By Jomay Steen
It is one of my pleasures to have as a friend an actual female comedian. Living in Minnesota, Pat Dennis toured her hilarious act at Holiday Inn lounges throughout South Dakota, Nebraska and North Dakota as well as the Midwest. Gifted with a skewed world perspective, intelligence and a glib tongue, she has entertained thousands of people in her days of stand-up.
She then built a publishing business called Penury Press, in which she published a series of her own mystery anthologies called “Hot Dish to Die For” and “Who Died in Here?” But one of the best stand alone books that she has marketed has been her own “Hotdish Haiku.”
Recently, the Journal’s Poets Corner has discussed challenging area, former area and regional poets to submit their haikus for the month of January. Earlier this year, 200 people submitted these charming, insightful poems that were enjoyed for the entire month of February. I hope to see the same enthusiastic response for January.
Used with permission, I’m including some of Pat’s haiku as well as hotdish recipes, which are quite tasty.

Casserole displayed
Gratification delayed
Tongue needs oven mitt
–Dean Johnson

Where else can olives
Okra, Gouda and eggplant
Achieve nirvana?
–Jeremy Yoder

A mid-morning prayer
Christian ladies on their knees
Still, hotdish is served
–Pat Dennis

Not just for funeral
Good for both weddings and wakes
Hotdish and sheet cake
–Lance Zarimba

Crouching Chicken—Hidden Veggies
2 cups cooked chicken
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chopped celery
1 can chow mein noodles
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Dice chicken. Mix all ingredients together. Bake for 30 minutes.

Seven Samurai’s 5-Can Hotdish
1 small can turkey or chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can chow mein noodles
1 small can evaporated milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all together. Pour into buttered casserole dish. Bake for 25 minutes.

Geisha-To-Go
1-1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 small can sliced mushrooms
2/3 cups raw rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup soy sauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Open cans of water chestnuts and mushrooms. Drain, set aside and reserve liquid. In large skillet, brown turkey, onion and celery. Drain off fat. Add water chestnuts, mushrooms, rice, salt, pepper and soy sauce to turkey mixture. Add enough water to reserved liquids to make 2 cups. Stir into turkey mixture. Cover and bake for about an hour.
 

By Tanya Manus

A friend of mine was telling me how much she’s looking forward to a holiday at home this year with her family and some steaming pots of soup.

She and her husband both have large families who live in the area. Holidays in years past have been spent shuttling themselves and their children to and from grandparents’ houses. This year, however, she, hubby and the children are staying home, and family members will be visiting them instead, dropping in throughout the day.

Smart hostess that she is, my friend is foregoing a formal, sit-down Christmas day meal. Instead, she said, she’ll make a couple of pots of soup and keep them simmering on the stove. Any time guests stop by, there will be warm, homemade French onion and chicken noodle soups for them to enjoy, and my friend will have lots more time to spend with her family and lots less time she’ll have to be in the kitchen.

I love this idea, for a holiday or any wintertime parties. And it brought to mind my favorite recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup. Add a green salad and some crusty bread, and you’ve got a wonderful meal. Merry Christmas!

 Fran’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

1 chicken, about 2-1/2 to 3 lbs., skinned and quartered

3-1/2 quarts water

1 tbsp. salt

1 medium onion

6 whole peppercorns

6 celery ribs, leaves reserved, divided

6 whole carrots, divided

4 cups uncooked egg noodles (and if they’re homemade, even better!)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

3 to 4 drops yellow food coloring

Put chicken, water, salt, onion, peppercorns, three ribs of celery, all the celery leaves and three carrots in a soup kettle. Cover and bring to a boil. Skim off foam. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for two hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat, vegetables and peppercorns from stock. Discard cooked vegetables and peppercorns. Dice remaining celery and carrots; add to stock. Cook until vegetables are tender. Remove chicken from bones and shred. Add meat and bring stock to a boil. Add noodles and continue to boil for 5 minutes. Turn down heat and add parsley. Stir in food coloring. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

By Deanna Darr

 

By Deanna Darr

My teapot is getting a workout with all of this talk of Christmas and crisp weather. What better to go with tea than some homemade biscotti? Making it is easier than you might think. Here is one recipe worth trying.

Biscotti
6 eggs, well beaten

Add:
1-1/2 cup oil
1-1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sliced almonds
4-1/2 cups flour

Topping: 1 cup cinnamon sugar

Mix all ingredients except cinnamon sugar. Shape into two logs on one baking sheet, covered with parchment paper. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.
Remove, slice and put slices on their sides (this will take up two paper-lined cookie sheets). Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for 20 minutes; flip over, sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar and bake an additional 20 minutes.
Turn oven off and let cool in oven about two hours or overnight.