Cheese-Stuffed Christmas Tree

This is absolutely AMAZING! But you have to eat it hot right out of the oven.

First make a batch of Easy Peasy Bread dough.

After the dough rises, split the dough into pieces to make rolls.

Roll the dough around 1/8 of a piece of string cheese.

Place stuffed rolls on a greased baking sheet in a Christmas tree shape.

Brush with an egg beaten with a little water. (it's not absolutely necessary) 

Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until golden.

Remove from oven and brush generously with melted butter. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese or topping of your choice.

Place back in oven for 2 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve immediately with pasta sauce for dipping.

Butterbeer for Grown-Up Muggles

I found this butterscotch soda made by Reeds at a grocery store down where my boys go to college. While I like it all on it's own, I found a way to make it even better...

Just pour one bottle of Flying Cauldron Butterscotch Beer into a chilled glass. Add one 1.5 oz shot of Eastside Distillery's Holiday Egg Nog Advocaat Liqueur.

It's just what you need for a Harry Potter marathon...

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sometimes your food and your movie just have to coordinate. And I believed that Sherlock's Abominable Bride needed Sticky Toffee Pudding. I was right...

1 cup dates, cut up
1 1/2 cup water

Cover dates with the water in small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil. Lower heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. And let sit.

1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream together.

2 eggs

Add 1 egg at a time, mixing well after each egg.

3 Tablespoons molasses
2 Tablespoons dark corn syrup

Beat well.

1 2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Mix together. Add to butter and eggs in 3 equal portions, mixing after each one.

Take the date and water and puree them together in a blender or food processor. Stir in 1 teaspoon baking soda.

Mix into the batter until smooth.

Pour into greased and sugared muffin tin. This will make about 18, depending on the size.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until center is firm.

Sauce

1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons molasses
4 Tablespoons dark corn syrup
4 teaspoons vanilla

Bring to a slow rolling boil over medium heat. Boil for 2 minutes.

Let cool a couple of minutes.

Serve puddings warm with sauce poured over the top.

Store leftovers in fridge and rewarm before serving.

String Cheese Airplane Snacks

Twice a month I watch our godson and his little sister. Every time they come over, we choose a different subject and do a mini unit-study. Guess what we learned about today?

Yup! We learned all about airplanes. Here are some fun facts about airplanes you may not have known:

1. A Boeing 747 is 150 feet long. The Wright Brother’s first flight at Kitty Hawk was only 120 feet.

2. The Concorde flew at over 1300 mph and made the flight from NY to London in 3 hours!

3. Modern 747s have just 365 controls. The first models had 971!

4. Airplane themed snacks are really easy to make! :o)

First we made candy planes. The kind with Smarties, Wintergreen Life Savers and a stick of gum all held together with a rubber band. I hadn’t seen these since I was a kid. It was extra fun because we all shut ourselves into our window-less bathroom and watched the Life Savers spark in our mouths when we bit them. I hadn’t done that since I was a kid either. My poor 17-year-old had never done it or seen it. I think he thought it was cooler than he let on… ;o)

But for our more healthy snack, we made string cheese airplanes.

All you need is a piece of string cheese, two carrot slices, a rectangular piece of bread and a slice of pepperoni.

Stick a toothpick through the front of the string cheese and poke one carrot slice on each end. Break a second toothpick in half. Use one half to secure the bread “wing” to the top of the cheese. Fold the slice of pepperoni in half and then use the second half toothpick to secure it to the back of the cheese with the open end opening to the rear of the “plane”.

If you want a fun and educational movie to watch while you enjoy these treats, check out Andy’s Airplanes episode one on YouTube. You can link to it HERE. 

Cranberry Merlot Meatballs

This is one of my new favorite crock pot meals! I can make it in a snap and it tastes rather fancy and elegant. If I use frozen meatballs, it only takes a minute to throw it all together and cooks on high in only about 3 hours. We love it served over mashed potatoes but is also a lovely appetizer!

Whisk together:

1 can jellied cranberry sauce

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup merlot (or any red wine or cranberry juice)

2 teaspoons stone ground mustard (or any other hot mustard)

Pour over 30-40 meatballs.

Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 5-6 hours, or until meatballs are hot.

Serve over mashed potatoes or as an appetizer.

Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Scones

I have been making GF things for my friends for a long time. But before now, I have always made flour-free foods. This time I decided to try my hand at truly GF baking.

I wasn’t sure how it was supposed to taste, so I sent it off to my GF tester (aka – my son’s fiancée). She and her sister gave it a “thumbs up”, so here it is…

First I settled on a GF “Bisquick” alternative. I used the one here at glutenfreerecipebox.com.

Then I just used that as a base for making scones.

I’ve made scones often enough that I knew what they needed, so I just improvised from there. A little of this, a little of that, butter, cream, cranberries, orange, and of course, powdered sugar glaze, and I had a batch of scones that looked good enough to fool anyone. ;o) Just kidding! But they did look gorgeous!

Now no one needs to feel left out of your next traditional English tea party…

2 cups GF baking mix

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup heavy cream

zest and juice of 1 small orange

1/2 cup dried cranberries

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix baking mix and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in orange zest and cranberries. Mix in cream, until dough is very well mixed. (I use my hand for this step). Knead about 5 times in bowl.

Pat into a circle about 1” thick. Place on a greased or parchment-papered baking sheet. Cut into 8 wedges, separating them a bit but leaving in a circle.

Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown and pick comes out clean.

Let cool on wire rack for about 30 minutes.

Whisk together powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth to make a glaze that is just thin enough to drizzle over the scones.

Let cool until glaze sets.

Store in airtight container.

Lemon Lavender Shortbread

I needed another dainty treat to eat while watching Downton Abbey, so I searched my memory banks for things I like to eat when we have tea parties… Lavender shortbread cookies are one of those special little treats that are just what I was hoping for!

I like lemon and lavender paired together, so hence that is what I put in this recipe. I hope you enjoy these with your afternoon tea as much as I do!

1 cup softened butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 Tablespoon dried lavender, rubbed in hand to break up large pieces and release oils

grated zest from 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat until smooth and creamy.

2 1/4 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix in flour and salt until stiff dough forms.

Mold into rolls and wrap in waxed or parchment paper. Chill in fridge over night.

Remove from fridge for 10 minutes. Slice thin (1/4”).

Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes. Don’t let the edges brown!

Kettle Corn at Home

Kettle corn… that perfect combination of salty and sweet! I love kettle corn but hate that I have to wait until I go to the fair or some other large outdoor event to have the stuff… Why can’t I just install a giant cauldron in my dining room and make it all year round???

Now I don’t have to wait anymore! Now I can have it at home any time I want without the giant cauldron of yummyness! Wow! This could be dangerous!!! LOL

All you need is a stirring popcorn popper… I know you can do it in a large stockpot, but I don’t know how to do that. ;o)

Pour 1/2 cup popcorn evenly into the bottom of your popper. Top with 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil. Sprinkle with 3-4 Tablespoons of white granulated sugar.

Then you sit and watch it until it pops… There is something sort of magical about getting to watch all those hard little kernels explode into fluffy white puffs of deliciousness!!! So much better than microwave stuff! Does that make me a huge popcorn nerd???

Watch and listen to your kettle corn very closely! You want to stop it AS SOON AS YOU HEAR THE POPPING START TO SLOW! This stuff burns really easily!

Carefully flip over your bowl (after you put the cover back on the lid/bowl) and enjoy it while it is still warm!

Chocolate Chocolate Candy Cane Chex Mix

This is a quick and easy treat to make for your holiday parties or just for munching on while watching movies…

All you need is a box of Chocolate Chex cereal, 1 bag of white chocolate chips, 1 box of candy canes and 1 cup powdered sugar.

Dump box of cereal into a large mixing bowl.

Unwrap candy canes and place in zipper bag. Crush with a rolling pin until broken into very small pieces but not dust. This part is fun and can be done by kids!

Melt bag of chocolate chips in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for another 15-30 seconds. Stir until smooth.

Pour over cereal. Stir to coat. Be careful not to break up the cereal while stirring!

Before cereal is completely coated, add the candy canes. Continue to carefully stir until all the cereal is evenly coated with chocolate and candy.

Immediately divide the coated cereal into 2 gallon-sized zipper bags. Pour 1/2 cup of powdered sugar into each bag. Seal bags but leave air in them.

Shake bags to evenly coat the cereal with sugar. This is another fun step for the kids!

Now you have two bags of Chex mix… One for you and one for someone you love!

Chocolate Fondue

I love fondue, I love chocolate, I love dipping things into other yummy things! This is the best of all three!!! Some of our favorite dippers are: marshmallows, pound cake, brownie chunks, apples, strawberries, bananas.

A candle fondue pot works best for this. Just pre-heat the pot a bit before adding the chocolate.

3/4 cup half & half

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup liquor or strong coffee

Heat creams in double boiler until they bubble. Reduce heat and slowly add chocolate chips, stirring each addition until melted and smooth. When chocolate is all melted, add liquor or coffee. Stir well. Pour into fondue pot. Use for dipping your favorite treats and enjoy!

Spicy Ranch Saltines

I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided it was just what our Superbowl party at church needed. But when I found MINI SALTINES at the store, I was so excited that I actually gasped out loud! You get very strange looks from the other shoppers when you gasp while grabbing a box of Saltines off the shelf… Oh, that poor pathetic woman. What must her life be like that she is so excited by salt crackers???

I’m almost 40 now and that doesn’t bother me a bit! And I used them to make some of the most scrumptious snack crackers ever… So there! :oP

Here’s the recipe for you to try:

1 cup vegetable oil

1 package ranch dressing mix

2 Tablespoons of crushed red pepper flakes (you can use more or less depending on your heat tolerance)

1 box of mini saltines

Heat your oven to 250. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.

Mix the oil, dressing mix and pepper flakes in a small bowl.

Pour over the crackers that have been placed in a large bowl. Toss well to coat. This will take a few minutes. But be careful! You don’t want a bowl full of crumbs…

Place crackers on the baking sheet and pour the extra ranchy-peppery oil over the top of the crackers.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through baking.

Let cool and store in airtight bags or containers.

Wassail

Although we didn’t go wassailing or have any wassailers visit, I did make a batch of this lovely fruity & spicy drink for Christmas Eve. A large tea ball strainer works great for your spices! Be sure to toast, “Be in good health” when you drink.

2 cups sugar

4 1/4 cups water

2 cinnamon sticks

1 Tablespoons whole cloves

1 slice fresh peeled ginger

4 1/4 cups orange juice

2 cups lemon juice

1/2 gallon apple cider

Place sugar and water in large saucepan. Heat to boiling over high heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add spices. Cover and let sit on back of stove for 1 hour.

Strain, or remove tea ball strainer. Add juices and quickly bring it to a boil. Remove and serve. Keep hot in a crock pot.

Christmas Sausage Wreath

Here’s another fun finger food for your next holiday party! Be sure to cut up a red pepper for a fun red ribbon!

1-2 tubes of crescent rolls

1 pkg of Little Smokies

Open up the tube of crescent rolls and press the two triangles of dough into rectangles. Using a pizza cutter, cut the rectangles into 8 strips each.

Roll one sausage into each strip of dough and place in a circle shape on a large baking sheet.

Bake at 375 for 11-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Garnish with pepper ribbon and serve with mustard for dipping.

Bagel Wreath

When I am throwing a party I like the food to be simple yet fun and tasty, too! This one turned out to be all three…

Spread mini bagels with cream cheese.

Sprinkle with dill weed to taste.

Finely chop fresh veggies. I used a mixture of bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, & broccoli.

Sprinkle veggies on top of bagels.

Place in a circle on a plate.

Garnish with a red bell pepper cut to look like a bow.

*You can also cut each bagel into smaller pieces if you want them to be bite-sized pieces.

Seaweed Snack Mix

That’s right: seaweed! I acquired a bottle of Nomi Komi Furikake rice seasoning from a dear friend just a few days before I saw this recipe come across my Google Reader. I was so excited to try it!!! Unfortunately, it took a while before I got around to doing it…

But now that I did it I’m so glad I did! It is so addictive!!! Nomi Komi Furikake is made of seaweed, sesame seeds, sugar and salt. I am a real craver for the salty/sweet thing and this just hit the spot.

I admit that it does have a very distinctive aroma (and taste), so if you aren’t wild about seaweed you might be a bit put off by it. But if you are an adventurous eater and like trying something new to munch on while watching TV, give it a try.

Click HERE for the recipe at the Food Librarian.

By the way, I made only a half batch of the coating and covered about 10 (or a bit more) cups of popcorn, Chex, Bugles and pretzels. It was plenty for just us! Especially since not all of us enjoyed it… :o)

I think it would be fun to serve in mini take-out boxes at a party!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

We love poppers, but I don’t love making them! They are a lot of work and are gone in a flash! So when my friend posted this recipe I also knew (like she did) it would be a keeper!

I made a few changes but it turned out great! We like them pretty hot and spicy! Serve it hot from the oven with tortilla chips! I also think it would be good spread on a toasted bagel for lunch…

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayo (I would use less, I don’t like mayo)

1 can diced chilies (for a more spicy dip, I would use canned diced hot chilies or jalapenos)

3 fresh jalapenos, finely chopped (leave in seeds for more spice)

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup finely shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix cream cheese, sour cream and mayo until smooth.

Stir in chilies and jalapenos.

Spread in a glass pie plate. (At this point you can bake it right away or let it sit covered overnight in fridge.)

Just before baking, mix the bread crumbs and cheese in a small bowl and sprinkle on top of dip.

Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through. After it’s heated through, you can place it under the broiler for a browner top if you want.

Lemon Curd

I have always been afraid to make anything cooked with eggs. You know, things like custards or hollandaise sauce. I can make scrambled eggs fine, but those things should be smooth not lumpy. But when my sister made lemon curd this last week, I decided it was time to get over that fear.

So when I saw some lovely yellow Meyer lemons at the local produce stand, I just had to overcome my fear.

The first thing to do is to juice LOTS of lemons. Enough to make 1 cup of juice.

Separate 6 egg yolks from the whites.

Press the yolks through a sieve into a heavy saucepan to remove whites.

Add 1 cup lemon juice and 3/4 cup superfine sugar and whisk until just combined.

Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

Heat until thickened and it coats the back of the spoon. This will take about 20 minutes. (So turn on some good tunes and be ready to stir)

Then remove from heat. Cut 1/4 cup butter into 4 cubes. Stir in 1 cube at a time, stirring until melted.

Pour into jars or plastic freezer containers, leaving a headspace for freezing.

Chill until set. Then freeze.  

Now make some scones and have a tea party!

Pretzel Kisses

This is a super quick and easy treat to make when you need to bring something to a get-together or when you have a salty-sweet craving…

Here’s all you do:

Preheat oven to 350.

Place pretzels on baking tray.

Unwrap any flavor Hershey’s kisses (except almond) and place on top of each pretzel.

Place in oven for 2-3 minutes. They should be shiny and an M&M should easily be pressed into the melted Kiss. If not, place back in oven for another 30 seconds.

Quickly press one M&M into the center of each kiss.

     Place in fridge until set.

Remove from tray and serve immediately or store in airtight container in fridge.