Soup's On!

One of the things that I like to do most when it is super cold out, is put on snuggly warm pajamas, and eat a big ‘ol bowl of warm soup.  And I’ve gotten to do a lot of that lately.  My warm California blood is having a hard time with these freezing temperatures.  Actually, I am just being a wimp.  I have been in Nevada for 3 years now, so I really can’t blame anything on “warm California blood”.  Regardless of why, I still love a good bowl of soup.

My husband, on the other hand…not a fan.  Every time I tell him we are having soup for dinner, he asks “and what else?”  Literally, every single time. Apparently he is a firm believer in soup only as a “starter”. So I decided to create a soup recipe that is a bit more filling then your typical soup.  You know, a real meal-in-a-bowl type soup.  And that will be the first recipe I show you today….my tortellini and beef soup.  It is hearty, filling and crazy delicious.  My second recipe I am going to show you is a favorite of mine since I was little, Creamy Potato Soup.  But mine sneaks in some extra veggies….

My Tortellini and Beef soup has ground beef, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, spices, beef broth, frozen tortellini and a surprising ingredient….spaghetti sauce.  Yep, this soup gets it tomato flavor, and texture, from a jar of spaghetti sauce.  I mean, why not?  Spaghetti sauce has tomatoes, garlic, onion, spices, etc.  What about that wouldn’t be amazing in soup?  Plus, this soup is pretty quick to make.  It is totally do-able on a busy weeknight.

I start by browning the ground beef in a big soup pot.  Once the ground beef is all crumbly and brown, I remove it from the pan, but I leave the some of the fat.  How much fat you have depends on what kind of ground beef you use, but no matter what kind you use, you will have some fat in the pan.  I throw the onion, carrot, celery and garlic into the beef fat and let the veggies get all soft and sweaty.  But not brown!  This takes about eight minutes.  Oh yeah, I also season with salt and pepper.

Once the veggies are softened, I pour in my beef broth and a whole jar of marinara (spaghetti) sauce.  I usually use a plain marinara sauce, but you can go crazy here.  I also add in a couple of bay leaves.  Once this comes to a boil, I add my bag of frozen tortellini and let ‘em go until they are cooked.  This goes pretty quickly. 

I use cheese tortellini, but you can use whatever you want.  I’m not the boss of you.

Once the tortellini has cooked, all that needs to be added is the cooked ground beef.  Once that is all heated through, it is ready to eat!  I top mine with parmesan cheese and shredded basil because I am super fancy.  Or because I happened to have some in the fridge.

 

This soup is meaty, cheesy, rich and delicious, but most importantly, my kids love it.  And my husband doesn’t go hungry after eating this.  I am pretty sure your family will love it too.

My next soup, like I said above, is one of my all-time favorites.  It’s Potato Soup.  I love potatoes, I love soup, and I love anything creamy.  This fits the bill on all accounts.  Plus, I use an amazing shortcut that makes this soup also a really do-able weeknighter.

I start with the exact same ingredients that I use in the Tortellini and Beef soup….onion, carrots, celery, garlic and bay leaves.  But before that can happen, I have to start with an ingredient that really everything should have in it….bacon.  I sauté about four or five slices of thick cut bacon.  Once that is cooked, I remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon, and leave about one tablespoon of fat in the pan.  This will give the soup a really good smoky flavor.

The veggies get sautéed in the bacon fat, just until they are soft and translucent, about eight minutes.  I season the soup during this, but be careful….the bacon has already left a good bit of salty flavor.

Once the veggies are softened, I add chicken stock.  Then, my secret ingredient.  Instead of peeling and chopping potatoes, I use a bag of Ore-Ida Steam and Mash potatoes.  I cook them in the microwave, according to the package directions, and add them to the simmering soup.  I feel like these potatoes are my best secret weapon.  Essentially, they are potatoes that have been peeled and par-boiled, then frozen.  You could really use them in anything, and they are a perfect time saver. My hat’s off to you, Ore-Ida.

After I add the potatoes, I let the soup simmer a few more minutes, and then I blend it with my immersion blender.  You can also use a food processor or a blender.  I blend this soup until it is pretty smooth.  Once it is blended, I add some heavy cream and let that heat through.  Finally, the soup is ready to be served with cheese, green onions and the reserved bacon for topping.  Yum!  Doesn’t it sound amazing?  And it is so easy!

You don’t have to use cream if you are anti-cream.  You can use half and half, fat free half and half, cream cheese, or even Greek Yogurt.  But the extra creaminess really sends this soup over the top.

 

I hope you try on or both of these soups….They will keep you warm!

Tortellini and Beef Soup

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, diced

½ cup celery, diced

½ cup carrots, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

1 jar marinara sauce (24 ounces)

4 cups beef broth

1 bag frozen cheese tortellini (19  ounces)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Garnish:

Parmesan cheese

Fresh basil, shredded

In a large soup pot, cook ground beef until crumbly and brown, about 5-8 minutes over medium heat.  Remove ground beef from pot, leaving about 1 tablespoon of fat in the pot.  Set beef aside.

Add diced onion, celery, carrots and garlic to pot.  Sauté until veggies are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper and bay leaf.  Add marinara sauce and beef broth.  Bring soup to a boil.  Once soup is boiling, add tortellini and boil an additional 6 minutes, or until tortellini is cooked.  Add ground beef back into the pot and heat through.  Remove bay leaves.

Serve topped with parmesan cheese and basil.

Serves 8

 

Short-cut Potato Soup

5 strips thick cut bacon

1 small onion, diced

½ cup celery, diced

½ cup carrots, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

4 cups chicken broth

1 package Ore-Ida Steam and Mash Potatoes (1 lb. 8 oz.)

½ cup heavy cream

Garnishes:

Shredded cheddar cheese

Green onions

Sour cream (optional)

In a large soup pot, cook bacon over medium heat until browned, about 8 minutes.  Remove bacon from pot leaving about 1 tablespoon fat in the pot.  Set bacon aside.

Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic and bay leaves to the bacon fat in the pot.  Sauté over medium heat until veggies are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Add broth and bring to a boil.  Let soup simmer while potatoes cook (see below).

Cook potatoes in microwave according to package directions.  Add cooked potatoes to boiling broth.  Cook about 5 minutes, over medium heat. Puree soup with immersion blender until desired consistency is reached.  Add heavy cream and heat through.

Serve topped with reserved crumbled bacon, shredded cheese and green onions.

 

Lightened Up taco Salad!

Happy 2013!  I’ve decided that this year is the year I am going to make some changes.  I say this every year, but this year….I’m serious.  Actually, I am pretty sure I say that every year too.  But, I’m not getting any younger.  Let’s just say that my birthday is in a couple of days, and I am on the downhill slide towards 40.  I have got to stop eating like I am 21.  And I definitely need to be more consistent with exercise.

I know you all don’t want to hear about my weight/aging woes, but I bet you do want to see my yummy recipe that I have for you today.  As you may have guessed, this recipe is going to be low in fat, low in calories and super high in taste.  I am going to show you how to make one of my favorite meals….a taco salad.  But this will be a lightened up taco salad.

There is a restuarnat that is close to where I grew up that makes the best taco salad.  I think it is the ultimate taco salad.  It is full of beef, cheese, salsa, chips, avocado and it is topped with a thousand island dressing that makes the whole thing even yummier, and even worse for me.  My taco salad is filled with lean chicken, salsa, baked chips and is topped with a light dressing that is made with sour cream (fat free!), avocado, garlic, limes and one more ingredient that I will show you later.

Let’s start with the chicken.  This chicken is perfect for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, salads, etc.  The best part, it is made in the slow cooker.  I use boneless skinless chicken breasts, V-8 juice, and a packet of taco seasoning.  That’s it.  It is just three ingredients, but this makes the juiciest, most flavorful chicken everytime.  Trust me, I’ve been making this chicken since college.

The chicken cooks on low all day, and when it is done, it shreds perfectly.  I like to shred my chicken and then return it to the cooking liquid so it stays nice and moist.  FYI-if you prefer chicken thighs, go for it.  Chicken thighs have a bit more fat though. And oh yeah, if you can’t find V-8 juice, any tomato/vegetable juice will work.

As for the salsa I use for this taco salad, yep….I make it too.  Salsa is, of course, always low in fat and calories, to there won’t be any surprises there, but I jam pack my salsa with tomatoes, onion, green chilis, black beans, corn and cilantro.  I use canned tomatoes so the taste is always consistent no matter what the season .  I add the corn and black beans to bulk up the salsa and add some extra fiber. 

 

This salsa isn’t just good on my taco salad.  It rocks on steak, hamburgers, fish, etc.  It is also great with just a bag of chips.  I love it because it is so full of pretty colors and amazing flavors!

I use green chilis in my salsa because I am feeding children that won’t eat spicy stuff.  If you want, feel free to use jalapenos in yours.

Are you wondering what I use for chips?  Well, I buy tortillas that are low in fat, and make my own.  I slice them into wedges and bake them until they are crunchy.  Before they get their trip to the oven, they get sprayed with cooking spray and sprinkled with chili powder and garlic salt.  Yum!

Now for the best part, the dressing!  Like I said above, I blend together fat free sour cream, avocado, lime juice, salt, garlic and I also use a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid from the chicken.  If you are making this dressing, but not the chicken, you can sub in hot sauce here.

This dressing is creamy, fresh and absolutely delicious.  But really, what wouldn’t be good with avacados in it!  You can use this dressing on tacos and burritos to in place of sour cream or guacamole.  Same flavors, less fat and calories.

Now that I’ve shown you how to make the components of this salad, let’s layer this bad boy up.  I start with a bed of lettuce, then I layer on the shredded chicken, a healthy helping of salsa, baked chips, yummy dressing, and I top the whole thing off with a few squirts of lime.  This salad really could not get any better.  It has all the flavors of a perfect taco salad, but it really isn’t heavy and overly filling like a typical taco salad.  Don’t you think you want to try it?

 

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

11.5 ounces V-8 Juice (one can)

1 pack taco seasoning (1.25 ounces)

Place all ingredients in slow cooker.  Cook on low 4-6 hours.  Remove cooked chicken from slow cooker and shred.  Return to the pot to sit in cooking juices.

Serves 4

 

Courtney’s Corn and Black Bean Salsa

14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, drained

4 ounces fire roasted green chilis, drained

1 cup canned corn, drained

1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

½ cup red onion, diced

3 tablespoons cilantro, minced

½ teaspoon salt

The juice of 2 limes, about 3 tablespoons

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix, gently.  Serve cold.

Makes about 4 cups.

 

Baked Tortilla Chips

4 flour tortillas, 96% fat free

Cooking spray

1 tablespoon garlic salt

2 teaspoons chili powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut tortillas into wedge shapes.  Spray both sides with cooking spray.  Sprinkle spices over the cops of chips.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.

Taco Salad Dressing

1 avacado, peeled and diced

1 cup fat free sour cream (Naturally Yours)

The juice of 2 limes, about 3 tablespoons

½ teaspoon salt

1 garlic clove

3 tablespoons cooking liquid from Mexican Chicken or hot sauce

Place all ingredients in a blender.  Blend until smooth.

Makes about 2 cups.

Empire State of Mind

3-2-1….2013!  There is nothing better than a good family New Year’s Eve party.  The only downside?  Keeping your kids up till midnight…and the morning after.  Grumpy, tired kids are no fun, and it’s no way to start the New Year.  My solution?  New York New Year’s Eve!  Yep, everyone celebrates at 9pm, our time…….midnight East Coast.  Everyone gets to see the ball drop (online), gets to do a countdown, and gets to live it up….New York style.  This idea isn’t a new one, and it certainly isn’t mine, but it is my favorite way to ring in the New Year with little ones.  Mostly because they go to bed at a reasonable time, and then the real celebrating can begin.

You can take this theme all the way.  You can decorate just like the Big Apple, play New York music and eat New York food!  I’m thinking mini Statues of Liberty, Broadway, pics of the subway, the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, etc.  Music?  How about “New York, New York”, “New York State of Mind”, or “Empire State of Mind”?  As for the food….I have a few ideas, and they are all mini versions of their bigger counterparts.  Finger food!

In New York, street food is really popular.  So I hear.  I have never been to New York, so everything I write is second hand.  Take it with a grain of salt.  It’s not like I’m a native New Yorker.  I am west coast, through and through.  Back to street food, some popular carts are hot dog carts and nuts, among others.  The hot dogs are basic hot dogs with all sorts of toppings like ketchup, mustard, relish and sour kraut.  The nuts are candied (right there in the cart!), and they are fabulous.  I have had the nuts by the way….A friend brought some to me a few years ago.

In case you couldn’t tell from that…I am showing you how to make candied nuts and mini hot dogs.

I buy regular mixed nuts from the grocery store.  My nuts are roasted and salted.  I cook them with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt.  These nuts end up sweet, slightly spicy from the cinnamon and salty.  They are delicious, and the perfect little nibble for a party.  And you don’t even have to stand in line on a busy street to buy them!

 

My hot dogs are cute little miniature versions of a grown-up hot dog.  I use regular hot dogs that have been cut in half, and I use a package of brown and serve dinner rolls for the buns.  I just cut the rolls in half, lengthwise.  Then, I cut the rolls almost all the way through (lengthwise again) to make a cute wee little bun.  I don’t bake the buns at all.  I leave them as is, which is more like a hot dog bun.

I also set out all sorts of toppings like ketchup, diced onions, mustard and pickles.  I don’t set out any kraut.  There are never any takers.

You will never see a happier kid, then a kid eating a mini hot dog.  Kids love miniature versions of things.

My next mini is a mini pastrami sandwich…just like one you would get in New York!  I use a cookie cutter to cut out small circles of rye bread.  The bread gets toasted and topped with yummy pastrami, Swiss cheese, mustard, and of course, a pickle!  Just like a NY delicatessen.

My third mini?  Well, I take help from a restaurant for this one.  I order a Domino’s Brooklyn style pizza, and I ask them not to cut it.  When I get the pizza, I cut it into squares, and then I cut the squares on the diagonal.  I am left with mini triangles.  Your guests can help themselves to a mini piece, and still fold it in half like any good Brooklyn-ite would do.  Placing that phone call is the easiest part of the party!

 

Every good party needs a fantastic dessert, and I think New York cheesecake fits the bill.  But of course, I have to make it mini!  I solve this by making cheesecake truffles, which is essentially smashed up cheesecake rolled into balls and dipped into melted chocolate.  I always thought cheesecake couldn’t get any better, but I was wrong.  Very wrong.

I started with a whole, store bought cheesecake. If you want to be truly authentic, make sure it is a New York cheesecake!  I let it defrost almost all the way.  Then, I dumped the whole thing into a bowl and mashed it all together, crust and all.  Then, I scooped out cheesecake and formed it into balls.  Helpful tip-wet your hands a bit to help form balls.

The balls get put back in the freezer to firm up, and then dipped in chocolate.  I used the dipping chocolate that melts in its own bowl.  Once dipped, these guys hold up well in the fridge or freezer, so these are great to make in advance. 

 

These little guys are the perfect ending to a party.  (Even a party that ends at 9pm.)  You get the delicious flavor of cheesecake with a candy coating!  Yum!

I hope you all have a fabulous New Year’s Eve whether you celebrate at 9pm or 12am.  And best wishes for an amazing 2013!

Candied Nuts

4 cups mixed nuts

¼ cup butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Melt butter in a large skillet.  Add brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and stir.  Cook until sugar is dissolved in butter.  Add nuts and mix well.  Cook until butter is foamy and nuts are completely coated, about 5 minutes.

Spread nuts on a baking pan and let sit for at least 2 hours.  Break apart if needed.

Serves 8-10

 

Mini Hot Dogs

1 pack of brown and serve dinner rolls (you will only need 8)

1 pack hot dogs (8)

Assorted hot dog toppings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice rolls in half lengthwise.  Slice each half in half again, cutting almost all the way through, forming a “bun”.  Do not pre-bake rolls.

Slice each hot dog in half, crosswise.  Place a hot dog half into each bun.  Place hot dogs on a baking sheet and cover tightly in foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until hot dogs are hot.

Makes 16 mini hot dogs

 

Mini Hot Pastrami Sandwiches

1 loaf Rye Bread, sliced for sandwiches

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound pastrami, sliced thin

½ pound Swiss cheese, sliced thin

Mustard

Pickles for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Using a 1 ½ inch round cookie cutter, cut bread into small circles.  Spread butter, evenly, on each circle and bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes, or until bread is slightly browned.  Divide Swiss cheese and pastrami evenly over ½ of the circles.  Spread mustard on remaining circles and assemble sandwiches.  Garnish with pickles.

Makes about 30 sandwiches.

 

New York Cheesecake Truffles

1 store bought frozen cheesecake (17 ounces)

2 containers Baker’s Dipping Chocolate (7 ounces each)

Defrost cheesecake almost all the way.  Remove cheesecake from pan and place into a mixing bowl.  With a large spoon, mash cheesecake so that the cheesecake and crust is blended.  Using a 1 inch ice cream scoop, scoop out cheesecake and form balls with your hands.  Place balls on a tray and freeze for at least 2 hours.

Melt chocolate according to package directions.  Dip frozen cheesecake balls in melted chocolate.  Set one a tray to “set” chocolate.  Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Makes about 24 balls.

Fancy Schmancy Holiday Dinner

There is less than a week until Christmas.  There, I said it.  Did it freak you out?  Are you prepared?  I’m certainly working on it.  The one thing I do have set is Christmas Dinner.  I love a good holiday dinner.  Especially Christmas.  This is one of the few meals during the year that I am willing to put some time into.  But don’t get nervous…this meal still has shortcuts, and it is still pretty easy.  I said “put some time into”, but I didn’t say a long time.

I like to celebrate Christmas with beef.  That is a sentence I sure didn’t think I would ever say.  No turkey, no ham….beef.  I like a good prime rib or a nice steak.  This year, I am going with a big ‘ol rib eye, my favorite cut off the cow.  My menu consists of broiled rib eye with “All-Day Mushrooms” and Gorgonzola, Spinach and Artichoke Mashed Potatoes and Stuffed Zucchini.  It sounds delicious, right?  And just festive enough.

A little side note: My menu serves 4-6.  You will need to adjust the recipes depending on how many hungry people you have to serve. 

 

Let’s start with the “All-Day Mushrooms” because these take the longest to cook.  All day, obviously.  But you don’t slave over the stove all day.  I use my slow cooker.  Yay for the slow cooker during the Holidays!

I used a one pound container of whole button mushrooms.  Once I cleaned them off with a damp towel, I tossed them in the slow cooker.  I added almost a full bottle of red wine (any kind), a stick of butter, 4 cloves of minced garlic and black pepper.  You could add some Italian seasoning to this too.  I don’t because I don’t like it.  To each their own.  If you are cooking the meal, you get to pick.

These mushrooms cook all day on low.  When they are ready they are almost purple from the wine.  And they are so packed with flavor.  And oh yeah, your house will smell like a small slice of heaven.  Make sure you have crusty bread to serve with these mushrooms because your guests will be all over the “juice” left in the slow cooker.

Like I said, I served the mushrooms with a broiled rib eye.  I bought some huge rib eyes (three) that were bone-in.  I seasoned them with salt and pepper and broiled them in my oven for about 6 minutes per side.  This cook time really depends on how hot your oven is and how you like your steak cooked.  I prefer rare, but my hubs prefers well done.

I served my steaks sliced, as too feed more people.  I topped the slices with the mushrooms, a bit of the juice and a ton of crumbled gorgonzola cheese.  The combination of the beef, creamy cheese and garlicky mushrooms is really, really, really good.

 

Wondering about my mashed potatoes?  I am going to confess right now.  I used a bag of “Steam and Mash” potatoes (short cut!).  Why not?  They are essentially peeled and boiled potatoes that have been frozen.  They aren’t powdered or anything weird.  Just frozen potatoes.  I cooked then in the microwave according to the package directions.  Once they were cooked, I mashed in some butter, a splash of milk and an entire container of Spinach and Artichoke Alouette Spreadable Cheese.  This is the best part….you can use any flavor Alouette or something similar (Boursin, etc.).  You could do Garlic and Herb, Sundried Tomato, Cheddar and Bacon…any kind you want!  They give the potatoes a creaminess and flavor you can’t get from anything else.

But the potatoes aren’t done yet.  Once they are mashed, I spread them in a pretty baking dish and topped them with buttered Panko bread crumbs, then popped them in the broiler.  Why not?  The broiler was already on from the steaks.  Mashed Potatoes with a crunchy, buttery topping?  Come on!

 

As for the Stuffed Zucchini….you have to understand that serving zucchini at Christmas is a big deal for me.  I dislike most green vegetables.  But this recipe is so good, I am willing to overlook the green vegetableness of the zucchini. 

I halve the zucchini lengthwise and hollow them out leaving a zucchini “boat”.  I saved about half of the zucchini guts and threw them into a bowl with diced onion, diced tomato, minced garlic, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  I mixed that up and then stuffed the zucchini boats with the filling.  These got topped with more parmesan cheese and baked until the zucchini was tender and the filling was starting to get browned and delicious.  Pure zucchini goodness. 

 

This meal is fancy, but totally do-able.  I took help from my slow cooker and the grocery store.  Yes, I put some time into this meal, but not so much time that it would take away from my family and friends on Christmas.  I hope you try these recipes for your Holiday dinner!

All-Day Mushrooms

1 pound button mushrooms, cleaned

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

20 ounces red wine

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

Serves 4-6

Spinach and Artichoke Mashed Potatoes

1 package Ore-Ida Steam and Mash Potatoes

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1/3 cup milk

6.5 ounce container Alouette Spreadable Cheese, Spinach and Artichoke flavor

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat broiler.

Cook potatoes according to package directions.  With a potato masher, mash in 2 tablespoons butter, milk and Alouette Cheese until potatoes are smooth.  Spread potatoes into a baking dish (8x8). 

Melt remaining butter in microwave for 35 seconds.  Mix melted butter into bread crumbs.  Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs evenly over the top of the mashed potatoes.

Broil potatoes until bread crumbs are browned, about 2 minutes.

Serves 4-6

Stuffed Zucchini

4 medium sized zucchini

1/3 cup tomatoes, diced

1/3 cup onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup parmesan cheese (shredded), divided

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Halve zucchini lengthwise and hollow out halves, using a spoon.  Save ½ of the scooped out zucchini and discard the remainder.  Place zucchini “shells” on a baking pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine scooped out zucchini, tomatoes, onion, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, minced garlic, salt and pepper. 

Fill each zucchini half with stuffing.  Top each zucchini with remaining parmesan cheese. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until zucchini is tender and cheese is slightly browned.

Serves 4-6

Easy Holiday Treats

My usual Christmas season includes many parties that are fancy, catered affairs.  I’m kidding, of course.  My Christmas season is actually Cookie Exchanges, family parties, school parties, etc.  I don’t need to make canapés or pate.  I need fun treats that are delicious and quick to make.  Like from a package easy.  I’m all about shortcuts during the holiday season, which is evident to anyone who read my blog about shortcut cinnamon rolls last week.

Today I am going to show you four simple treats that everyone will love, young and old.  Two use cookie mixes, and the other two use pre-made, easy to find ingredients.  Let’s do this.

My first recipe is Chocolate Peppermint Cookies.  I use a packaged sugar cookie mix.  Did you know you could add cocoa powder to a sugar cookie mix?  Yep, you just whisk it into the powdered mix. 

 

How awesome are cookie mixes?  Sure, you might already have all the ingredients you need for sugar cookies in your pantry…but you have to root around for them, measure, use a hand mixer, etc.  This mix needs a softened stick of butter and an egg.  You use a rubber spatula to stir it all together and boom, cookies.

Like I said above, I stir in unsweetened cocoa powder to change the sugar cookies to chocolate cookies.  The cookies end up rich and chocolaty.  I also stir in peppermint candy cane chips.  No, not crushed up candy canes, but actual little chips that you can buy during the holiday season.  They are right by the chocolate chips.

These bake for about ten minutes, and after they come out of the oven and cool, I sprinkle powdered sugar all over the tops.

FYI-nobody will know these came from a mix….because chocolate cookie mixes are super hard to find.  I challenge you to find one!

My next cookie mix recipe is Pear Gingerbread bars.  I use a packaged gingerbread cookie mix.  I add the egg and softened butter, but instead of scooping these out by the spoonful, I press the dough into an 8x8 baking pan.

 

Once the dough is sufficiently pressed out, I pour some Gourmet Rooster Ginger Pear spread all over the top.  It gets spread all over the top of the dough.

If you can’t find Gourmet Rooster, feel free to use any pear preserves or jam that you can find.

This bakes for about 30 minutes.  The pear spread bakes into the gingerbread keeping it moist and tender. 

Once the bars come out of the oven, I let them cool, and then I drizzle melted white chocolate all over the top.  The combination of pears, spicy sweet gingerbread and white chocolate is pretty much amazing.  And using a gingerbread cookie mix is a definite shortcut….do you know how many spices go into gingerbread?

 

 

My next treat uses Oreos.  Those aren’t too hard to find, right?  Plus, these treats are on sticks, which is always a crowd pleaser.

 

These are super easy to make.  I separate my Oreos first.  Then, I melt up some white candy coating.  You know, the kind that comes in its own little bowl?  I dip my sticks into the melted candy coating first.  This will act as my glue.  The Oreo gets its lid put back on, then I move on to my next step.

I dip them in the candy coating.  Where you expecting something hard?  Nope, they get dipped in the coating, and the stick is the perfect handle.  I set these little guys on some foil to harden, but before that happens, I sprinkled Holiday colored sprinkles over the candy coating.

 

Cutest things ever, right? 

My last treat is Chocolate Peppermint Pringles.  I know that might sound weird, but give it a chance.  I love sweet and salty together, and this obviously fits the bill. 

One tip-Make sure you get Original Flavor!  Ranch or BBQ would be gross!

 

Again, I am using the chocolate that melts in its own bowl.  I dip my Pringles about three quarters of the way in the chocolate.  I set these guys to harden on foil too.  Before the chocolate hardens, I sprinkled them with crushed up candy canes.  Yes, I used real candy canes this time.

 

The Holiday season should be all about spending time with family and friends, not slaving away in the kitchen, right?  I promise that all of the treats that I showed you are yummy, quick and easy.  I bet you will be all about the shortcuts too.

Chocolate Peppermint cookies

17.5 ounce package sugar cookie mix (Betty Crocker)

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

1 stick butter, softened

1 egg

½ cup Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips (Andes)

Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cookie mix and cocoa until well blended.  Stir in butter and egg.  Mix until combined.  Stir in peppermint chips.

Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes.

Cool completely then dust with powdered sugar.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Pear Gingerbread Bars

1 lb. 1.5 oz. package Gingerbread Cookie Mix (Betty Crocker)

1 stick butter, softened

1 egg

7 ounces Gourmet Rooster Pear Gingerbread Spread

½ cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together cookie mix, softened butter and egg until well combined.  Press dough into an 8x8 baking pan.  Spread pear spread evenly over the top.

Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes.  Let cool completely.

In a small bowl, microwave white chocolate chips in 30 second increments until chips are melted and smooth.  Drizzle melted chocolate over the top of the bars.  Slice into 16 squares and serve.

Makes 16 2 inch squares.

Chocolate covered Oreos

One package Oreos

20 ounce package Almond Bark, Vanilla Flavored

30 Lollipop sticks

Holiday Sprinkles

Melt Almond Bark according to package directions.  Separate each Oreo in half.  Dip the end of a lollipop stick into the melted chocolate and press into the Oreo filling.  Replace Oreo top.  Let sit to set chocolate.

Dip each Oreo into the melted chocolate using the stick as a handle.  Set Oreos onto foil to harden.  Sprinkle Holiday sprinkles over the tops before the chocolate hardens.

Makes 30.

Chocolate Peppermint Potato Chips

6 ounce package Pringles Potato Chips, Original Flavor

20 ounce package Almond Bark, Chocolate Flavor

4 candy canes, crushed

Melt Almond Bark according to package directions.  Dip each chip ¾ of the way into chocolate.  Set chips on foil to harden.  Sprinkle with candy canes before the chocolate hardens.

Makes 96.

Shortcut Cinnamon Rolls

Now that we have cruised into the Holiday season….have you started planning any of your important meals?  Now that I say that, I realize it sounds a little bit weird.  But I do love food, so I always plan my meals way in advance.  Last week I started working on Christmas morning breakfast…..cinnamon rolls.  Of course, these rolls would work for any number of celebrations, like New Year’s Day, Easter, a birthday breakfast, a Tuesday, etc.  Really anytime.  Everybody loves cinnamon rolls, right?  They are warm, gooey, buttery and perfect.

These cinnamon rolls have a great little shortcut that saves time, energy and sanity.  I say “sanity” because this recipe uses frozen bread dough instead of making your own yeast dough. How genius is that?  Confession time….I’m somewhat frightened of yeast.  I mean, you feed it….Isn’t that weird?  I don’t like to deal with it, and I avoid it whenever possible.  That is why this recipe is prefect for me.  It is fancier and more meaningful then popping open a can, but it is way easier than making a yeast dough.

Like I said, I use frozen bread dough.  I use the kind that comes frozen in loaves.  I don’t want to name names…but the brand I use starts with a “B”...and It's Bridgeford.  Whoops, I named names. 

I let two loaves defrost in the fridge overnight.

 

In the morning, while you drink your coffee, let the loaves sit on your counter and come to room temperature.  You do not want to try to work with cold bread dough.  It will not do what you want it too and you will end up fighting with it.  The dough will win.  But, if it is warmer, you can roll your dough out into big rectangles on a floured board.  I made my rectangles about 18 inches long and about 6 inches long.

As for the filling, it is super easy too.  I mix together 2 softened sticks of butter with vanilla extract, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.  Oh, did I mention that these are not low fat?  It’s the holidays, let loose.

FYI-I use pumpkin pie spice as well as cinnamon because pumpkin pie spice also has cloves, allspice and ginger in it.  All things that are fantastic in your holiday cinnamon rolls.  And the vanilla?  Come on….delicious!

 

I spread half of the mixture onto each rectangle of dough.  Cover that dough up.  Spread the goodness.

Then, roll the dough up, like a jelly roll.  You will want to roll it lengthwise.  Once you have your dough rolled up, seal those edges and start cutting little rolls.  I cut my rolls at about 1 ½ inch intervals.

The rolls get placed in a buttered baking dish.  You don’t want to crowd your rolls because they still need to rise and get poufy, and they will poof right out of the pan when you cook them if they are crowded.  I would use two 13x9 baking dishes.

Now, these little guys need to rise for about 2 hours.  Go open presents, visit with family, take a nap, whatever.  Just let ‘em rise in a warm-ish spot in your kitchen.

After the rolls almost double in size, they are ready to be baked.  These bake at 375 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Are you ready for the best part?  Yep, the frosting.  I whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter and apple cider.  But this is the fun part….you can use any liquid you want instead of apple cider.  You could use egg nog, coffee, maple syrup, milk for the purist, or even orange juice.  I think apple cider is perfect for the holidays and it is perfect with cinnamon.

 

The frosting comes together in an instant, and then it gets drizzled over the warm rolls.  Your house will smell so good that there is a strong chance that neighbors will “stop by”.  Be ready.

 

Oh so good.  And easy!  I never had to feed yeast or anything!  I hope you try this recipe.  These are special enough for a holiday celebration, but easy enough for a normal weekend morning.

 

Shortcut Cinnamon Rolls

2 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed in the refrigerator over night

2 sticks butter, softened

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

5 cups powdered sugar

¼ cup butter, melted

2/3 cup apple cider

Let bread loaves sit out at least 20 minutes to come to room temperature.  Roll loaves out, one at a time, on a floured surface.  Roll dough into large rectangles, at least 16-18 inches in length and 5 inches in width.

In a mixing bowl, stir together softened butter, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract.  Mix until completely blended. 

Divide butter mixture evenly among both rectangles of dough.  Spread all over dough.  Roll dough lengthwise, jelly roll style.  Seal edges by pinching dough.  Cut dough into rolls, about 1 ½ inch wide.  Place rolls into 2 13x9 baking dishes, making sure not to crown rolls.

Bake rolls at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Frosting:

Whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter and apple cider until smooth.  Drizzle over warm rolls.

Serves 12

Apple Pie Moonshine

Hi guys!  Long time, no talk.  We had a fabulous family vacay at Disneyland last week.  It was great to have a week off.  No cooking, no writing, no nothin’ but having fun.  I love to cook and write for you all, but it was nice to have a break.  And to let other people cook for me.  Not that what we ate was the greatest, but I did get Dole Whip and Bacon Wrapped Grilled Asparagus.

 

So I do have a recipe for you today, and it is a quick one.  Well, it sits for a week, but it is quick to put together.  And it is a great gift idea!  What is it, you ask?  Booze!  Everyone’s favorite.  Apple Pie Moonshine to be exact.

Ok, so it isn’t really moonshine, as I didn’t illegally make it in a still out in the forest.  I wasn’t hidin’ from the cops.  It wasn’t 1922.  I wasn’t wearing overalls.  I didn’t bootleg it over county lines.  But most importantly, I used vodka.  I didn’t make anything from corn.  It isn’t White Lightning.  I just like the name.  And since I made it myself (sort of), I will call it moonshine.

Here is how I made it:

 

I used a handle of vodka and a jar of Gourmet Rooster Whiskey Apple Spread.  Easy, right?

Oh look, I used the good stuff!  Ok, no I didn’t.  I bought the cheapest vodka I could find.  Nobody will know.

 

I poured the vodka into a large jar and added the fruit spread.  If you think you have to only use Gourmet Rooster…you don’t.  You can use any kind of apple butter.

This will now sit on your counter for a week.  Go ahead and shake it every time you walk by it…..maybe 3 times a day.  This gives the flavors a chance to marry.

 

After the week (or longer) is up, pour your mixture through a strainer, a very fine strainer.  If you really want it smooth, use a coffee filter.

 

Done.  Bottle it.  Label it.  Yay!  A Christmas gift!  I used pint jars and made labels from brown craft paper.  Isn’t this the cutest gift?

As for the moonshine….it tastes like apple pie, hence the name.  It tastes of apples, cinnamon and vodka, of course. 

This recipe will give you 3 and ½ pint jars.  So three to give away and a small jar to keep for yourself. 

Watch yourself.  This stuff sneaks up on you!

Apple Pie Moonshine

1.75 liter bottle of vodka

9 ounces Gourmet Rooster Whiskey Apple Spread

Pour ingredients into a large, airtight jar.  Let mixture sit for 1 week, shaking occasionally.  Strain and jar.

Makes 3 ½ pints.