Christmas recipes

I’ve been taking Simple & Delicious magazine (formerly Quick Cooking) for a number of years. A part of Reiman Publications, it’s a great magazine filled with easy, yet tasty recipes. Seldom does an issue arrive that I don’t find at least one recipe that I want to try. Here are three I served on Christmas Eve… all of them “keepers”. I was out of milk, so I subbed light soy milk in the baked pancake, I omitted the hot pepper sauce in the dip, and I made the pie in a glass pan, so I dropped the temperature by five degrees and baked it for a full hour.


Baked Blueberry Pancake
Submitted by Norna Detig of Lindenwood, IL

2 cups pancake mix
1½ cups fat-free milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Butter and maple syrup

In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix, milk, egg, oil and cinnamon just until blended (batter will be lumpy). Fold in blueberries (if using frozen, do not thaw).
Spread into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with butter and syrup. Yield: 6 servings.


Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
Submitted by Andrea Reynolds of Rocky River, OH

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
½ cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and patted dry
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. hot pepper sauce
2 green onions, sliced
Assorted crackers and/or fresh vegetables

Place the first seven ingredients in a food processor; cover and process until blended. Add green onions; cover and pulse until finely chopped. Serve with crackers and/or vegetables. Yield: 2 cups.


Pear Custard Pie
Submitted by Barbara Rea of Glenshaw, PA

1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry
3 medium ripe pears, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Unroll pasty into a 9-in. pie plate; flute edges. Place pears in pastry. In a small bowl, combine sugar and flour. Stir in the eggs, cream and vanilla. Pour over pears. Bake at 375° for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Yield: 6 servings.