Taste of Christmas

When I think of Christmas, certain foods come to mind. My Moms candy has to be my favorite. Below is her fudge recipe that I look forward to eating myself sick with every year.

What does Christmas taste like to you??

Fudge

4 Cups Sugar
1 Can Evaporated Milk
3 Large, 7 oz.Hershey Bars
2 Cubes Butter
Nuts-optional

~Butter a 9X13 pan.
~Break up chocolate bars in a large bowl. Add butter and set aside.
~In a sauce pan, add Sugar and milk. Bring to a rolling boil.
~Turn to med-high and stir constantly for exactly 10 minutes.
~Add to the bowl of chocolate and butter. Mix with an electirc mixer of some sort until all are smooth and melted.
~Add nuts at this point if you wish.
~Pour into a buttered 9X13 pan.
~Let set up in the fridge.

Wassail

1 Gallon Apple Juice
1 Can of Frozen Orange Juice concentrate
4 Cups of Water
2/3 Cup Sugar
2 Cinnamon Sticks
12 Whole Cloves
10 Whole AllSpice
Put in a crock pot or on stove top and heat, stirring occasionally. I put a 1/4 of the recipe in a hot cocoa maker. That works good if you have one of those.

If you buy the spices at a regular store you will pay WAY too much. I found them in bulk for a great price at Winco. For example at the grocery store I found the a bottle of 10 cinnamon sticks for for $3.89. At Winco I got them for about $2.50lb. Worth the drive, I would say.

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie

2 pie crusts
3 Cups pumpkin puree
6 large eggs
1 1/2 Cups + 2 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Corn Starch
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 Cups evaporated milk
whipped cream for serving

-In a large bowl add pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, nutmeg, eggs, and evaporated milk; whisk until combined.
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and add the pumpkin mix to the 2 pie shells. Bake on rimmed baking sheets for 35-40 minutes. Bake until all but centers are set.
-Let cool completely on a wire rack and serve with whipped cream.

* Makes 2 pies. Recipe from Martha Stewart

Whipped Cream

There's nothing better than homemade whipped cream!

Whipped Cream

1 Cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 Tbsp. Vanilla

-Beat on high in your mixer for about 10-15 minutes. Refrigerate the extra and serve in hot chocolate or with pie or just eat it as is!
*Be sure your bowl and whisk is very clean and preferably cold for best results.

Chicken Cacciatore

This is a recipe I found from Pioneer Woman. It looked so yummy I had to try it and...it is yummy!Chicken Cacciatore

salt
pepper
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
flour for coating chicken
4 cuts of chicken skin-on
1 onion
1 bell pepper
3 cloves garlic
mushrooms
1 can tomatoes
3/4 C. cooking wine
1/4 tsp. ground thyme
1/4 tsp. turmeric
parmesan cheese
parsley

She gives you a step-by-step tutorial here. Enjoy!

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

I had some leftover pumpkin puree and wanted a new recipe to use it up. I found this, and quite liked it. The kiddos- even baby- liked it, too! It's a little lacking in flavor, so I added a little extra chili powder, and I think that the garnish is a must have. Enjoy the nice October meal!

Besides adding a sweet nutty flavor to dishes, pumpkin is a ready source of vitamin A, which boosts the nutrition content of this offbeat chili. Garnish each portion with a dollop of sour cream and chopped cilantro.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound ground white or dark meat turkey
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée
1 cup water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Method

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeños and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned. Add tomatoes, pumpkin, water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and add beans. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes more. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.

Serves 6

Nutrition

Per serving (about 12oz/348g-wt.): 280 calories (110 from fat), 13g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 55mg cholesterol, 580mg sodium, 23g total carbohydrate (8g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 20g protein

Recipe from wholefoods.com

Potato Pancakes with Avocado Mash and Eggs

 
I really don't like breakfast foods, and so I usually skip breakfast and eat an early lunch. But when I found this idea in a magazine and it actually looked appealing, I decided to give it a try. It was fast and easy and didn't make a big mess -- all requirements I have for early morning meals. AND it's yummy!

Frozen hashbrowns
Onion powder
Avocado
Egg
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Season hashbrowns with salt, pepper, and onion powder. Heat a tbsp or so of olive oil over medium heat. Add hashbrowns and cover pan with foil. Cook a few minutes on each side until brown. Remove hashbrowns from plate. In same pan (adding more olive oil if needed) fry an egg as desired. Top hashbrowns with mashed avocado (seasoned with salt) and place egg on top. Serve!

This is my variation of the recipe. If you want to see the original from the magazine, click here. If you don't like fried eggs, I'm sure it would be good with scrambled or any other type of egg as well.

Meat 'n' Cheese Stomboli

My sister taught me how to make this and it has become a family favorite!

I buy Rhodes frozen white bread. It comes in a pack of 3. I let the loaf thaw about 3-4 hours.



*I cook mine on the lowest oven rack to make sure the dough at the bottom gets cooked all the way through, that depends on your oven though!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

1 box Spice Cake Mix (dry mix only)

1 small can of Pumpkin

Chocolate Chips

Mix ingredients and bake!

Easy.

(Photo credit: http://lostbuttonstudio.blogspot.com/2008/09/muffin-mix.html)

Market Street Grill Clam Chowder

If you've ever been to Market Street Grill, you know their clam chowder is to die for. But did you know they post almost all their recipes on their website? I was so excited to find this, and even more excited when it tasted as good as I remembered.

Ingredients:
1 cup potatoes, diced ½ inch
1 cup celery, diced ½ inch
1 cup onion, diced ½ inch
1 cup green pepper, diced ½ inch
1 cup leeks, diced ½ inch
¾ cup chopped clams (canned or fresh)
¾ tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
1 ½ tablespoon salt
¾ tablespoon whole thyme
6 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Tabasco
¾ cup sherry wine (optional)
2 cups water
¾ cup clam juice (drained from canned clams or purchased separately in can)
¾ cup butter, melted
1 cup flour
2 quarts half-and-half

Method:
Combine melted butter and flour in oven-proof container and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. In large saucepan, combine remaining ingredients except half-and-half. Simmer until potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Stir butter-flour mixture into chowder and stir until thick. Mixture will be slightly less thick than cookie dough. Remove chowder from heat. Stir in half-and-half until blended. Heat to serving temperature, stirring occasionally.

Serve immediately. Makes 12 servings.

Here are my variations: I leave out the leeks, and only use about half the salt and pepper (you can always add more later). I usually make a half batch, but the servings are pretty true so you can decide for yourself how much to make.

Make-your-own Spray and Wash

1 Jug ammonia

1 bottle non-scented, die free dish soap

Water

In a spray bottle, combine equal parts ammonia, water, and dish soap.

*Makes multiple bottles

The lady I got this from says if it doesn't get out a stain, put some oxy-clean on first, then this spray. She swears it gets out anything. I love that it get's out grease! Plus you can't beat the price!

strawberry spinach salad

Dressing:

1 lemon

2 T white wine vinegar

1/3 c sugar

1 T vegetable oil

1 t poppy seeds

Salad:

1/4 c sliced almonds, toasted

1 1/2 c strawberries (8oz)

1/2 medium cucumber, sliced and cut in half

1/4 small red onion, sliced into thin wedges

1 6 oz pkg baby spinach

Directions:

For dressing, zest lemon to measure 1/2 t zest.

Juice lemon to measure 2 T juice

Combine zest, juice, vinegar, sugar, oil and poppy seeds in small bowl

Whisk until well blended. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven 350

For salad, spread almonds in single layer over bottom of pan

Bake 10-12 min until lightly toasted

(*I set my oven to broil then watch, they'll toast more quickly than baking)

Remove and cool almonds

Hull strawberries and cut into quarters

Peel cucumber and slice

Slice red onion into thin wedges

Place spinach in large serving bowl, add strawberries, cucumber and onion.

Whisk dressing. Pour over salad, gently tossing to coat.

Sprinkle with almonds

(I set my almonds and dressing on the side to you can put your own on)

Shrink Please

I found us a cute new template. Once I put it up, it is way too big. The silverware is supposed to be on a napkin with damask background. Does anyone one if it can be fixed to size? Also, how do I get that pyzam bar off. It's a bit of an eye sore.

Lemon Whippersnappers

These are now on my favorite cookie list. They are second in line to my favorite cookie, which I have shared earlier. Yes, they are both yummy but mainly because they have very few ingredients and are easy.

1 Box of Lemon Cake Mix
2 Cups of Cool Whip (thawed)
1 Egg (lightly beaten)
Powdered Sugar

Mix cake mix, cool whip and egg. Roll into small balls, maybe just smaller than a ping pong ball, roll in powdered sugar. Place on your cookie sheet. They will flatten out, so do not put them too close together on your cookie sheet. I fit 13 on 1 sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Makes around 3 dozen cookies.

Another pasta salad - it's that time of year!

16 oz pkg bowtie pasta, cooked
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 c mayo
1/2 c Caesar dressing
1 Tbsp Grey Pouopon (or any other fancy prepared mustard)
2 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
red grapes, halved
chopped celery
parmesan cheese, to taste

In a large bowl, toss pasta, chicken, oil and garlic powder. Cover and chill. In a separate bowl, combine mayo, Caesar dressing, mustard, curry powder, salt and pepper. Cover and chill. Just before serving, add tomatoes, grapes, celery, chilled dressing and cheese to pasta mixture and toss.

Make sure you leave plenty of time to chill -- it is SOO much better cold. The recipe makes a TON but its great leftover (I had it for breakfast this morning, gross I know) -- or you can just half the recipe :).

Easy Fruit Popsicles

To make four pops,
2 cups cut-up fruit
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice
Throw all ingredients into a blender. Cover and blend until smooth. You might wish to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water so the final mix is a thick slush.
Pour into 4-ounce pop molds or paper cups, insert sticks, and freeze until solid.

Recipe from the Readers Digest.

Farfalle Pasta Salad

Per MarKey's request. Mix these ingredients together for a yummy side dish at your Summer BBQ:

*Kraft Sun dried Tomatoe Vinegarette dressing
*1 box of Farfalle pasta
*Baked chicken (prev. marinated in dressing, a few hours or overnight)
*Sliced Olives
*Fresh Parmesan
*Diced Tomatoes

oops...

I went to make the Asian Chicken Salad recipe that I posted a little bit ago, and I realized that I put "vegetable oil" instead of "olive oil" in the recipe... I think that my lack of sleep is starting to really effect my brain (crossing my fingers that Nixon will start to sleep for longer streches than 3-4 hours soon!)

Anyway, it's fixed. Sorry if any of you made it and it was yucky.

So good!

I know everyone must already cook from the Pioneer Women website but if you haven't had a chance to make this, PLEASE TRY IT! The link is: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/apple_dumplings/

Enjoy : )

Homemade Tortilla chips

I was a little hesitant to try this, but I had some extra tortilla's lying around and give it a try.

We loved them!

*take fresh corn tortilla and cut them into wedges.

*drizzle olive oil on cookie sheet then place tortilla's on cookies sheet. drizzle a little more olive oil and salt on top or tortilla's.

*cook 350 for 15-17 mins or until the are as crispy as you want.

enjoy!

Asian Chicken Salad

:Ingredients:

lettuce- I prefer spring mix & spinach

1 (8 ounce) package chow mein noodles

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

4 green onions, chopped

2 cans mandarin oranges, drained

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1 cucumber, peeled and diced

:Dressing:

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

I made this for dinner on Sunday and I loved it SO MUCH, that I made it again on Monday! The hubby didn't even mind because he loved it too! :)

Playgroup Granola Bars

:InGredIeNtS:

2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup wheat germ

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup raisins (optional)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup honey

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

:dIrEcTioNs:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

Makes 24 bars

NutRitIoN InFo:
161 calories
5.5 g fat
9 mg cholesterol

Chicken Enchiladas

Ok so I have a little idea for everyone who posts on this blog. I have the hardest time coming up with ideas for meals and I have a very few that I have memorized. So I think we should all try to post one recipe that we frequently make that we already have memorized. Probably just the first recipe that comes to your mind. It is probably one of your favorites or easy to make or you have it regularly but I think if I could get everyone's ideas, it might help me! So here goes...

Chicken Enchiladas

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup of sour cream (I use fat free and can't tell the difference)
1 small can diced green chili's, drained
2 chicken breasts boiled and cut up or shredded
cheese (whichever you prefer, we use cheddar or colby jack)
6-8 flour tortillas
salsa (optional)

Boil chicken breasts and cup up or shred.
Mix cream of chicken soup with sour cream, diced chili's, and a dollop (aka Tbsp or 2) of salsa (completely optional with the salsa, sometimes I do this and sometimes I don't, just depends on my mood).
Spread a thin layer of the sauce mix on bottom of 9 x 13 pan.
On each tortilla spread a line of sauce mix down the tortilla. Spread a line of chicken on top of the sauce and sprinkle shredded cheese on top of that. Fold tortillas in at end and roll into enchilada wrap. Place in pan and spread remaining sauce mix over the top of tortillas. Sprinkle a layer on cheese on top of that and cover with foil.

Bake in oven at 350 for about 45 min to and hour. I take off the foil the last 5 minutes to brown the top a little. Enjoy!

Double Cranberry Muffins

Double the Fruit, Double the Deliciousness---and Good for You!

Between the tart fresh Cranberries, the sweet and chewy dried ones, and the cherry preserves, you won't be at a loss of fruit flavor when you bite into this moist muffin. Made chewy and extra nutritious with oats. No Cranberries left from your Thanksgiving stash? Don't sing the blues---Just substitute with Blueberries (you can also use dried or freeze-dried Blueberries instead of dried Cranberries)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/4 cup Ground Flaxseed or Oat Bran

2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cup Old-Fashioned Oats

2 Lg. Eggs

1 cup White Grape Juice Consentrate

1/2 cup All Fruit Cherry or Rasberry Preserves

1/3 cup Canola Oil

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

1/2 cup Dried Cranberries (preferrably nonsweetened)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a regular 12-tin muffin pan with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, combine the Flour, Flaxseed, Baking Powder, Soda and Salt. Stir in the Oats.

3. In another bowl, combine Eggs, Juice Consentrate, Preserves, Oil, and Vanilla and mix until smooth. Little by little add in Flour mixture until smooth. Be Carefull Not To Overmix!

4. Gently fold in all Cranberries.

5. Spoon batter into muffin tin. Bake 18 Minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

6. Move to wire rack. Cool completly, keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days or frozen for 3 months.

Makes 12 Muffins.

Nutritional Information:

• 1 muffin = 210 calories


• Vitamin C: 1/2 serving


• Other Vegetables: 1/2 serving


• Whole Grains: 1/2 serving


• Some Fats

Death by Chocolate Cake

Here it is, as requested by MarKey. Be warned: this recipe contains no fancy ingredients, is not difficult, and is most definitely NOT low fat.

This is my go-to dessert. I really am not a baker, but I have yet to mess this one up. Always a crowd pleaser. Delicious warm with vanilla ice cream.

1 box chocolate cake mix
3 oz box of instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup warm water
12 oz chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients and pour into a GREASED (very important) bundt cake pan. Bake at 325 for 50-55 minutes.

Or, in honor of the Superbowl, you could get creative and bake something like this:

Recipe Request

Carly, I had a chocolate bunt cake that you made once. It was fantastic!! I tried to recreate it over the weekend and it was just not the same. Will you post the recipe so I can get it right and so everyone can know the best chocolate fix recipe ever?

Everything but the kitchen sink cookies

This is a recipe my aunt gave me a few years ago. What I am posting is actually a half batch, but it is all my Kitchen Aid can handle and it STILL produces about 6 dozen cookies. I really like to freeze the cookies in ziplock bags so I can pull them out a few at a time. I actually like them better cold, so even the ones I am going to eat right away I keep in the fridge.

The greatest part about this recipe is that is really isn't a recipe at all. You can add to or take out anything you like/don't like. Adjust it to suit your tastes!

Here it is:

Combine, and let curdle:
1 cup milk
2 T vinegar

Grind together (in grinder, blender, Cuisinart, etc.):
1 large whole orange (I peel it, but you can leave the peel on if you like)
1 apple, cored but not peeled
1/2 lb. raisins (just eyeball it)

Note: if using a blender, the fruit will grind up better with some liquid – I usually add the milk/vinegar during the grinding

Add: 1 cup grated carrots (or on a lazy day, grind them up with the rest)

Cook all the above over slow heat until carrots are softened. Remove from heat and allow to get cold (can put in fridge).

Cream together the following until sugar is dissolved:
1 ½ cups salad oil or shortening (can substitute part applesauce)
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs (add one at a time, beating well after each)
1 tsp. vanilla

Add cold fruit mixture to the above.

“Sift” together (or just mix well) the following, and add to above mixture:
4 cups flour (can use some whole wheat flour)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Finally, add:
4 cups quick oats
1 cup chocolate chips (I like to put in a little more than this)
1 cup chopped nuts

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-11 minutes.

My New Favorite

Incase you haven't discovered The Pioneer Woman please do yourself a huge favor and check out her recipes. These are recipes that as a busy mom, you want to try. She has no less than 50 pics per recipe, explaining everything from how to cut a onion to what cube steak is. She doesn't use "weird" ingredient. This is down to earth cooking. I honestly love her. She's my kind of cook.

Here are some of our favorite...

My Most Favorite Burger Ever. (For Now.)

Onion Strings

Penne a la Betsy!

White Chicken Enchiladas

Ranch Style Chicken

Brooke's 'Chinese Food'

Ok, so I don't even like chinese food and so I don't know if this stuff my mom calls "Chinese Food" even tastes authentic. Oh well, I like it!

1 large chicken breast cut into strips (or you can use sirloin steak strips)
Olive Oil
Fresh cut vegetables (broccoli, pea pods, onions, carrots, celery, peppers)
1 1/2 c chicken broth (or 1 1/2 c beef broth)
1/2 t pepper
2 T cornstarch mixed with 1/4 c water
2 T soy sauce to taste

Brown meat in olive oil. Add vegetables, broth, pepper--steam until veggies are tender. Stir in cornstarch to thicken, then add soy sauce. Serve over warm rice.

Easy BBQ Beef

2-3 lb roast
1 t. salt
1/2 t pepper
1 t. cummin
1 t. paprika
1/2 chopped onion
2 c BBQ sauce
1/2 c brown sugar

Combine salt, pepper, cummin, paprika and rub on roast. Mix bbq sauce, brown sugar and onion into crockpot. Add roast. Cook 8-10 hours on low or about 5 hours on high. Shred. Cook another 1/2 hour.

**I use a 1-2 lb roast and just use a little less bbq sauce for my little family. It still leaves tons of leftovers! Also, I love Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce from Costco, Bullseye works well too.

Smore Treat

You might be all treated out but this one was my favorite over the holidays. So if you are cheating on you resolutions this is a good candidate.

Ingredients

* 3/4 cup light corn syrup
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 9 cups Golden Grahams cereal
* 3 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions

1.Grease rectangular pan (13x9x2").
2.Heat corn syrup, butter, and 1 Cup of the chocolate chips to boiling in a 3-quart saucepan, stirring constantly and remove from heat.
3.Stir in vanilla.
4.Pour over cereal in large bowl and toss until completely coated with chocolate.
5.Fold in the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and marshmallows, 1 cup at a time.
6.Press mixture evenly in pan with buttered back of spoon or hands with pam on them.
7.Let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour or until firm.