Blog Tag: cook blog

One of my favorite holiday activities is hosting a cookie exchange.  In case you haven’t participated in one, and would like to host one, here is how it works.

1. Invite 10-12 friends over who like to bake.
2. Each guest will bake a dozen of one type of cookie for every attendee, plus an extra dozen for serving at the get-together.
3. All cookies should be baked from scratch…no store-bought slice and bake.
4. Make a pot of coffee and open some wine…enjoy your guests and the fact you will have dozens of fabulous homemade cookies.  And you only had to bake one type!

Here are two of my favorite holiday cookie recipes:

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canola oil
2 tsp. Vanilla
4 1/4 cups unsifted flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Cream of tartar
½ tsp. Salt
Colored sugar

In a large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, cream butter and sugars.

Beat in eggs one at a time until mixture is light.

Add oil and vanilla. Beat until well blended.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.

Gradually add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat until blended.

Wrap dough and chill for several hours.

Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Flatten dough to 2″ circles with the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar.  Sprinkle with colored sugar.

Bake at 325° for 8 to 10 minutes, just until set.

Let stand on the cookie sheet for 2 to 3 minutes before removing.

Makes about 7 dozen.

½ lb. salted butter (8 oz)
½ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cup flour
1 tbsp. Cream
Powdered sugar
Jelly (homemade raspberry jam)

Mix butter and sugar well.  Stir in flour.  Stir in cream – may need to add additional cream – make the dough usable!

Roll very thin.  Covering rolling pin with wax paper helps.   Cut out with a cookie cutter a little larger than a silver dollar.  Bake until light brown.

Place 2 cookies together with jam & sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Note: You can cut a shape out of the “top” cookie so that jam shows through when cookies are assembled.  I use an Hors D’ouvres cutter.

Enjoy!

(Photo: Pinterest)

These cookies are perfect for Valentine’s Day!  You need two heart shaped cookie cutters to make this. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. salted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1-1/2 cups flour

1 Tbsp. cream

powdered sugar

raspberry jam

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix butter and sugar well.

Stir in flour.

Stir in cream — you may need to add additional cream – make the dough usable!

Roll very thin. Covering rolling pin with wax paper helps.

Cut out with a heart-shaped cookie cutter a little larger than a silver dollar. Bake until light brown.

Sandwich 2 cookies together with jam and sprinkle with powered sugar.

Cut a heart shape out of the “top” cookie so that the jam shows through.

(Photo Credit: Pinterest)

I love making this easy recipe around the holidays. It’s a great appetizer, and my friends and family love it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup City Farm Lemon Fig Jam

1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme

1 piece Brie cheese (about 1/2 lb.)

Thin baguette slices or water crackers

Directions:

Place Brie into microwavable dish and heat 15-20 seconds, or until warm.

Add the jam to the warm Brie, sprinkle with thyme and microwave an additional 10-15 seconds.

Scoop cheese and lemon fig sauce onto baguette slices.

**For an even easier appetizer, just spread some jam over some goat cheese and sprinkle with thyme**

I love making this easy Pumpkin Nut Cake recipe around the holidays. My friends and family love it! Let me know if you try it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 pound can of pumpkin

3/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup water

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour

2-1/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 tsp. baking soda

1-1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. nutmeg

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup yellow raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the icing:

4 oz. cream cheese

3 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. lemon juice or vanilla

1/2 of a 16 oz. box confectioners sugar

Directions:

Beat the eggs, pumpkin, canola oil, and water together.

Then add into the mixture the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, yellow raisins, and walnuts.

Pour into buttered pan. Bake at 350º for 2 hours. Cool cake and frost with icing.

For the icing, beat all the ingredients. Frost cake.Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

(Image Credit: Pinterest)

I’ve had crab cakes in many restaurants, but I think these are the best. I have found that this particular combination of ingredients makes the best crab cakes. Adjust the amount of herbs and seasonings to your own taste. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Fresh crab meat
Celery
Chives
Old Bay seasoning
Fresh marjoram
Lemon juice
Salt & pepper
Mayonnaise
Egg white
Bread crumbs

Mix fresh crab meat with minced celery, chives, Old Bay seasoning, fresh marjoram, lemon juice, salt & pepper, mayonnaise, egg white and some bread crumbs.

Shape into patties.

Dip into additional bread crumbs to coat the patty.

Saute in canola oil until brown on both sides.

Drain on paper towels.

(Photo Credit: Pinterest)

My mantra when having family and friends over has always been “Prepare it in advance.” I especially like appetizers and hors d’oeuvres that can be made ahead of time. This allows me ample time to focus on the main course when my guests arrive. Below are two of my favorite Summer menu ideas. The Salmon Mousse recipe came from my college roommate, Marlene Kamin. The Hot Spinach Dip recipe came from my neighbor, MaryAnn Green. I hope you like them.

Enjoy!

Salmon Mousse

1 cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
dash lemon juice
1 tsp. Dill weed
1 tsp. Horseradish – red or white
1 1/4 lb. of fresh cooked salmon (or use 1 lb. can of salmon plus 1 small can)
½ cup warm water
1 package Knox gelatin

Dissolve gelatin in ½ cup of warm water. Put all else into a blender and blend, then add gelatin mixture and blend well. Pour into well oiled mold, or pour into serving bowl and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Serve with crackers or thin sliced bread.

Hot Spinach Dip

2 Tblsp. Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 Tblsp. Canned chopped green chilies
1 10-oz. Package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups grated Monterey jack cheese
1 8-oz. Package cream cheese, cut into ½ inch pieces
½ cup half-and-half
1 Tblsp. Red wine vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

Saute onion in oil about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and chilies and cook 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to large bowl and mix in remaining ingredients. Spoon into shallow baking dish.

At this point you can refrigerate the dip and bake it later, or bake it immediately. Bake at 400° on top third of oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with corn chips or pita chips.

I recently received two boxes of City Farm Caramels as a gift.  They are delicious…but then how could anything whose main ingredients are butter, sugar, and cream be anything but perfection?  After the first box of caramels was gone, I searched the internet for recipes that used caramel candy.  I found two. The first one is from Cooks.com. The second one is from BettyCrocker.com.

CANDY BAR COOKIES:

3/4 c. butter
3/4 c. sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. evaporated milk
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. sifted all-purpose flour

Cream butter and powdered sugar. Add vanilla, evaporated milk, and salt; mix well. Blend in flour. If necessary, chill for easier handling. Roll out dough, half at a time, on floured surface to a 12×8 inch rectangle; trim sides. Cut into 3×1 1/2 inch rectangles or 2 inch squares. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 12-16 minutes until lightly browned. Cool.

FILLING:
1/2 lb. light colored caramels
1/4 c. evaporated milk
1/4 c. butter
1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. pecans, chopped
Combine in top of double boiler caramels and evaporated milk. Heat until caramels melt, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in butter, sifted powdered sugar and pecans. Spread 1 teaspoon filling on each cookie.

ICING:
1 (6 oz.) pkg. Nestle’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate morsels
1/3 c. evaporated milk
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. powdered sugar
Melt chocolate morsels with evaporated milk over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in butter, vanilla and sifted powdered sugar. Top each cookie with filling with 1/2 teaspoon icing. Decorate with pecan half.

CARAMEL CANDY BAR COOKIES:

14 ounces caramels
1/3 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches.

Heat caramels and milk in 2-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth.

Stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and egg in large bowl. Stir in butter with fork until mixture is crumbly. Press half of the crumbly mixture in pan.

Bake 10 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips and walnuts over baked layer. Drizzle with caramel mixture. Sprinkle with remaining crumbly mixture. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool 30 minutes. Loosen edges from sides of pan; cool completely. For 54 bars, cut into 9 rows by 6 rows.