Category: Holiday Fare

Just adding this new category and will be posting seasonal recipes for Thanksgiving and Christmas

Cookies · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Triple Ginger Cookies

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

This was my first time to participate in the Food Bloggers Cookie Swap. I received 3 different types of cookies from 3 other bloggers. One of the cookies that were sent to me were these delicious Triple Ginger Cookies from, “loveandflour.com”   There were amazing, so I went to her blog to obtain her recipe. This was also my first time to use fresh ginger in a cookie recipe. These are now my favorite cookies and had so much fun making them today. Thanks Leandra for sharing these awesome cookies with the world! They have won my heart.

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour ( I used just all purpose since I didn’t have wheat)

1 tables ground ginger

1 teas baking soda

1/8 teas salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/4 cup molasses

2/3 cup light brown sugar

2 tables fresh ginger, finely grated

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup dried chopped apricots

1/2 cup crystalized ginger, finely chopped

1 cup turbinado sugar

In a large bowl, stir together flours, ground ginger, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat.

Remove from the heat once the butter is melted and stir in the molasses, brown sugar and fresh ginger. Allow to cool.

Add the beaten egg to the cooled molasses mixture and stir to combine.

Slowly stir this mixture into the dry flour mixture.

Fold in the apricots and crystalized ginger into the dough.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.

Once chilled, shape the dough into half-inch balls and roll in the turbinado sugar.

Place the cookie balls on parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 8-10 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

 

Breads · Breakfast · Cakes · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Cranbery Christmas Cake

Chocolate Castles2 Comments
Christmas Cranberry Cake
Christmas Cranberry Cake

I have taken this cake to about 10 different friends since making it this past week. Everyone has loved it and most have requested the recipe. I actually found it on Face Book and since the picture looked so good, I decided to give it a try. So glad I did. It is just really a great cake. So easy and so pretty.

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter

1 teas vanilla (I am going to use almond extract next time)

2 cups flour

12 oz fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350. With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. Do not skip this step, as the eggs serve as the leavening agent in this recipe. The mixture should almost double in size. This mixture should be a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.

Add the butter and vanilla (or almond extract); mix two more minutes.

Stir in the flour, (I used the very lowest setting on the mixer) until well combined. Then hand stir the cranberries and stir to mix well.

Spoon the mixture into a greased 9×13 baking dish and bake for about 30-35 minutes. (actually, I cannot remember exactly how long I baked it, but it was a light golden brown when I took it out.) Do not over bake, you do not want this dry.

The recipe didn’t call for a glaze, but I added one. I mixed up a cup of powdered sugar and enough milk to make it thin and spreadable. I added 1/2 teas almond extract to this and while cake was hot, I poured the glaze over the cake. The sweetest of the glaze was so nice with the tartness of the cranberries. A nice compliment to the fruit.

Cookies · Desserts · Holiday Fare

Chocolate Thumbprint Rasperry Cookies

Chocolate Castles5 Comments
Chocolate Cream Cheese Thumbprints
Chocolate Cream Cheese Thumbprints

IMG_1642

Two weeks ago, I posted this recipe for a few minutes, but quickly deleted it when I realized that I wasn’t suppose to put it out on the blog before sending out these cookies made from this recipe. I have made these twice now and have taken them to several people and these cookies get lots of ahs and “wow, these are really good”. So wanted to be sure and put it out there again. I won’t be taking it off again, so enjoy with a giant cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

2 cups flour

1 teas baking soda

1/4 teas salt

4 squares unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 pkg (8 oz) softened cream cheese

1 1/4 cups sugar, divided

1 egg, room temp

1 teas vanilla

1/3 cup red raspberry jam

Heat oven to 375. Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl for 2 minutes; stir until all chocolate is melted. Whisk in cream cheese. Add 1 cup sugar, egg and vanilla; mix well.

Stir in flour mixture. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to 1 hour.

Roll dough into 1″ balls. Coat each ball by rolling in remaining sugar. (I mixed red sugar and white to make them look more festive)

Place 2″ apart on ungreased baking sheet.  Using your Thumbie (remember you can order them from me for $6.00) or your own thumb, make an indention in the center of each ball. Fill each indention with about 1/4 teas jam.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. (because they are chocolate and hard to tell when “lightly browned” I baked them for 9 minutes and they came out perfect.)

Cool completely.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts · Holiday Fare

Red Velvet Marble Bundt Cake

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

Just returning from seeing some of our kids in Florida, I am feeling in the Christmas spirit. This cake is in the new SL magazine and will certainly be just the perfect dessert after you have finished decorating the tree.

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

2 1/2 cups sugar

6 large eggs

3 cups flour

1 teas baking powder

1/2 teas salt

3/4 cup milk

1 teas vanilla

1 tables unsweetened cocoa

1 tables red food coloring

Snowy White Vanilla Glaze

Garnish: mint sprigs

Preheat oven to 325. Beat butter and shortening at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Stir together flour and next 2 ingredients. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Transfer 2 1/2 cups of batter to a 2 qt bowl; stir in cocoa and food coloring.

Drop 2 scoops of plain batter into a greased and floured 10″ bundt pan, using a small cookie scoop. Top with 1 scoop of red velvet batter. Repeat around entire pan, covering bottom completely. Continue layering batters in pan, as directed until all the batter is used.

Bake at 325 for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until a long wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 mins. Remove from pan to wire rack and cool completely.

Drizzle with Snowy White Vanilla Glaze.

Snowy White Glaze

Wisk together 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tables plus 1 teas milk and 1 teas vanilla until smooth.

*Or you can use your favorite cream cheese frosting to drizzle over cake. Just warm in microwave for 15 sec intervals until you are able to drizzle cream cheese frosting over the cake.

Chocolate · Desserts · Holiday Fare

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

A few years back, a dear friend, Debbie had a team of ladies from church to her home for lunch. We quickly filled up on this fudge before she had a change to put the main meal in front of us. We just stood at the cooking bar and kept munching on the fudge. It is a never fail, quick and peanutty. If you don’t like chocolate, just omit the cocoa and it becomes peanut butter fudge.

In a saucepan bring to a rolling boil, stirring continually.
1/2 cup water
3 tables cocoa
2 cups sugar

Before you begin to cook this chocolate mixture, in a separate bowl, put 1 cup of any kind of peanut butter you want. Smooth, crunchy, organic, Unsalted, whatever. To the peanut butter, add 1 teas vanilla.

When mixture is boiling, set timer for 1 minute and boil for exactly 1 minute. Pour boiling chocolate mixture over the peanut butter, vanilla ingredients and stir to melt peanut butter. When all is mixed, pour into a lightly greased pan and allow to cool completely before cutting.

Have mine ready and am taking to the salon where I get my nails done. Maybe they will like it so much they will paint a turkey on my pinky without charging me.
Thank you Debbie for a most easy and yummy fudge that easily becomes a great hostess gift.
Thank you Cora for reminding me about putting it on the blog.

Desserts · Holiday Fare

Pecan Pie Mini Cupcakes

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

Found these on FaceBook the other day and decided they looked so good I had to try them, and try I have….about 10 times. These little gems are like eating a piece of pecan pie. Took them when we had dinner last night with some friends and the ladies have all requested the recipe…I can already see them on the Thanksgiving buffet, sitting beside, ever so quietly beside a bowl of whipped cream. You can pop about 10 per hour…..the recipe made 30 mini muffin cups.

1 cup chopped pecans (finely chopped)

1/2 cup flour

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2/3 cup butter, melted

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teas vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 (325 for dark coated pans)

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.

Spray miniature muffin tin with Pam or lightly grease with butter.

Fill each cup 3/4 full. ( I didn’t use paper liners, but if you do, do not grease)

Bake in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes. (Mine took 13 minutes).

How easy is this? Great pecan flavor without the 7000 calories of a piece of pecan pie. This probably only has 3000 calories.

 

Cakes · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Cranberry Cupcakes

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

What a novel idea. Why had I not thought of these? When I opened the new Food Network Magazine, there they were. So simple and what a great dessert to serve through the holidays. Use them with a pretty little Thanksgiving pick and then place the name cards in front of the pick to welcome your guests to the table. Ditto for Christmas, changing the picks to Christmas.

Serves 12

For the cupcakes:

 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teas baking powder

1/2 teas salt

1/4 teas baking soda

1/8 to 1/4 teas freshly grated nutmeg (Or use ground if that is all you have)

6 tables unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg, at room temp

1 teas vanilla

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce

Frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temp

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup canned whole-berry cranberry sauce

1/2 teas vanilla

Pinch of salt

Dried cranberries to top cupcakes

To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with mixer until creamy, about 2 minutes.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 3 more minutes.

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add the flour mixture; beat until just incorporated, about 1 minute.  Add the sour cream and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 more minutes.

Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Let sit until cool enough to handle, then gently press the back of a small spoon (or if you have ordered a Thumbie from me, it makes it so easy) to make a small indention. Fill each indention with a teaspoon or 2 of the whole cranberry sauce. Remove the cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.

For frosting, beat the butter with1 cup of the powdered sugar in a large bowl until combined, about 2 mins. Reduce the mixer speed and add the remaining 2 cups powdered sugar and beat until all butter is incorporated and the mixture is fluffy. Beat in the 1/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce and vanilla and salt until combined. Spread the frosting on the cupcakes and top with dried cranberries, if desired.

Casseroles · Holiday Fare · Starches

Sausage & Wild Rice Stuffing

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

We are ten days from tasting some of the most flavorful foods of the season.  One of my most favorite foods is stuffing. I love bread stuffing, cornbread stuffing and rice stuffing. If it’s stuffed, I love it. This recipe is from days long ago. A family friend use to stuff her turkeys with this dressing. I quickly fell in love with the flavor of wild rice with sausage. For those who are trying to “do” a gluten free Thanksgiving, use this stuffing. You won’t miss the traditional dressing one bit.

1 pound bulk sausage

2 medium onions, chopped

1 (8 oz) fresh mushrooms, sliced and chopped

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup half & half

2 1/2 cups condensed chicken broth

1/2 teas poultry seasoning

1 teas salt

2 (6 oz) packages Long grain and wild rice, cooked

1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

Saute sausage until cooked and crumbly. Drain well, saving about 1 tablespoon of the drippings.  Saute onion and mushrooms in drippings. Add sausage.

Mix flour with cream; add chicken broth and cook until thickened. Add seasonings. Combine all ingredients except almonds and pour into casserole dish which has been lightly greased. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 preheated oven. Sprinkle with almonds and bake about 5 minutes longer.

*If desired, follow directions for making the stuffing, but instead of baking in  a dish, stuff a hen or turkey the last 2 hours of baking. You can add the almonds to the stuffing before placing in hen or turkey. (Bake turkey according to directions in your recipe, but stuff the dressing the last two hours of baking.

Casseroles · Holiday Fare · Starches · Vegetables

Thanksgiving Tidbits

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

Last week I was watching a chef, who I cannot remember his name, showed a few ideas of how to decorate your table, without spending the money you were going to use to buy the matching jets from Neiman’s catalog. He used the miniature pumpkins and had one for each guests. Using a biscuit cutter, he pressed it into the top of each pumpkin making a round cut across the top. Using a spoon, he scooped this out (being careful not to cut all the way through, but created a hold to set in a small tea light candle. He then wrote with glue, each person’s name and then sprinkled glitter on the glue. This was what he used for name place cards. Looked so pretty and the candlelight at each place added such a warm glow to the table.

At our house, we would need to use the little battery tea lights, as the little darlings that we would have would have the entire table engulfed in flames before the turkey was carved. Thought it was worth passing on.

Another great idea is to make your sweet potatoes in individual servings. Using an orange, cut the orange in half horizontally. Scoop out the entire meat of the orange, reserving the juice. Use half as many oranges as you have people. In other words, if you are having 10 people, use 5 oranges, as they will be cut in half.

Mix up your favorite sweet potato casserole, but add some of the orange juice to the mixture.. Instead of just baking it in a casserole dish, spoon about 1/2 cup of the sweet potato mixture into the shell of the orange. Place in a lightly greased baking dish and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until it is bubbly. The last few minutes of baking, top with a marshmallow which has been cut in half, using only a half per shell. If your favorite recipe calls for streusel, omit the marshmallow and just top as you would with the streusel.

Breads · Casseroles · Holiday Fare · Starches

Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

I am in love with bread puddings of all kinds. In a new  BH&G Christmas book, this recipe jumped off the page. Well, not actually, but when I saw the picture of it, I wanted to jump in the kitchen and make it. A great meatless main dish or a wonderful side to any type of meat, this will knock your socks off.

3 cups sliced assorted fresh wild mushrooms (such as cremini, Portobello, chanterelle or stemmed shitake) (8 oz)

2 medium shallots, sliced (1/4 cup)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tables olive oil

1/4 cup dry sherry or dry white wine

8 oz rosemary or onion focaccia, cut into 1″  cubes (about 6 cups)

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups half & half

1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (4 oz)

1 tables snipped fresh thyme

1 tables snipped fresh rosemary

1/2 teas salt

1/2 teas coarsely ground black pepper

Grease eight (10 oz) individual casseroles (ramekins); set aside. In a large skillet, cook mushrooms, shallots and garlic in hot oil over medium heat about 5 minutes or until tender. Carefully add sherry. Simmer, uncovered, until liquid is nearly evaporated. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Stir in focaccia cubes.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, half and half, cheese, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over focaccia mixture, pressing with a wooden spoon to moisten all of the bread.

Divide pudding mixture between the prepared casseroles (ramekins, if using pyrex ramekins, will make probably 10 instead of 8).

 Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 325. Bake, uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the centers comes out clean. *If you used the Pyrex ramekins, you won’t need to bake them that long. Tests after 20-23 minutes for doneness.

Serves 8 to 10 depending on size of individual casseroles