DATE PINWHEELS

Happy Tasty Tuesday friends! That’s right! Tasty Tuesday is back for one very special holiday recipe! There are a couple of holiday sweet treats my mom makes, that I request every year. Those are her white sour cream fudge and these Date Pinwheels! This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks that I used to love browsing through when I was a little girl. They are just the right amount of soft cookie and chewy date filling!

I cannot even tell you how much I love these. And truth is, these photos are from last year when I forgot to share this recipe and I didn’t get enough of them because I was eating the cookies so fast. I have included a photo of the ingredients and my mom and I are happy to share the recipe with you.

She hasn’t made them for me yet this year but I am anxiously awaiting them and so are my taste buds. But she did take a pic of all the ingredients for these, you will LOVE them!!

 

What you'll need

DATE PINWHEELS
INGREDIENTS
3/4 lb pitted dates, chopped

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup water

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

Cook dates, sugar and water, stirring constantly, until thickened; cool.
Mix brown sugar, shortening, butter, egg and vanilla until smooth. Stir in flour and salt. Divide dough into halves. Roll each half in a rectangle, 11x7 inches, on waxed paper. Spread half the date filling on each rectangle. Roll up tightly, beginning at 11-inch side. Pinch edge of dough into the roll to seal. Wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut rolls into ¼ inch slices. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until light brown, about 12 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Makes about 5 dozen.

Hope you enjoy a sweet treat today my sweet friends!!

LINKING-UP with  // Love your Creativity // Hello Monday // Inspire Me Tuesday  

xoxo

 

THUMBELINA COOKIES

These precious Thumbelina cookies go way way back! I have fun memories of my mom and spooning the colored frosting into the little dents of the buttery and tasty cookies! Tasty Tuesday at it's best with cookies!

They always add that perfect touch of color to all my cookie platters and trays as well. They are so tasty that sometimes I pop the whole thing into my mouth as you can make them kind of tiny and almost bite sized!

Plus, I always loved the fairytale Thumbelina and these petite little cookies carry that name perfectly! They truly are so incredibly yummy. I make a couple other Dent cookies but these are definitely my favorite and one of the many baking traditions of the Christmas season!

THUMBELINA COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egg yolk, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

FROSTING

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

red and green food colorings

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Blend in the flour and salt. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Dent center of each ball. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, dent center again, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes longer. Cool. For frosting, beat first 3 ingredients until fluffy. Divide frosting in half by placing in two different bowls. Tint each half, one with red food coloring and one with green food coloring to your desired color. Fill in dents with frosting.

Before frosting

My desired tints

So cute and delish!

Sorry, I did not post yesterday. I was in Chicago at a TV station and holiday luncheon with some blogging friends and will share more on Friday. Come back tomorrow for a sweet Style Six festive post and I hope you all have a fabulous day!

LINKING-UP with Creative Muster Party // Metamorphosis Monday// Tuesday Talk with Erika and Ashley // Love your Creativity // Hello Monday // Inspire Me Tuesday // 

xo

BOK CHOY, CHICKEN & MUSHROOM STIR FRY

Have I got a healthy and flavorful recipe for you! My sister-in-law gave me this recipe and uses it as a side dish but I decided to add chicken and make it a main dish & serve it over rice for everyone but me. I was just fine with what was in the skillet sans the rice but I know the rice added a hearty bottom for the guys in the family. For those of you that don’t know, bok choy is nice and mild. It’s the sauce that gives it so much flavor. I had never heard of the shoaxing rice wine but found it easily on Amazon. It’s a wonderful rice wine that is red in color. Here’s the great thing about this recipe, it makes four servings and each serving only has about 150 cal.

What You'll need

Bok Choy, Chicken & Mushroom Stir Fry

INGREDIENTS 

1-pound bok choy

2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/8 teaspoon ginger

6 oz. button or Cremini mushrooms, chopped

2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine* (BUY HERE)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS 

Trim the bases of the bok choy and separate leaves rinsing and drying carefully. You could use a salad spinner for this. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium high heat until hot. Add the olive oil, garlic and ginger. Stir and then immediately add the mushrooms and stir fry until they begin to brown, about two minutes. Add in the rice wine and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the bok choy (leaves & stalks) and cook, tossing until the leaves begin to wilt, about one minute. Add in the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and pepper tossing often until the bok choy is tender crisp about another two minutes. Add in your shredded chicken, toss to coat and serve immediately. 

Before the chicken... Boo Choy kind of wilting in the pan

HAPPY TASTY TUESDAY

Linking up with Tasty Tuesdays // Wonderful Wednesday's Blog Hop // Full Plate Thursday // Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday // Creative Muster Party  // Thursday Favorite things Blog Hop //Best Of The Weekend// Handmade Hangout // Grace At Home // The SITS Girls // Create, Make, Take // Dishing It & Digging It // Feathered Nest Friday  // Pretty Pintastic Party // Metamorphosis Monday // The Scoop  // Best Friday Features //  Meal Plan Monday  // Delicious Dishes Recipe Party  // Clever Chicks Blog Hop // Cooking & Crafting with J&J // Sweet Inspiration Link-Party // Happy Now Blog Link-Up // WUW Recipes

xoxo

ZUPPA TOSCANA SOUP...MADE HEALTHY

Lots of admissions going on here. Number one, I love saying the name of this soup! ZUPPA TOSCANA! Number two, I had never eaten it before but really wanted to. Number three, the minute I saw cream was in the recipe, there was no way on this cutting back diet, that I was going to make it fat and calorie laden. Healthy version to the rescue! This flavorful soup will please everyone in the house and you’ll love having it for leftovers. 
It is a perfect delicious, savory and filling winter soup! For Me, it will be an all-year round soup! Making it again this week in fact!

 You can't taste the kale or realize it's cauliflower, so getting these two nutrient filled foods is so great in the soup! 

What You'll Need

Zuppa Toscana Soup Made Healthy

INGREDIENTS 

1 lb (16 oz) sweet Italian turkey sausage or spicy turkey sausage

6 slices of bacon, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 teaspoons minced garlic

1 (32 oz) carton of low-sodium chicken broth

2-3 water

One small russet potato, sliced

2 cups cauliflower, cut small

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 to 4 cups of chopped kale

1/2 cup half-and-half

Parmesan cheese, Shredded, optional for topping

DIRECTIONS 

In a large Dutch oven, brown your sausage. Removed with a slotted spoon and set aside in the sausage drippings on medium heat cook the bacon pieces until crispy. Add the onion and cook until the onions are translucent. Add in the mix garlic and stir for about a minute. Poor in your chicken broth in the water. Season with salt and pepper. Keep in the pot on medium heat, adding your sliced potatoes and cauliflower pieces. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower and potatoes are soft. Add in the chopped Kale and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Add in the sausage and the half-n-half and cook though. Garnish with shredded Parmesan if desired.

HAPPY TASTY TUESDAY!!!

Linking up with Tasty Tuesdays // Wonderful Wednesday's Blog Hop // Full Plate Thursday // Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday // Creative Muster Party // Wow Us Wednesdays // Thursday Favorite things Blog Hop //Best Of The Weekend// Handmade Hangout // Grace At Home // Cup // The SITS Girls // Create, Make, Take // Dishing It & Digging It // Feathered Nest Friday  // Pretty Pintastic Party // Metamorphosis Monday // The Scoop  // Best Friday Features //  Meal Plan Monday  // Delicious Dishes Recipe Party  // Clever Chicks Blog Hop // Cooking & Crafting with J&J // Sweet Inspiration Link-Party

xoxo

MEXICAN CHICKEN & BLACK BEAN SKILLET

I literally cannot begin to tell you how delicious the skillet meal was! So far, my favorite skillet meal of all time as well as that of my family. The spices coated chicken just takes this to a second dimension. The flavors are so delightful. This dish is also versatile. We took the leftovers and put it in soft taco shells the next night and it makes a great flatbread.

What You'll Need
*Note, I threw Spinach in the ingredient picture because you could add some in but I never did, so make it optional, lol!

Mexican Chicken and Black Bean Skillet

INGREDIENTS 

1-pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, granulated

1/2 teaspoon Black pepper

1 sweet potato or one bag of frozen sweet potato chunks

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies

1/3 cup of salsa

3/4 cup of shredded Colby Jack cheese

1 lime

Cilantro for garnishing, optional

DIRECTIONS 

Cut the sweet potato and roast or steam the frozen bag of sweet potato chunks according to directions (I bought pre cut for convenience, but you could use regular sweet potatoes and roast them or microwave them). Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium high heat. In a small bowl combine all the spices. To the skillet add chicken and spread it out in a thin layer, sprinkling with half of the spice blend. Cook the chicken for approximately three minutes and then add in the onion. Continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through. Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining spice blend, sweet potato, black beans, green chilies and salsa. Stir together and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Cut the lime in half and Squeeze over everything in the skillet. Top with the shredded Colby Jack cheese until melted. Garnish with a squeeze of the other lime half & cilantro if desired. 

YUMMY Flavor Explosion Over Here!

Happy Tasty Tuesday!!

Linking up with Tasty Tuesdays // Wonderful Wednesday's Blog Hop // Full Plate Thursday // Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday // Creative Muster Party // Wow Us Wednesdays // Thursday Favorite things Blog Hop //Best Of The Weekend// Handmade Hangout // Grace At Home // Cup // The SITS Girls // Create, Make, Take // Dishing It & Digging It // Feathered Nest Friday  // Pretty Pintastic Party // Metamorphosis Monday // The Scoop  // Best Friday Features //  Meal Plan Monday  // Delicious Dishes Recipe Party  // Clever Chicks Blog Hop // Cooking & Crafting with J&J // Sweet Inspiration Link-Party // Happy Now Blog Link-Up // WUW Recipes

xoxo

APPLE SHEET CAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL FROSTING

The last time I shared a Fall Sheet Cake recipe was 3 years ago and included pumpkin of course and it was a huge hit. That Caramel Cider Pumpkin Sheet Cake is a family favorite. However, after bringing home some delightful apples from our Michigan trip last month, the Apple wheels were spinning and with the moistness that apples bring, I knew it would be a cake of some sort. You know what had me even more stoked over this recipe is that it was even 10 times better the next day. I highly suggest making it the day before and as you know, a Sheet Cake makes a lot but it still didn’t last long in our house. The great news if you would happen to have some left, is that it freezes well.

Let's be honest with why I am such a fan of the sheet cake. Since it is not as thick of a cake, say in a 13x9 pan, it allows for a much better cake/frosting ration. The thinner the car, the more frosting and in this case; the salted caramel, has me over the frosting moon! 

What you'll need

Apple Sheet Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting
INGREDIENTS

For the cake

1 (2 sticks) cup unsalted Butter, softened

2 cups white sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch of ground cloves

3-4 medium peeled and diced apples

For the frosting 

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup Brown sugar

1/3 Heavy Cream

1 teaspoon Vanilla 

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

3-4 cups Powdered sugar 

DIRECTIONS 

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 11x17 sheet or jelly roll pan. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and set aside. In a large bowl with a mixer, mix together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, when all eggs have been added, mix in the vanilla and the milk. Stir in the apples. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just moistened. Spread batter evenly into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake completely. To make frosting; In a medium saucepan, place butter brown sugar and heavy cream and melt over medium heat just until boils, remove from heat and whisk in sea salt until melts, then mix in vanilla and powdered sugar with mixer. Add more powdered sugar after 3 cups if not desired thickness. Working quickly, as it will harden, spread over cooled apple cake. Cool and cut into squares. 

HAPPY TASTY TUESDAY!

Linking up with Friday  // Pretty Pintastic Party // Metamorphosis Monday // The Scoop  // Best Friday Features //  Meal Plan Monday // Delicious Dishes Recipe Party  /

xoxo