What's everyone preparing for the holiday tomorrow?

Ian M.

New member
Just to kick off the thread, Fallon and I got elected to cook the Labor Day dinner for the whole family - all three of the McCourt kids and assorted families and a pretty large number of Fallon's family, as well. That's just what happens if you miss the family meeting and aren't there to defend yourself! Including my Dad, at whose home this is all taking place, there's supposed to be a grundle of people there. The menu follows:

Barbecued meat loaf

Marinated roasted potatoes (made with my own personal concoction of "stuff" to marinate them) and I never know in advance how the marinade is going to turn out!

JoeC's magnificent Zuchinni gratin (all for me!!)

A delicious corn pudding that's been kicking around Fallon's family for about three generations.

A super garden veggie salad that Fallon's mom makes with her own secret dressing recipe, that's simply to die for!

unlimited homemade sourdough bread that Fallon makes and boy, is it ever good!

Desert, just to please all the little kids - tons of watermelon - complete with a seed-spitting contest, winner gets all he/she wants of the melon. The contest is my brother Sean's idea and the kids just love it!

And a "heated" game of cricket on the back lawn that frequently ends up with bats being used for "other purposes" and a cleaved skull or two if nobody puts the skids to the McCourt kids! But what's the fun of competing if you don't play to win - at all costs? And of coarse it's incumbent on me to mention the fact that a whole lot of my side of the family are Irish - some first generation, and you know what can happen when you get a bunch of Irishmen together to play games! Let's just say it gets "lively"! After the game, music played by the Irish contingent on some serious Irish instruments - and that crowd are darn good at it, too. Just as long as nobody sings.......................

Dad told us that his contribution to the festivities is going to be a couple kegs of Guinness which he "imported" from an Irish bar in Boston. Yay!! Now that oughta help with the threat that someone might sing!

What I've never been able to understand is how come my family and loved ones aren't willing to settle for good, old, all-American hot dogs, burgers and potato salad on Labor Day! Sure would make life a bunch easier! But at least we're secure in the knowledge that we won't get tapped to do this again for at least three or four years.

Ian :bounce:
 
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ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
>>why not . . .
not sure why, but the menu sure sounds a lot better than hamburgers and hot dogs....
might that be why? (g)

heh, I'd be interested in your corn pudding recipe -
when I was a kid the 'extended' family cooks did a corn thing that I've been working on recreating. I have the recipe box of six cooks four generations - and piling through those 3x5 cards I've found about a dozen different recipes. . . .

this is as close as I've gotten - but there was too much water in it, next attempt will use less milk.

1 can crushed corn - Green Giant 14.75 oz = 418 g
2 T sugar
2 T flour
2 eggs
1/4 stick oleo = 2 T; used unsalted butter
1.5 cups milk
(use 1 small can Carnation milk add regular to make 1.5 cups)
used: Carnation Evaporated Milk 5 fl oz = 147 ml
bake 350'F/175'C about 50 mins
 

Ian M.

New member
>>why not . . .
not sure why, but the menu sure sounds a lot better than hamburgers and hot dogs....
might that be why? (g)

heh, I'd be interested in your corn pudding recipe -
when I was a kid the 'extended' family cooks did a corn thing that I've been working on recreating. I have the recipe box of six cooks four generations - and piling through those 3x5 cards I've found about a dozen different recipes. . . .

this is as close as I've gotten - but there was too much water in it, next attempt will use less milk.

1 can crushed corn - Green Giant 14.75 oz = 418 g
2 T sugar
2 T flour
2 eggs
1/4 stick oleo = 2 T; used unsalted butter
1.5 cups milk
(use 1 small can Carnation milk add regular to make 1.5 cups)
used: Carnation Evaporated Milk 5 fl oz = 147 ml
bake 350'F/175'C about 50 mins


Okay, guy, happy to oblige - this is the one we've been using for a long time and I'd have to say that on occasion the center of the dish doesn't always "dry out" by the time the rest is baked through - just a matter of being patient, I guess. Anyway, here you go:

Ingredients:

2 tins Green Giant Mexicorn - drained thoroughly
1 tin creamed corn
1 pkg. corn muffin mix - I use Jiffy
1 cup sour cream
1 stick butter - melted - never, ever use margarine!
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar (the more you use, the better it tastes)

How to:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, stir together the Mexicorn, creamed corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream and melted butter. Pour mixture into a greased 2 quart casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm. Multiply this entire thing by about ten and you've made enough to adequately feed an emerging third-world nation - or my family!
Then dig in and enjoy. :bounce:

Ian
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
I spatchcocked a 6# chicken and have it in brine, getting ready for the smoker in the morning. Gonna use apple wood to smoke. Not sure about the sides.
 

ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
thanks Ian - I've seen the cornmeal/muffin mix adds - but I know this one does not use it. one cousin vaguely remembers helping to make it but doesn't recall too many specifics - using her input and the old recipe cards, getting closer (g)
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
I want to cook some BBQ pork ribs in the crockpot and some more corn.

I'm with you on the ribs and corn MM. We are also having some chipotle slaw, macaroni salad and Mustard Potato Salad that Cooksie posted some time back which I love.
 
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