Merry Christmas!

I hope you all had a great Christmas! The following is a sort of recipe-palooza! I think it's a pretty good sample of what we've been eating the past few days...and some was just too good not to share! I'm listing the recipes in chronological order, because, well, if you know me, that's how freakishly organized I am!

We went to my in-law's house on Christmas Eve, and their holiday trademark has got to be the fried oysters.  Seriously, everyone I tell about the oysters is like, "what?" Think clam strips on a larger scale...and they are VERY good with a cold glass of white wine! There is no actual "recipe" per se, but I got the "lowdown" from my mother-in-law: the oysters are purchased from the seafood department of the supermarket and are kind of a gray, gooey thing in a plastic container. I believe they can be dried with a paper towel and pounded out with a meat tenderizer to a nice big, flat "patty". Dredge them first in an egg and milk bath, then in flour. Now the secret touch: put them back in the egg and milk mixture and then into crushed saltine crackers. Then chill.  To prepare, heat a mixture of Crisco and margarine in a skillet and fry till golden. Oh my, and yum! My husband reheats leftovers the next day, but I think they are best when freshly made.

I tried something new Christmas morning: French Toast Casserole! I usually just throw some refrigerated cinnamon rolls in a baking dish on Christmas morning while the coffee is brewing, but saw this fairly simple recipe in Family Fun magazine, so....

French Toast Casserole

small loaf of firm, white bread

1/3 cup pecans or walnuts

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon, or to taste

8 eggs

1 3/4 cups milk

2 tsp. vanilla

Grease a 13 x 9 baking dish.  Cut the bread into one-inch cubes.  Chop the nuts. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped nuts.  Arrange half the bread in a single layer in the prepared dish, then sprinkle half the sugar mixture evenly over the top.  Add a second layer with the remaining bread and the sugar mixture.  In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs. Add the milk and vanilla extract, whisking until well blended. Starting from the sides of the dish and working toward the center, pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread.  With a spatula, gently press down on the bread to coat it with the egg mixture.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 hours.  Heat the oven to 350 and bake the casserole covered for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking until the casserole turns a light golden brown and looks slightly puffed; about 30 minutes more.  Serve the casserole warm with maple syrup.

For Christmas Day lunch, I made pork tenderloin, au gratin potatoes, green bean casserole and crescent rolls. The pork tenderloin is a favorite at my house, and it is RIDICULOUSLY easy:

Simple Savory Pork Tenderloin (thanks to www.allrecipes.com)

1 1/2 Tbl. fresh rosemary (I used dried)

2 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

3 pounds boneless pork tenderloin (mine was actually 2 1/2 pounds)

Preheat oven to 325. In a large resealable plastic bag, mix rosemary, garlic salt and pepper.  Place pork tenderloin in the bag, seal and toss until thoroughly coated with the spice mixture.  Transfer to a medium baking dish.  Cook for one hour in the preheated oven, or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. 

And let's not forget the ever-festive green bean casserole! If for some reason you don't have the recipe, here you go:

Green Bean Casserole

two 14-16  ounce cans french-style green beans
3/4 cup milk
10-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 small can french fried onions

Combine milk, soup and pepper in a mixing bowl.  Add beans and 1/3 can of onions.  Pour into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Stir and top with remaining onions. Bake five additional minutes.

From my house to yours; Happy Holidays!

White Christmas!

Every year I look forward to my girlfriend Susie's "White Christmas" concoction - it just wouldn't be Christmas without it! I could make it myself, but it's more fun to receive this yummy gift each year! I found the recipe online, so I can "share the love"! Enjoy!

White Chocolate Chex Mix 

3 cups rice Chex cereal

3 cups corn Chex cereal

*or, you can use 6 cups Crispix cereal

3 cups Cheerios cereal

2 cups pretzel sticks

2 cups peanuts

12 ounces "holiday" M&Ms

1 pound white chocolate bark or discs

Stir together dry ingredients.  Melt white chocolate per package directions and pour over dry ingredients.  Stir to coat.  Pour onto waxed paper to cool. Break into pieces once cooled.

And...the baking continues! In the past two days, I've made some additional date pinwheel cookies, gingerbread "birds" and "turtle" cookies. I also spent the morning cutting out snowflakes with my 2 1/2 year old and planning dinner for Christmas Day (more on that later).

I don't have a great gingerbread recipe passed down over the years; I use a boxed mix that you just add water to. I could probably find a recipe in one of my Grandma's old cook books, but I'm sure if you go to Martha Stewart's website you can find a nice old-fashioned recipe. Of course, my "easy" version was complicated by the fact that I don't have a bird-shaped cookie cutter; I drew a cardboard template and cut around it with a small paring knife. I do sometimes get a little overly-creative (i.e. crazy) at this time of year, despite my lack of time and energy! Seriously though, they turned out great!

The "turtle" cookies aren't from scratch either...a girl's got to have a few shortcuts to avoid a total breakdown!

Christmastime is for family, traditions and good memories. So here's some of mine...Date Pinwheel Cookies! Not a very mainstream Christmas cookie, but popular in my family! Over the years I have encountered those who've never heard of them, but liked them after trying them (they taste similar to Fig Newtons)! My maternal grandmother made them every Christmas, until her death in 2001, and on one occasion (when I was in my twenties) I actually got to help her make them in her little retirement apartment oven; so I have "insider" knowledge the rest of my family wasn't privy to!

Grandma Beckner's Date Pinwheel Cookies
(with special thanks to Lucile Ernest Beckner)


1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening; part butter (I used 1/2 cup shortening and 1/2 cup butter)
2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
5 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda (added to flour)

Combine sugars, shortening and vanilla.  Add eggs one at a time to mixture, mixing between each egg.  Add flour and soda mixture (the dough will be quite stiff). Divide into 3 or 4 parts and roll out into rectangles between sheets of waxed paper.  Place dough rectangles on a baking sheet and chill while making filling.

Cook and cool:

1/2 pound (I used about 2 cups) coarsely chopped dates
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Spread cooked dates (once cooled) onto rolled out dough, roll up and chill.  Slice and place on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned.

The cookies are great warm, with a cup of coffee! I will be shipping some off to family members who are scattered all over the country, since I seem to be the only one making them this year...! I will be thinking of and missing my grandma as I eat "her" cookies this holiday season.  What are some of your "food" traditions? I'd love to hear about them!

Aah, the second holiday party of the season was a success! It was my turn to host Girls Night, so I turned it into a "Holiday Girls Night" - with a few more additional guests than usual, and a festive menu. And cute take-home gifts I made: glittered champagne cork ornaments!

     One of my friends requested I make my marinated olives. I served them along side goat cheese "logs" rolled in either garlic and herbs or a sundried tomato seasoning - mmm! So, here is recipe number one from the evening:

An Olive Marinade

1 six-ounce can large black pitted olives, drained
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbl. chopped fresh oregano or basil (I used dried)
2 cloves garlic, mince
1 Tbl. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. salt (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a zippered storage bag and shake to coat.  Refrigerate at least two hours and up to one month, serve at room temperature.  Before serving, transfer to serving dish.

I served a "girly" salad of mixed greens, sliced pears, Gorgonzola crumbles and glazed pecans with a mixed berry vinaigrette - oh my! The main course was super-simple yet very tasty; Bruschetta Chicken.  I think I found the recipe at www.kraft.com, if you want to check it out...I made a double batch, just in case my girlfriends were REALLY hungry...

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

one 14 1/2-ounce  can diced tomatoes, undrained
one 6-ounce package Stove Top Stuffing mix for Chicken (I used the Cornbread version)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400.  Place tomatoes in medium bowl.  Add stuffing mix , water and garlic; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened.  Set aside.  Place chicken in a 13 X 9 baking dish; sprinkle with the basil and cheese.  Top with stuffing mixture.  Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

And for dessert, I made the most decadent thing I've ever served to guests; my Grandmother's "Gook", or sometimes referred to as "Goop". I really don't know it's "real" name, but "Gook" is what my family calls it.  It's absolutely "to die for"!   One of my girlfriends said, after tasting it, "where has this been my whole life?" I apologize for the crappy photo, I almost forgot to take one at all!

Gook (with special thanks to Edna Leatherman Alexander Troyer)

one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
one "small" angel food cake (I ended up using 2/3 of a "normal" sized cake I made from a mix)
one 8-ounce container Cool Whip
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

"Caramelize" the can of condensed milk - put enough water in a pan to cover the can and boil for three hours. Add more water as it evaporates, so the can is always under water (it can explode without it's water bath).  Let cool.  

This is what the milk looks like after 3 hours...

Cut up cake into bit-sized pieces (I tore mine, which worked beautifully). Mix milk, Cool Whip and nuts in a bowl.  Pour over cake pieces and toss to coat. Do not over mix, or the cake will start to fall apart. Chill before serving.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...and I am SO busy! So much to do in such a short time, and only so many hours in a day! At my house, we (my husband and I, and now my husband, daughter and I) have a family get-together or two before Christmas, to enjoy the decorations, food and each other before the chaos of the holiday.  We used to host a pre-
Christmas meal a day or two before Christmas, but now my family members are spread all over the country.  Today, we are hosting my in-laws for lunch, and I made something "festive" for dessert: Magic Cookie Bars! I rarely make these, but was feeling nostalgic (my aunt makes them at Christmastime); and they make the house smell wonderful (and they taste good too)! I can't believe I didn't have the recipe in my "binder" (ginormous cook book) so had to look it up online. This recipe is from www.eaglebrand.com:

Magic Cookie Bars

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups (12 ounce package) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Heat oven to 350.  Coat a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.  Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter in a small bowl.  Press into bottom of prepared pan.  Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture.  Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts.  Press down firmly with a fork.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Loosen from sides of pan while still warm; cool on wire rack.  Cut into bars.

For perfectly cut cookie bars, line entire pan with foil, extending foil over edge of pan.  Coat lightly with no-stick cooking spray.  After bars have been baked and cooled, lift up edges of foil to remove from pan.  Cut into bars.

Works like a charm!

 

Later this week, I'd like to make Date Pinwheels (another family tradition) and gingerbread men, but I'm also hosting a Holiday Girls Night, and may not have time. Of course, that's what I say every day, and I still find time to fit a few "projects" in! Stay tuned!

Stressful times call for comfort food; in my case, Thai peanut chicken with noodles usually does the trick! I know, how exotic! Well, even in the Midwest we have access to Thai food! Tonight, however, I was in need of some calming, soothing, comforting food, and no one wanted to venture outside the house. Thankfully, I have a stash of specialty foods in my pantry for such an occasion.  Some supermarkets here actually carry rice noodles and Thai peanut sauce...and don't even get me started on the wasabi peas (my new addiction)! I must confess that sometimes Stouffers frozen macaroni and cheese comforts me too...but, back to the recipe of the day and how I prepared it:

Thai Peanut Chicken with Rice Noodles

1/2 package stir fry rice noodles (7-8 ounces)

two small raw boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

roughly a cup of frozen peas (no need to thaw; they will cook during the process)

Thai Peanut Sauce (I used a little more than half a cup) - and it was totally a bargain; I found it at one of those "dented can" stores!

1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Remove from heat and immerse the rice noodles in the hot water; let stand 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Soak until noodles are soft but firm. Drain well.  In a wok or large frying pan, heat some vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook for a few minutes until no longer pink. Add peas and cook another minute or two.  Add peanut sauce, to taste, and stir to combine. Add softened noodles and toss to combine. You can also add chopped peanuts, cilantro or a little fresh-squeezed lime juice.

My 2 1/2 year old daughter and I ate it ALL! It definitely eased my stress; well, the glass of wine I had with it may have helped a little also! Why so stressed, you ask? Well, in addition to the stress of daily life, I'm dealing with this:



this (yes, I did the painting, and yes, the greenery is REAL):

decorating this (yes, the presents color-coordinate with the tree and house decorations, because, I'm sometimes a little insane),

and dealing with THIS  often stresses me out!  Ah, toddlers; or should that be "arrgh"?!?