Christmas Treats and Memories

Happy 12-12-12!! I know it's been a while since I've posted but it took me a bit to get motivated and feel the spirit of the holidays. I finally started holiday baking this week while listening to Christmas music and it did the trick. It also brought back sweet memories of making Christmas Sugar Cookies with my mom when I was younger. It was a tradition while we were kids but slowly went away as we got older and weren't all home together as often for the holidays. That made me sad. So I concentrated on the good memories such as decorating the tree, baking and decorating cookies. Also, my two younger brothers and I each got an ornament for several years with our name and year engraved on a brass ornament each year. I remember how each year we'd all get excited to see the previous year's ornaments and hang our own on the tree and mom would smile. She has such a pretty smile. I love her!

My husband and I started our own tradition by collecting ornaments throughout the year when we travel. We pick out an ornament everywhere we visit and try to put the year and location if it doesn't already show it. It's fun to decorate the tree each year and reminisce about where we've been each year and add the new ornaments we've accumulated that year. We hope to pass on the tradition someday to our future children and share our stories and memories with them while we drink hot cocoa and decorate the tree.

Some of our favorite ornaments so far...

Japan 2012

Maui 2011

Prague 2007 (My husband's favorite)

Budapest 2007

Back to the goodies. I decided to make a variety of treats. I usually bake more cookies but decided to mix it up a bit by adding some snack mixes and bread.

I baked my first batch of Rosemary and Kalamata Olive mini breads. They turned out really tasty and will be a great addition to any snack tray or meal. I used the recipe from Baking Bites. Their recipe is for one loaf but I was able to make 4 mini loaves out of the recipe.

One of my husband's favorite Christmas treats is the snack mix I put together each year. It's super simple and great to giveaway or put out for your holiday party. I like the colors!! I don't even remember how I came up with it but I assume the colors had something to do with it.

Christmas Snack Mix

1/2 c pistachios (I remove shells to make it easier to eat)
1/2 c pecans (any of your favorite nuts would work)
1/2 c white chocolate chips
1/2 c craisins or dried cherries

Makes 2 cups of snack mix. Can easily be doubled.

I also made some easy Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels and drizzled with green colored white chocolate. Six Sisters has a great easy recipe that I used.

My latest treats were Shortbread Cookies. I love eating them with coffee or hot cocoa all winter long. This recipe makes a lot so whether you plan to gobble them up yourself or share, you'll have plenty. I used the recipe from my all-time favorite blogger and desperate housewife, The Pioneer Woman.

Now get baking and spreading the holiday joy in the form of homemade goodies!!

Cheers to a New Year and Brunch

Cheers to all!  I hope everyone had a safe celebration while ringing in the new year of 2012! 

Here is a delicious breakfast/brunch recipe I wanted to share with you to kick off the new year on the right foot.   My husband introduced me to the Dutch Baby.  Honestly, I had never tasted or even heard of it before I met him.  His parents served this delectable eggy dish for breakfast the first time I met them about 9 years ago for Christmas.  A few wonderful firsts for me happened during that visit: First time meeting his parents, first trip to New York and first time to try Dutch Baby. 

I'll give my sweet man props for being the main reason my eyes and tastebuds are now open in the culinary world.  Unlike me, at an early age, he was fortunate to be encouraged to try interesting foods and is still open to anything.  {By the way, have you heard of Porcupine Meatballs? That was yet another dish I had not heard of or eaten until I met him.  That was another interesting first I when I met his parents that same visit.  I loved it!  He laughed at me because he said it was more of a nostalgic dish his mom wanted to make but not really something he enjoyed.  I'll have to make it with my spin on it and share with you.}

Back to the focus of the post.  He and his family like to serve Dutch Baby with apple sauce and sausage links over the top.  It's a very light and versatile dish so I wanted to make it a little different.  I had a pear on hand so thought I'd try to incorporate that into it.  We loved it! 

Pear Dutch Baby
1 pear, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
1 tbsp brown sugar
6 tbsp butter, divided
4 eggs
1 c milk
2/3 c flour
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add the eggs, milk, flour, 4 tablespoons melted butter, sugar and vanilla to a medium bowl and whisk until combined.  You can also use a blender or food processor if you prefer.  The batter may have a few flour chunks in it and blending will break those up.  Blend or whisk until well mixed.  Set aside.

Melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter over medium-high heat in cast iron skillet.  Then add the pears and brown sugar. Stir to coat the pear slices in butter until the sugar is melted.  Then add the batter over the pears and immediately place the skillet in the oven.  No stirring necessary. Bake for about 30 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown and the middle is cooked through.  (Note: It will sink down once you take it out of the oven and cut into it.) Sprinkle powdered sugar and cinnamon and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Christmas Treats and Feast Part 2

The cooking began first thing Christmas morning.  We had some time to get brunch prepared and ready while the rest of the gang opened presents at their own house, then drive over to us.   As I walked down the stairs, I felt all giddy like a child. I knew what would be waiting for us.  On Christmas Eve, I helped my father-in-law put together a really cool train table.  It has lots of moving parts to lead to hours of fun playtime!

I always look forward to seeing the stockings overflowing with goodies so much that they can no longer hang so they are placed on the floor by the fireplace. And I absolutely love when there are big toys put together by Santa ready for you to play with!  One of the greatest Christmas memories from my childhood was walking out to the family room to tear into presents before the sun was even up, still rubbing my eyes to wake up and to my surprise a brand new bike from Santa waiting for me by the tree.  Talk about excitement and a Christmas gift I'll never forget!

My mother-in-law and I made a simple and delicious brunch that would hold us over until dinner.  She made a very nice spread that included a fruit salad, homemade sticky buns and hashbrown casserole.  I whipped up a breakfast sausage casserole for the first time and it turned out fantastic!  Everything was very delicious and went well with our traditional mimosas!  We dug right in once the rest of the clan arrived.

 

The baby of the family kept us all entertained throughout the day.  She oo'd and ah'd at opening presents and giggled loudly while she played with new toys.  I think each of us took a turn on the floor with her while she showed us new things.

Christmas dinner was a delight as usual.  This year we each made a few new things to change it up a bit from the normal menu.   A big change that led to some intense discussion was a spiral cut ham instead of turkey.  (Certain people that I won't mention are very critical of ham as they don't care for the texture or possibility of fatty parts.) I welcomed the change to ham this year as I am not a huge fan of turkey anyway.   We also switched out some of the other standard fare such as fancy baked mashed potatoes instead of regular mashed potatoes and we added a new item, Roasted Brussel Sprouts.  Both dishes were full of flavor in my opinion.  It's always nice to discover new dishes to throw into the mix of things.

Our Christmas feast consisted of:
Spiral Cut Ham
Corn Casserole
Fancy Baked Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze
Ciabatta Stuffing
Homemade Yeast Rolls

Cheers to a Happy New Year and I look forward to discovering and sharing new culinary treats in the coming year!

Christmas Treats and a Feast Part 1

Another Christmas has come and gone.  Is it just me or did it fly by too quickly? I feel like it was a whirlwind of craziness and was over before I realized it.   I baked all kinds of goodies and forgot to take pictures to share with you.  I made candies with a friend that had pretzels with a rolo candy baked until soft, then you press an M & M or pecan on top.  Once it sets it's a delicious salty candy. 

I also made a Peppermint White Chocolate Cheesecake for a friend.  She had mentioned how much she would love to try it.   So out of the goodness of my heart, I made one and it turned out beautifully and surprised her with it.  She was so excited and it made me feel good!   I took a quick picture with my phone before running out the door.

My husband and I traveled to Seattle to visit his family for Christmas.  We always enjoy our short time with them.  We only make it out to the west coast to visit twice a year at most but normally only once for Christmas.  Our very chatty and charming niece who is over a year and a half was very entertaining and filled us with joy.  She tugged at our hearts and provided much cuteness the entire time. I chased her around with the camera of course.  Here is a sampling of pictures I was able to capture of the adorable little child.

My sister-in-law and her husband hosted a scrumptious Christmas Eve dinner.  The delicious 3 course meal started with grilled romaine, ceasar dressing and homemade croutons.  The char on the greens provided a subtle and welcome hint of smoky flavor. I really enjoyed it! The main dish presented was a homemade pasta topped with meaty yet light bolognese sauce.  Dessert was a decadent rich chocolate tart loaded with nuts. 

Stayed tuned for Christmas Treats and a Feast Part 2! I'll share photos of the tasty spread for Christmas brunch and dinner.

Festive Treats

I think everyone at work is on a diet because of me.   I bring in treats for them to try new recipes or I just share goodies to celebrate a holiday or birthday.  They hate the temptation, then love when they finally give in.   These cookies were so freakin' easy and tasty!  I brought them in for St. Patrick's Day. I'm glad I left some at home to share with the hubby and have for snacking all weekend.   Try them out!  Be prepared my fellow co-workers... someone's birthday is next Tuesday.  I am whipping up a special treat to celebrate!

Festive St. Patty's Cookies

Shortbread Cookies
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
2 c white chocolate chips
green sugar crystals
crushed pistachios
green food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   In a large mixing bowl, add butter and powdered sugar.   Cream together until mixed.  Add vanilla.   Gradually add flour.  Mix well.

You can roll it out onto a lightly floured surface and cut in shapes or use cookie cutters. Or just simply shape a tablespoon of dough into logs or squares.  Leave about 2 inches between each cookie.  Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for about 9-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown.   Cool for 2 minutes on pan and then move cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

You can drizzle or spoon melted chocolate over cookies. Then sprinkle with toppings of your choice.   I spooned white chocolate and sprinkled green sugars or pistachios over mine.  I also colored the white chocolate with green food coloring on some.  Makes about 24 cookies.

Green Grub

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Hope you're enjoying green beer or green food today... or better yet, BOTH!  I celebrated early with a small luncheon at a friend's house over the weekend.  It's always nice to get with the girls.   We each made something green.  Everything was tasty and festive!   I made the appy's so I'm sharing my recipes below along with pics of the other dishes.  I feel the Spinach Ricotta Rolls were pretty to look at more than they were tasty.  They were good but very different flavor and texture than I expected.  Check out my additional notes on how to make it better.   My friend E also mentioned the filling could be a good sauce over bowtie pasta.  That would be a quick and tasty dinner.   Good idea E!

The menu consisted of:
Appetizer - Spinach Ricotta Rolls
                   Asparagus Goat Cheese Tart

Main - Spinach Salad
            Ham, Egg & Pea Casserole

Dessert - Key Lime Pie

Spinach Ricotta Rolls by Chrystal

Spinach Ricotta Rolls
1/2 c pistachios (measurement done with shells on)
6 Lasagna Noodles
olive oil
1 tbsp butter, unsalted
1 bundle of fresh spinach
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 c ricotta cheese
1/4 c parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.   Lay each noodle flat on paper towel or aluminum foil to cool and dry.

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add oil and butter.   When butter is melted, add spinach and saute for about 6-8 minutes or until wilted.  Add garlic and salt.  Cook for another 2 minutes.  Set aside to let cool.

Grind pistachios in a coffee bean grinder or food processor until finely chopped.  Pour into a small bowl and set aside.

Using a blender or food processor, pulse the cooked spinach 2-4 times. In a large bowl, stir together the spinach, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt.

With a rubber spatula, spread about 2 tablespoons of the spinach filling onto each noodle.  With a sharp knife, slice noodle in half lengthwise.  (it's easier to do this before rolling in my opinion) Gently roll up each noodle tightly.  Sprinkle about a teaspoon or so of the ground pistachios.  Repeat for each noodle.   From here you can eat as a cold appetizer or reheat in oven for about 5-7 minutes or 15 sec in microwave and enjoy.  I recommend eating them warm.  **You can also make a casserole out of it. After rolling each noodle, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese in a small casserole dish and bake until cheese is melted.  I may try that version next. 

Asparagus Goat Cheese Tart by Chrystal

Asparagus Goat Cheese Tart
1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed
4 oz goat cheese
1 lb asparagus, trimmed
1 tbsp butter
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin (white and light green parts only)
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt
pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Place asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1-2 pinches of salt and pepper.  Roast in oven for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a small skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter.  Add sliced green onions and garlic.   Cook about 1 minute until softened.  Set aside to cool.

On a light floured sheet of parchment paper, roll out the pastry sheet to be about a 12-13 inch square.  Transfer parchment and pastry to a baking sheet.    Bake for about 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned.   Then spread goat cheese onto warm dough or place chunks if needed all over the dough in the center, leaving about an inch on the edge.   Place the asparagus spears side by side working from the center out.  Fold the edges of dough over onto the asparagus.   (I forgot to do this and added the asparagus AFTER I had already folded the dough. Mine looks sloppy in my opinion. But to each their own.)  Sprinkle the green onions and garlic over the top.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until pastry is golden brown all over.   Slice into squares with a pizza cutter.  Enjoy!

Spinach Salad by E

Ham, Egg & Pea Casserole by Carole

Key Lime Pie by Carole

4th of July & Berry Cobbler

I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July.   Thankfully the rain subsided and we were able to enjoy fireworks last night.  We brought Daxter along with us as well.   He was excited at first and we were having second thoughts but after we settled in, he relaxed and was more calm.   He even watched the beautiful fireworks with us and it was almost as entertaining to watch him than the show.   I'm sharing a cobbler recipe that I made that turned out wonderful.  It had a perfect berry flavor and crispy, buttery crust.  Thanks for the idea Pioneer Woman!

1 c self-rising flour
1 c milk
1 stick of butter, melted
1 c sugar + 1/4 c, separated
1 c raspberries
1 c blueberries
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt butter in a microwavable dish.  Set aside to let cool.  Pour 1 c of sugar and all the flour into a mixing bowl, whisking in milk.  Mix well.  Then, pour in the melted butter and vanilla and whisk it all well together.  Butter a baking dish.

Rinse and pat dry the berries.  Pour the batter into the buttered baking dish.  Sprinkle the berries over the top of the batter, distributing evenly.  Sprinkle the 1/4 c sugar over the top.

Bake for 1 hour or until golden and bubbly.  Serve with ice cream or cool whip.

Cinco de Mayo en Mi Cocina

I wanted to celebrate Cinco de Drinko er Mayo at home with the hubby so I planned to have something festive for dinner.  Oh and cheap as well.  So I created a Taco Mac, paired with chips and salsa as well as a margarita and boom!  You have a tasty full course meal.  Dessert was a Mango Cake with lime glaze which reminded me of this margarita cake I use to make.  It's so fluffy like a spongecake and sooooo good!  It's semi-homemade but still delicious.  I hope you enjoy it all as much as we did.

 
TACO MAC

1 lb ground beef
1 (15oz) can of dice tomatoes (I used Italian style for more flavor)
1 c frozen corn
1 packet taco seasoning
2 c uncooked pasta (I used Campanelle but any will do)
2 1/4 c hot water
2 c Taco or Mexican flavored cheese

Cook ground beef in big skillet over medium-high heat until browned.  Drain if necessary.  Add tomatoes, corn, taco seasoning, pasta and water.  Stir together and bring to a boil.  Stir once more, cover and turn down to medium-low heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender.

Turn off heat and add 1 cup cheese and stir.   Serve sprinkled with remaining cheese and a dollop of sour cream if desired.   Enjoy!

EASY MANGO-RUM CAKE


1 box french vanilla cake make
1/2 c rum
1/3 c water
3 eggs
1 c peeled mango, cubed
1/4 c butter, melted
1/4 c finely chopped mango

LIME GLAZE
1 1/2 c powder sugar
2-3 tsp milk (or water if no milk on hand)
1 1/2 tsp lime juice

Spray bundt cake pan or 9x9 baking dish with vegetable spray.  Place cubed mango on the bottom of the pan.   Blend cake mix, rum, water, eggs and finely chopped mango in a large mixer bowl and mix at low speed until moistened.  Then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. (scraping down sides of bowl if needed)

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick comes our clean.  Cool in pan for about 15-20 minutes.  While cooling, start the glaze.

Mix together all ingredients until smooth.  Add more milk or water for thinner consistency or more powdered sugar for thicker glaze.  Taste test to see if it has the right amount of lime and add more as you wish.

Loosen edges and put cake onto serving platter.   Pour glaze over whole cake. Slice and enjoy!!

Valentine's Day Treats

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

I decided to try and win the love of my new co-workers with some homemade treats for Valentine's Day. And it worked! Everyone enjoyed the goodies. Chris sent me a website with a recipe for homemade thin mints. These were a little time consuming in my opinion but so worth it. I would still buy the box of them from Girl Scouts just to have instant gratification.

The cake balls are a required holiday treat I share. Everyone seems to love them. They're so moist and delicious you can't have just one. They're very versatile so you can make shapes and try different cake mixes. Making homemade cake just for these cake balls seems like a waste of time and good ingredients so the boxed mix is definitely the way to go.






















THIN MINTS

2 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c white sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup milk (any kind) I used evaporated milk since I had it on hand.
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 peppermint extract

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Put the mixer on low speed and add the milk and extracts. Gradually add the flour mixture until incorporated.

Shape dough into two logs, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1-2 hours until dough if firm.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. With a sharp knife, slice dough into rounds no more than 1/4 thick. If they are too thick they will not be crisp. Place on parchment lined baking sheets. Cookies will not spread very much so you can put them close together. Bake for 12-14 minutes until cookies are firm at edges. Cool cookies completely on wire rack before dipping in chocolate.

DARK CHOCOLATE COATING

10oz dark or semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter, room temperature

In microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Melt on high in microwave stirring every 45-60 seconds, until chocolate is smooth. Chocolate should have a consistency somewhere between chocolate syrup and fudge for a thin coating.

Dip each cookie in melted chocolate, using a fork turn to coat and give a little shake to remove excess chocolate. Place on parchment or wax paper to set up for at least 30 minutes or until chocolate is dry.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

RED VELVET CAKE BALLS

1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13x9 cake)
1 tub cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 pkg chocolate bark or baking chocolate (regular or white)
wax paper

After cake is baked and cooled completely, crumble in large bowl. Mix thoroughly with the whole tub of cream cheese frosting. I use a sturdy spoon or rubber spatula. Using a cookie scoop, make balls of the mixture and lay onto cookie sheet. (should make 45-50.) Chill in the freezer for a couple of hours or until firm. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package. Using a fork, turn balls in the chocolate and tap off excess. Then lay on wax paper until dry.