Debbie Macomber's Table: Sharing the Joy of Cooking With Family and Friends

by Debbie Macomber

1 tablespoon olive oil

  ½ teaspoon salt

  1½ teaspoons sesame seeds

  Preheat the oven to 450°F.

  On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the asparagus with the olive oil. Sprinkle the salt over all. Bake for 10 minutes.

  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and sprinkle the asparagus with the sesame seeds. Bake for 5 to 7 more minutes, until the asparagus is fork tender and the sesame seeds are lightly toasted. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

  DEBBIE’S ZUCCHINI WITH BACON, ONIONS, AND JALAPEÑO OVER MASHED POTATOES

  Serves 4 to 6

  This recipe is another family favorite. It’s based on my mom’s recipe for tomato gravy; I took her recipe and jazzed it up as a way to get my kids to eat zucchini. It worked! But I didn’t add the jalapeño until they were older.

  8 ounces bacon slices, cut into ½-inch strips

  1 cup chopped onion

  5 cups thinly sliced zucchini

  2 tablespoons minced jalapeño chile (about 1 small)

  1½ teaspoons minced garlic

  1 cup tomato juice

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ¼ teaspoon pepper

  Your favorite recipe for mashed potatoes

  In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate and pour the grease into a heatproof bowl.

  Return 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent and soft.

  Add the zucchini and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the zucchini starts to get soft. Add the jalapeño and garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.

  Add the tomato juice, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the juice has thickened and the zucchini is very soft. Add the salt and pepper. Serve over mashed potatoes topped with the bacon.

  CHEDDAR GARLIC STUFFED POTATOES

  Serves 4

  Rich and cheesy, these potatoes are worth the extra time and effort. So when I make them it’s a real treat. You can stuff them a day ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator.

  They’d be great alongside a simple grilled steak or roasted chicken. Or try them with the Spicy Pork Chops (this page) or Standing Rib Roast (this page).

  4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed

  4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, at room temperature

  1 head garlic

  1 tablespoon olive oil

  1⅓ cups shredded Cheddar cheese

  ⅓ cup sour cream

  ¼ cup minced fresh chives

  ¾ teaspoon salt

  ½ teaspoon pepper

  Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

  Pierce the potatoes all over with a fork. Rub the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Wrap each potato in foil.

  Slice off the top third of the head of garlic so that each clove is exposed. Discard the top. Place the head on a piece of foil and drizzle with the olive oil. Close the foil around the garlic.

  Place the potatoes and garlic in the oven and bake the potatoes for about 1 hour, until tender. Bake the garlic for 45 to 55 minutes, until the center cloves are soft when pierced with a knife. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

  Squeeze the garlic cloves into a large bowl. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, 1 cup of the cheese, the sour cream, 2 tablespoons of the chives, the salt, and pepper. Mash everything together with a fork until completely combined.

  Remove the potatoes from the foil. Slice the tops off the potatoes lengthwise and discard. Carefully scoop out the flesh into the bowl with the garlic mixture, leaving a thin shell intact. Mash the potatoes with the other filling ingredients until smooth. Stuff each potato with the mixture.

  Place the potatoes on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the remaining ⅓ cup cheese and the remaining 2 tablespoons chives. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until heated through.

  ADLER POTATO SALAD

  Serves 6 to 8

  My dad loved potato salad. (Now that I think about it, he loved anything with potatoes!) Mom dutifully made a huge bowl for him every week. I was married before I learned that not everyone had potato salad for breakfast!

  This recipe has been in our family for years, although I add pickles from time to time. The jalapeño is my cousin Cherie’s idea.

  3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled

  ½ cup minced onion

  2 tablespoons minced jalapeño chile (about 1 small)

  ¾ cup mayonnaise

  ¾ cup Miracle Whip

  1 tablespoon yellow mustard

  ¾ teaspoon salt

  ¾ teaspoon pepper

  ½ teaspoon seasoning salt

  7 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

  Paprika, for garnish

  Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

  Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and rinse with cold water until the potatoes are cool enough to handle. Cut them into 1-inch cubes.

  In a large serving bowl, combine the onion, jalapeño, mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, mustard, salt, pepper, and seasoning salt until well blended.

  Slice 3 of the eggs and set aside. Chop the remaining 4 eggs and add to the mayonnaise mixture. Gently fold in the potatoes.

  Fan out the reserved egg slices across the top of the serving bowl and sprinkle all over with paprika and parsley.

  BAKED POLENTA FRIES

  Serves 4 to 6

  I only recently discovered polenta and am enjoying experimenting with it. One idea was these fries. Crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside, they are a nice change from French fries. Try this as a side to the Spicy Pork Chops (this page).

  2 tubes precooked polenta, cut into ½-inch-wide, 3-inch-long spears

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  ¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

  2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

  ¾ teaspoon salt

  ½ teaspoon pepper

  Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

  In a large bowl, toss the polenta with the olive oil. Spread it evenly on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with the cheese, rosemary, salt, and pepper.

  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, flipping the spears halfway through, until crispy and golden. Drain them on paper towels and serve immediately.

  You can find tubes of precooked polenta in the Italian foods or natural foods section of your supermarket.

  LAURIE’S RICE

  Makes 8 cups

  My daughter-in-law, Laurie, is the widow of my son, Dale, and the mother of my grandson, Jaxon. She remains a big part of our family and has a reputation for bringing the best dishes to our family gatherings. Two of her special recipes are included in this cookbook.

  Our family has been known to fight over this rice—that’s how good it is! Laurie makes as much as her rice cooker will hold and brings it to all our family dinners. She dare not forget! I’ve made it several times on my own, but it never seems to taste as good as Laurie’s. I believe she adds an extra ingredient: love.

  6 cups water

  3 cups white or brown rice

  ⅔ cup sugar

  ¾ cup soy sauce

  1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

  1¾ cups chopped green onions or scallions

  In a large pot, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the rice and bring back to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the rice is tender, 15 to 20 minutes for white rice and 25 to 30 minutes for brown rice. Fluff with a fork.

  Stir the sugar and soy sauce into the hot rice until the sugar is melted. Stir in the bacon and green onions until well combined. Serve hot.

 
; BACON MACARONI AND CHEESE

  Serves 8

  Bacon, cheese, and pasta? Now really—who could resist this combination? Adding sour cream to the cheese sauce gives this dish that extra creaminess.

  This would be perfect on a summer barbecue table or accompanying Honey-Chipotle Oven-Roasted Ribs (this page). You could also serve it with a crisp green salad or with some carrot and celery sticks and call it a meal.

  5 slices white sandwich bread, with or without crusts, as you and your family prefer

  3 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

  1 pound elbow macaroni

  1 pound bacon, coarsely chopped

  6 tablespoons flour

  1½ teaspoons dry mustard

  ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

  ½ teaspoon paprika

  1 teaspoon salt

  4 cups milk

  1 cup sour cream

  2½ cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

  2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

  Preheat the broiler. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

  Tear the bread into large pieces. In a food processor, pulse the bread and butter until you have coarse crumbs.

  Cook the macaroni according to the instructions on the package until tender. Drain.

  Dry out the pot and cook the bacon in the same pot over medium-high heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove all of the bacon and drain it on paper towels. Pour the bacon fat into a heatproof bowl, then spoon 5 tablespoons of the fat back into the pot.

  Heat the bacon fat over medium-high heat and whisk in the flour, mustard, cayenne, paprika, and salt. Cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Slowly whisk in the milk and sour cream until smooth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes, whisking occasionally.

  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheeses until fully melted. Add the cooked macaroni and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until steaming and heated through, about 5 minutes.

  Pour the macaroni mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the bacon evenly over the top, then top with the breadcrumbs.

  Broil until the breadcrumbs are toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the broiler, let sit for 5 minutes, then serve.

  Make this a day in advance and store covered in foil in the refrigerator. Let the dish come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 400°F and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and broil for 3 to 5 minutes.

  DEBBIE’S GRANDKIDS’ ROLLS

  Makes 18

  I make this with the grandkids, and it’s always a hit. Not only is it delicious, it’s a great way to have fun in the kitchen with kids of any age. Jazmine, our oldest grandchild, helped with these when she was two years old. Every grandchild has dipped these rolls at one time or another.

  4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  1½ cups finely grated Parmesan cheese

  18 frozen bake-and-serve dinner rolls, such as Rhodes brand

  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a Bundt pan.

  In a small bowl, mix the melted butter and salt. Pour the cheese into another small bowl.

  Roll each frozen roll in the melted butter, then the cheese to completely coat it. Place it in the Bundt pan. Repeat with the remaining rolls, stacking them evenly around the ring.

  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the rolls are puffed and golden brown. Cool the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then invert the pan onto a serving plate. Pull apart and enjoy the rolls warm.

  You can double this recipe.

  NO-KNEAD DUTCH OVEN BREAD

  Makes 1 loaf

  This crusty loaf takes less than ten minutes of hands-on time. You can’t beat that! Instead of kneading, you let time and yeast do the work. The end product is a bakery-worthy homemade bread.

  3 cups flour, plus more for dusting

  ½ teaspoon active dry yeast

  1¼ teaspoons salt

  1½ cups hot (110°F) tap water

  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the hot water and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 3 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size and is full of bubbles.

  Scrape the dough onto a floured surface and sprinkle more flour on top. Use a bench scraper to fold the dough on itself on each side, ten times total, and form into a loose ball. Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper, then transfer both to a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 35 to 40 minutes.

  Place a Dutch oven covered with its lid in a cold oven, then preheat the oven to 450°F.

  When the oven temperature has reached 450°F, use hot pads to remove the Dutch oven. Remove the lid and carefully transfer both the parchment paper and the dough to the Dutch oven. Replace the lid and return the pan to the oven.

  Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and slide the parchment paper out. Bake the bread for 10 more minutes, or until the crust is golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

  Turn the loaf onto a wire rack and cool completely before slicing.

  DESSERTS

  My granddaughter Jazmine and I took a series of cake decorating classes a few years back. We had a great time. For the final class, we each decorated an elaborate cake, which I immediately took home and placed inside the freezer before anyone could take a bite. The way I looked at it, it was my masterpiece and no one dared to ruin its perfection. Jazmine shared her beautifully crafted cake with her family right away, but not me. Stay away from my creation! The sad end to this story is that a year later I discovered my neglected jewel of a cake hidden in the back of the freezer and was forced to toss it. I should have shared it when I had the chance, for all to enjoy.

  This made me think of a Facebook post I recently saw: The more you weigh, the harder you are to kidnap. Stay safe. Eat cake. I’m taking that advice to heart. I encourage you to do the same. Create, share, and eat dessert. My dear aunt Betty lived to be 105, and she ate dessert every day! I remember joining her for breakfast one time, and she served homemade coconut cream pie. She was my kind of woman. You only live once—you might as well enjoy dessert.

  COOKIES AND CREAM FROZEN DESSERT

  Serves 24

  This is a fun and easy recipe that is sure to please the entire family, especially the kids.

  Other than homemade cookies, Oreos are Wayne’s favorite, especially the vanilla ones. I originally made this with chocolate cookies, but it’s equally delicious with the vanilla version.

  Crust:

  1 (16-ounce) package chocolate sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, crushed

  ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

  ½ gallon vanilla ice cream, softened

  Fudge:

  4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

  2 tablespoons butter

  1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

  1 cup sugar

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  Whipped cream:

  1½ cups cream

  ¼ cup powdered sugar

  Make the crust:

  In a large bowl, combine the crushed cookies and melted butter. Spread evenly over a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Place the pan in the freezer until hard and cold, about 30 minutes.

  Spread the ice cream evenly over the crust. Freeze until hard, about 1 hour.

  Make the fudge:

  In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the chocolate, butter, evaporated milk, and sugar to a boil, stirring constantly to melt the chocolate. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool completely.

  Remove the baking pan from the freezer and spread the fudge over the ice cream. Freeze for 30 minutes.

  Make the whipped cream:

  Pour the cream and powdered sugar into a large bowl. Use an electric hand mixer on high to whip the mixture until soft peaks form.

  Remove the baking pan from the f
reezer. Spread the whipped cream evenly on top of the fudge. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

  To serve, remove the pan from the freezer and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Uncover, cut into pieces, and serve immediately.

  This dessert can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored, tightly covered with plastic wrap, in the freezer. (Though I’ve never had it last that long!) If you’re not serving a crowd, it can easily be halved and made in an 8 x 8-inch square pan.

  LAURIE’S COOKIE “SALAD”

  Serves 8 to 10

  Family fights have been known to break out when it comes to who gets the leftovers of my daughter-in-law Laurie’s contributions! This cookie “salad” is really a dessert, and so good you’ll want to make a second batch to squirrel away for yourself. Sweet and creamy, it is perfect for a buffet table. When grandsons Jaxon and Collin come to visit, they like to bring this treat with them to share with the rest of the family.

  1 cup buttermilk

  1 (3.4-ounce) box instant vanilla pudding

  1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed

  1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice

  2 bananas, sliced into ½-inch rounds

  ½ package Keebler Original Fudge Stripes Cookies, crushed, plus more for garnish

  In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and pudding mix until thick. Fold in the Cool Whip. Stir in the pineapple, bananas, and crushed cookies. Sprinkle extra crushed cookies on top, if desired.

  This can be made up to 4 hours before serving. You don’t need to keep it refrigerated, but it’s best eaten the day it’s made.

  CANNOLI ICEBOX CAKE

  Serves 12 to 14

  This icebox cake goes beyond the classic whipped cream and chocolate wafer combination (that is always simply delicious!). The creamy, melt-in-your-mouth filling resembles cannoli filling and gets sandwiched between graham crackers. The layers all meld into one delicious dessert that is sure to tempt family and friends.