Holiday Treats

I have decided to take a break over the next few weeks... I'll hopefully, come back fresh and creative after the first of the year.....  Until that time, here are some treats to help you get through the holiday season!

Breakfast Ideas:

Cinnamon Rolls

Biscuit and Sausage Gravy

BLT Scrambled Eggs

Appetizer Ideas:

Crab Delights

Creamy Pesto Dip

Spicy Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli

Dinner Ideas:

Christmas Pasta

Beef Roast

Pot Roast Image © Diana Rattray

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Picture courtesy Mary @ Barefeet in the Kitchen

Dessert Ideas:

Homemade Cherry Mash

My Grandma's Fudge

Pecan Tassies

Butterhorns

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Jenn's Food Journey!!!!

A Short Break and A Very Merry Christmas

This has been a bit of a frantic year for me - a lot has happened, both good and bad, but nothing that was life threatening, so I call that a very good year.  I have to admit, though, I have worked myself into a bit of a burnout.  Luckily for me, we get the week between Christmas and New Year's off, so I'm going to take that time to relax and get my shit together. Unfortunately, that means taking a break from blogging too.  I really want to take the next week or so and just concentrate on getting myself back to where I need to be.  I REALLY want to take this time to find my joy for blogging again.  AND, I REALLY, REALLY want to cook whatever I want and not have to feel like I HAVE to snap a picture of it.....

I know you will all understand and I thank you in advance for that!  (I'd say that is one of the best Christmas gifts I could get this year!)

I hope you all have a magnificent holiday with lots of love and even more good food!

I'll be back at the start of the new year refreshed and ready to tackle the world again, until then, Happy Cooking!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Jenn

One Year Ago:  Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

Two Years Ago:  Lemon Parmesan Sauce

HO! HO! HO! - Merry Christmas!!

I'm going to take a day or two away from blogging... Enjoy your loved ones, eat lots of good food, and I'll see you back here soon!

Christmas Goodies

I would have liked to have a week's worth of Christmas goodies to share with you like I did last year, but alas, time just got by me.  Can you believe it's less than one week until Christmas?? Wow, where id the time go?  I wanted to make a bunch of new candy and cookie recipes this year, but with the new house and work, alone, I seem to have very little time to spend in the kitchen.  So instead of leaving you with no Christmas goodie ideas this year, I'm just going to highlight the goodies I made last year.

Nothing wrong with bringing back the classics :)

Butterhorns

Homemade Cherry Mash

My Grandma's Fudge

Pecan Tassies

Eggnog Bread

Enjoy!

 

Merry Christmas!

With the holiday now upon us, I have decided to give myself a little gift.  I think I have been pretty good this year and that I deserve it, so why not.  My gift to myself will be allowing myself to take a much needed break over the next few days.  I am going to go enjoy my holiday and relax and spend time with my family and not cook a damn thing!  And if I do, I'm at least not going to take a picture of it or blog about it.  I'm going to gorge myself on candy and cookies and pizza and ham and probably a little turkey and mac and cheese....mmmmmmmmmm!!!!

But...I will be back, have no fear about that.  And when I return... I will be celebrating my 1 year blogiversary!  YAY!!  I'm excited about that because I believe I've come quite a long way in a year!  I have grown quite a lot in my culinary journey and some of you have witnessed that growth.  I'm so glad you were here to share the past year with me and I hope you continue on this crazy journey with me.  And who knows, maybe there will even be a small little giveaway when I return??!!??!!!!

So, go....enjoy your holiday...may you eat until your hearts content!  I hope you will all be surrounded by your loved ones and remember that they are what's really important in life.

Merry Christmas!  

Happy Holidays!

Seasons Greetings!

Ciao!

Jenn

Christmas Pasta

Chris and I decided to celebrate our Christmas together this past weekend.  It was just easier since we will be spending Christmas with my family.  We tossed around a few ideas on what I would make for dinner and in the end, pasta won out.  Now I know this isn't a traditional Christmas meal, but Chris and I are making our own traditions, so how can that be bad, right?

The basic idea for this recipe came from:
1. The movie The Holiday staring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black
2. From my true arch nemesis Rachel Ray

The Holiday is one of my all time favorite movies...and it's the perfect time of the year for it because it happens to take place around Christmas and New Years.  It's a wonderful little romantic comedy and I'm not going to get too much into it otherwise this post will last until next year :)  Long story short, there are at least two references to "Christmas Fettuccine" throughout this movie.  They never really give you a description of it, but from what I can make out, it's just fettuccine alfredo.  Simple enough.

My arch nemesis has a recipe for Christmas pasta which I have stumbled upon a few times in the last year or so.  I took her recipe out and saw all the ingredients that went with it and though... hhhhmmmmm... I could make this just as tasty but not have to break the bank on all the ingredients.

So the idea was born and the recipe was created....take the simple idea of fettuccine alfredo and mix it with an ingredient slimming version of arch nemesis' Christmas pasta... and Viola!  Christmas Pasta alla Jenn!!!  This was the perfect meal for us.  The alfredo sauce was decadent and flavorful.  The red peppers, zucchini, and parsley added the "Christmas" color affect....it was amazing!

Christmas Pasta
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 pint heavy cream
1-2 cups freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 large or 2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced or sliced
2 small red bell peppers (or 1 large one will do), thinly sliced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 lb angel hair pasta

Directions:
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat.  Add the flour and stir to combine.  Let cook for 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in the heavy cream.  Sprinkle in cheese a little at a time (the more cheese you add the more parmesan flavor you will get) until melted and smooth.  Season with garlic salt and pepper.  Let simmer on very low heat until thickened. (Do not let this boil or you will get a grainy sauce)

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain.  Add the oil into a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the peppers and saute for 2 minutes.  Add the zucchini and saute another minute or two or until the veggies are to your liking.

When the sauce is ready, add the chicken and vegetables to it.  Toss in the parsley and pour sauce over pasta; toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy!

Butterhorns

These little tasty bites are my mom's favorite Christmas goody.  Let me tell you, though, I have to give her huge... er....I mean.. HUGE props for going through the process of making these every year.  This is the first year I actually made these...and my mom had said a few times: "Good luck" ... Hhhmmmmm...good luck huh?  How hard can they be?  Geez, it's like crescent rolls with strawberry preserves and walnuts inside!  And really, these were not the hardest thing I've made lately, it was just a bit time consuming and, well...seriously frustrating more than anything else.  You spend the time rolling out the dough, cutting the dough, filling the dough, rolling the dough...only to see the filling ooze out of the dough as it bakes!  So if you can get past that part, I highly recommend trying these out.  They are like little strawberry hand pies.

One bit of a suggestion, if you have a Silpat - USE IT.  The filling does not stick to it at all.  My mom also suggests quick release foil.  I actually used my Silpat on one batch and aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick spray on another, just to see how it worked and they both worked very well, but the Silpat is my recommendation - simple clean up if you want to do another batch on it, unlike the aluminum foil.  If you put these straight on the cookie sheet, you will not only have a mess, but you will have a hard time getting them up off!

Butterhorns
Recipe courtesy my Mom, Sharon
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter, sliced
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup strawberry preserves
1/4 - 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cut butter into the flour with a pastry blender.  Add the egg yolk and sour cream and mix well.  Cover and chill for a few hours.  (My mom divides the dough into 5 pieces, flattens them, than covers them in plastic.  You can than take out and roll out one at a time.)

When dough is chilled, roll out, using cinnamon and sugar mixture in place of flour. (I forgot to measure how much sugar and cinnamon I used, but it was about 1/2 cup sugar and 2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon...mixed that together and then sprinkled it down on the counter and on the dough, instead of using flour so that it will not stick.)  Cut into pie wedges (you should get 12 wedges with each round.)

Mix together the preserves and the walnuts.  Place a small amount on each wedge. Roll from widest side, like a crescent roll.  Place on cookie sheet with Silpat or quick release Reynolds aluminum foil.  Bake about 20 minutes or until just golden brown.  Allow to cool.  Store in air tight container or freeze.  Enjoy!

Homemade Cherry Mash

I know that with all the recipes I have posted highlighting my Christmas favorites, I have stated that they have been one of my, well, favorites, but this one... this Cherry Mash...this was what I waited all year for!  Cherry Mash IS Christmas to me.  I know for sure that my cousin Cortney felt the same way!  There was something about the cherry fudge bottom and the fudgy-peanuty top that was better than anything else on that Christmas goody tray.

The original Cherry Mash is a candy bar consisting of a soft cherry flavored center covered in a mixture of peanuts and chocolate.  This homemade version is a recipe that can be found on the back of cherry chip packages.

The biggest problem with these little goodies?  It's hard to find cherry chips.  Surprisingly, I can't seem to find them in the big metropolis that I live in, but every now and than my mom can find them.  So she will usually buy a few bags and send them to me and I just keep them stored in the freezer until I'm ready to use them.  So if you want to make these and you can find the cherry chips...stock up on them, just in case!

Now if you are allergic to peanuts or don't like cherry, this will definitely not be the candy for you.  But if you can dig on cherry flavor and peanuts make you jive (not give you hives), than you need to make this...heck, so what if you have everything planned for Christmas.  Make it for New Year's, or better yet, just make it to make it.  I promise you will not be sorry! 

Homemade Cherry Mash
Recipe courtesy my Grandma Phyllis
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
16 large marshmallows (I used about 30-35 mini marshmallows)
2/3 cups (1 small can) evaporated milk
2 cups sugar
1 10oz bag cherry chips
1 12oz bag chocolate chips
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup chopped no skin peanuts (my grandma used salted, I used unsalted)

Directions:
In a saucepan, bring marshmallows, evaporated milk, and sugar to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the cherry chips and stir until melted.  Pour into greased 9 x 13-inch pan. (you will need to work fast, this should start setting quickly.)

Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter over low heat or in a double broiler.  Stir in chopped peanuts.  Pour over cherry mixture and refrigerate until set.  Cut into small squares.  Enjoy!

My Grandma's Fudge

 

I have so many great memories of growing up right next door to both of my grandmas.  I don't think I realized how fortunate I was to have both of them living so close to me until I was older.  I feel very fortunate for that now!  Around Christmas time, my grandma Phyllis (my mom's mom), would make loads and loads of goodies for her Christmas goody tray.  She would make most of the stuff at least a month in advance (I'm sure even longer but you know how time doesn't matter when you are a kid!) and then keep it in the freezer.  Well, all but this goody...this fudge.  YUM!  Fudge was never something I could sneak.  Believe me, we would sneak a lot of the candy she had in the basement freezer, but the fudge, that was under lock and key.  Well, ok, not really, but the way she made it, she left it in blocks until she was ready to serve it, so sneaking a piece here and there was never really an option...at least not an easy one :)

Now I'm older and I don't have to sneak anything anymore, I can just make it myself!  I couldn't wait to make my grandma's fudge this year for Christmas.  I know I can make it any time of the year, but it always seems to fit so well this time of the year, so it's a must make!  This is a very simple recipe that I'm sure was found on the back of some package, but today, I'm only giving props to the woman who I got it from... my grandma!  This is a wonderful fudge for the holidays....simple and absolutely delicious!

My Grandma's Fudge
From the kitchen of my grandma Phyllis
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, sliced
1 12oz bag chocolate chips (the better the quality chocolate the better the fudge, but I'm sure my grandma used Nestle's or something along those lines and her fudge was still amazing!!)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
10 large marshmallows, quartered (or 40 mini marshmallows)

Directions:
Line a loaf pan with parchment or wax paper; set aside.

Place the butter, chocolate chips, vanilla, and walnuts if you are using them, into a bowl.

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the sugar, evaporated milk and marshmallows to a boil.  Boil for exactly 6 minutes, stirring constantly. (You may need to adjust your heat so you do not burn the mixture)  Pour boiling mixture into bowl with chocolate chips.  Mix until the chips and butter have melted.  Pour into prepared pan.  Refrigerate overnight or until set.  Enjoy!

Eggnog Bread

Eggnog...one of my favorite "Christmas holiday" beverages.  I love the flavor.  I love the creamy thickness.  I just love it.  When my mom gave me this recipe a few years back, I knew it would become a favorite of mine.  I mean, I just told you I love eggnog, and if you don't already know, I'm a bread fiend....so hence, I LOVE this!!

This bread needs to be stored in the refrigerator...and I, personally, think the bread just tastes better cold....but you can decide that for yourself.  This is WAY simple to throw together and it will be a hit at any holiday dessert table.

Eggnog Bread
Recipe courtesy my mom (Sharon)
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1 cup eggnog
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon rum flavoring

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease the bottom and 1/2'" up the sides of a 9x5x3" loaf pan.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the first 4 ingredients.  Make a well in the center; set the bowl aside.  In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.  Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy).  Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan.  Cool completely on wire rack.  Wrap bread and store overnight in refrigerator before slicing.  Enjoy!

Pecan Tassies

Tassies....growing up, tassies were always present on the plate of Christmas goodies that my mom or grandma would make.  I loved them so.  The silly thing about me... I love these little tassies...these little pecan pies...but that's just it, I don't really like pecan pie.  Hmmmm...very interesting, I like pecan tassies, which are basically just bite size pies...but I don't like pecan pie.  I'll have to do some research into that phenomenon!!

These tasty little treats are sure to please this holiday season.  So, add them to your goody tray this year and see if they don't quickly become a favorite treat of everyone's.

One note before I get to the recipe:  I cut this recipe in half... the recipe I'm posting here will make about 100+ tassies.  I did not want, nor need, nor have the patience to make that many, so I just cut the quantities of each ingredient in half.  Nice thing about these, though, they freeze well, so if you make the full batch, you can always freeze half and save them for another time.

 

Pecan Tassies
Recipe courtesy of my mom (Sharon)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
Dough -
1 lb. cream cheese
1 lb. butter (I used unsalted), room temperature
4 cups flour
Filling -
6 eggs, slightly beaten
1 lb. light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 - 2 1/2 cups chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.  Gradually add the flour.  Mix well; if dough should be easy to handle.  Set aside.

In another bowl, mix together all the filling ingredients until well combined.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using miniature cupcake pans (spray with a bit of nonstick spray) , firm dough into balls the size of walnuts.  Press into pans to form shells.  Fill 3/4 full with filling mixture.  Bake 25 minutes or until the dough is slightly brown.  Remove from pan carefully.  Yield: Approximately 100-125 tassies

 

Guest Post: Crab Delights

***From now until Christmas (ok, maybe only until Christmas Eve), I am going to post recipes to get you ready for the holiday!  I'm going to share with you some of my favorite holiday snacks and goodies.  To help me kick off this week of tasty treats, my mom graciously agreed to guest post for me.  I'm really excited to have her share a recipe with you all.  Though my mom has many really good recipes up her sleeve, this was a simple introduction for her into the blogging world.  So, without further ado...please welcome my mom (Sharon)...*** 

There are no words to express how flattered I am that my daughter, Jenn, has asked me to be a guest on her yummy blog!  Not only does she post the best recipes ever, she has paid tributes to my father, husband, & daughter with a way with words that brings me to tears.  Who thought a food blog would do that...except when working with onions!  I am so proud to be her Mom and love her more than she'll ever begin to imagine.

Ok...on to the important stuff...food!!

This recipe is just in time for Christmas and/or Super Bowl parties.  I have been making these Crab Delights for many years, having gotten the recipe from my cousin, Karen.  They are one of the first things to disappear at a party and I'm asked to bring them for every occasion.  Even those that say they don't care for crab find that they like them.  I've been known to make them just for my husband & I, too!

Crab Delights
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1.5 oz jar Old English Cheese Spread
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine, softened
1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
garlic powder to taste
1 6oz can crabmeat
1 pkg English muffins, halved

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except for the English muffins.  Place English muffin halves onto a cookie sheet.  Spread the crab mixture evenly on all halves.  Place under broiler until golden and bubbly.  Cut into quarters.

If you think you have more than you'll eat, before broiling them, you can throw them onto another cookie sheet and freeze.  Once frozen, you can put into a freezer bag and store in freezer for up to 3 months.  When ready to use, place on cookie sheet and under the broiler as instructed.  You can thaw them at room temperature or just throw them directly into the oven frozen.  Enjoy!

**I made these for our football party at Jenn and Chris' for the Nebraska vs. Colorado game the day after Thanksgiving.  Jenn had a suggestion that would possibly make these even better.  Before spreading the crab mixture on the English muffins, broil very lightly, both sides of the muffins, this would make it a little crispier!**