The ladies at CGN love to cook, and we each have our go-to holiday favorites. So a few of us pulled out our aprons and dug through our recipe cards to find the ones our families look forward to the most. We are happy to share our joy with you, using some of our tested and treasured menu selections from appetizers to dessert.

Appetizers

Sherry Schumann presents this easy appetizer to kick-start the taste buds before the main event, or later in the day after guests toss around a football.

Best Sausage Dip Ever 

Ingredients:

2 (16 ounce) rolls of Jimmy Dean sausage
2 (10 ounce) cans of Rotel original diced tomatoes and chilies, drained
2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese
1 bag of your favorite corn chips

Directions:

1. Soften the cream cheese.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Cook, drain, and crumble sausage.
4. Combine cream cheese, sausage, and Rotel in a mixing bowl. Beat until smooth.
5. Pour cream cheese mixture into a 13×9 inch Pyrex dish.
6. Bake until mixture is bubbly.
7. Serve with your favorite corn chips.

Terri Sherrow uses this condiment as an appetizer dip with pretzels or for leftover turkey or pork sandwiches.

Hot Mustard

Ingredients:

1 cup dry mustard
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, well beaten

Directions:

1. Mix the mustard and vinegar. Allow it to stand overnight.
2. The next day, add the sugar and eggs.
3. Cook over medium heat until slightly thick (coats a spoon).

Terri Sherrow likes this appetite pleaser because, well, everything is better with bacon! 

Chestnut Wraps

Ingredients:

Whole water chestnuts
Bacon, thick sliced

Directions:

1. Wrap bacon around the water chestnuts and stick with a toothpick. 
2. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until bacon is done.

Salads

Sherry Schumann likes this salad that can be made ahead and served with the main meal or with sandwiches later in the day.

Seven-Layer Salad

Ingredients:

1 head of lettuce or assorted greens, rinsed and chopped
Six green onions thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, diced
12 ounces frozen peas, thawed
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped or sliced
1 cup of mayonnaise
Pinch of dried dill
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
½ pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

1. Spread the lettuce on the bottom of a glass bowl.
2. Spread the onions, celery, and peas on top of the lettuce in separate layers.
3. Add the hardboiled eggs on top of the lettuce and layered vegetables.
4. Add the dill and sugar to the mayonnaise. Mix well.
5. Spread the mayonnaise mixture on top of the 
6. Sprinkle the cheese on top of mayonnaise mixture.
7. Sprinkle bacon on top of cheese.
8. Cover and refrigerate for up to eight hours.
9. Toss before serving.

Bev Phillips finds this recipe from her sister in Virginia to be a healthier option to traditional jello “salads” served with holiday meals.

Broccoli-Orange Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups broccoli (or cauliflower) florets
1 small purple onion (thinly sliced & separated into rings or in thin chunks)
½ cup raisins
½ cup chopped pecans
¾ cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
¼ cup sugar
1-½ tablespoons white vinegar 
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained

Directions:

1. Combine broccoli, onion, raisins, and pecans in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar. Mix into broccoli ingredients.
3. Gently stir in mandarin oranges.
4. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours or more before serving.

Main Dishes

Barb Howe finds this recipe perfect for small gatherings with an elegant twist, or when multiple main-course options are offered.

Lemon Pepper Cornish Hens

Ingredients:

¼ cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons Montreal steak seasoning
2 tablespoons lemon-pepper seasoning
1-½ teaspoons dried rosemary
1-½ teaspoons dried thyme
1-½ teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
4 Cornish Hens, (1-¼ – 1-½ pounds each)

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine butter, Montreal steak seasoning, lemon-pepper seasoning, rosemary, thyme, sage, and granulated garlic with melted butter.
2. Brush seasoned butter under the breast skin of game hens, in the cavities, and all over the outside.
3. Place hens, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Roast until hens reach 170 degrees in a thigh, basting with pan juices occasionally, (Approximately 70 to 90 minutes.)
4. Tent lightly with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. These hens can be served whole for a gathering of 4, or split in half to make 8 servings.

Note: To reheat, place hens on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake in a 400 degree oven until heated through, approximately 15 minutes.

Barb Howe enjoys the ease of preparing this perennial favorite dish.

Standing Rib Roast with Horseradish Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

1 standing rib roast of beef (6-½ pounds, 3 ribs)
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
Coarse (kosher) salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup prepared horseradish, drained
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Pinch of sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. With the tip of a paring knife, make small slits all over the roast and insert the garlic slivers. Rub the roast with salt and pepper; place on rack in a shallow pan. Roast for 25 minutes.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and roast the meat until an instant-read thermometer registers 135 degrees to 140 degrees for medium-rare, about 1-½ hours. Let the meat rest before carving.
3. The make the Horseradish Cream Sauce, whip the cream in a bowl until it forms soft peaks.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, horseradish, and mustard.
5. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream. Add the sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir well and transfer to a serving bowl.
6. Serve sliced roast with Horseradish Cream Sauce.

Side Dishes

Sherry Schumann serves the Macaroni-n-Cheese recipe handed down through generations of her husband’s family.

Great-Grandma Schumann’s Macaroni-n-Cheese

Ingredients:

2 cups dry macaroni, cooked and drained
1 ¾ cup milk
1 egg
1-pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon dry ground mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together all the ingredients.
3. Place the ingredients in a greased casserole dish.
4. Optional: Add one cup of shredded cheese on top.
5. Sprinkle with paprika.
6. Cover the casserole dish with foil and place it in the oven.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, covered.
8. Uncover and continue baking for 30 minutes more.

Barb Howe prepares this simple, light side dish to accompany heavier meals.

Savory Italian Asparagus

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh asparagus
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
⅛ teaspoon dried whole oregano
⅛ teaspoon dried whole thyme
⅛ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Snap off tough ends of asparagus. Remove scales with a knife or vegetable peeler, if desired. Cover and cook in a small amount of boiling water for 4 minutes until crisp-tender.
2. Drain; arrange on a serving platter; keep warm.
3. Combine tomato and next four ingredients in a small bowl; stir well. Spoon tomato mixture over asparagus; sprinkle with cheese.

Terri Sherrow thinks this dish is great straight from the oven or served cold.

Pineapple Casserole

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼  tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can pineapple chunks, 20-oz, drained, (reserve 1/4 cup of juice for topping)
1 can crushed pineapple, 20-oz, drained
2 cups Ritz cracker crumbs
1 stick butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk together sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a large bowl. 
3. Add cheese and gently stir to combine. 
4. Add drained pineapple and stir again gently to combine well. 
5. Put pineapple mixture in a greased casserole dish.
6. In a separate bowl, mix melted butter, cracker crumbs and pineapple juice by stirring gently with a spoon. 
7. Sprinkle buttery crumb mixture evenly over the top of the pineapple mixture.
8. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling around the edges.

Joe’s Classic Bread Dressing

Barb Howe shares this classic bread dressing recipe that her chef son first prepared for a family gathering, delighting the senses with fresh herbs.

Ingredients:

2 baguettes, country, or sourdough bread
8 tablespoons butter, divided, plus more for buttering baking dish
2 onions, chopped
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
½ tablespoon freshly chopped sage
½ tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
½ tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup freshly chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Directions:

1. Tear or slice bread into cubes and leave out overnight to dry. (Alternatively, place cut or torn bread on a baking pan and bake at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a large baking dish. 
3. IN a large skillet over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add onion and celery. Cook until soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, sage, thyme, and rosemary. Cook until fragrant, about one minute more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Stir in remaining 5 tablespoons of butter and parsley.
5. Place dried bread in a large bowl and add skillet mixture and chicken broth.
6. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until the top is golden.
7. Garnish with extra parsley before serving.

Desserts

Sherry Schumann frequently makes this crowd-pleasing custard pie.

Coconut Pie

Ingredients:

3 eggs, beaten lightly
1-½ cups sugar
¾ stick melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 cups coconut
1 unbaked pie shell

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all the ingredients.
3. Pour the mixture into the pie shell.
4. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown on the top. Serve warm or chilled.

Bev Phillips estimates she has made about 450 of these Sweet Potato Pies during her 50+ years of marriage using a recipe her mother-in-law gave her as a newlywed.

Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:

4 large sweet potatoes
4 eggs
1-½ cans evaporated milk
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sugar
1 stick butter or margarine
2 deep dish pie shells

Directions:

1. Boil, peel, and mash sweet potatoes. 
2. Combine well with other ingredients with a mixer. 
3. Pour into prepared pie shells. 
4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour until a knife inserted comes out clean. Makes 2 deep shell pies.

Sherry Schumann shares the cheesecake recipe she created for her husband when they were newlyweds.

Sherry’s Cheesecake

Ingredients for crust:

1 ½ cups graham crackers crumbs
6 tablespoons melted butter
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Ingredients for filling:

3 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese
2 tablespoons flour
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 cup heavy cream

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
2. Mix ingredients for crust together and press firmly into the bottom of a springform pan.
3. Beat ingredients for the cheesecake until light and smooth. Pour over the crust. 
4. Place in a 475-degree oven; immediately reduce the temperature to 250 degrees.
5. Bake for 1 ½ hours.
6. Turn off the oven. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour.
7. Remove and cool completely.

Terri Sherrow remembers when her young grandson called this dessert “Pudge” pie. Twenty years later her family still calls it Pudge Pie.

Fudge Pie

Ingredients:

2 oz semisweet chocolate (2 squares)
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heavy saucepan over low heat. 
3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sugar, then the eggs. Beat well. 
4. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 25 minutes. 
5. Serve warm or cold with ice cream or whipped topping.

The CGN ladies who write are happy to share our love of cooking with you, your families, and friends:

• Sherry Schumann, CGN President.
  Terri Sherrow, CGN Prayer Ministry Coordinator.
  Bev Phillips, CGN staff member and speaker.
  Barb Howe, CGN Blog Editor.