Wishing everyone a wonderful Holiday Season with their friends and family. Thank you for supporting my blog in 2011. I look forward to sharing our 2012 adventures with you!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Pecan Pie
I have never attempted a homemade pie. This year I really wanted to make Kevin his favorite pie for our Christmas dinner so I asked around for a good recipe and then gathered all my ingredients. Thanks to a friend from work she gave me a great suggestion to use The Pioneer Woman's "The Pie That'll Make You Cry" (Pecan Pie).
AND... it turned out awesome! This recipe makes enough for two pies and although she doesn't state this in her recipe there would be no way you could fit this in one pie crust. Two is always better than one when it comes to pie anyways! Right?
Pecan Pie
Ingredients:
2 unbaked pie crusts
1 cup vegan can sugar
3 TBS brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup corn syrup
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/3 melted butter (earth balance)
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees
* Mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl.
* Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the unbaked pie shell.
* Pour syrup mixture over top of pecans. Cover top and crust lightly with foil.
* Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 20 minutes. Be careful to not burn the crust or pecans, check often.
* Allow to cool for several hours or overnight, serve.
Kitchen Notes:
* Pie should not be overly jiggly when you remove it from oven. Watch your oven time as it may vary.
Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies
Ashley Skabar runs a great blog for dairy free cooking. I love grabbing ideas from her blog emails that I receive. This holiday season she came out with several awesome cookie ideas. I couldn't resist this one with the great combination of vegan chocolate chips and dried cranberries. I hope you give it a try!
Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup vegan cane sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
12 ounces vegan chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
Directions:
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees
* In a medium mixing bowl mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until combined
* In a separate bowl use an electric hand mixer to cream butter and sugars, then add the eggs one at a time and vanilla.
* Sift the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until dough is stiff
* Fold in chocolate chips and cranberries.
* Cover dough and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes to set.
* Using hands, roll dough into balls and place on un-greased baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes (vary by oven).
* Allow to cook and enjoy!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Bacon Wrapped Olives
Bacon Wrapped Olives
Ingredients:
1 lb Bacon (about 12 pieces)
24 Garlic Stuffed Olives
24 toothpicks
Directions:
* Cut bacon strips in half so you have 24 pieces
* Wrap each Garlic Stuffed Olive with a single piece of bacon and hold together with a toothpick
* Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until bacon is cooked to your liking.
* Let cook and serve
Kitchen Notes:
* You can use any kind of stuffed olive (red pepper, feta, jalapeno, etc). They all taste amazing.
* Make sure to drain grease before serving to your guests.
Reindeer Munch
I played around with the idea of making some of my own and then found this great sweet version verse her savory kind. This isn't dairy free so be careful! However a tiny taste of this is totally worth it and makes a great party food!
Reindeer Munch
Ingredients:
2 cups bite-size square shaped rice cereal (Chex)
2 cups thin pretzel sticks
1 cup salted cocktail peanuts (or sub soy nuts)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup m&ms
12 oz vanilla - flavored candy coating or white candy melts
Directions:
* In a large bowl combine all ingredients minus white candy melts
* Chop candy coating; in a medium microwave safe bowl melt it according to package directions.
* Pour over cereal mixture; toss to coat
* Spread mixture on a large piece of foil and let stand for 30 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces and enjoy!
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
My husband LOVES peanut butter. My goal is always be creative with peanut butter from Thai dishes to breakfast to desserts as well. I really wanted a flourless cookie recipe this season for some of my friends who are on gluten free lifestyles. This one is for sure a winner!
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup vegan cane sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Directions:
* Heat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets w/ parchment paper.
* In a large bowl mix ingredients until smooth.
* Shape dough into balls (about 1 TBS each) and place 2 in. apart on baking sheets.
* Use a fork to flatten each ball, making crisscross patterns.
* Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until puffed and golden, 10 minutes.
* Let cool and enjoy (cookies will deflate as they cool)
Santa Hat Brownies
Another Tastefully Simple Ideas! Too many to pass up so I had to pick more than one. I can't wait till our small group sees these at our Christmas Party! If you are interested in ordering the Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix make sure to let me know! If you mention you saw them on my blog I will add a FREE cookbook to your order as well.
Santa Hat Brownies
Ingredients:
1 pan of Truffle Fudge Brownies
12-16 small strawberries
Cream Cheese Frosting or dairy free frosting (I buy mine at whole foods or make it from scratch)
Directions:
* Follow Truffle Fudge Brownie directions from box - cool and cut using a small round biscuit cutter.
* Clean and hull strawberries - cut the base off so you have a flat bottom
* To assemble: pipe a ring of frosting on top of each brownie - place strawberry upside down on each brownie - push slightly to secure in place - top the tip of the strawberry w/ a dot of frosting.
Olive Penguins
These cute black olive penguins came from my Tastefully Simple Recipe Blog. I check back weekly for great ideas on how to use our products. Plus I go to www.tastefullysimple.com/web/hgunn for over 5,000 recipes as well. What a great resource it has been for my kitchen and clients!
Olive Penguins
Ingredients:
8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 packet Olive & Herb Cheese Ball Mix
6 oz. can jumbo black olives, pitted
6 oz. can small black olives, pitted
1 carrot, washed and peeled
1 roasted red pepper (from a jar)
1 quart-sized, re-sealable freezer bag
Frilly toothpicks
Directions:
* Blend the cream cheese with the Olive & Herb Cheese Ball Mix™; place in a re-sealable freezer bag and chill for 1 hour or more to blend flavors. Bring to room temperature to fill the olives.
* Drain the olives (keep the two sizes separate) and pat them dry with paper towels.
* Cut a small piece lengthwise out of each jumbo olive.
* Cut a V-shaped groove out of the carrot, lengthwise, then slice the carrot into coins. Not too thin – you’ll need to be able to get a toothpick securely into the “feet.”
* Cut the skinny carrot piece that you removed for the feet into short pieces for the beaks
* Insert carrot “beaks” into the small olives.
* Open up a roasted red pepper and gently pat it dry with a paper towel. Slice very thin strips about 3-4” long for scarves.
* Snip a tiny corner off your freezer bag and pipe the cream cheese mixture into the V in the jumbo olive, full enough that the white cream cheese mixture is visible through the cut in the front. Place the filled olive upright onto a carrot coin; top the jumbo olive with a small olive “head” and keep the whole thing together by running the toothpick through the whole works, top to bottom. Wrap a roasted red pepper “scarf” around the neck. Ta da!
Nutter Butter Snowmen
I found this recipe on one of my favorite sites - Pinterest. If you haven't experienced this amazing site you need to! It is a virtual pin board for everything amazing. So additive and fun filled creative ideas.
These were too cute to pass up and thought they would be a perfect treat for one of our many holiday parties this season.
Nutter Butter Snowmen
Ingredients:
Nutter Butter cookies
White Candy Melts (vanilla flavored)
M&M candy
Tic-Tacs (orange and cut in half)
Black decorator icing
Directions:
* Line baking sheet w/ wax paper; set aside
* In a bowl melt white candy melts, read package instructions
* One at a time, dip a Nutter Butter cookie into the melted coating and flip it over to coat completely (use a fork). Remove and let any excess drip off then place on wax paper lined baking sheet. Repeat with all cookies.
* Place in fridge for 30 minutes so coating can set.
* Using black icing to attach M&Ms and Tic-Tacs then make eyes and mouth as well.
Holiday Treats!
I have come across so many fun holiday recipes this season. I feel like I always miss out on holiday baking and fun appetizers for several reasons: a. traveling to see family and the hustle and bustle of the season / b. there are also so many holiday parties that I leave my planning and cooking for the last minute and just throw an old favorite together.
Don't get me wrong I do love an old favorite during the holidays but THIS year I really wanted to step it up a little.
The next couple blog posts will be some of my fun creations. Some original, others found on my favorite cooking blogs and sites.
What to look for:
* Olive Penguins
* Bacon Wrapped Olives
* Twice Baked Potatoes
* Truffle Fudge Brownie Santa Hats
* Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
* Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies
* Reindeer Munch
* Nutter Butter Snowmen
Enjoy... AND Merry Christmas!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Husband Birthday Breakfast
On Thursday was Kevin's birthday and two weeks prior when I asked him what he wanted for his birthday he responded with:
1. A day at home in my pajamas - he gets a paid day off work!
2. Lots of movies
3. Jack and Cokes (our favorites!)
4. The following food:
a. Ham and Egg Cups
b. Pumpkin Enchiladas
c. Rocky Road Brownies
Sounded like a perfect day to me! Here are the recipes for his favorites.
Ham and Egg Cups
Ingredients:
6 eggs
6 slices ham (thin)
1/4 cup daiya cheese (vegan)
1/4 cup green onion
garlic
Directions:
* Take a 6 holed muffin tin and spray with non-stick spray
* Place a thin slice of ham in each cup hole
* Crack egg inside of ham slice
* Sprinkle in cheese, green onion, garlic, etc.
* Bake for 20 mins @ 350 degrees
Kitchen Notes:
* You can add anything to these: mushrooms, peppers, etc
* I served this with Fruit Parfaits (Green Valley Lactose Free Yogurt, Almond Granola, Blueberries, and Bananas)
Pumpkin Enchiladas
I already have these in a previous post so look HERE
BUT to get your mouth watering....
Rocky Road Brownies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup less 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably natural (see Note)
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg whites
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 8 regular-size marshmallows
- 2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1/3 cup chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate or large chocolate chips
Directions:
Click HERE on eatingwell.com website for intense instructions... they really aren't that hard and WAY worth it at the end
Sunday, December 4, 2011
French Onion Soup
When we traveled through Chicago a couple weeks ago we stopped for a lunch date at Elephant & Castle Pub. It was freezing cold and of course windy outside and we needed to get in somewhere quick. I was craving soup and a sandwich with of course a Jack and Coke. (to me that goes with everything!) We ended up ordering French Onion Soup and it was SO good. It also reminded me that making it from scratch is so easy and always a favorite on a cold snowy day.
Tomorrow it is supposed to be a high of 15 degrees...brrrr... guess that means a perfect day to chop some onions and throw some soup in the slow cooker. Oh and btw we will be making Elephant & Castle a "must stop" when we travel through Chicago.
French Onion Soup
Ingredients:
3 onions, thinly sliced
16 oz beef broth
4 cups water
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup sherry (optional)
salt and pepper
croutons or dry bread
vegan parm or swiss cheese
Directions:
* Saute onions in butter and sherry until soft, do not brown them just soften.
* Add onions and the remaining ingredients (minus croutons and cheese) in slow cooker.
* Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.
* Serve in bowls with croutons and vegan cheese on top
Kitchen Notes:
* I don't always cook the onions before hand. It still tastes the same and works great if you skip this step. Just put the butter and sherry right into the crockpot.
Enjoy
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Yesterday 60 degrees. Today 5 inches of snow and still snowing!
Thankful for a day to stay inside, reorganize my office space and prepare for the several Tastefully Simple Holiday events coming this weekend and next week.
I use my slow cooker year round because I believe that most things that you make with the oven or stove top can be altered for that amazing appliance. I often say it is the third person in our marriage because it requires minimal clean up (although it would be nice if it could wash and put itself away) and always has a hot amazing meal ready for us at the end of a long day.
I live all year long for winter, not because I like it one bit but because that means it is time for the slow cooker to start working on some soups! I always make a huge batch and then freeze them as well. They work great to pull from the freezer and heat quick on a Sunday afternoon as well.
With our snow today and a busy evening ahead of us I decided on Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:
1/2 pound shredded, cooked chicken
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