Hi Sara,

It's always good to see you here and these Recipes are supposed to make you Hungry for some Good Food.

Here's another of my favorite Christmas Dishes, good anytime of course, but they always seem better at Christmas.

Maple Candied Yams

1 stick butter
4 or 5 large fresh yams or sweet potatoes
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon OR 1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. freshly grated ginger root
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 to 2 1/2 cups Mini Marshmallows or Pecan Halves (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Peel yams or sweet potatoes (either may be used). Cut into 1 inch cubes or wedges.

Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish generously.

Arrange yams in baking dish.

In a saucepan, melt butter, and stir sugar until dissolved over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup water and spices.

Bring to a boil, add maple syrup; reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Pour butter mixture over the yams, turning them over to coat well. Cover the yams tightly with aluminum foil and bake on center rack in oven, basting the potatoes with the butter syrup once or twice during the baking for about 45 minutes or until fork tender.

Note: If adding mini-marshmallows, spread them evenly over the top of the potatoes at this time, and broil for 5-10 minutes or until lightly browned, otherwise proceed with next step.

When the potatoes are done, remove foil. Bake on the upper third of the oven at 475°F until the syrup has thickened and the potatoes are just beginning to caramelize (about 20 minutes - but watch carefully and do not allow them to burn; if they are browning too quickly reduce oven temperature).

Baste with additional butter before serving.

Variation: Use honey or Karo syrup instead of the maple syrup; add 1/4 cup frozen orange concentrate. Omit cinnamon; use vanilla.

Have A Blessed Christmas My Dear Friend,

Phil

Hi Myrna,

Glad that you liked the Burgers my Friend. I think everyone, by now at least, knows how much I love Shrimp. Here's another of my favorite Shrimp dishes.

Cooked shrimp and sliced fresh mushrooms are cooked in a sauce of garlic, rich cream cheese, fresh parsley, and a dash of basil. Toss with hot linguini and serve!

Shrimp & Mushroom Linguini W/Creamy Cheese Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package linguini pasta
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 2/3 cup boiling water
• 1/2 pound cooked shrimp

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguini, and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook and stir until tender. Transfer to a plate.
3. In the same pan, melt 1/2 cup butter with the minced garlic. Stir in the cream cheese, breaking it up with a spoon as it melts. Stir in the parsley and basil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Mix in boiling water until sauce is smooth. Stir in cooked shrimp and mushrooms, and heat through.
4. Toss linguini with shrimp sauce, and serve.

Happy Holidays My Friend,

Phil

Hello Friends,

I know that you're still out there 'cause I can hear you breathing. Let's see if anyone actually likes this enough to respond.

First, stewing meat is browned and braised in red wine with carrots, garlic, onions, and herbs, then mushrooms and more onions are added for the last half hour of cooking. This is an easy and tasty dish with hearty, tender beef in a sumptuous red wine sauce. Definitely not the normal casserole.

Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 pounds cubed stew meat
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups red wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
• 1 (16 ounce) can canned onions

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt and ground black pepper. Coat the beef cubes with this mixture.
2. Melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meat and brown well on all sides. Pour this into a 2 quart casserole dish.
3. Return the skillet to the heat and add the onion, carrots and garlic to it. Saute for 5 to 10 minutes, or until onion is tender. add the wine, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, and liquid from the mushrooms. Pour over meat.
4. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 2 1/2 hours. Remove cover, add canned onions and mushroom crowns, and bake for 30 more minutes.

These spicy potatoes to add a kick to any dinner. I like spicy foods, within reason, and I thought that the spice on these potatoes was perfect. I'll definitely serve these again and again.

Spiced Potatoes

Ingredients

• 6 red potatoes, cubed
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and spread on a baking sheet.
3. In a small bowl, or cup, combine paprika, cayenne, chili powder, onion salt, garlic powder and parsley.
4. Drizzle potatoes with oil and sprinkle with spice mixture.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until crisp, turning every 10 minutes.

Finally, my whole Family loved this one. We're all garlic lovers, so I crushed two cloves of garlic and mixed it in with the olive oil. Indulge yourself with the finest balsamic vinegar you can find, and enjoy. This is also good on the grill as well.

Aparagus With Parmesan Crust

Ingredients

• 1 pound thin asparagus spears
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ounce shaved Parmesan cheese
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, or to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Place asparagus on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat. Arrange asparagus spears in a single layer. Spread Parmesan cheese over asparagus, and season with freshly ground black pepper.
3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted and asparagus is tender but crisp. Serve immediately on warm plates, sprinkling with balsamic vinegar to taste.

Have A Very Merry Christmas,

Phil

Silence is Golden

Thanks Phil,

Sara