Fare Exchange: Share your recipes for your favorite giftable edibles

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To reach us

Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send. Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750 E-mail: chattfare@gmail.com

photo Jane Henegar

It's time for Thanksgiving, but isn't every day time for thanks-giving? And so today we will remind you to send your favorite special-occasion dish or gift-giving edible.

And now we turn the column over to the experts.

FESTIVE SWEETS

Roseann Strazinsky's holiday recipe trove includes these two, and you can look forward, next week, to a chocolate bourbon cake with caramel and whipped cream.

Holiday Salad

1 (No. 303) can pineapple tidbits

1 can mandarin orange segments

2 (3-ounce) packages raspberry Jell-O

1/2 cup nuts, chopped

Measure 3 1/2 cups of drained liquids from the pineapple and oranges. If not enough for 3 1/2 cups, then add enough water for amount needed.

Heat 2 cups of this liquid to boiling. Place remaining liquid into the refrigerate to chill.

Place Jell-O into a large bowl, and add the boiling liquid and stir to dissolve. Add remaining chilled liquid. Let cool until slightly thickened, then add remaining ingredients. Pour into a mold that has been lightly greased with salad oil. Refrigerate until firm or overnight.

Note: A 9- by 13-inch pan may be used and the salad cut into squares and served on shredded lettuce. (Grease the pan slightly first.)

SHOWY VEGGIES

Brussels Sprouts Au Gratin

1/4 cup fine, dry, plain breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

2 pounds Brussels sprouts (see note)

2 tablespoon butter or margarine

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese or Gruyere cheese

1 tablespoon white wine Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Note: You may substitute 3 (10-ounce) packages frozen Brussels sprouts, prepared according to package directions before assembling the casserole.

Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese; set aside.

Wash fresh Brussels sprouts; remove discolored leaves. Trim ends, and cut in half lengthwise. Cook sprouts in boiling water to cover 12 minutes or until barely tender. Drain and place in a lightly greased 1 1/2-quart casserole dish or an 11- by 7- by 1 1/2-inch baking dish. Set aside.

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.

Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly.

Add Swiss or Gruyere cheese, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and paprika, stirring until cheese melts.

Spoon sauce over Brussels sprouts; sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture and paprika. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Makes 8 servings.

SEASONAL FRENCH TOAST

This one's new from the creative kitchen of Rosemary Palmer.

Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

1 loaf brioche or French bread, cubed

6 large eggs

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree, canned or fresh

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice blend (a little more to taste)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Spray a 13- by 9-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray. Add cubed bread. Set aside for now.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until foamy. Add the milk, cream, sugar, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla. Mix until well blended.

Pour this pumpkin mixture over bread cubes. Press lightly on bread to distribute pumpkin mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Sprinkle streusel topping (recipe follows) on refrigerated Pumpkin French Toast Casserole right before baking. Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes. After 30 minutes, you can make a tent of aluminum foil and place on top to prevent overbrowning. Remove from oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cold butter, diced, salted or unsalted

1/2 cup chopped pecans

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk brown sugar and flour together. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers until there are small chunks of butter, about pea size. Stir in chopped pecans to combine.

And here are some suggestions: Warm your maple syrup before serving.

Sprinkle confectioners sugar on top or top with fresh whipped cream with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.

If bread is too fresh, it won't cut as well. Refrigerate a couple of hours. You can let it set out a few hours after cubing to dry a bit more. Most loaves of bread are about 1 pound, which is a little more than enough. Don't pack bread cubes into dish.

If you don't have time to refrigerate overnight, try to at least 4 to 6 hours so the bread has time to soak in all of the pumpkin goodness.

GARLIC ADVICE

Betty Domal of Moore County weighed in with a number of you on the garlic question, and we will continue the garlicky topic in columns ahead.

As to garlic in general, Ms. Domal reported, "I always keep minced garlic in a jar in my fridge and use in all recipes calling for garlic. A half-teaspoon equals about one clove of garlic."

OKRA FROM THE OVEN

Then came a recipe for using garlic in its easy powdered form.

"Someone wanted a recipe for oven-roasted okra without cornmeal. I am sending a recipe I use and really like. It serves two but could easily be doubled or tripled. I believe I got it from the internet on 'Just A Pinch.' This one is from a Brittany Mullins."

Oven-Roasted Okra

1 pound okra, rinsed and dried

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh thyme (I use dried)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or any salt you have)

Ground black pepper, to taste

Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Trim the okra by cutting away the stem ends and the tips, just the very ends. Then cut okra in half lengthwise (or slice it like fried okra).

Place in a large bowl. Add oil and spices, and stir to coat the okra. Place on a large baking sheet in a single layer. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes, shaking or stirring the okra at least twice during the roasting time. The okra will be ready when it's lightly browned and tender. Serve hot. It tends to loose the crispy texture as it cools.

Watch carefully while roasting as all ovens don't cook the same. It may not take this long, or oven temperature could probably be lower.

There's more, more, so much more. Let's do this again next week, all right?

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