm pretty sure this was stolen from Bonnie Mattson, but be sure to inform me if I'm wrong.

Cinnamon Beef Noodles

First things first: I AM THE GREATEST CINNAMON BEEF NOODLE COOK WHAT EVER LIVED! FEAR ME!

Now that we've gotten the formalities out of the way, the recipe:

CINNAMON BEEF NOODLES
1 teaspoon safflower or corn oil (I usually use peanut oil; it needs to be an oil that can handle high heat without freaking out)

Chile Cinnamon Seasonings:
6 green onions, trimmed and cut into 1½" sections
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (or you can press them)
4 slices fresh root ginger, peeled and minced
1 ½ t. hot chile paste (start with this amount and adjust if desired)
2 cinnamon sticks
1-2 stars anise

8½ cups water
½ cup soy sauce (or a bit less tamari)
2 lb. beef chuck or stew meat, fat trimmed, cut into 1½" cubes
10 oz. spinach, trimmed, rinsed and drained (I usually choose the easy method and buy prepared spinach for salad)
½ lb. flat Chinese wheat flour noodles, cooked and drained (use a fairly hefty noodle for this dish)
3 T. minced green onions or chives for garnish

Prep the Chile Cinnamon Seasonings and put them into a bowl. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until it's ripply-hot, about 30 seconds. Slap in the entire contents of the Chile Cinnamon Seasonings bowl and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Depending on how much chile paste you added, this process may make you cough and open the windows for ventilation. EET EES STRONG LIKE BOOL! Add the water and soy sauce and bring to a boil, then add the beef and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours, or until the beef is very tender. Fish out the anise and cinnamon sticks and discard, and skim the broth to remove impurities and/or fat.

When ready to serve, bring back to a boil. Add the spinach and cook just until it is wilted. Place cooked noodles into serving bowls and ladle the soup over them, or get totally lazy and just tip the noodles directly into the soup to serve. Makes 6 generous servings.

The flavor improves the next day, although the spinach doesn't look as pretty.

Contributor: Soozcat (shamelessly stolen from Nina Simonds' Asian Noodles)

Yoo-hoo!

Family dear!

Welcome to the Eriksson Conspiracy, where we share delicious recipes and plot to make sure that NO ONE HAS ANY FUN. EVER! But at least they're all going to be well fed, right?

If you have recipes to share, shoot me a message here (I screen all comments) and I'll get it posted in my copious free time.