Peppermint Bark!

I made this for my friend Brenda. Just for her. We had a conversation this past summer about food (I know, go figure! LOL!) and she had said how much she liked the Fannie May "little pink crunchy candies." So, you see, I had to do this... :)

Peppermint Bark

1/2 package (10 oz.) Fisher Vanilla Flavored Almond Bark Squares
2 medium-sized candy canes, crushed
1 drop peppermint extract
2 to 3 drops red food coloring (optional)


Melt the almond bark squares in the microwave (or use 1 1/4 c. white chocolate chips) and stir until smooth.

Mix in the peppermint extract; stir well.

Add two drops of food coloring, and mix it in, to see if it is the color you'd like it to be. You can also omit the food coloring, if you choose.


Stir in the crushed peppermint.


(NOTE: you can place 2 medium candy canes in a heavy-duty ziplock bag, fold it over, and smash the candy with the flat side of a meat hammer. It is okay to leave some chunks—that will just add to the texture of the peppermint bark.)


Once everything is blended well, pour it out onto a waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Spread flat with a spatula, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.


Once it has cooled and solidified, you can just break it with your hands into various sized pieces to serve. This makes a nice addition to a holiday cookie plate gift!

Tiramisu Blondies

This recipe was a sort of challenge I made to fellow cooking blogger Bob of Cooking Stuff. I proposed a "tiramisu brownie" concept and wanted to know what his thoughts were, and how he would create a cookie bar which would fall into this general description, but I did not outline any actual requirements. This is what I came up with...and please visit icookstuff.blogspot.com to see Bob's version of a "tiramisu brownie".

Tiramisu Blondies

dough:
2 1/4 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 c. (2 sticks) butter
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 t. vanilla
2 eggs

chocolate:
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 T. fine ground espresso coffee (no substitutes)
10 - 12 plain butter cookies, broken into pieces

Melt chocolate in microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring well in between.


Mix in espresso; blend well!


Stir in butter cookie pieces. (NOTE: I made the mistake of leaving the cookies whole and just pressing them into the chocolate. This ended up making the chocolate harder to chop up. I'm writing this recipe out the way I should have done it!)


Pour chocolate mixture onto waxed paper covered dish or pan. Smooth out to about 1/4-inch thickness; remember, you're going to have to be able to cut through this with a knife. Place in fridge to harden. (Give it an hour or so, and then check it.)


Remove chocolate from fridge; chop into chunks. Set aside.


Heat oven to 375˚. Grease 9 x 13 baking pan.
In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.


In large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar and brown sugar until creamy.
Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. Gradually add in flour mixture; mix well.


Stir in chocolate pieces by hand.


Spread into prepared baking pan.


Bake at 375˚ for 30 minutes, until golden brown.



Here's a better look at how the chocolate with the whole cookies in it came out:

Again, I should have broken the cookies up and spread the chocolate thinner.


The 12th was our anniversary, and we had a few people over; this is all that was left of the cookies by the end of the party:

random amusements

Do you find yourself needing last-minute gifts for people who are impossible to buy for, or someone you don't know well? Try some of my ideas below, and customize them to suit your gift-giving needs! It can start with a trip down the trial-size/sample aisle at Target or Walmart...

Goldie's Quick Gift Ideas List

NOTE: You can usually find decorative holiday cellophane or cloth bags at your local craft/hobby store to put the items into.


1) "Save Yourself!"

• chapstick
• hand lotion
• Purell sanitizer
• purse-pack Kleenex

2) "You're Beautiful!"

• lipgloss
• nail polish
• emery boards
• barrette

3) "Festive Holiday"

• mini bottle of booze/assortment
• 2 plastic cups/mugs
• chapstick
• ornament

4) "Festive Holiday II"

• cocoa packets
• 2 inexpensive mugs
• ornament

5) "You're Sweet!"

• Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
• cookie cutter
• option: kitchen towel/wooden spoon/ornament

6) "Keep Warm!"

• knit gloves
• fuzzy socks
• ornament

7) "Warm Toes"

• foot soak packet
• fuzzy socks
• foot lotion

8) "Deck The Halls"

• candle
• ornament
• garland
• mistletoe

9) "Make A List"

• shopping list pad
• holiday pen
• plastic coupon envelope
• ornament

10) "Green Christmas"

• Put your gifts in a recycled material shopping tote

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

Savory Meat Strudel

This was fantastic! I threw it together using a sweet bread dough that was new to me (i.e. untested) and the friends who were over LOVED it. Claire aptly named it "Breakfast In Bread" because it sort of had a sausage-biscuit taste.

Cheesy Crumbled Meat Thing a.k.a. "Breakfast In Bread"

dough:
1/4 c. warm water
1 pkt. yeast
3/4 c. sour cream
3 c. flour
1 t. salt
3 T. sugar
1 egg

meat filling:
1 lb. ground turkey
1 t. dried minced onion (or fresh)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, marjoram
1 c. cheddar, shredded
2 T. melted butter

1. Brown meat with seasonings first. Set aside and allow to cool. Melt butter separately; set aside.
   
2. Mix yeast packet with warm water; stir well.
3. Blend in other dough ingredients; mix well.
4. Set dough aside to rise for 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Roll out dough to about 18" long by 14" wide.
6. Brush surface of dough with melted butter, allowing for edge margins and seam ending.
7. Sprinkle meat evenly over buttered dough. Top with cheese.
   
8. Roll dough to encompass filling. Seal seam edge with water. Make sure it sticks!
9. Place on well-buttered cookie sheet; allow to rise, covered, for 30 minutes.
10. Bake at 350˚ for 30 minutes. Slice and serve immediately.

It's like a meat-filled coffee cake! Mmmmmm.....

Pumpernickel Bread II

This was requested by Casey, and I used a slightly different recipe than the last time. It came out much darker and richer, and I baked it in a round cake pan, rather than a normal loaf pan. He likes the large, round, rustic style loaves of bread.

Pumpernickel Bread II

1 1/4 c. water
1/2 c. molasses
2 T. butter, softened
2 2/3 c. white flour
1 1/2 c. rye flour
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1 T. instant coffee
2 t. salt
1 pkt. bread machine yeast
1/2 c. sunflower kernels

1. Add ingredients to bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
   
2. Set machine to "dough" cycle.
3. Wait.
4. Butter a 9" round cake pan.
   
5. Add dough to pan, and bake at 375˚ for 20-30 minutes.
   

NOTE: there is no wheat flour in this one.

random amusements

This is fun...

Sponsored by Sonic fast food restaurant, you can send your friends a virtual taunt with regards to their favorite sports team.

It features a tater tot dressed in a football helmet (which you can color coordinate to a specific team!) and the text box allows you to create a script for the sassy little tot to "read". It can be sent in an email, as a URL, or you can 'grab' it and post it to a blog or networking account.


Let's pick on the Chicago Bears, shall we?

http://tatertaunt.com/?mId=32288235.3
(NOTE: These are only saved for a short time, but here is the message I had used for this taunt:
"The Bears are awful. And Jay Cutler can't read. Why do you bother to hold on to any hope? It's over!")


Enjoy!!!!
http://www.tatertaunt.com/

Stuffed Mushrooms

These were actually our dinner one night last week. I had intended on making something else as a main course, but it just never happened, and the mushrooms were so good, we ate most of them. I think the leftovers were only in the fridge until breakfast the next day! LOL!

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 lb. fresh mushrooms (make sure they are fairly equal in size)
2 T. butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 oz. cheddar, shredded
2 t. dried onion flakes (or 1 T. minced fresh onion)
1 can crab meat

Pull stems off of mushroom caps; set caps on a cookie sheet:


Chop or mince stem pieces...


Meanwhile, in small mixing bowl, blend cheeses, crab meat and melted butter:

Add minced stems and onion flakes. Stir well.

Fill mushrooms caps generously, and bake at 350˚ for about 30 minutes.



Nom, nom, nom...





NOTE:
I made a second batch of these over the weekend, and I had intended on using that Louis Kemp imitation lobster stuff in the filling rather than the crab, but....I forgot! LOL! I had put all of the ingredients into the food processor, and I was thinking about all of the other things I had to do for our party, and I never got the lobster package out of the fridge. Also, I had realized that I ran out of cream cheese, so I substituted Parmesan, and they turned out great. I will post those photos when I get around to downloading them from the camera.

Breakfast Pot Pie

This was something I invented spur-of-the-moment because my husband and I had decided we wanted breakfast for dinner. Casey gave it the name.

Breakfast Pot Pie

1 can Roast Beef Hash
1/2 small onion, minced
2 T. butter
1 c. cheddar cheese, sliced
4 eggs
2 c. Bisquick
1/3 c. milk
1/4 c. sour cream
salt & pepper

1. Heat oven to 375˚.
   
2. Melt butter in an oven-proof pan on top of the stove (for example, you can use your cast-iron skillet, if you have one). Cook chopped onion until opaque, then add canned hash and break it up, stirring to mix.
3. Flatten a layer of the hash on the bottom of the pan; you're going to allow this to cook and brown a little over medium heat. Top with cheese; do NOT stir. Turn down heat to low.
4. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the Bisquick, milk and sour cream to form a dough.
5. Drop biscuit dough on top.
   
6. NOTE: at this point, I had added the eggs into the pan, but I think they got too done, even though my husband liked them just fine. It's your call on when you want to add the eggs.
7. Bake at 375˚ for 10 minutes.
   
8. NOTE: this is when you'd add the eggs and bake for an additional 5 minutes, if you want your eggs with a slightly runny yolk. Be sure to season eggs with salt and pepper to taste.
   

It looked yummy and it made the house smell fantastic:


Here are tasty little crusty meat bits on the bottom of the pan:


On the plate:




what I used...
Roast Beef Hash:






P.S.
Yes, Bob, I know it does need some bacon in there somewhere, doesn't it?!! LOL!

Sally Lunn Bread

This is a type of early American bread that was popular in colonial times. It contains eggs, has a soft texture, and a little bit of sweetness.

Sally Lunn

2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 c. warm milk
1/4 c. warm water
1 pkt. quick active dry yeast
2 T. sugar
4 T. butter, softened (no substitutes)
4 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 t. salt

In bread machine:
Pour warm milk and water into bread pan.
Add yeast packet and slosh it around a little.
Next add the sugar and butter.
Add 2 cups of the flour, then the eggs and yolks, then the remainder of the flour.
Add the salt last.
Set machine to Basic/White cycle and press "start."

Mixing by hand:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the yeast packet and warm milk with 1 cup of flour, allow it to rest.
2. In a separate bowl, blend the eggs, yolks, sugar, salt and butter.
3. Measure out the other 3 1/2 cups of flour into another bowl (so you don't lose count).
4. Blend the egg mixture into the large mixing bowl with the yeast mixture, then slowly add the flour in to form a dough.
5. Gather dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes.
6. Allow it to rise, covered, in a warm place for about 60 minutes.
7. Punch down dough and shape in preferred loaf pan. Cover and let rise again for 30 to 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
8. Bake at 350˚ for 25-35 minutes, until crust reaches desired color.
   

NOTE:
I added a pinch of cardamom and a tiny fleck of nutmeg. My original intention was using this bread to make French toast, but…..it's gone! LOL!

random amusements

OMG! I want one!!!!

Isn't that a cute idea? Great for gift-giving this holiday season.

Found at the King Arthur Flour website:
Women's "bake" Tee Small — Blue

Mustard Focaccia

This is another recipe from my Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook. I had actually made it the same day as the Cheeseburger Soup, and they went together very well.

Mustard Focaccia

2/3 c. water
1 T. olive oil
2 T. spicy mustard (I used 1 T. yellow, and 1 T. Grey Poupon)
2 1/4 c. flour
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. salt
1 pkt. quick active dry yeast
Topping: 3 T. olive oil, sprinkle of coarse salt

Add ingredients to your bread machine* in the order the manufacturer suggests. Set to "Dough" cycle, and let it do all the work! YAY!

Remove the dough from the pan, and knead 5 minutes on a floured surface. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Grease a large cookie sheet or baking pan of your choice, flop dough onto pan, and pat into a 12-inch circle. Cover with waxed paper and a kitchen towel, and allow to rise again for about 10-15 minutes.

Heat oven to 400˚.

Prick dough with a fork—or poke it with your fingertips to make little depressions—and brush with the 3 T of olive oil. This is important because I don't think I used enough oil on top.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until browned to your liking. Serve warm.



*NOTE: Alternatively, you could mix this by hand: In a large mixing bowl, mix the yeast and water with 1 c. of flour, allow it to set while you blend the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients into the large mixing bowl; stir well. Add in the dry ingredients to form a dough. Allow it to rise, covered, in a warm place for about 45 minutes. Punch down and follow shaping and baking instructions.

Oysters Rockefeller Appetizer

Oysters Rockefeller Appetizer Bites

1 can (22 oz.) oysters, drained
1 egg, beaten
1 c. fresh spinach, chopped
1/3 c. Parmesan
2 T. feta cheese
1/4 c. bread crumbs
dash of garlic powder

Set oysters aside, mix all other ingredients well.

Spoon into wells of mini muffin pan.

Place an oyster on top of each filled muffin cup. (NOTE: there should be about 20-22 oysters in the can. If you run out of them before you run out of the spinach-cheese filling, you can cut some in half.)

Bake at 350˚ for 15 minutes.

random amusements

You will often see a cat snoozing in a sunbeam,
laying down by a heater, curled up on your lap,
or cuddling on your face when you're in bed -
especially when the ambient temperature is cool.
Face it, cats like heat. But why so much?

A: From the time they are born, kittens have a keen sense of temperature from receptors on their faces. This helps them find their mother before their eyes have opened. As they grow into adulthood, these temperature receptors become even more sensitive.



Thumper in the sunlight.



RESOURCES: Hills's Pet - Cat Care
Winter Tips For Your Cat
Positive Reinforcement For Your Cat
Separation Anxiety & Your Cat
Litterbox Issues



Top image credit: Drs. Foster & Smith catalog

Cappuccino Pie

Expecting company for dinner recently, I decided to put a new twist on my Mocha Custard Pie, and leave out the cocoa. This is basically a coffee custard pie. It was FANTASTIC!

Cappuccino Pie

2 pkgs. Jell-O Cook & Serve pudding (I use sugar free)
3 1/2 c. milk
2 t. instant coffee granules (I use Maxwell House)
1 t. vanilla
2 egg yolks, whisked
1 prepared graham cracker crust

1. In medium saucepan, combine milk with pudding mix, milk, coffee, vanilla, and egg yolks.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. As the pudding heats, it will eventually begin to thicken, so keep stirring it or else it'll stick to the pan and clump up or burn on the bottom.
3. Continue to cook until you actually see it boil. Stop stirring for a second or two and watch for bubbles. Once you see a "bloop" bubble up, that's enough. It will get fairly thick before this happens, but hang in there and don't shut the heat off too soon or else your pie will be soupy.
4. Immediately pour into pie crust. Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack. Place in fridge to set completely—about 2 hours.
5. Serve topped with whipped cream.