Recipes for your home away from home for the holidays.
A cabin getaway to escape the hustle and bustle of the holiday season might be the best present you can give yourself and your family, and it can be a nice tradition to start. The food should be just like the mood there: warm and cozy, with a delicious mix of savory and sweet.
My wife, Melissa, and I have learned that the key to keeping it stress free is making some items ahead and either refrigerating or freezing them to bring with you. That way, you’ll minimize the work and maximize together time. The recipes here are sure to make for a happy holiday meal.
Mabel Bull’s Icebox Cookies
We’re not sure who Mabel Bull was, perhaps a friend of Melissa’s grandmother, but she passed along this shortbread-type cookie recipe to us. Melissa’s grandmother liked hers crisp, so she sliced them thinner. The idea is to make a few rolls and keep them in the fridge or freezer, and you’ll always have cookies to bake. Makes 3–4 dozen cookies.
1 cup butter
2 cups light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
3½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts
1. Cream butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl, then add eggs and the rest of the ingredients; mix until combined.
2. Divide dough into 3 or 4 equal pieces. Place dough on wax paper and roll into a cylinder about 2 inches in diameter. Store rolls in the refrigerator overnight to firm dough. Wax paper wrapped rolls can also be frozen up to 2 months in freezer bags.
3. When ready to bake, heat oven to 375°F. Unwrap cylinder and slice dough to desired thickness, then place rounds on cookie sheets. Allow room between the cookies, as they will spread as they cook.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 or more minutes before serving warm.
Easy Beef Wellington
This dish is easier to prepare than you think, and it makes a memorable holiday meal. The ingredients are relatively simple, and the mushroom duxelles adds a woodsy flavor while keeping the meat incredibly moist. Preparing the duxelles ahead of time allows the paste to develop a better flavor and
shortens assembly time for the tenderloin. Makes 6 servings.
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 pounds well-trimmed beef tenderloin
¾ cup Dijon mustard
1½ cups mushroom duxelles
3–4 paper-thin slices of ham
1 sheet puff pastry
2 beaten egg yolks
Kosher salt
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Heat a frying pan on high heat. Add olive oil and sear tenderloin for 10–15 seconds on all sides.
3. Remove tenderloin to a plate, and while it is still hot, brush it completely with Dijon mustard.
4. Lower heat in frying pan to medium high. Add mushroom duxelles and allow it to cook and absorb any meat juices for about 3–5 minutes. Remove paste to a bowl or a plate to cool.
5. Place ham slices lengthwise (overlapping slightly at the edges) on a sheet of plastic wrap, and then cover the ham with mushroom duxelles. Place the tenderloin in the center of the ham slice closest to you and roll it until all the ham wraps completely around the beef.
6. Seal the cylinder in plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. If you leave it for an hour, the flavor will be better.
7. Unfold and spread a sheet of puff pastry on a piece of plastic wrap. Remove beef roll from its plastic wrap and place in center of the puff pastry. Bring each side of pastry over so roll is covered, pinching the ends to seal. Brush seams with egg yolks. Put the roll onto a foil-lined baking pan, seam side down. Brush with remaining egg and sprinkle lightly with salt.
8. Poke several small vents in the top of the pastry with the tip of a knife, then put in oven for 20 minutes at 425°F. After 20 minutes, reduce heat to 200°F and cook for another 20 minutes. Remove beef Wellington and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes with Pecans
Sometimes it seems like the best way to cook vegetables is to do very little to them. This easy dish will add color to your holiday table, and the nutty flavor of the roasted pecans is a great bridge between sweet and savory. Makes 6 servings.
2 medium-size sweet potatoes
1–2 pounds Brussels sprouts
½ cup pecans
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. Peel sweet potatoes and put them in a pot with enough cold water to cover them. Cook on high heat and let water come to a boil, then turn off heat and remove potatoes to a plate to cool.
3. Cut stems off Brussels sprouts, then cut them in half lengthwise. Place sprouts on a foil-lined baking sheet with pecans. Then cut sweet potatoes into ½-inch cubes and add to the baking sheet.
4. Drizzle sprouts, pecans and potatoes with olive oil, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and combine.
5. Bake at 400°F for about 25–30 minutes, or until sprouts and potatoes begin to caramelize. Remove to a bowl and serve warm.
Mushroom Duxelles
Sounds fancy, but this is remarkably easy to make. “Duxelles” is French for what amounts to a mushroom paste. It’s great for appetizers as a spread on
toasted bread, tossed with cooked pasta, or even on a baked potato! It’s also a key part of beef Wellington. Any white mushroom will work for this recipe. Makes 1½ cups.
2 garlic cloves
½ medium-size white onion
1 pound mushrooms
½ cup pecans or walnuts
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt
Black pepper
1. Peel the garlic and onion, roughly chop the onion and the mushrooms, and put all into a food processor with nuts, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse until reduced to a paste.
2. Cook paste over medium heat until mixture is barely moist and most of the water has evaporated, about 15–20 minutes.
3. Eat warm, or allow to cool and then store paste in a covered container in the refrigerator. Mixture may also be frozen for up to 1 month.[/fusion_text]
Mabel Bull’s Icebox Cookies
We’re not sure who Mabel Bull was, perhaps a friend of Melissa’s grandmother, but she passed along this shortbread-type cookie recipe to us. Melissa’s grandmother liked hers crisp, so she sliced them thinner. The idea is to make a few rolls and keep them in the fridge or freezer, and you’ll always have cookies to bake. Makes 3–4 dozen cookies.
1 cup butter
2 cups light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
3½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts
1. Cream butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl, then add eggs and the rest of the ingredients; mix until combined.
2. Divide dough into 3 or 4 equal pieces. Place dough on wax paper and roll into a cylinder about 2 inches in diameter. Store rolls in the refrigerator overnight to firm dough. Wax paper wrapped rolls can also be frozen up to 2 months in freezer bags.
3. When ready to bake, heat oven to 375°F. Unwrap cylinder and slice dough to desired thickness, then place rounds on cookie sheets. Allow room between the cookies, as they will spread as they cook.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 or more minutes before serving warm.
Easy Beef Wellington
This dish is easier to prepare than you think, and it makes a memorable holiday meal. The ingredients are relatively simple, and the mushroom duxelles adds a woodsy flavor while keeping the meat incredibly moist. Preparing the duxelles ahead of time allows the paste to develop a better flavor and 
shortens assembly time for the tenderloin. Makes 6 servings.
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 pounds well-trimmed beef tenderloin
¾ cup Dijon mustard
1½ cups mushroom duxelles
3–4 paper-thin slices of ham
1 sheet puff pastry
2 beaten egg yolks
Kosher salt
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Heat a frying pan on high heat. Add olive oil and sear tenderloin for 10–15 seconds on all sides.
3. Remove tenderloin to a plate, and while it is still hot, brush it completely with Dijon mustard.
4. Lower heat in frying pan to medium high. Add mushroom duxelles and allow it to cook and absorb any meat juices for about 3–5 minutes. Remove paste to a bowl or a plate to cool.
5. Place ham slices lengthwise (overlapping slightly at the edges) on a sheet of plastic wrap, and then cover the ham with mushroom duxelles. Place the tenderloin in the center of the ham slice closest to you and roll it until all the ham wraps completely around the beef.
6. Seal the cylinder in plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. If you leave it for an hour, the flavor will be better.
7. Unfold and spread a sheet of puff pastry on a piece of plastic wrap. Remove beef roll from its plastic wrap and place in center of the puff pastry. Bring each side of pastry over so roll is covered, pinching the ends to seal. Brush seams with egg yolks. Put the roll onto a foil-lined baking pan, seam side down. Brush with remaining egg and sprinkle lightly with salt.
8. Poke several small vents in the top of the pastry with the tip of a knife, then put in oven for 20 minutes at 425°F. After 20 minutes, reduce heat to 200°F and cook for another 20 minutes. Remove beef Wellington and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes with Pecans
Sometimes it seems like the best way to cook vegetables is to do very little to them. This easy dish will add color to your holiday table, and the nutty flavor of the roasted pecans is a great bridge between sweet and savory. Makes 6 servings.
2 medium-size sweet potatoes
1–2 pounds Brussels sprouts
½ cup pecans
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. Peel sweet potatoes and put them in a pot with enough cold water to cover them. Cook on high heat and let water come to a boil, then turn off heat and remove potatoes to a plate to cool.
3. Cut stems off Brussels sprouts, then cut them in half lengthwise. Place sprouts on a foil-lined baking sheet with pecans. Then cut sweet potatoes into ½-inch cubes and add to the baking sheet.
4. Drizzle sprouts, pecans and potatoes with olive oil, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and combine.
5. Bake at 400°F for about 25–30 minutes, or until sprouts and potatoes begin to caramelize. Remove to a bowl and serve warm.
Mushroom Duxelles
Sounds fancy, but this is remarkably easy to make. “Duxelles” is French for what amounts to a mushroom paste. It’s great for appetizers as a spread on 
toasted bread, tossed with cooked pasta, or even on a baked potato! It’s also a key part of beef Wellington. Any white mushroom will work for this recipe. Makes 1½ cups.
2 garlic cloves
½ medium-size white onion
1 pound mushrooms
½ cup pecans or walnuts
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt
Black pepper
1. Peel the garlic and onion, roughly chop the onion and the mushrooms, and put all into a food processor with nuts, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse until reduced to a paste.
2. Cook paste over medium heat until mixture is barely moist and most of the water has evaporated, about 15–20 minutes.
3. Eat warm, or allow to cool and then store paste in a covered container in the refrigerator. Mixture may also be frozen for up to 1 month.[/fusion_text]
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