Today's Brilliant Idea: Butterscotch Snowflakes

 

There is no recipe for this post, per se, just a brilliant idea, but with some work involved! I've had a recipe for butterscotch gingerbread I've been wanting to try, but I'd already made gingerbread men with chocolate chip eyes for Christmas this year, so I "tweaked" a packaged sugar cookie mix by adding a box of instant butterscotch pudding! The best idea ever! Possibly the best cookies I've ever made! Sooooo rich and decadent, and soooo pretty too!
 

The hardest part was rolling out the dough (which I refrigerated for a few hours) and cutting out the snowflakes.  I scooped store-bought vanilla frosting into a Ziploc bag, cut off the tip and piped lines on the cookies.  Then, my little "elf" helper (my 4-year-old daughter) sprinkled them with blue and white sugar. I am so in love with these right now! I may make them for every holiday; with appropriately shaped cookies! Yum!

Crabby Snacks; so festive!

 

I've been meaning to post this recipe for over a month; but it's been a little hectic around here, what with Christmas and all! I first made these yummy treats after watching Silver Linings Playbook.  The main character's mom made them to eat while watching football, and after some research, I discovered the recipe for the 1970's era appetizer. I kind of made them just for fun, but they were SO good, I've made them 3 times since! They are super tasty; all cheesy and crabby, and a bit retro too!

Crabby Snacks (thanks to www.slate.com for the recipe)

1/2 cup (one stick) butter, softened
one 6-ounce can crabmeat, drained
one 5-ounce jar Kraft Old English cheese spread (this cannot be substituted for!)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (not Miracle whip!)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
6 English muffins, halved, or a sliced baguette

Combine the butter, crabmeat, cheese spread, mayo and garlic powder in a medium bowl; stir.  Chill.  When ready to serve, spread mixture on bread. Place on baking sheet and broil until browned and bubbly; about 5 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature. 

 

Another version of this recipe suggests spreading the mixture on the English muffins and freezing them for 30 minutes before slicing into quarters and broiling.  I liked the bite-sized slices of baguette best. 

Today's Brilliant Idea: Pumpkin Pie in a Jar!

 

Brilliant! I've seen this on Pinterest, of course, and just HAD to try it! Since there's no crust in my version, it's even easier to make! When I was little, my mom used to pour leftover  pumpkin pie filling into "custard cups", a.k.a. small Pyrex bowls, and bake it as a treat. I remember eating it cold from the fridge as an after school snack and thinking how decadent it was! I've never been a huge fan of the pastry crust that is de rigour with pumpkin pie; I used to scrape out the filling and leave the crust when I was a kid...so this version was perfect! I topped our "pies" with Cool Whip (a must) and sprinkled it with cinnamon - oh my! Another plus? It's so simple to store leftovers; just screw on the lid and pop into the fridge for later - sweet!

I used the recipe on the back of a can of pureed pumpkin:

 

Pumpkin Pie in a Jar (adapted from Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie recipe)

 

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 eggs

15-ounce can pureed pumpkin

12-ounce can evaporated milk

 

Combine sugar and spices in a small bowl and set aside.  Beat eggs in a large bowl.  Stir in pumpkin and sugar/spice mixture.  Gradually stir in the evaporated milk. Pour into canning jars (I used 16-ounce/2-cup wide mouthed jars).  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes, until top is "set".  Serve immediately or refrigerate.  Yummy!!!