Gingerbread Waffles
What a Christmas morning breakfast this is! If you like gingerbread then you’re going to love these waffles!
INGREDIENTS
½ Cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs – Separated
1 ½ Cups Buttermilk
½ Cup Molasses
7 Tablespoons Melted Butter
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Teaspoons Ginger
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Cloves
¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg
¼ Teaspoon Cardamom
Mix the brown sugar and egg yolk together in a medium size bowl. Stir in the buttermilk, butter and molasses. Set aside. In a separate larger bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt and cardamom. Set aside. In a metal or glass bowl whip up the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks have formed. Now add the brown sugar mixture into the dry ingredients and stir, but don’t over stir. Fold in the egg whites. Brush your preheated waffle iron with butter. Spoon in the waffle batter and close the lid. Cook until done (see your waffle iron instructions). Remove from the waffle iron and serve with butter and maple syrup. Makes 16 waffles.
English Toffee
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Unsalted Butter
1 1/3 Cups Sugar
1 Tablespoon Light Corn Syrup
3 Tablespoons Water
1 Pound Bittersweet Chocolate
1 Pound Ground Pecans
Melt the butter and sugar in a medium size saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the corn syrup and water. Boil over a high heat until the candy thermometer reads 300° F. Pour onto a greased cookie sheet. Melt the chocolate over a low heat in a small saucepan. Evenly spread the toffee with the melted chocolate. While the chocolate is still warm cover with the ground pecans. Cool for 20 minutes and then cut into pieces. Serves 10
Christmas Sugar Cookies
This is such a good basic Christmas cookie recipe. I’ve added a bit of spice that you can leave out if you like.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ Teaspoon Allspice
¼ Teaspoon Cloves
½ Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon Cream
Sugar For Decorating (optional)
Sprinkles For Decorating (optional)
Blend 1 cup of the flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a medium bowl. In a separate medium bowl cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat with a mixer on medium speed. Beat in the egg, vanilla and cream. Next, add the 1 cup of flour & spices mixture to the wet ingredients. Combine, but don’t over mix. Finally add just enough of the remaining 1 cup of flour to make the dough stiff enough to roll. You don’t have to use all of the remaining flour if the dough is stiff. The idea here is less flour is better. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Place on a lightly floured cutting board and roll to 1/8 inch thickness. Use floured cookie cutters to cut into shapes. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, sprinkle with sugar and/or holiday sprinkles. Bake for 8 minutes. Makes 2 dozen cookies depending on the size of your cookie cutters.
Peanut Butter Kisses
Simple to make!
INGREDIENTS
1 ¼ Cup Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup Softened Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Creamy Room Temperature Peanut Butter
½ Cup Sugar (Plus a Bit More For Coating)
½ Cup Firmly Packed Light Brown Sugar
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Egg
36 Unwrapped Chocolate Kisses
In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a separate medium sized bowl beat the butter and peanut butter for 2 minutes with an electric mixer. Add the sugar and the brown sugar and beat for 3 more minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat for 30 seconds. Slowly add the flour mixture beating for 2 minutes. Transfer the dough to a medium sized clean bowl and refrigerate overnight. You want to be able to roll into balls so the dough needs to firm up. When you are ready to bake the cookies preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1 ½ inch balls. Roll the balls into the extra sugar. Set the dough balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Gently flatten the cookies. Bake for 18 minutes until they are just light golden brown on the bottoms. Remove the cookies from the oven and press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for 1 minute. Remove from the oven and cool for 2 minutes and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 36 cookies.
Christmas Fudge
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Milk Chocolate Chips
1 Pound Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
2 ½ Tablespoons Butter
1 Pint Marshmallow Cream
2 Cups Chopped Walnuts
1 Twelve Ounce Can Evaporated Milk
4 Cups Sugar
Lightly butter one 9×13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl combine the milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, butter, marshmallow cream and walnuts. Set aside. In a large saucepan combine the evaporated milk and sugar over a medium heat. Stir constantly and bring to a boil for 4 minutes. Pour the hot sugar mixture over the chocolate mixture and stir with a large spoon until well blended. It is best to do this quickly before the fudge begins to harden. Once this is well blended pour the fudge into the prepared baking pan. Spread out and smooth into the pan. Set aside for 6 hours to cool and harden. Cut into 1 inch squares when you are ready to serve. Makes 115 pieces.
Spiced Apple Cider
INGREDIENTS
8 Cups Apple Cider or Apple Juice
1 Medium Sliced Apple
1 Vanilla Bean Split Lengthwise
¼ Cup Honey
¼ Cup Maple Syrup
3 Whole Allspice Berries
3 Whole Cloves
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1 Star Anise
Peel of 1 Orange
Peel of 1 Lemon
In a sachet bag or piece of cheesecloth, combine the allspice, cloves, cinnamon sticks, anise, lemon & orange peels. Tie the cheesecloth with kitchen twine. In a large cooking pot combine the apple cider, apple slices, vanilla bean, honey and maple syrup. Add the spice bag. Cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes. Make sure not to boil. Remove from the heat and throw away the spice bag. Serve immediately. Can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. Serves 6
Butterscotch Pie
INGREDIENTS
¾ Cup Brown Sugar
¼ Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Unbleached Flour
2 Cups Scalding Milk
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
3 Eggs Separated
1 ½ Tablespoons Butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Baked Pastry Shell
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Combine the brown sugar and white sugar with the flour. Gradually add the hot milk. Stir constantly to make a smooth mixture. Add the salt and cook in the top of a double boiler for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally until thickened. Pour part of the hot mixture slowly onto the well beaten egg yolks. Stir constantly. Pour back into the double boiler. Mix well and cook not more than 3 minutes. Stir constantly. Add the butter and stir until melted. Cool. Add the vanilla and stir. Pour into the baked pastry shell. Make the meringue by beating the egg whites until they are stiff. Add the sugar and beat. Gradually add the vanilla and beat until well blended. Cover with the meringue using the remaining egg whites. Brown in the preheated 300° F oven for 20 minutes. Makes 1 pie.
Cauliflower With Bread Crumbs
I absolutely LOVE this cauliflower side dish. Lots of butter and bread crumbs makes it so delicious! When I have leftovers I puree it in the food processor and spread it on sandwiches.
INGREDIENTS
1 Head Cauliflower
½ Cup Butter
½ Teaspoon Coarse Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
½ Cup Bread Crumbs
Remove the outer green leaves from the cauliflower and wash. Break apart into flowerets and cook uncovered, in a medium sized pot, in salted boiling water until tender but not mushy. Drain in a colander and set aside. Heat the pot over a medium heat and add the butter. Cook the butter until almost melted and then add the salt, pepper and bread crumbs. Stir until combined. Add the cauliflower and stir into the butter and bread crumbs. Cook for 3 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and place in a serving dish. Serve warm. Serves 4
Root Beer Float
I remember many a Root Beer Float at the A&W Drive-In when I was young. I still love Root Beer Floats. They are so simple to make and are delicious!
INGREDIENTS
2 Quarts Chilled Good Quality Root Beer
8 Scoops French Vanilla Ice Cream
8 Ten Ounce Drinking Glasses or Float Glasses
Place 1 scoop of ice cream in each glass. Top with 8 ounces of Root Beer. Serve immediately with a straw and a long handled spoon. Serves 8
Tortilla Soup
I really like Tortilla Soup. I used to buy it from Fresh Direct and then decided to make it homemade. Super good!
INGREDIENTS
1 Chopped Onion
4 Minced Garlic Cloves
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Oregano
28 Ounces Crushed Tomatoes (Canned Will Do Fine)
11 Ounces Chicken Broth
1 ¼ Cups Water
1 Cup Cooked Corn Kernels
1 Cup White Hominy
4 Ounces Chopped Green Chile Peppers
¼ Cup Chopped Cilantro
2 Boneless Chicken Breasts
Crushed Tortilla Chips
Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Chopped Green Onions
Cook and cut the 2 boneless chicken breasts into bite sized pieces. In a medium sized pot heat the olive oil over a medium heat sauté the onion and garlic in the oil
until soft. Stir in the chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth and water. Bring the pot to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes over a low heat. Stir in the corn, hominy, chilies, beans, cilantro and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Top with crushed tortilla chips, cheese and chopped green onion. Serves 8
