The Guest Bloggers of Christmas Past & Present.

As you're planning your holiday menus and making your holiday treats be reminded of the following main dishes and tasty treats from friends and family...

The Guest Bloggers of Christmas Past:
Angie - White Chili.  Nothing more comforting on a chilly winter day than chili.
Janet - Caramel Kiss Cookies.  Chocolate and caramel - yes, please!
Nicole - Chocolate Mint Truffle Cookies & Cranberry Orange Cookies.  Really, who can resist
chocolate and mint at Christmas?  And the cranberry orange is a welcome addition to any cookie platter!
Karla - Chocolaty Caramel Thumbprints.  My favorite part - asides from eating them is that they look so fancy, but are so easy!
Emily - Dried Cherry & Chocolate Walnut Brittle.  Emily is a superstar.  She was on food network!  Thank gosh my parents get that channel so I could watch her!
Teresa - Pumpkin Dessert.  Pumpkin isn't just for Thanksgiving!  It's delicious at Christmas too!
Mom - Hot Buttered Rum.  Oh.  How I hope that we can enjoy some hot buttered rums at the cookie exchange next weekend!!
Risa - Rocky Ledge Bars.  Deliciousness!  Risa never fails to blog about all kinds of sweet treats.
Robyn - Winter Salad.  Salad is always a welcome addition to our Christmas spread.  It never hurts to serve something that makes your guests feel healthy!  And this salad is so good!

...and The Guest Bloggers of Christmas Present:
Michelle K - Apple Bean Bake.  I've purchased the supplies to make this...can't wait!
Kaiti - Nutterbutter Balls.  Kaiti has found the secret to making phenomenal nutterbutter balls.
Julie - The Schooley's Easy Lasagna Rollups.  On the list to make in the next week.  So excited!

French Bread Pizza.

I've been seeing a lot of French Bread Pizza lately.  I finally gave into my urge (looking most forward to the hunk of french bread) and got to work making my own French Bread Pizza.

The thing I like so much about pizza is that it gives me the opportunity to clean out the fridge and freezer.  Half a green pepper and half a fresh mozzarella/prosciutto log - yes, please.  Partial package of pepperoni and frozen (but prepared) italian sausage - yup!  It's that easy.  Even if you don't have toppings to clean from the fridge and freezer - it's still easy.  And how could I forget - it's completely adaptable.

French Bread Pizza
(Recipe by me)
1 loaf of bread french (cut in half the long way)
1 can pizza sauce
3-4 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)
Desired toppings

Top each half of bread with desired amount of pizza sauce.  I used about a little over half the can - reserving the rest for dipping.  Sprinkle evenly with cheeses and other desired toppings.  We had slices of the mozzarella/prosciutto/basil log along with italian pork sausage.  Cook in a 375 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and a little browned.

The Schooley's Easy Lasagna Rollups

This recipe is so easy and fun! My kids love helping me roll up the noodles! The first time we tried this recipe we didn't use meat. We have found we like it much better with meat.

You will need:
1 egg, beaten
1 15 oz container Ricotta Cheese
2 cups shredded Italian Three Cheese Blend
4 green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 pd hamburger, browned
1 26 oz jar of spaghetti sauce
16 lasagna noodles, cooked
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix first 6 ingrediants until well blended. Spread 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Spread each noodle with 3 Tbsp of cheese/meat mixture; roll up.

Place seam-side down in dish. Top with remaining sauce and Parmesan; cover. Bake 45 minutes or until heated, uncovering the last 10 minutes.
I like to make this ahead of time and put it in the fridge to make the next day. If you do that just add 20 minutes to the baking time.

Yum!!!

Chocolate Caramel Espresso Cookies.

Today I bring you a new recipe that just might have landed a permanent spot on my Annual Christmas Baking List.  Who doesn't love the combination of chocolate and caramel?  Add a hint of coffee?  Bliss.  These brownie-like cookies looked perfect from the moment I spotted the recipe and haven't let me down yet (I've already eaten two of them.)  The cookies are fairly simple to make, but do require a mini muffin pan.  Wish I had two.

 Chocolate Caramel Espresso Cookies.

(adapted from Land o' Lakes)

Cookie:

1 tablespoon chocolate milk (white would also work)

1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee mix

1 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup dry baking cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 package rolos (48-60 pieces unwrapped)

Drizzle:

1/2 teaspoon instant coffee mix

1-2 tablespoons water

1 cup powdered sugar

Combine milk and coffee mix in a small bowl then set aside.  Combine butter and sugars.  Beat until creamy.  Add dissolved coffee mix mixture and eggs.  Beat until well mixed.  Slowly add flour, cocoa, and baking soda.  With lightly floured hands, shape dough into 48-60 small balls (about the same size you would make for drop cookies). Place balls into lightly greased mini muffin tin. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 7 to 8 minutes or until puffed and set. Remove from oven and immediately press 1 candy into each cookie. Cool 10 minutes in the pan and then remove, placing on a cooling rack until completely cool.


Dissolve coffee mix into water in small bowl. Stir in powdered sugar (and more water if necessary) until you reach desired glazing consistency. Drizzle over completely cooled cookies.

Package in an air-tight container before you eat them all!  

Apple Bean Bake

It seems as though whenever an exam or assignment is due I tend to shift my focus to baking and cooking instead. Therefore, with an exam this coming Monday, rather than studying I have spent the last hour sorting through and debating on which of the many recipes I want to post. (Holly - there are a few you may still want me to share!) After asking for my husbands input the conclusion was to share the infamous APPLE BEAN BAKE. This is a recipe from my Aunt Nina who has been one of many to help provide me with so many simple, quick and tasty recipes these last 2 years of nursing school in order to keep my husband and my tummy satisfied! I do apologize I have no picture to go with this, but am now craving it so if I bake it this week I will see if Holly can add a photo for me!!!

APPLE BEAN BAKE:

1 can Randall Beans (48oz) - DO NOT drain - can be found at Piggly Wiggly/Walmart

3 cups sliced Granny Smith apples

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon molasses

1 teaspoon salt

6 slices of bacon (or more if you LOVE bacon like I do!)

1. In skillet melt butter. Add apples and cook until tender

2. Add brown and white sugar, stirring until sugar is melted

3. Stir in cinnamon, salt, ketchup and molasses

4. Add beans and mix well, then set mixture aside

5. Cut bacon into small pieces and fry (or fry and then break into pieces - whichever you prefer)

6. Add bacon to apple mixture and pour into a 2 quart casserole dish - (If you'd like and the smell is too good to avoid, scoop a few teaspoonfuls out for tasting - but it may make you go crazy waiting for it to bake the next hour!)

7. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 1 hour - (I place a few pieces of foil under the dish incase the juices bubble over)

8. Scoop and enjoy! Tastes great the next day reheated or cold

Nutter Butter Balls--Kaiti's version

My friend Gwen has turned me on to the amazing combination of peanut butter and chocolate. I have been obsessed since our friendship started a few years ago. So, when Holly asked me to be a guest blogger I immediately started brainstorming as to what I could share with everyone. I wanted something simple, timeless, and of course delicious!

Gwen has an amazing recipe for Peanut Butter Balls that she makes on our annual "Baking Day," however,  I needed to make it my own. With the help of a recipe from Bakerella, Nutter Butter Balls was born.

Nutter Butter Balls


Ingredients
1 package of Nutter Butter cookies
1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
2 scoops of peanut butter, I used crunchy but creamy would work too
8 oz melted chocolate


Directions
1. Put all but 5 Nutter Butter cookies in a food processor. Save for later to garnish, although I ate mine too fast for that step!

2. Combine the crumbs and softened cream cheese in a bowl. Mix together. My KitchenAid came in handy or use the back of a spoon to make sure the crumbs and cream cheese are mixed well.

3. This is where I tasted it and decided it needed more peanut butter! I added 2 scoops of peanut butter and mixed again.

4. Roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet. I then put them in the freezer for a few minutes to make sure they were firm enough to hold up the melted chocolate.

5. Meanwhile, melt chocolate. I put the chocolate squares in the microwave for 15 second intervals and stirred.

6. Drop the Nutter Butter balls into the melted chocolate and place on a cookie sheet. Once all the balls are coated in chocolate I put them back in the freezer.

7. Enjoy and I challenge you to eat just one!

Slow Cooked Turkey Breast.

This year I wasn't sure if my husband would make it to the family Thanksgiving feast so I decided our anniversary supper (this year falling the day before Thanksgiving) would be a  feast of our own.  I was up to the challenge - both of cooking the meal and eating the meal (two days of Thanksgiving in a row? ok!)

Where I come from turkey is boneless and skinless (my mom says this isn't true, but it seems to be the only thing that ever makes its way into my home... intentionality).  I knew I was at risk for a dry and tasteless turkey by going the boneless, skinless breast route, but I was bound to prove wrong.  Brine?  I did a bunch of research and that seemed to be the answer to not having dry turkey. 

Timing was another important factor.  I had the day off of work so it was easy to find time to make the jello and cranberry citrus relish.  I was able to put together the green bean casserole and get the potatoes prepared for boiling.  I decided to cheat on the stuffing so there was time for that...but I would be helping my husband on the farm during the prime "putting the meat in the oven time" so that we can eat and still make it to Thanksgiving mass on time.  Slow cooker?  This seemed to be the answer.

The result?  Sooo delicious.  Better than I would have ever guessed!

Slow Cooked Turkey Breast

(recipe by me after reading lots and lots and lots of recipes)

3-5 pounds brined (see below) turkey breast meat (skinless & boneless)

3 stalks celery (chopped)

1 apple (chopped with seeds removed)

1/2 can chicken broth

3 teaspoons dried garlic

1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary

1/2 tablespoon dried thyme

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

(combined all seasonings for use)

Brine

1/4 cup table salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

6 cups cold water

1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary

1/2 tablespoon dried thyme

Dissolve the salt and sugar into the water.  Add rosemary and thyme.  Place turkey breast into water - ensuring all meat is covered.  Brine overnight or 8-10 hours.

Place chicken broth, celery, and apple in the bottom of a small slow cooker.  Remove each turkey breast from brine, rinse with water, pat dry, rub with olive oil and seasoning.  Place turkey is slow cooker.  Cook on low for 6 hours.

Serve turkey breast without the apple and celery (mine just turned to mush and I really only used them to get another level of flavor in the final product).

You will be amazed at how tasteful and juicy the turkey is!