General Conference Traditions

Conference weekend always goes by too fast.   It is always a busy, but relaxing weekend! Below are some of the food traditions that I make for Conference Weekend.    I always try to cook ahead, but it seems like on Saturday night I still am finishing up. 

Saturday morning we always have this before conference starts.  Most of the recipes I have listed aren't  very healthy, but of course, very delicious!

CREME BRULEE FRENCH TOAST  

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons corn syrup

Bread, sliced, to cover butter mixture

5 large eggs

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Pour into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Arrange bread pieces on top. Beat together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla and salt. Pour egg mixture over the top of the bread. Cover and chill overnight in the refrigerator. The next morning, bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

— "Worldwide Ward Cookbook," by Deanna Buxton

On Saturday evening  I make the boys something in the crock pot and then Kara and I have our Girl's Night out.  We usually  go out for dinner and then we usually go  to Deseret Book.    On Saturday night  we went to Los Cuco's.  It had very yummy Mexican Food. My friend Kristie told me I just had to try it and she was right.  I had a Stuffed Avocado.   I have never had anything like it and it was out of this WORLD!!!!

 After going out for dinner we headed over to the new Deseret Book in Draper.  We walked in and signed up for the drawing seconds before they announced the winners.   30 seconds later  I became the winner of the new book, "Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites."  What  a fun  book, with a picture besides each recipe. 

After the Priesthood session the men in our family go out for ice cream.

On Sunday morning our tradition for breakfast food is the following:

BUTTERSCOTCH PULL-APARTS

2 dozen Rhodes dinner rolls or 2 loaves Rhodes white dough, thawed 1 (3 3/4 or 4 oz.) pkg. butterscotch pudding mix (not instant) 1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans 1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed 4 tbsp. butter, softened 1 tsp. ground cinnamon In mixing bowl combine pudding mix, nuts, sugar, butter and cinnamon. Stir until crumbly. (If using white or sweet roll dough cut each loaf in half lengthwise, then in 6 pieces crosswise. Each loaf should have 12 pieces.) Sprinkle on half of topping in bottom of well greased 12 cup bundt or tube pan. Arrange half the dinner rolls (or dough pieces). Sprinkle with half of remaining topping. Add rest of rolls (or dough pieces) and sprinkle with remaining topping. Cover and let rise in warm place until almost doubled, about 1 hour. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Turn out of pan immediately and serve warm.

BUTTERSCOTCH PULL-APARTS

2 dozen Rhodes dinner rolls or 2 loaves Rhodes white dough, thawed
1 (3 3/4 or 4 oz.) pkg. butterscotch pudding mix (not instant)
1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
4 tbsp. butter, softened
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

In mixing bowl combine pudding mix, nuts, sugar, butter and cinnamon. Stir until crumbly. (If using white or sweet roll dough cut each loaf in half lengthwise, then in 6 pieces crosswise. Each loaf should have 12 pieces.) Sprinkle on half of topping in bottom of well greased 12 cup bundt or tube pan. Arrange half the dinner rolls (or dough pieces). Sprinkle with half of remaining topping. Add rest of rolls (or dough pieces) and sprinkle with remaining topping. Cover and let rise in warm place until almost doubled, about 1 hour. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Turn out of pan immediately and serve warm.

We also have my sister in law's recipe of Hash Brown Quiche

HASH BROWN QUICHE

1 (24 oz.) pkg. thawed frozen hash browns 1/3 c. melted butter 1 c. shredded hot pepper cheese 1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese 1 c. diced cooked ham 1 c. cream or milk  6 eggs 1/4 tsp. salt Grease quiche pan with shortening or butter. Press thawed hash browns between paper towels to remove excess moisture. Fit hash browns into pan to make a solid crust. Brush potato crust with melted butter, being sure to brush top edge too. Bake crust at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.Remove crust from oven and fill with layers of the 3 cheeses and the ham. Beat cream, eggs and seasoned salt together. Pour egg mixture over cheeses and ham. Return pan to oven. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake quiche until knife inserted near edges comes out clean (about 30 minutes).

For lunch on Sunday I make these easy sandwiches along with fruit and chips.

Ham and Cheese Sliders

adapted slightly from the

24 good white dinner rolls

24 pieces good honey ham
24 small slices Swiss cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup miracle whip

Poppy seed sauce (you probably could half this...I had plenty extra)
1 T poppy seeds
1 1/2 T yellow mustard
1 stick butter, melted
1 T minced onion
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes. Serve warm.

** sandwiches can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge ready to bake.

For dinner after conference I try to do something simple in the crockpot.  This year I had a lot of people to feed so we had  Baked Potato Soup, Salad and rolls.

Crock Pot  Loaded Baked Potato Soup

6 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 large onion, diced
1 quart chicken broth
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup butter
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

1 cup cream or 1 cup 1/2 and 1/2 cream
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Garnish: chives, sour cream, bacon, and cheese

Directions:

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large slow cooker and cook on high for
4 hours or low for 8 hours (potatoes should be tender). Then you will
need to mash potatoes until coarsely chopped and soup is slightly
thickened. Stir in cream and cheese. Garnish with toppings.

Simple and Satisfying!

Such a simple and tasty soup that really fills you up! We loved the spin on regular potato soup… adding bacon, sour cream, cheese and chives to make it like the oh so yummy loaded baked potato! Served with cornbread, this was SUCH a yummy meal! We hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as we did, especially with that crisp fall air we seem to be seeing more and more of! Happy Crockin’!

This year the two desserts I made were the following:

Chocolate Maroon dessert

1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
1/3 c. butter
2 eggs, divided
1 1/4 c. (14oz. can) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. chocolate chips
1 1/3 c. flaked coconut, divided
3/4 c. nuts (optional)
Beat cake mix, butter and one egg in large mixing bowl until mixture is crumbly.  Firmly press into bottom of a greased 13x9 inch baking pan.
Combine sweetened condensed milk, remaining egg and vanilla in medium bowl.  Stir in chocolate chips, one cup coconut (we go ga-ga over coconut around here lately…maybe that’s because we’ve discovered how good it is in smoothies) and nuts. 

I always print out the sugardoodle.com General Conference packets.  Then for FHE we talk about the things we learned at conference. 

 For FHE I made Trisha Yearwood's Carrot Cake this was so delicious!!!!

3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups corn oil
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups walnuts (finely chopped)
1 1/2 cups grated coconut
1 1/2 cups pureed carrots (about 6 medium, boiled)
3/4 cup crushed pineapple (drained)

Cream Cheese Frosting
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese (room temperature)
3/4 cup butter (room temperature)

6 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups walnuts (finely chopped)

Directions:
1 FOR THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350°F Grease the bottom of three 9-inch, round cake pans with cooking spray, line with circles of parchment paper, and grease the paper with cooking spray.
2 With an electric mixer, cream the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture. Add the walnuts, coconut, carrot puree and pineapple. Beat until smooth.
3 Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake for 40 to 45 minutes at 350°F or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
4 Cool the layers in the pans for about 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of each pan and turn the layers out onto wire racks that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Cool the layers completely before frosting. (Note: After the layers have cooled, cutting will be much easier if you wrap each cooled cake layer in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.).
5 CREAM CHEESE FROSTING: Combine the cream cheese and butter in an electric mixer and beat until smooth. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar and continue beating until fully combined. Add the vanilla.
6 Slice each cake layer horizontally in half using an electric knife. Ease a piece of parchment between the layers and lift off the top portion. Frost the bottom slice then add the next layer. Continue until the entire cake is frosted.
7 Press the chopped walnuts into the sides of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.