I forgot to take a picture (guess I started drinking it too early? lol) but this was really good.
Ingredients
1 can white grape raspberry frozen concentrate juice
1 can pineapple frozen concentrate juice
1 bottle sparkling white grape juice, chilled
1-2 bottles champagne, depending on your taste, chilled
Directions: Combine all ingredients in a punch bowl and enjoy!
While I love the homemade cookies I made last Christmas, I just didn’t have the time for them this year since we were hosting a Christmas Eve party which I prepared for while also taking care of Shania, Austin, and Landon. Everything else I made was from scratch so I had to take a short cut somewhere! These are so easy and delicious.
Cake Mix Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Combine cake mix, oil, and eggs; stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten to 1/4 thickness with the bottom of a glass dipped in flour. Sprinkle with sugar or sprinkles. Or bake plain and top with frosting later. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are a light golden brown.
I haven’t made red velvet cake in a couple years and tried a new recipe this time from Joy of Baking. It came out very well! Nice and moist. The frosting recipe, from Martha Stewart, came out very pretty and creamy.
Cake Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (15 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter two – 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.
Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 – 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the freezer for at least an hour. (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)
From: Joy of Baking
Directions
I’ve wanted to make cheesecake for a long time. Well, I still haven’t made one but these squares were the next best thing. The taste of cheesecake but a lot easier!
Cheesecake Squares
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
2 cups (200 grams) graham wafer crumbs or crushed digestive cookies
2 tablespoons (30 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling:
2 – 8 ounces (454 grams) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
From: Joy of Baking |
* 2 1/2 lbs turnip, collard or mustard greens, washed and chopped into 1-in. pieces
* 3 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 2/3 cup chopped onions
* 1 or 2 dashes cider or red wine vinegar
* salt and pepper to taste (start with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper)
* 1 tbs sugar
1. Fry the bacon in a pot large enough to cook the greens.
2. Add the greens along with onions.
3. Cook on low heat, stirring with wooden spoon, until greens are coated with bacon fat (about 2 minutes).
Pour off excess fat.
4. Cover the greens with water and season with salt and pepper.
5. Bring to boil. Add sugar. Cover the pot, reduce heat, and simmer until tender (time will vary, about 1 hour).
Stir occasionally and add water if they threaten to scorch. When done, increase heat to med-high, stir often. Boil off nearly all the cooking liquid.
6. Add vinegar. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve very hot.
This was my first time making french toast. I’m not sure why- it’s so easy. But I recently found out that Scott used to love french toast as a kid so I decided to finally give it a try. As simple as it is, it was hard to choose a recipe. This one was a success.
You can add things to the batter or add all sorts of toppings. But the key is to use a good bread (like French, Italian, Brioche, or Panettone) that is a day old- not processed white sandwich bread.
French Toast
Ingredients
3 large eggs
3/4 cup milk or cream
pinch of salt
8 slices of good quality, day old bread (cut into 1/2 inch slices) I used 4 large slices of brioche
Butter for frying
Directions
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From: Joy of Baking
Yet another potato recipe. Have I ever mentioned that I could eat potatoes every day? LOL 🙂
These are the easiest potatoes to make because you don’t have to cut them and they cook very quickly at a high temperature. Make sure you use enough oil so the skin gets nice and crispy and doesn’t burn.
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Heat oven to 500 degrees F.
Spread potatoes out on a cookie sheet. Scatter garlic over potatoes. Coat lightly with extra-virgin olive oil and season potatoes with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes.
I haven’t made this sauce in a while and today I decided to put it on salmon. It never gets old.
Asian Zing Salmon
Ingredients
1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
1/8 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 large salmon filet
Directions
Preheat broiler. Combine first five ingredients and mix well. Brush half of the sauce over salmon and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Broil fish for 5 minutes. Brush with remaining sauce. Continue broiling until desired doneness. Cut into desired portions.
These are your basic fried breakfast potatoes- very simple but delicious. There are never any left! I often add onions but I didn’t use them today. You could also add diced green or red peppers.
Skillet Fried Potatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Cover potatoes with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and coat the bottom of the pan with oil. Drain potatoes and add to skillet. Fry, stirring occassionally for even browning. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika. For help browning, add more paprika. At the end, sprinkle in some fresh or dried parsley and mix. Drain over paper towels before serving.
Note: You do not have to boil them ahead of time. (Today I didn’t.) If you don’t, it just takes a little longer for them to finish in the pan. If you find that the potatoes are browned to your liking but not cooked all the way through, turn the heat down to low, cover and let them continue cooking slowly without getting browner.
This recipe was originally fried but I made them in the oven to make them healthier and easier. 🙂
Ingredients
Directions
Set out 3 shallow containers on counter and fill 1 with the flour, 1 with eggs and 1 with Cheerios. Season chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Dip each leg to coat in first the flour, shaking off the excess, then the egg, and last the Cheerios. Place chicken in a baking pan. Spray lightly with cooking spray and cook at 425 degrees for 40 minutes or until done.
Modified from Food Network
