Friday, November 26, 2010

Christmas Cookie Recipes

What better day to release Christmas Cookie recipes than BLACK FRIDAY???


Christmas Cookie Recipes

Guest POST from Jen Merkel @ http://desertdrivelblog.blogspot.com
Here are the Christmas cookies I'm making this year - enjoy!

                   
* Exported from MasterCook *

                               Booze Balls TNT

Recipe By     :
Serving Size  : 54    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    :

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
  1                cup  semisweet chocolate chips
  20                    Chocolate Wafer Cookies -- 1/2 A 9 Oz Box
     1/2           cup  finely chopped pitted dried plums
     1/2           cup  confectioners' sugar
     1/4           cup  bourbon or 1/3 to 1/2 cup brandy
     1/4           cup  sweetened condensed milk
     1/4           cup  granulated sugar -- or colored decoration for garnish

Put chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on medium power for a minute. Stir and repeat until the chocolate melts, about 3 minutes in all depending on the power of your microwave. Alternatively, put the chocolates in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl on the pan (without touching the water). Stir occasionally until melted and smooth.

Process the cookies in a food processor until finely ground (you should have about 1 1/2 cups ground cookies). Alternatively, put cookies inside a heavy re-sealable plastic bag and crush by moving a rolling pin over the cookies.

Stir the cookie crumbs, dried plums, confectioners' sugar, bourbon or brandy, and condensed milk into the chocolate until evenly combined.

Cover and refrigerate the mixture until firm enough to roll into balls, about 45 minutes. Scoop a tablespoon or so of the mixture into small balls with a cookie or small ice cream scoop and set onto a baking sheet or a large plate. Roll each portion by hand into a smooth ball.

Store booze balls in an air tight container at room temperature for a day to allow the flavors to come together. Store balls in the refrigerator for a week or freeze for up to 1 month.

To serve, put the sugar on a plate and roll the balls in it to coat. Serve at room temperature.

NOTE: I made one batch with rum rolled in chocolate sprinkles, and another batch with Bailey's Irish Cream, rolled in powdered sugar. Both came out awesome!
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* Exported from MasterCook *

                    Chewy Chocolate Cookies (Cake Mix) TNT

Recipe By     :
Serving Size  : 0     Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    :

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
  1            package  Devil's Food Cake Mix
  2         tablespoon  Butter -- Softened
  2         tablespoon  Water
  2                     Egg White -- Large
  1                     Egg -- Large
     3/4          cups  Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
                        Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 350F

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer 2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container. Yield - about 5 dozen.

NOTE: I'm using Andes' Chocolate Mint Chips instead of the semi-sweet chocolate chips
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* Exported from MasterCook *

                   Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cheese Bars

Recipe By     :
Serving Size  : 36    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    :

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
  1                cup  Butter -- 2 Sticks/softened
  1                cup  firmly packed brown sugar
  2                cup  all-purpose flour
  1 1/2            cup  quick or old-fashioned oats
  2           teaspoon  grated orange peel
  2                cup  NestlĂ©® Toll House® Semi-Sweet Morsels -
  1                cup  Ocean Spray® Craisins®
  1            package  Cream Cheese -- 8 Oz. Softened
  1                can  Sweetened Condensed Milk -- 14 Oz

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

Beat butter and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in flour, oats and orange peel until crumbly. Stir in morsels and cranberries; reserve 2 cups mixture. Press remaining mixture onto bottom of prepared baking pan.

Bake for 15 minutes. Beat cream cheese in small mixer bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk. Pour over hot crust; sprinkle with reserved flour mixture. Bake for additional 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Makes 36 bars.

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* Exported from MasterCook *

                  Philadelphia Cutout Sugar Cookies TNT

Recipe By     :
Serving Size  : 66    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    :

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
  8              ounce  Cream Cheese -- Softened
  1                cup  Confectioner's Sugar
     3/4           cup  Butter -- 1-1/2 Sticks
     1/2      teaspoon  Vanilla
  2                cup  Flour
     1/2      teaspoon  Baking Soda

PREHEAT oven to 325F. Beat cream cheese, sugar, butter and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add flour and baking soda; mix well. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut into 66 cookies, using 2-inch festive cookie cutters.

Bake at 325F 12 min. or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet 1 min. Remove to wire rack; cool completely.

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* Exported from MasterCook *

                          Buttery Spritz Cookies TNT

Recipe By     :
Serving Size  : 45    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    :

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
  1                Cup  Butter
  1 1/4           Cups  Confectioner's Sugar
  1                     Egg
  1           Teaspoon  Vanilla Extract
     1/2      Teaspoon  Almond Extract
  2 1/2           Cups  All-purpose Flour
     1/2      Teaspoon  Salt
                        Food Coloring

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and extracts. Combine the flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Tint with food coloring if desired.

Using a cookie press fitted with the disk of your choice, press dough 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Top with colored sugar and decorating candies if desired. Bake at 375 degrees F for 6-8 minutes or until set (do not brown). Remove to wire racks to cool.

Yield:
  "45 Cookies"
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* Exported from MasterCook *

                           Peanut Butter Balls

Recipe By     :
Serving Size  : 72    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    :

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
  1 1/2           Cups  Peanut Butter
  1                Cup  Butter
  4               Cups  Confectioner's Sugar
  1 1/3           Cups  Graham Cracker Crumbs
  2               Cups  Semisweet Chocolate Chips
  1         Tablespoon  Shortening

Mix together peanut butter, butter or margarine, confectioners' sugar, and graham cracker crumbs. Shape into 1 inch balls.

Melt chocolate chips and shortening in top of double boiler. Dip balls into chocolate mixture and let dry on waxed paper. (Poke each ball with a toothpick for easier dipping.)

Yield:
  "72 Balls"
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*TNT = Tried 'n true, I have made these successfully at least once and recommend them
~Posted by Jen Merkel
Thank her by checking out her AWESOME blog and following her, too!  ;D

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Herb Roasted Turkey, Pan Gravy, Ultimate Mashed Potatoes

Sharing this from Campbell's Kitchen
Here's an easy, reliable way to ensure a moist and flavorful turkey...simply baste the turkey with herb-seasoned chicken stock during roasting.  When the turkey is done, use a bit more stock to make a quick and savory gravy.
1 turkey (12- to 14-pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 carton (26 ounces) Swanson® Chicken Stock (about 3 1/4 cups)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1.                   Remove the package of giblets and neck from the turkey cavity.  Rinse the turkey with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.  Tie the ends of the drumsticks together.
2.                   Place the turkey, breast-side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.  Brush the turkey with the oil.  Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, not touching the bone.
3.                   Stir the stock, lemon juice, basil, thyme and black pepper in a large bowl.  Reserve 1 3/4 cups stock mixture for the gravy.  Pour the remaining stock mixture over the turkey.
4.                   Roast at 325°F. for 3 hours or until the thermometer reads 165°F., basting occasionally with the pan drippings.  Begin checking for doneness after 2 1/2 hours of the roasting time.
5.                   Remove the turkey from the pan and keep warm.  Spoon off any fat and pour off all but 1 1/2 cups pan drippings.
6.                   Stir the reserved stock mixture and the flour in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth.  Add the flour mixture to the pan.  Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Serve the gravy with the turkey.
Source: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep: 15 minutes
Roast: 3 hours
Cook: 10 minutes
Cost per recipe: $23.73
Makes: 12 servings

Nutrition per Serving

Calories: 470
Fat: 22g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 61g
Sodium: 279mg
happy thanksgiving lovely image 31002 pictures, backgrounds and images
*My side note here... I ALWAYS use Reynold's Oven bags (Turkey size) when I roast my turkey. It cuts down the time needed for cooking and ALWAYS comes out moist and DELICIOUS!!! Prepare as above for the seasonings, but use the cooking time according to the size of your turkey as outlined for using the cooking bag.  ;D
***********

Ultimate Mashed Potatoes

3 1/2 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth (Regular, Natural GoodnessTM or Certified Organic)
5 large potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 7 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup light cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons butter
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (reserve some for garnish)
Generous dash ground black pepper
  • Heat the broth and potatoes in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil.
  • Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain, reserving the broth.
  • Mash the potatoes with 1/4 cup broth, light cream, sour cream, chives, butter, bacon and black pepper. Add the additional broth, if needed, until desired consistency. Garnish with the remaining bacon. 


Source: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Cost per recipe: $8.61
Makes: 6 servings (about 1 cup each)

Nutrition per Serving

Calories: 297
Fat: 16g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 6g
Sodium: 694mg

happy thanksgiving pumpkin image pictures, backgrounds and images

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Moist and Savory Stuffing!!


By: Campbell's Kitchen 
"Perfectly-seasoned Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing, celery and onion are combined with Swanson® Chicken Broth for a classic, moist stuffing dish."
 
Prep Time:
5 Min

Cook Time:
10 Min

Ready In:
15 Min

Servings  15
(The BEST part about this site is that you can change the number of servings and it will automatically recalculate the recipe for you. Just click on the Recipe title to go to their site!! AWESOME!!)

Ingredients
  • 3-1/4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth (regular, Natural Goodness™ or Certified Organic)
  • Generous dash ground black pepper
  • 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
  • 2 small onion, coarsely chopped
  • 7-1/2 cups Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing
Directions
This recipe's Ingredients were scaled to yield a new amount. The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield of 8 servings.
  1. Heat broth, black pepper, celery and onion in 2-quart saucepan over high heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
  2. Add stuffing and stir lightly to coat.
Footnotes
  • TIPS
  • For an interesting twist: Stir 1/2 cup each dried cranberries and chopped pecans into stuffing mixture.
  • Sausage & Mushroom Stuffing: Add 1 cup sliced mushrooms to vegetables while cooking. Stir 1/2 pound cooked and crumbled pork sausage into stuffing mixture.
********

Monday, November 22, 2010

Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole:
3 cups Cooked/mashed Sweet Potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs well beaten
1 Tablespoons vanilla
1/2 milk

Combine - mix well in 2 qt casserole dish

Marshmallow/Nut Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 - 1 cup chopped pecans
2 1/2 Tablespoons melted butter

Mix together and cover the sweet potatoes.
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven approx. 25 minutes

Disclosure:
This image comes from MyRecipes.com
The recipe above looks like this but HERE is their recipe
I will put MY image in soon!  ;D
My recipe comes from my sister and is a family FAVORITE!!