Holiday Party Appetizers, Cute Candy Cane Owls.

Oh, it can't be Christmas season already,

can it?

This photo is not mine.  

Aren't these cute?!!!

I found them on Pinterest 

and the link for them led here.

http://felt.co.nz/listing/69570

  I'm going to try sewing my own version

of them for our grandkids.

 With Christmas coming up on us

so fast, I'd better get started with them.

I'm still feeling like it's Thanksgiving time.

At least in my  own little tiny blogging world.

Because I wanted to post some of the 

recipes I tried for Thanksgiving...

I think they would be good for Christmas 

appetizers, or for football watching,

or for New Years Eve.

  We had Thanksgiving

dinner late in the day, so we made

an assortment of appetizers for our lunch.

My daughter snapped a photo of her 

plate and it shows the only photo of 

the Caramelized Onion, Mushroom

& Gruyere Tarts that we have.

Oh goodness, this recipe is a keeper.

The mushroom tart is on the upper right 

one o'clock position on her plate.

The recipe is 

HERE 

on the Brown Eyed Baker blog.

 

  The recipe for these Cucumber Bites

 with Herb Cream Cheese

 and Cherry Tomatoes is 

Here 

on the E-recipes card blog.

These were good,

 and the herb cream cheese 

would also be good on top of a cracker

or stuffed into cherry tomatoes.

Those cucumber bowls are just one inch tall

with the centers scooped out with a melon baller.

The filling is easy as can be.

It's just a block of cream cheese, 

1/4 cup ranch dressing and dill weed.

You can make these about an hour

ahead of time, but I found the 

cucumbers got a bit watery after that.

Cranberry Brie Bites

Another winner, and the recipe is

  HERE

on the Tablespoon blog.

Now I don't have a photo of my

Brown Sugar Maple Pumpkin Pie,

but if you want to try the best pumpkin pie

I've ever tasted ... well you can.

You just have to bake it yourself.

It's made with the good stuff,

like cream, and real maple syrup, 

with warming spices and vanilla.

It smells delicious when baking

and it's one of those pies that you 

can't stop thinking about even weeks

later.  I'm going to have to make it again.

It's HERE_

on a blog called Simply Scratch.

It's darker than your normal Libby's 

pumpkin pie recipe because of the brown sugar

and people will wonder just what kind

of pie it is, because of it.  

Just shove a fork full of pie at them,

and they won't care one bit about the 

darker color.  It's just plain good.

Okay, I'm  off to cut out some 

fabric for those cute owls above.

Katelyn is Three

Granddaughter Katelyn just had a birthday.

Her birthday wish?

She just wanted birthday candles.

Her wish was granted,

with cute My Little Pony candles.

               Katelyn's birthday song was

sung to  the tune of the traditional

Happy Birthday song,

but with these lyrics.

What day is today?

It's Katelyn's birthday.

What a day for a birthday.

Now let's eat some cake.

~~~

Our daughter used a recipe from

America's Test Kitchen 

for this delicious cake.

You can view  America's

Test Kitchen recipes free for a

two week trial, but afterwards

you will need to subscribe.

I didn't want to do that

for this post, so...

After just a little  bit more searching,

I found that you can get the recipe

on a blog called A Feast for the Eyes.

Here's a link:

http://foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com/2010/04/beautiful-creamy-strawberry-cream-cake.html

This recipe is oh so perfect for spring.

Enjoy!

~

Quick Caramel Frosting

I needed a dessert or a salad

to share at a potluck/bingo/thank you

volunteer dinner tonight.

I'm usually a 

from scratch kind of 

baker when it comes time to

whip up something from the oven.

Now's not the time to

bake in the summer heat,

but I did have a cake mix

in the cupboard that was 

passed along to me.

It seemed like it would

be a quick and easy dessert to make.

So, I baked up some chocolate 

devil's food cupcakes,

and found a caramel frosting 

recipe using ingredients

 that I had on hand.

Then I drizzled a bit of melted

chocolate across the top 

and called it good to go.

Which would have been fine,

except...

the dinner is next 

month on the 31st. 

I've had that invitation on the 

refrigerator for weeks now,

and I don't know why

I didn't see that it says 

AUGUST 31st.

 Oh well, I'm sending these 

babies to work with Rick tomorrow.

Next month,

I'm making a salad.

Here's the recipe for the caramel

frosting.  It's from 

The Cake Mix Doctor,

a gift cookbook from Aunt Joyce.

Quick Caramel Frosting

makes 3 cups,

enough to frost a 2 or 3 layer cake.

Prep time: 10 minutes

8 tablespoons butter, (1 stick)

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup whole milk

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.   Place the butter and brown sugars in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Stir and cook until the mixture comes to a boil, about 2 minutes.  Add the milk, stir, and bring the mixture back to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat.  Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla.  Beat with a wooden spoon until the frosting is smooth.

2.   Use immediately (while still warm) to frost the cake of your choice or the frosting will harden.  If it does harden while you are frosting the cake, simply place the pan back over low heat and stir until the frosting softens up.  

This is awfully sweet,

and I'm thinking a sprinkling

of Fleur De Sel rather than

chocolate would have been

a nice touch with the caramel.

Coconut Meringue Cookies

I accidently won third

place in a baking contest

(at Rick's work place)

with these coconut meringue cookies.

Yep, I can hear your

congrats now....

(insert  delusions of grandeur here)

but wait.

There were only four entrys,

two cakes, my cookies

and a bowl of pudding with

graham crackers mixed in.

Woo Hoo!

I beat the pudding!

~

I wasn't trying to enter a contest.

I sent the cookies in for my

husband's Christmas potluck

contribution. 

( I did get up at 4AM to get them baked and packaged for him to take into work.) 

Everyone there

knows that Rick claims not to know

how to cook.... ahem.....

So, he usually supplies

paper plates and plastic utensils

for their lunch time potlucks.

I kind of feel bad

winning a bit of money

from the "Sunshine Committee",

since I don't work there....

and I wasn't even trying to win.

But wait until next year.

Rick is going to bake.. ahem...

  

OK then,

Here's the recipe

for these prize winning cookies. (laughing here)

Coconut Meringue Cookies

Dough:

3/4 cup butter ~ softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cups all~purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

dash of allspice

Topping:

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup sugar

Coconut

In a medium mixer bowl,

 beat the butter and sugar

until light and fluffy. 

 Beat in the egg, vanilla,

and salt until blended. 

 At low speed of electric mixer

 gradually blend in the flour,

 cinnamon, and allspice, mix well.

  Cover bowl; chill dough

 for 30 minutes or till firm enough to handle.  Shape into a 12-inch log.

  Wrap in clear plastic wrap or waxed paper.

  Chill several hours or overnight.  

When you're ready to bake:

 Make the topping.  

For meringue:  In a small mixer bowl,

beat egg whites, vanilla,

 and cream of tartar

 till soft peaks form(tips curl). 

 Gradually add sugar,

 beating till stiff peaks form

(tips stand straight). 

 Cut dough into 1/4~inch thick slices. 

 Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

  Put egg white mixture

 in a decorating bag fitted

 with a 1/2~inch round or star tip. 

 Pipe egg white mixture

 atop each cookie slice. 

 Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon coconut

 atop meringue on each cookie. 

 Bake in a 325*F. oven for 15 to 20 minutes

or till done.  Cool. 

 Makes about 48 cookies.

Recipe source:

Holiday Cooking magazine ~~~ 1987

P.S.  The star and snowflake

shaped cookies are a cardamon

spiced shortbread Martha Stewart recipe.

Looks pretty, but not a keeper...

Pumpkin Gingerbread Snacking Cake

Here's a nicely

spiced cake that you might like to make

while it's still Autumn/pumpkin season.

This was one of the recipes

 used for the cupcakes

 I made for a Halloween party

at the Senior Center.

Those cupcakes were frosted

with a really nice whipped cream and

cream cheese frosting;

 but this lone cupcake

  was purposely left un~frosted. 

shhh... blogging secret:  That cupcake is straight out of the refrigerator ~ 

 a day old, and the coffee is hours old and cold.  I poured creamer in it anyway

just for the photo.  A cup of coffee without creamer would

look very strange to me...ha

This spicy pumpkin gingerbread is

 so good on it's own,

 that it certainly doesn't need frosting

 or even the dusting of powdered sugar

 that the recipe suggests. 

These are even better the day after baking. 

They stay moist and fresh for days

 in the refrigerator.

What was leftover from the Seniors Party

I took straight downtown to share with

Rick's co~workers. 

Sorry, I'm unable to give credit

 for where I found this recipe. I've used this recipe

for several years though.

 ~

 Pumpkin Gingerbread Snacking Cake

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon each: salt,

cinnamon, ground nutmeg,

cloves and allspice

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Icing sugar

~

In a large bowl, beat together granulated sugar, eggs, pumpkin, oil and buttermilk until smooth.  Stir together flour, soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and baking powder; sprinkle over pumpkin mixture and stir

 until blended.

Pour into a greased 9-inch square cake pan. 

 Bake in 350*F. oven for about 35 minutes

or until cake springs back when lightly touched.  Let cool in pan on rack. 

 Using a small sieve,

dust top lightly with icing sugar.

Oatmeal Cake from Aunt Ruth ~ Sunday Dinners

Long ago,

back in our Navy Days,

we were stationed in San Diego (1978).

Oh how lucky we were

to have family close by in

Chula Vista.  We had a standing

invitation to have Sunday dinner

at Rick's Uncle and Aunt's house.

Sunday dinner

usually meant there was a ham in the oven,

along with Aunt Ruth's home made

macaroni and cheese. 

This old fashioned cake

was one of her favorites.

Oatmeal Cake ~ from Aunt Ruth.

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 cup 3~minute oats

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup softened butter

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir Oats in boiling water, let stand 20 minutes.

Cream sugars and butter together,

add eggs and oatmeal mixture.

Sift dry ingredients. 

 Add to sugar/butter/egg/oatmeal mixture. 

Pour into a greased 9x13~inch pan.

Bake at 325*F. for 35 to 45 minutes.

Just before the cake is done,

make the topping.

In a sauce pan,

measure

 1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup milk

1 cup brown  sugar.

Boil about 2 minutes,

then add

1/2 cup nuts (pecans, walnuts, your choice)

1 can coconut = 3 1/2 ounce = 1/1/3 cup loose pack

and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Spread onto cake (still in pan)

and return to oven for 10 minutes.

Let cool in pan.

Here have a bite. 

Yeah, it's buttery good.

I make it once every

10 years or so. 

It's something you can whip up

with ingredients from your pantry

if you happen to have nuts

 and coconut on hand.

I made this one

for Sunday dinner

at our cousin's house last month.

Cupcakes AND Pie for Dinner

I wasn't going to create two food posts in a row,

but you know what?   Birthdays happen!

So not only did we have Ricks favorite Apple Pie last night,

 we had Cupcakes too!

Grandson Conner,

"Uh, that's not frosting."

Meatloaf and mashed potato  cupcake recipe   

 from  Mommy's Kitchen.

Edited to add a note for Cathy:   Click on the word recipe for the turkey meatloaf recipe.   Thanks.

next up, hopefully ~~ wool felt baby booties.

White Bean Chili and Golden Parmesan Bread Sticks

 We had our Senior Potluck This past Saturday.

This months main course was soups  and we ended up with  Eight or Nine different kinds.  I only tried two,

but a few people managed to taste each and every one.

They ranged from broccoli with cheese,

to lentil, along with tortilla soup (yum) and vegetable soup

and more.

    We tried this last year for our potluck theme,  

and  soup is a winner. 

Of course there were desserts,

salads, and several types of bread and crackers.

 Here's a quote from a satisfied member and she happened to try each and every soup there was.

  "We have the best cooks!"

There was more than enough food ~ as always. 

Here's the recipe I used.  I doubled it, but didn't need to.

White Bean Chili 

1 pound dried Great Northern Beans

2 medium onions chopped (Oh, the tears chopping 4 onions.)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chillies, undrained  (I used fire roasted chillies.)

2 teaspoons cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon red pepper

6 cups chicken broth ( I'd cut this down to 4 otherwise it's too thin)

5 cups chopped  cooked chicken breast

3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

Salt and black pepper to taste

Salsa

Sour cream

Garnish: chopped fresh parsley  (didn't use, but  fresh cilantro would be delicious.)

Sort and wash beans;  place in a large Dutch oven.  Cover with water 2 inches above beans;

let soak 8 hours.  Drain and set beans aside.

Cook onion and garlic in oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring  constantly, until tender.

  Add green chilies and next 3 ingredients;

cook 2 minutes, stirring constangly. 

Add beans and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 2 hours  or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally.  Add chicken, one cup cheese and salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil;  reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring often.  Ladle chili into individual soup bowls. 

 Top each serving evenly with remaining 2 cups cheese, salsa and sour cream.  Garnish, if desired. 

Makes 13 cups.

  Recipe is from Gooseberry Patch  Christmas Cookbook (2004 ) 

For the following day, we had a mug/bowl of the leftover white bean chili along with freshly baked

Golden Parmesan Bread Sticks

4 cups bread flour, divided

1 package active dry yeast  (scant tablespoon if you purchase in bulk and store in freezer)

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed (I used fresh from the garden.)

1/4 cup grated   Parmesan cheese ( I use fresh grated and even more than 1/4 cup.  More like 1/2 cup.)

1/2 teaspoon pepper  (yes pepper, adds a nice warmth and I use white pepper for this.)

1 1/4 cup warm water

2 Tablespoons margarine  (Use real butter ~ )

1 egg white

1 Tablespoon water

garlic salt to taste

Blend together 2 cups flour, yeast, salt, sugar, rosemary, cheese and pepper in a heavy-duty mixer.  Blend in warm water and margarine; beat 4 minutes, until a soft dough forms.   On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth, adding more flour until dough is no longer sticky.  Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat the top.  Let rise until double in bulk, about one hour.  Divide dough in half and cut each into 12 equal pieces.  Roll each piece out until it's approximately 6 inches long; repeat with remaining dough.  Place bread sticks on a lightly oiled baking sheet.  Whisk together egg white and one tablespoon water, brush over bread sticks.  Sprinkle to taste with garlic salt.  Let rise until double, then bake at 375*F degees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. 

 Makes 24 bread sticks.

I do add the ingredients a bit differently than the recipe directions: 

 I proof the yeast with the 1 1/4 cups warm water with the tablespoon of sugar sprinkled over the yeast. Then add the rest of the dry ingredients and room temp butter. 

  This recipe is from another Gooseberry Patch cookbook.

Christmas Pantry

This recipe is linked to: http://www.deepsouthdish.com/

Cottage Tea House White Bread, From Cottage Tea House in Burkburnett, Texas

 I've had this recipe for a long time. 

So long ago that  I have no idea where I copied it from.

I Google searched for info and came up with a recipe for

Cottage Tea House Rolls, using the same bread recipe as I use.

As far as I can tell, there's no longer a Cottage Tea House

in Burkburnett, Texas.  But this was their recipe once

upon a time.

2 cups milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons salt

1 package of yeast

1/2 cup warm water (105*F.-115*F.)

6 1/2 to 7 cups bread flour

Melted butter

Scald milk in heavy medium saucepan.  Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup sugar,

1/4 cup butter and salt.  Cool to lukewarm.

Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup sugar and yeast over warm water in large bowl;

let dissolve.  Stir to blend.

Let yeast stand until foamy and proofed, about 15 minutes.

Stir milk mixture into yeast.  Add enough flour 1 cup at a time to form a soft dough.

Turn out onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, abut 10 minutes.

Grease large bowl.  Add dough, turning to coat entire surface. 

Cover with towel, and let rise in warm draft free area  until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

Grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans or eight 4 1/2 x2 1/2-inch loaf pans.

Punch dough down.  Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead 2 minutes.

Shape dough into loaves.  Fit into pan.

Cover and let rise in warm draft free area until almost doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350*F.

Bake until loaves are golden brown and bottoms sound hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes.

Brush tops with melted butter, if you want to.

There's nothing like the smell of fresh baked bread.

I will resist... 

Cauliflower Gratin,

Cauliflower Gratin: 

Or, 

how to make cauliflower which would

be  perfectly healthy  plain,

or dressed with the smallest dab of butter,

and turn it into something rich and delicious, for a simple

but special dinner.  I could skip everything else

and just eat this for dinner.

It's was that good,  and

Shhh.... it was good for breakfast too!

This recipe is from the Martha Stewart magazine,

Everyday Food.

Preheat oven to 400*F.  In a large bowl,

combine 1 large head cauliflower, cored and cut into florets.

1 cup heavy cream  ( I happened to have heavy cream, due to some

Thanksgiving plans for whipped cream on pie.  I wonder if half and half

would make a good substitute.)

1 tablespoon all purpose flour, and 3/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan.

Season with coarse salt and ground pepper and toss to combine.

Transfer mixture to a 2-quart baking dish,

cover tightly with foil, and bake 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup grated Parmesan,

and 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs.  ( I used Panko crumbs).

Sprinkle over cauliflower.  Dot with 1 tablespoon unsalted butter.

( I melted the tablespoon of butter and mixed it in the crumb/

Parmesan mixture, then sprinkled the crumbs over the top

of the cauliflower mixture.)

Do your own thing, it's OK~~ 

Bake, uncovered until topping is golden brown and cauliflower is tender

when pierced with a knife, 10 to 15 minutes.  (I did 15 minutes.)

Let cool 5 minutes before serving.  Serves 6.

Meanwhile, this morning I'm remaking the bread I want

to use for stuffing Thursday.  The two loaves I did earlier~~

Well, I cubed them up and set them in the oven to toast

and dry...

I set the timer for 15 minutes to check,

but smelled something wrong at the 10 minute mark.

My bread cubes on the top rack, had caught

fire, and the smoke permeated even the non burnt

bread cubes... It smelled rather awful... just saying.

So, it's back to the mixer...

Take care, and have a lovely week, preparing for the holiday.