1st Annual Christmas Drop-In Party

Matt and I decided it was high time to get to know our neighbors so we hosted the first of what (we hope) will be an annual drop-in party for the Christmas holidays. The party was a success and the food was great! The menu included:

Cranberry Salsa
Double Chocolate Cookies
Cheese ball (we served it as a dip)
Snickers Salad
Baklava (Thanks to Matt's grandmother who sent this to us for Christmas)
Fresh Pineapple

Hot Chocolate Mix

One of my favorite childhood memories was helping my mom make an instant hot cocoa mix. The recipe makes a HUGE batch and it seemed to last for about a year. Of course, I was a child so my memory may be a little skewed. The recipe is HUGE though; that part of my memory was not skewed!

I had my mom dig up her old recipe and then ran off to purchase the ingredients. It cost approximately $25 for all the ingredients. We plan to put some of the mix in cute containers and give it as Christmas gifts this year.

One of the things I love about the mix is that it has dry milk in it, so it is just as though I had taken the time to heat up milk and mix in cocoa and sugar. Who has time to do that in real life though? One of the things I remember not loving was that it always seemed much more milky than chocolaty. In looking at the recipe it also seemed a bit too sugary for my grown up taste buds. I decided to make some adjustments to the recipe. I'll post the original recipe and then explain my adjustments. My favorite part of the recipe is the mixing instructions. Make and adjust as you please!

Instant Hot Chocolate Mix
1 20 qt box of powdered milk

1 16 oz coffee-mate (powdered)

1 2 lb. nestles quick (Now called Nesquick)

1 lb powdered sugar

Mix together. Fill cup 1/3 to 1/2 full with mix and fill with hot water. Stir, Sit back and relax!

Now- I decided to mix everything together except the powdered sugar. I thought the Nesquick would provide enough sugar. It mixed well and tasted just fine. I then wanted a darker, more chocolaty flavor so I added baker's cocoa powder to a small amount of the mix and tested it out. I thought it tasted great, but I wanted a second opinion. My husband tested it out both ways and agreed that he liked the cocoa powder. Here's my new recipe-

Anna's Hot Chocolate Recipe (2010)
1 20 qt box of powdered milk
1 16 oz coffee-mate (powdered)
1 2.54 lb Nesquick (It came in either 1.5 lbs or 2.5 lbs. I decided just to put in the full 2.5 lbs since I wasn't going to include the powdered sugar)
1 10 oz Baker's Cocoa (Most of them came in 8 oz containers, which I'm sure would work just fine. I just liked that particular brand.)

Note: This mix is HUGE. As you can see from the pictures, I used SEVERAL large mixing bowls and containers to mix it all together. I wanted to get all the ingredients really mixed in well, so I mixed a little of each into each bowl and then tried mixing them all together. When my husband came home he reminded me that we had a huge stock pot in our closet. I knew that stock pot would come in handy when I put it on our wedding registry! Then 20 qt stock pot did the trick. We put the lid on, clamped it down tight with our hands, and took turns shaking it. We also took huge ladles and stirred it around as best we could. The whole activity provided hot chocolate, exercise, and entertainment!

Mushroom and Swiss Sliders with Spicy Fry Sauce

I am too in love with these yummy sliders I found on the Pioneer Woman's website. I have made them several times already and I'm pretty sure I will be making them again soon. Last time I made them with homemade sweet potato fries. Happiness on a plate.

Mushroom and Swiss Sliders with Spicy Fry Sauce

Ingredients

⅓ cups Mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons Ketchup

1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (less If You're Sensitive To Spice!)

4 Tablespoons Butter

½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced

8 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Chopped Finely

½ cups White Or Red Wine (optional)

4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

Kosher Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2 pounds Ground Beef

4 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream

4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

4 slices Swiss Cheese, Cut Into Four Squares

8 whole Dinner (or Slider) Rolls, Split

Preparation Instructions

In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, ketchup, and cayenne. Stir together until totally combined. Set aside. (This is the spicy fry sauce.)

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook over medium heat for five minutes, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and toss around, then add wine (if using), Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Cook for several minute over medium heat, or until all liquid has evaporated. Transfer mushroom mixture to a separate bowl, scraping all contents from the skillet.

Mix ground beef, heavy cream, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly mix ingredients. Form 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the meat mixture into patties, making an indentation with your thumb to keep the patties from plumping too much when they cook. In the same skillet as the one used to cook the mushrooms, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium to medium-high heat. Add four patties at a time, indented side face up. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip. Spoon generous portion of mushroom mixture on each patty, then top with one or two squares of Swiss, depending on your preference. Place lid on skillet and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until burgers are cooked through and cheese is melted. Remove to a place and keep warm while you repeat with the rest of the meat mixture.

Toast halved buns under the oven broiler. Spread generously with spicy fry sauce. Place patties between buns and serve immediately with fried onion strings.

Enjoy!

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

I found the most delicious cookie recipe on FoodNetwork.com. Of course it is by the beautiful (and frightfully thin) Giada De Laurentiis. If you like lemon and you like cookies you will love this recipe. The best thing is that they stay soft for days. My family loves them and my husband asked me to make them for his office. Enjoy!

Prep Time:15 min
Inactive Prep Time:2 hr
Cook Time:15 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 44 cookies


Ingredients
Cookies:
•2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
•1 teaspoon baking powder
•1 teaspoon salt
•1 stick unsalted butter, softened
•2 cups sugar
•2 eggs
•1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
•3 tablespoons lemon juice
•1 lemon, zested
Glaze:
•1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
•3 tablespoons lemon juice
•1 lemon, zested
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lemon-ricotta-cookies-with-lemon-glaze-recipe/index.html

Here is an easy recipe I got from a friend at work. It is quick and pretty tasty.

Loaded "Baked Potato" Soup

Prep Time:

15 min

Total Time:

30 min

Makes:

4 servings, about 1 cup each

What You Need!

1 lb. baking potatoes (about 2), cubed

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup milk

3 slices Bacon, cooked, crumbled and divided

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

1 green onion sliced, divided

1/4 cup Sour Cream

Make It!

MICROWAVE potatoes in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 5 min., stirring after 2-1/2 min. Stir in broth and milk. Microwave 10 min., stirring after 5 min. Carefully crush potatoes with potato masher.

RESERVE 2 Tbsp. each bacon and cheese and 1 Tbsp. onions for topping. Stir remaining bacon, cheese and onions into soup.

SERVE topped with reserved bacon, cheese, onions and sour cream.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Holla!

So, I was tempted to make these by a friend on facebook. I had some time today and it was game on. These were Heavenly! I literally died went to heaven and came back. I should have doubled the batch but unfortunately I ran out of yeast. I think I will pick up some more yeast today and make these again tomorrow. Try these I promise you won't be sorry. Also I found this recipe online and made some minor adjustments to bump up the flavor. These are soft, light, and fluffy. The glaze is divine.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Carmel Glaze:
Makes 12

Rolls:
1/3 c milk
2 T butter
1/2 c pureed pumpkin (I used canned)
2 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1 lg egg, beaten
1 pgk dry active yeast or 2 1/4 t yeast
2 c flour

Filling:
2 T softened butter
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/3 c brown sugar

Glaze:
1/4 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar
2 T heavy cream
1/4 t vanilla
dash of salt
1/2 to 3/4 c powdered sugar

1 Prepare rolls: In a small saucepan, heat milk and 2 T butter until just wam (12o-130") and butter is almost melted, stirring constantly.

2 In a mixer bowl combine pumpkin, sugar, and salt. Add milk mixture and beat until well mixed. Beat in egg and yeast. Add half of the flour and mix on a low speed for 5 minutes ( scraping frequently). Add the rest of flour and mix throughly (the dough will be very soft). Turn into and lightly greased bowl, then grease the surface of the dough lightly. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, it takes about an hour.

3 Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface. Knead a few turns to form a smooth dough. Roll out into a 12x10 rectangle.

4 In a small bowl combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spread butter on on dough (I just use my fingers) and then sprinkle the sugar mixture on. Begining with the long side of the dough, roll up. Pinch the seam to seal. Gently cut into 1 in slices. Place rolls in a 9in. square pan or in 2 round cake pans.

5 Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, 30 to 45 min.

6 Bake at 350 for 15-20 min, or until golden brown.

7 While rolls are cooling, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan melt butter. Add brown sugar and heavy cream. Cook on med low heat for 1 min. Pour mixture into a bowl. Let cool for a min or two. Add vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar. Beat until well blended and glaze cinnamon rolls.

Hello strangers! (Ok, I know I'm the stranger.)

I was just censured for posting pictures of food I've made lately on Facebook rather than the blog. So... ok, I'm back with a build up of bunches of recipes. But don't think I'm going to give it all to you at once. I've got to make these last a while!
Since it's autumn, I'll start with a perfect breakfast for a crisp fall morning.

French Toast with Apple Butter and Honey
I prefer to make this with good quality french or italian bread rather than plain sliced bread. I always mix vanilla and cinnamon in with my egg & milk mixture when I make french toast. After giving each piece a little butter, top with spoonfuls of apple butter and drizzle with honey or pure maple syrup.
Delicious served with a glass of milk.