Christmas Shortbread Bites

These little shortbread squares look so festive, I knew I had to make them as part of our holiday treats this year.

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour 
1/4 cup sugar 
1 stick butter, cold, cut into pieces 
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp red and green sprinkles 

 Preheat oven to 325.

In food processor, pulse flour and sugar until combined. Add butter and vanilla and pulse until dough begins to come together. Place dough in medium bowl. With hand, gently knead in sprinkles until evenly blended and dough forms a ball.

On lightly floured waxed paper, pat dough into 8" by 5" rectangle and freeze for15 minutes. Cut dough into 1/2-inch squares. Place squares, 1/2 inch apart, on large cookie sheet.

Bake cookies 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom.

Nutter Butter Truffles

These nutter butter truffles looked too easy not to make, and as I love making truffles for Randal to take to his office, I thought these would be a great addition to the Christmas treats I was sending Randal to work with.  I was supposed to drizzle the top of them with some melted white chocolate, but as was the theme for this years holiday baking, I ran out of white chocolate so I had to leave them plain.

1 pack nutter butters
8 oz cream cheese, softened
white chocolate chips for melting
white chocolate for drizzling

Crush nutter butters in food processor. Mix crushed cookies and softened cream cheese together and roll into small balls. Melt white chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. Dip the nutter butter balls into the chocolate, letting the excess chocolate drip off. Set the truffles on waxed paper to cool.

Triple Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

I found these cookies over at What Megan's Making and I really loved that they have fresh cranberries in them, as most of the cranberry cookie recipes I have seen use the dried cranberries.  There's nothing wrong with dried cranberries in cookies of course, but it was nice to find this recipe when I had a bag of fresh cranberries that I needed to use!

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup oats
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cranberries
2 ounces white chocolate

Preheat oven to 350.

Line a cookies sheet with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and both sugars until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and oats and stir until blended. Stir in all chocolate chips and cranberries.

Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes.Leave to cool. Melt the 2 ounces of white chocolate and drizzle over the cooled cookies.

Cranberry Bliss Cookies

I love the cranberry bliss bars from Starbucks, and last year I did make them, but as soon as I saw these cranberry bliss cookies form Gimme Some Oven I knew I had to include them in my holiday baking this year.  The finished cookies are supposed to have a drizzle of white chocolate on them but I was running very low on white chocolate so I skipped that and then I also ran out of the dried cranberries which is why the cranberry topping is so sparse.  Other than that though, these cookies are incredible, definitely my favourite holiday treat I have made this year.

Cookies:
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

Frosting:
1 (8 oz.) bar cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups icing sugar

Topping:
1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1/4 cup white chocolate chips, melted
 

Preheat oven to 350.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Fold in the white chocolate chips and cranberries. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop tablespoons of the dough onto paper.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Leave cookies to cool.

To make the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and melted white chocolate.  Add the vanilla, reduce speed to low and add the icing sugar and beat until smooth.

Spread the frosting on the cookies, top with the chopped cranberries and a drizzle of white chocolate.

Pioneer Woman's Nantucket Cranberry Pie

I really liked the look of this cranberry pie because it was different than the usual pastry crust type. Mine didn't turn out quite like hers did, as my cranberries ended up in the batter rather than forming a fruit layer on the bottom, but we both still loved this pie.

Butter, for greasing pan
2 cups (heaping) cranberries 
3/4 cups pecans, chopped 
2/3 cups sugar 
1 cup flour 
1 cup sugar 
1 stick unsalted butter, melted 
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract 
1/4 tsp salt 
1 tbsp sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350.

Butter a cake pan.  Add the cranberries and chopped pecans to the pan, top with 2/3 cup sugar.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, melted butter, beaten eggs, almond extract and salt.  Pour the batter over the cranberries.  Bake for 40 minutes, top with the tablespoon of sugar and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie

I am so far behind on blog posts, but my computer crashed a few weeks ago and it looked like I might have been without a computer for a while, but my mum very generously bought me a new one for Christmas.

Anyway, this is a Paula Deen recipe and I made this pie for Thanksgiving, it was different from the usual pumpkin pie we like because of the cream cheese, and while it was really good I still think we both preferred our usual custard pumpkin pie.

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 piece pre-made pie dough

Preheat the oven to 350.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Put the pie shell into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of tin foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.
For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger and beat until incorporated.
Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Lasagna and salad

Tuesday: Country club chicken

Wednesday:Beef stroganoff

Thursday: Chicken tikka masala, jasmine rice and naan

Friday: Eating out
 
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Randal's off work, so he's cooking - steaks, baked potatoes and peas

Tuesday: Chicken and dumplings casserole, baked apples and cranberries

Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner - bacon, sausage, eggs, hash browns and toast

Thursday: Tomato soup and grilled cheese

Friday: Eating out
 
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Spag bol and salad

Tuesday: Tacos

Wednesday: Chicken and rice bake, salad

Thursday:  Thanksgiving - Turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce.

Friday: Thanksgiving leftovers
 
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

I loved the idea of this stuffed cabbage casserole recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen.  Randal would never eat cabbage just as a vegetable side dish, but it's one of my favourite vegetables but I hardly ever make it just for me.  So I was surprised and very happy that Randal not only ate this casserole but he actually really liked it.

 

 

1 lb  ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
1 1/2 heads green cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 can petite dice tomatoes
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup water
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

 

Brown the ground beef in a large frying pan.  Drain the beef and set aside.

Add the olive oil to the pan, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, thyme and paprika and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water and the ground beef and simmer for 20 minutes.

While the meat mixture simmers, cut cabbage in half, cut out the core and chop the cabbage coarsely. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan, add the cabbage and cook over medium-high heat until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, turning it over several times so it all wilts and cooks.  Season cabbage with salt and black pepper.

Add 2 cups of cooked rice to the meat mixture. Spray a casserole dish with non stick cooking spray and add half the cabbage followed by half the meat mixture, then the remaining cabbage and the rest of the meat mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil, cover with cheese and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes.

Honey Glazed Carrots

Just a simple glazed carrot recipe that is very quick and easy to prepare, but makes a really delicious side dish.

1 1/2 lbs carrots

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

 

Peel and slice carrots, place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

 

In a saute pan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add honey and brown sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon juice and gently stir in carrots, coating well. Continue heating, gently stirring, until carrots are hot and glazed.

Pumpkin Sage Browned Butter Quick Bread

Time for another Secret Recipe Club reveal. This month I was assigned Julie's blog Little Bit of Everything.  Julie has so many great recipes on her blog and I spent a lot of time looking through them all.  I finally decided on the Pumpkin Sage Browned Butter Quick Bread as November is the perfect month to make a pumpkin recipe, and I don't make quick breads often so it would be something new for us. 

This is a really great pumpkin quick bread and I loved the browned butter and the addition of the sage.   Julie made her bread into 8 mini loaves but I didn't have mini loaf pans, so I made just one large pumpkin bread.

 

  

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh sage, thiny sliced
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
1 cup pumpkin
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350

Spray a bread pan with non stick cooking spray.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan, add the sage strips, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the butter is golden brown.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
In a seperate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, sugar and eggs. Whisk in the browned butter with sage.  Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.  Pour mixture into bread pan, place on a baking sheet and bake for 50-55 minutes. 

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Country club chicken

Tuesday:  Chili con carne

Wednesday: Spag bol and salad

Thursday:  Green chili tamales

Friday: Pizza with the girls
 
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing

It's November 7th, so it's time for another Crazy Cooking Challenge.  It is also one of mine and Randal's anniversaries today, we met on November 7th 2000.  November is a bit of a scary month for Randal because he has 3 anniveraries to remember (we met on November 7th 2000, became officially a couple on the 17th 2001 and I came to America on the 27th 2002) and I make my poor husband remember them all!

  Anyway, back to the challenge. This months theme is stuffing and to be honest I have never made stuffing from scratch before.  Growing up in England, stuffing was part of our traditional sunday roast dinner, but it was always sage and onion paxo.  I still love the smell of that stuff - one of my guilty pleasures!

I spent quite a bit of time searching for a stuffing recipe that Randal might like (as he never eats the stuff!) and once I found Paula Deen's recipe made with Hawaiian sweet bread, apples and cranberries I knew I had to make it.  I changed the recipe a little, I added sausage so it would appeal to Randal more and I added some herbs.  We both actually liked the flavour of this, so I would say that my first attempt at homemade stuffing was a success.

8 cups Hawaiian sweet bread, cubed and toasted
1lb Italian sausage
1 cup dried cranberries
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
2 granny smith apples, chopped
3 large eggs
1 can cream of celery soup
2 1/2 tsp dried sage
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

In a small bowl, combine chicken broth and cranberries and leave to soak for 30 minutes.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, pepper and celery, sage, thyme, rosemary and sausage. Cook for 5 minutes. Add apples and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and place in a large bowl.

Beat 3 eggs in a separate bowl. Add salt and pepper.

In the large bowl with vegetables, stir in chicken broth mixture, celery soup, and cinnamon. Add toasted bread, stirring gently to combine. Add eggs. Spoon mixture into prepared dish and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until center is set.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Herb roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans

Tuesday:  Grilled cheese and tomato soup

Wednesday: pork chops, baked potato and salad

Thursday:  Spag bol, fresh green beans

Friday: Eating out
 
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Cherry Pepsi Ribs

I am not really a fan of bbq sauce, but Randal loves it so anytime I can add things to it to change up the flavour, it makes us both happy. These cheery pepsi ribs were great, Randal even said they were the best ribs I've ever made.



Pork baby back ribs

1 tsp seasoned salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 cup bbq sauce

12oz cherry pepsi

1/4 cup cherry preserves

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp hot sauce

Preheat oven to 275.

In a medium saucepan, combine the pepsi, cherry preserves, hot sauce, mustard and bbq sauce.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Season the ribs with the salt, pepper and ginger. Brush the bbq sauce onto the ribs, cover with foil and bake for 4 hours, basting the ribs every hour with the bbq sauce.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Cranberry pork roast, mashed potatoes and green beans

Tuesday:  Spag bol and salad

Wednesday: Minestrone soup and grilled cheese

Thursday:  Cabbage rolls (didn't make last week)

Friday: Eating out
 
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Red Curry Spaghetti Bolognese

I couldn't wait to try this recipe from Wholesome Cook, even though I didn't have all the ingredients on hand this curried bolognese was great. The original recipe was made with pork and veal mince and has peas and broad beans, I only had beef mince so I went with that and left out the peas and beans. I wasn't disappointed at all, and it was so easy to make and much quicker than a traditional bolognese. 

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp chinese five spice
3 tbsp red curry paste
8 oz spaghetti

Cook the spaghetti to package directions.

Brown the beef in a large pan along with the chopped onion, drain. Add the five spice, curry paste and tomatoes and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in the cooked spaghetti and serve.

Frikkadels - South African Meatballs

As soon as I saw this recipe over at Manilla Spoon I knew I had to try it.  I love anything curry and baked curried meatballs sounded great and looking at the ingredients I knew that Randal and I would love it. Mine didn't thicken up as much as I would have liked, but we both loved this and will definitely be making this again.

2 lbs ground beef
1 cup oatmeal
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp mango chutney
2 eggs
1/8 cup rice vinegar
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves
1 can coconut milk
3 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325.

To make the sauce, heat 2 tablespoons of oilve oil in an oven proof pan, add the onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, canned tomatoes, curry powder, brown sugar and a tsp of salt.  Leave to simmer.

To make the meatballs, combine the beef, oatmeal, chutney, eggs and spices into large 2 inch meatballs. Add to the sauce, cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Bolognese ravioli, salad and garlic bread

Tuesday:  Herb roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and fresh green beans

Wednesday: Cherry pepsi ribs, mac and cheese and corn

Thursday:  Cabbage rolls

Friday: Eating out
 
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Benihana Fried Rice

I have made this copy of Benihanas fried rice from Running in Stilettos many times, I don't know why I never posted it until now. The original recipe is made with chicken and we have made it that way and also with shrimp.  This time though I needed to use up some leftover char siu pork, which made for a delicious fried rice.

2 oz cooked chicken (I used pork this time)
8 oz cooked rice
2 eggs
2 tbsp onion, chopped
2 tbsp carrot, chopped
2 tbsp green onion, chopped
2 tbsp peas
1 tsp sesame seed
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 tsp sesame oil
Sesame seeds
Salt and pepper

Scramble eggs in a small pan, set aside.

Stir fry the vegetables, ginger and garlic for a few minutes.  Add the meat and scrambled eggs and stir together.  Add the rice, sesame seeds, soy sauce, butter, sesame oil and salt and pepper, stir fry for another few minutes.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Pork fried rice, egg rolls

Tuesday:  Tacos

Wednesday: Spag bol, garlic bread and salad

Thursday:  Cream cheese chicken enchiladas, spanish rice

Friday: Eating out
 
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Asian Barbeque Pork (Char Siu Pork)

Time for another Secret Recipe Club reveal.  This month I was asigned Angela's kitchen.  Angela's blog features recipes that are all wheat, gluten and dairy free.  I spent a lot of time searching through all the great recipes that Angela has, as I have never had to really think about preparing gluten free meals before. My youngest brother actually is gluten free, but I left England when he was 4 years old (he is 15 now) so I wasn't around when he was diagnosed and to see how being gluten free affects him and the rest of the family.

While I was searching through the recipes on Angela's blog, I found this recipe for Asian Pork Roast, which was fantastic because I already had char siu pork on the menu plan for the following week, which is a hoisin marinated pork that is roasted in the oven until it is sticky and sweet and so good.  I did change some of the quantities of ingredients from Angela's original recipe, just based on other recipes for char siu that I had seen and for our preferences, but it turned out fantastic and we would definitely make this again.

Boneless pork roast
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon 5-spice powder
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2 garlic cloves – minced
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 drops of red gel paste

Preheat oven to 375. Line a roasting pan with foil.

In a blender combine all the marinade ingredients and blend until smooth.  Place pork in a plastic bag and pour over the marinade. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove pork from the marinade and place in the roasting pan.  Brush with marinade and bake for 30 minutes, remove from oven and baste with remaining marinade and roast for another 30 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Red chicken curry with butternut squash, jasmine rice and naan bread

Tuesday:  South African braised meatballs, egg noodles

Wednesday: Beef enchiladas, spanish rice

Thursday:  Sweet and sour chicken, jasmine rice, egg rolls

Friday: Eating out
 
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Apple Pie Bars

It's time for another Crazy Cooking Challenge.  I didn't take part in last months, because the theme was Ranch dressing and neither Randal or I like ranch, so I am happy to get back to the challenge this month. 


The theme for October is apple pie, which was a little scary for me at first, because I don't really make apple pies (or any kind of pie really!) so after looking around at many other food blogs, I decided on the apple pie bars from Cooking Classy.  These bars were really easy to make, the pastry came together in just a few minutes and I made the apple filling while the pastry rested in the fridge.  Randal and I both really liked these apple pie bars, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Pastry:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
12 tbsp salted butter, cubed
1/4 cup +2 tbsp buttermilk
1 egg yolk

Filling:
6 granny smith apples
2 1/2 tbsp orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 egg white
1 1/2 tbsp  sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Vanilla Glaze:
1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Cut butter into flour, add the buttermilk and egg and mix together until it forms a ball.  Cover and refrigerate while you make the apple filling.

Peel, core and dice the apples, add to a large mixing bowl along with the orange juice and vanilla.  In a small bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Mix flour mixture with the apples and set aside.

Divide the pastry dough in half and roll out both pieces to a 13x9 rectangle.  Place one piece of dough in the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish, top with the apple mixture and cover with the second piece of dough.  Brush the top with the egg white and sprinkle over the cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until pastry is golden brown and the apples are tender.  Remove from oven and leave to cool.

To make the vanilla glaze, combine the icing sugar, milk and vanilla in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.

Once the bars have cooled, slice into squares and drizzle with the vanilla glaze.

Vegetable Lo Mein

I made these noodles to go with chinese bbq pork (I'll be posting that recipe soon).  We both really loved this lo mein recipe and would definitely make this again.

Lo mein noodles

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

5 mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 cup sugar snap pea pods

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

Cook noodles according to package directions.

In a small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce, chicken broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large wok or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the ginger for 30 seconds. Then add the onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, bell pepper, peas and carrots and stir-fry 2 minutes.  Add the cooked noodles and the sauce, turn the heat down and stir fry for anotherminute or two.