This Week's Menu 12/26/11

Monday - Chicken Stir-fry

Tuesday - Chipotle Bean Burritos, Baked Tortilla Chips

Wednesday - Warm Winter Salad, Artisan Bread

Thursday - Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Fennel Salad

Friday - Mini Deep Dish Pizzas, Hot Fudge Sundaes

Saturday - Roasted Shrimp and Orzo, Salad

Sunday - Honey Baked Ham, Hoppin' John, Spinach Salad, Ambrosia Pie

Ambrosia Pie

Oh, how I love this pie!  It's quick to put together, easy enough for children to assist, and is refreshing and light compared to all of the other desserts served this time of year.  I came across this recipe several years ago and modified it to meet my family's personal tastes.  I added cherries and toasted pecans and increased the amount of coconut. My children love it so much it has become our traditional  New Years Day lunch dessert.

1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped and drained
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1 cup coconut
8 oz. pack cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups Cool Whip (thawed)
1 graham cracker crust (extra serving size)

Beat the cream cheese with a mixer until creamy.  Beat in the sweetened condensed milk. Fold in the cool whip, oranges, pineapple, cherries, pecans, and coconut. Pour mixture into crust.  Freeze until firm (3 hours or overnight). Allow to sit at room temperature 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

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Shorties

Shorties.  These melt in your mouth cookies are delightful! They go by many names and the type of nuts may vary, but this version is my mama's and therefore my favorite! When I was growing up, my mama used to make these wonderful cookies every Christmas.  My brother and I loved to help roll them in powdered sugar. It's a tradition that I carry on with my children.  They are in charge of the rolling and rerolling of the cookies.  These cookies are simple to make and requires a short amount of time to prepare. They are perfect for giving as gifts or enjoying with your family. 

Shorties

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1/4 tsp. salt

Additional powdered sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat 1/2 cup powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in flour and salt. Stir in pecans. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place 1-inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 15-20  minutes or until set, but not brown.  Immediately remove from cookie sheets. Cool slightly.  Roll in powdered sugar. Cool completely. Reroll in powdered sugar. Makes 4 dozen cookies.

This Week's Menu 12/19/11

Monday - Butternut Squash-White Bean Chili, Cornbread

Tuesday - Slow Cooker Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

Wednesday - Black Bean Tostadas with Corn Relish

Thursday -  Butternut Squash Lasagna with Sage, Goat Cheese, and Breadcrumbs, Salad

Friday - Spinach Calzones with Ricotta and Sundried Tomatoes

Saturday - Goat Cheese and Swiss Chard Pasta Casserole, Artisan Bread

Sunday - Merry Christmas!
               
               Make Ahead Breakfast:
               Brie and Vegetable  Breakfast Strata
               Easy Mini Cinnamon Buns

               Dinner:
               Goat Cheese Pesto Crostini
               Butternut Squash Risotto
               Pork Loin Roast
               Butterbeans
               Roasted Brussel Sprouts
               Assorted Christmas Cookies

This Week's Menu 12/12/11

Monday - Baked Potato Soup

Tuesday - Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

Wednesday - Another birthday at our house and dinner is Birthday Girl's Choice!  Take out Indian and Chocolate Cherry Banana Pudding

Thursday - Easy Shrimp and Grits, Artisan Bread

Friday - Fried Okra Tacos, Yellow Rice, Black Beans

Saturday - Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake, Salad

Sunday - Greek Chicken Salad

Party Bruschetta

We have been snowed in the past few days,  so I used what I had on hand to whip up one of our favorite snacks yesterday.  I have served this at cocktail parties and as a simple appetizer and it always gets gobbled up and lots of compliments.  It is so quick to make and and fresh alternative to many of the dips you find during the holiday season.

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped

1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled or small cubes

6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Crackers for serving

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and oil. Add the tomatoes, olives, feta, and basil.  Stir gently.  Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes for flavors to develop.

Notes:

I triple the recipe for parties.

To cut the basil easily - http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Chiffonade/

I am linking to the Holiday Recipe Exchange. Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Athenos.

This Week's Menu 12/5/11

Monday - Beef Tips, Rice, Green Beans

Tuesday - Penne with Eggplant, Goat Cheese and Thyme, Salad

Wednesday - Black Bean Soup with Sherry, Artisan Bread

Thursday - Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells, Salad

Friday - Baked Potato Bar

Saturday - Rosemary Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Potatoes

Sunday - Omelets, Fruit Salad

Chocolate-Grand Marnier Linzer Cookies

I thought it would be delicious to mix up traditional linzer cookie flavors.  I added in orange zest and walnuts to a traditional batter.  Instead of a standard jam filling, I decided to use a chocolate ganache enhanced with Grand Marnier.  The results were scrumptious! These will definitely be on our Christmas Cookie tray this year!

For the Cookie Dough:
1 cup walnuts
1/4 cup cornstarch
Zest of 1 orange
3 sticks butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar (plus extra for dusting cookies)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

For the Ganache Filling:
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 tsp. orange zest
1 Tbs. Grand Marnier

Grind the nuts along with the cornstarch in a food processor until fine. Set aside.  With a mixer, beat the butter with the powdered sugar and orange zest at low speed for 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium high and beat for 2-3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add in the vanilla, salt, and egg. Mix in the flour and walnut mixture. Shape the dough into a flat circle.  Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2-3 hours. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle flour over your work surface. Divide the dough into two equal halves. Roll out the first half of dough to 1/4" thickness. Cut cookies with a 2" cookie cutter.  Space cookies 1" apart on a baking sheet. Roll out the second half of the dough. Cut the cookies with a cookie cutter fitted with a linzer insert or cut out with a 2" cookie cutter and remove the centers with a smaller cookie cutter. Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until light brown. Cool the cookies. Sprinkle the cooled cutout center cookies with powdered sugar. Spread the cooled base cookies with a teaspoon of chocolate ganache. Top with the cutout cookie. Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

To make the ganache:
Heat the cream until hot, but not boiling. Place the chocolate chips in a bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate.  Whisk until the chocolate has melted. Stir in the zest and Grand Marnier.

Notes:
Feel free to substitute pecans or almonds for the walnuts.
You can substitute 1/2-1 tsp. orange flavoring for the Grand Marnier.

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by OXO.

Cranberry-Orange Buns

A few weeks ago I was making a loaf of orange-cranberry bread and thought that the flavors would be delicious in a cinnamon-type roll. I searched the Internet and couldn't find the type of recipe that I was looking for, mainly a roll that included fresh oranges. I found recipes that included orange zest or orange juice, but no fresh orange segments.  I knew I would have to go out on my own to find what I was looking for.  I adapted the dough recipe from a Gourmet magazine recipe for Cranberry Cinnamon Buns and added in the juice and zest of an orange. For the filling,  I used a combination of fresh cranberries and dried ones.  The combination of the two lead to a tart-sweet pairing that was really delicious.  I also added orange zest and small chunks of fresh orange segments.  There is a surprising burst of citrus in each bite that keeps you coming back for more. These rolls are delicious on their own, but I decided to put them over the edge by topping them with a cream cheese orange icing.  Sinful! These rolls can be made ahead of time for a delicious holiday breakfast.  I hope your family will enjoy them as much as mine did!

For the dough:

• 1/2 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
• 2 (1/4 ounce) packages dry active yeast (5 tsp.)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional flour for dusting your work surface
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup warm milk
• Zest of  one orange
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (from the orange you zested)
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened

For the filling:

• 1 stick of very soft butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• Zest of two oranges
• 1 cup fresh orange segments, chopped into small chunks
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries, chopped roughly

For the icing:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
• Orange Juice
• Zest of one orange

Stir together the warm water, yeast, and 1/4 teaspoon of the sugar in a small bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Place 5 cups of flour, salt and remaining sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix at low speed until combined. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and eggs. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients along with the yeast. Beat at low speed until the flour is mixed in well. Increase the speed to medium and beat until a soft dough forms. Add the butter and continue beating at medium speed until the dough is smooth. Grease a large bowl with butter or cooking spray. Add the dough to the greased bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Turn out the dough onto a well floured surface.  Roll into a large rectangle. (Mine was roughly 16 x 12.) Spread the dough with the softened butter. Sprinkle evenly with the white and brown sugars, the orange zest, the chopped fresh oranges, and the dried and fresh cranberries. (1/2 to 3/4 cup of toasted, chopped pecans would be a delicious addition at this point!)

Starting with the long side of the dough, roll the dough up tightly.  Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. (I find it helpful to use a piece of thread to cut through the dough.) Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Place the buns in the pans. Cover with a towel and allow to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes. (See note below to allow rolls to rise overnight.)

While buns are cooling, beat the softened cream cheese with the powdered sugar.  Beat in the orange juice, one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Stir in the orange zest. Spread icing over the warm rolls.

Note: If you would like to prepare the buns ahead of time, wrap the pan with plastic wrap.  Then wrap the pans with a thick towel and place in a warm spot overnight. The next morning, remove the towel and plastic wrap and bake as directed above.

These buns are delicious even without the icing!

“Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Edgeware.”