Eggnog Quick Bread

So I made this for our Alpha Course a few weeks ago and never got to take a picture of it.  Then after Christmas I wanted to make it again and the stores were out of Eggnog.  Finally I found a store that had plain Eggnog, not pumpkin spice.  I made it for dessert last night and it is really good.

2 medium eggs, room temp
1 c sugar
1 c dairy eggnog
1/2 c butter, melted and cooled
2 tsp rum extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg (fresh, not pre-ground)

Eggnog Glaze
3/4 c powdered sugar
Eggnog added and stirred into the sugar until your desired consistency.

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9 inch loaf pan and set aside.

Sift the dry ingredients, flours, baking powder and nutmeg and set aside.

In a stand mixer combine eggs and sugar until well combined.  Add the eggnog, butter and extracts.  Then gradually add in the dry ingredients.  Mix until just combined.  Do not over mix or the bread with be tough.  This is a thick batter.

Pour and spread the batter into the prepared loaf pan.  Bake for 50 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out dry.

Remove from pan and place on a wire rack until cool.

Mix the glaze and pour over the bread and allow to set for a few minutes.

Gingerbread Cookie Cake

Here is another thing that I had planned on making this Christmas season.  The original recipe comes from Crazy for Crust.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 1/2 cups flour

Sprinkles, for decorating

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease and flour a 9 inch round cake pan and set aside.

Sift the dry ingredients in a medium bowl

Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.

Add molasses and mix until mixture is smooth.

Add eggs one at a time until combined.  Add vanilla and beat until combined.

Mix in the dry ingredients.

Press mixture into prepared pan and decorate with sprinkles.

Bake for approximately 24 minutes until the top just begins to get golden and is no longer shiny.

Let the cookie cool completely, then remove from pan.

Place on serving plate.  You may also make a quick glaze with powdered sugar and milk, but I didn't want this to sweet.

I really liked how this came out.  It was not hard like a regular gingerbread cookie and not soft like gingerbread.  I did top my with a bit of whipped cream, but I think this would be fabulous warmed a bit with ice cream.

Chocolate Peppermint Easy Fudge

Miss V loves anything that is chocolate and mint flavored.  I saw this on Pinterest a while back and wanted to make it before Christmas.  I don't know about you, but I found the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas went so FAST this year.   I felt bad that we didn't get to make cut out cookies with cousins, spritz cookies, and so many other things.

I figured since we are still on Christmas break that we could still make some new Christmas recipes.  The original recipe for this came from A Spicy Perspective.

1 - 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound dark chocolate chips/chunks (I used dark chocolate chips)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Andes Peppermint Chunks
Cooking Spray (I used Coconut Oil spray)

Spray a 8 X 8 baking dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle half the peppermint chunks in the bottom of the dish and set aside.

Place a medium sauce pot over medium heat with 2 inches of water. Place a glass bowl over the top--making sure the glass doesn't touch the water and add the butter and condensed milk. Allow the butter to melt and the milk is very warm.  Add the chocolate chips and salt in the bowl. Stir the chocolate and allow to melt slowly.  Stir with a silicone spatula.

The mixture is very thick.  Remove the bowl from the heat and add both extracts and mix well.

Pour the mixture into the dish. Tap the dish on the counter a few times so any air bubbles to rise to the surface and to smooth the surface.

Sprinkle the remaining peppermint chips over the top and press them in gently.  Refrigerate for a few hours.

To cut, take the dish out of the refrigerator for a few minutes.  Then dip a sharp knife in hot water, wipe it off on a dry towel and cut quickly into small squares.  Repeat the process until the fudge is cut into squares.  Store in gladware containers or ziplock baggies.

This is very rich and tasty.  Definitely will make this again next year.

Cinnamon Roll Tree

Yes I am "that" Mum who finds way to many ideas on Pinterest.  This one is simple enough...

2 cans of Cinnamon Rolls in a tube
Sprinkles of your choice

Place rolls in a tree shape, add sprinkles and bake according to package directions.  Drizzle on the icing and more sprinkles if desired.  Enjoy!

Cheesy Sausage & Potato Breakfast Casserole

I made this on Christmas morning and it is super good!

Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole

1 pound breakfast sausage in a roll, cooked (I used Jimmy Dean Sage)
1 yellow onion, chopped, sauteed in the sausage when the sausage is about done
7 eggs
1/2 cup milk
20 ounce bag frozen Ore-Ida Diced Hash Browns, defrosted in the microwave.  Mine took about 8 minutes and were nice and warm.  I like to pre-cook them if not they still have a raw bite to them.
2 cups of shredded cheddar, mild or sharp
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9 x 13 with non-stick spray.  Set aside.

Prepare sausage and onions.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, including sausage and onions.  Pour into prepared casserole dish.  Reserve roughly one cup of the cheese for topping.

Bake for 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with reserved cheese.  Return to oven for 10 minutes.

Allow casserole to cool for 15-20 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

I didn't take any other pictures of the inside of the casserole, just totally forgot.  The breakfast in the pie dish is my favorite Ham & Swiss pie.

Christmas Cupcakes

I had fun making cupcakes this weekend for a friend.  I found two very different cupcake toppers/wrappers at Baker's Nook.  I love when I am looking for something specific, I can always find it at Baker's Nook, their prices are fantastic and shipping is always so fast.

This set can be found here at Baker's Nook.

The wrappers can be found here at Baker's Nook.

The toppers can be found here at Baker's Nook.

For these, I found pretty gold sanding sugar at Hobby Lobby.  These came out so pretty!

For these I used Red & White sanding sugar on half and Green & White sanding sugar on the other half.  These came out really cute and fun.

Peppermint Brownies in a Jar

At our church's gift making day, the kids made Peppermint Brownies in a Jar.  I also made some for Miss V's teachers.  You can find the directions at Skip To My Lou.  It also has a link to the printable labels.

I didn't layer these last two in the right order.  I was quickly trying to get them done.  If you see the time on the stove, yes that is AM.....One family already made them and reported that they were FANTASTIC!

Eggnog Gingerbread Trifle 2012

I first made this back for Christmas 2010.  I wanted a real Christmasy dessert this year and what is more Christmasy than Eggnog!

1 (14.5 ounce) package gingerbread cake mix (and ingredients to make it)
3 cups eggnog
1 (5.1 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Make and bake gingerbread cake mix according to package directions. Cool completely.

Place the pudding mix in your mixer's bowl. Pour in the eggnog. Use the whisk attachment and whisk for about 2 minutes until the pudding is thick and creamy.

Refrigerate the eggnog pudding until you ready to put together the trifle.

Place the mixer's bowl and the whisk attachment into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes so that the whipped cream will come together quickly.

Add the cold heavy cream into the mixer's bowl and whisk on high until stiff peaks start to form. Add sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form again.

Cut the gingerbread in half. I like to cube my cake so that it looks prettier in the trifle bowl.

Place half of the gingerbread in the bottom of the trifle bowl. Spread half of the eggnog pudding over the gingerbread cubes. Then spread half of the whipped cream. Repeat layers.

This is so rich but oh so good!

Christmas Dinner - Eye Round Roast

A friend recently shared with me that she made an Eye Round Roast, but cooked at a super high temp for a very short time and then shut the oven off for a couple hours.

Well I had been trying to figure out what to make for Christmas Dinner.  Normally we do a Standing Rib Roast but that just gets pretty pricey even on sale.  Miss V and I went to Sweetbay in Venice on the way home from a play date.  They had the rib roast on sale for $6.99 a pound and Eye Round on sale, I forgot how much.  After much internal debate, I grabbed a 6 pound Eye Round.

I had googled for a good looking recipe with lots of comments and came across this recipe, Perfect Eye of Round Roast.  I loved reading the comments and the bloggers feedback.

Christmas morning we took the roast of the fridge and rubbed it down with lots of salt and pepper.  Let it rest for a long time on the counter.  About 11:30 we put it in the oven and roasted it for 35 minutes.  I am not sure how my oven is at keeping warm, I turned the oven down to 200.  I checked the internal temp after an hour and half and it was perfect for us.  We let it rest for about 20 minutes while we made salad and set the table.

Oh and I did rub down a few HUGE Russet potatoes with olive oil and lots of salt,  Wrapped them in foil and put them in the oven when we put the roast in.  The potatoes came out fantastic!!  Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Look how nice and browned the roast got.  The ends were crispy and when I sliced them off my son snatched them up right away.

I totally forgot to snap a picture of slices, but it was a little more than medium. That is how the female population in my house prefer it.  Obviously the middle was a little more pink, like the male population likes it.

Oh......and the pan juices were incredible!!!  We poured that all over the roast slices and potatoes.  Would I make this type of roast again?  YOU BET!!!

Peppermint Sugar Body Scrub - Sample

Our church has an annual gift making day for children.  This is the first year that I am involved and I thought it would be nice to make some "spa" type of gifts.

All you need is
Coconut Oil
Small Mason Jar (these are 8 oz)
Granulated Sugar
Fragrance
Liquid Dye (optional)

In each mason jar add approx 3/4 cup of granulated sugar and start with a 1/2 cup of the coconut oil.  I find that if you warm it in the microwave for about 30 seconds it will be a nice liquid consistency.

Add a few drops of the fragrance and dye.

Carefully stir it all together.  You may need a bit more sugar and oil.  It should still be grainy.

I then added a few strips of double sided tape and a pretty ribbon.  I just stink at making pretty bows.  I also added a label.  I couldn't get the original striped label to print correctly so I just downloaded a premade label from Avery.

Maple Breakfast Casserole

The second recipe she picked out was a bit more savory.  We found it on the Jimmy Dean website.

2 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 eggs
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 cups French bread cubes (¾-inch pieces)
1 pkg. Jimmy Dean® Maple Flavor Pork Sausage Roll, cooked, crumbled, drained
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 325°F. Toss apples with sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

Beat eggs, milk and vanilla in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Add bread cubes, sausage, apple mixture and 1-½ cups cheese; stir gently until evenly coated.

Spoon into lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish; top with remaining ½ cup cheese.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into 12 squares to serve.

Cook’s Tips: Make-Ahead Maple Breakfast Casserole: Assemble casserole as directed. Refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, uncover and bake 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with warm maple syrup.

Well this recipe also was a disappointment.  The apple just really threw off the flavor and the texture was just mush.  Would I make this one again?  No....

I will go back to our family favorites that have more flavors and texture.

Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup

The other day Miss V helped me to find some new breakfast ideas for Christmas.  First one she picked was this one.

Ingredients

1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Maple syrup

Directions
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

Well I must say this was disappointing.  The texture was just mush and really didn't have much flavor besides the topping.  Would I make this again?  No.....

Melted Snowman Cookies

I first spotted these on Pintrest and like so many other bakers, knew that I would have to try them this year.  I followed a few Pins and found a great tutorial on Truly Custom Cakery.  Here are some other links about the cookies, first is Crazy Domestic and one from the creator at The Decorated Cookie.  Those absolutely beautiful, but I am feeling lazy and not wanting to whip up some fondant.

I am using a sugar cookie recipe from Wilton.  One that you do not have to refrigerate.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon No Color Almond Extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In mixing bowl, cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Mix flour and salt; add to butter mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition.

Do not chill dough. Divide dough into 2 balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a circle approximately 12 in. wide and 1/8 in. thick. Dip cookie cutter in flour before each use.

Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet 6-7 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.

For the frosting I made royal icing, but didn't get it runny enough.  I also just used black icing in the tube and Miss V had fun with my edible markers.

Snowman Soup 2011

Miss V made her snowman soup on Thursday night for her classmates and teachers.

This year I found the cute snowflake bags at the dollar store.

In each bag you put:

One packet of hot chocolate mix.  I like using the Land O' Lakes since the package is prettier than the white paper of other brands.

One candy cane, can be mini size or full size

A handful of Hershey Kisses

A handful of mini marshmellows (I like to put them in a snack size ziploc baggie)

Then attach a cute poem.

I like to print 4 of them on a sheet of white cardstock.

After Miss V handed them out, one boy said he remembered them from last year and it was so good!

Gingerbread House Contest....

My daughter's class has been entered into a Gingerbread House contest!!! 


Thanks for registering for the 2011 Gingerbread Contest! We will have at least 125 entries in the contest this year!!!


Here are the most important details to know right now–


Houses will be available for pick up on Monday, November 21 and Tuesday, November 22 between 3 – 6 pm. Please call if you will not be able to pick up during these times.


· You will have a kit that includes pre-baked gingerbread pieces, icing, and candy decorations.
· The House should not be edible – we suggest using a glue gun to help with stability.
· Space constraints: the house must remain within a space of 12” wide and 11” deep and 12” tall.  (I feel like I will be on a Food Network Challenge and will have my trusty measuring tape out!)


Houses will need to be delivered to the Gingerbread Village at the Westfield Sarasota Square Mall – Macy’s wing on Wednesday, December 7 between 3- 7 pm.

The Third Annual CYD Gingerbread Festival is a sugar-coated treat for children of all ages. Do not miss the home tour of the glittering Gingerbread Village of 125+ homes decorated by local youth groups, businesses and organizations. See the impressive iconic Sarasota landmarks recreated in gingerbread by talented professional chefs. It is coming soon to the Macy’s wing of the Westfield Sarasota Square Mall. Mark your calendar for December 9, 10 and 11 and plan to visit during mall hours – Friday and Saturday, 10 AM – 9 PM. Sunday, 11 am – 7 pm.


No cookie- cutter homes in the CYD Gingerbread Festival Village! Visitors will see a winter wonderland of lavishly decorated gingerbread houses. Grand confectionary structures designed by sponsoring businesses and organizations sit alongside more than 125 candy-coated cottages decorated by local school children. Area elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and youth groups are represented in the Village. $1 donation per person at the door.


Visit gingerbread2011.com after December 8, see all of the houses and vote for your favorite!


Don’t miss the “Iron Chef”-style competitions on Friday and Saturday evening at 7 pm. Last year’s winning chef Lyndsy McDonald of Pastries by Design will return to face a new challenger and race the clock in the Gingerbread House Decorating contest on Friday, December 10. Student chefs from Venice HS, Southeast HS, and Manatee Technical Institute will have their own competition to create a Gingerbread masterpiece on Saturday, December 11.


Proud sponsors include Westfield Sarasota Square Mall, Ringling College of Art & Design, Hyatt Regency Sarasota, Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau, Mattison’s, Michael Saunders & Company, Kohl’s - Central Sarasota Parkway, People at Play, Whole Foods, and SRQ Magazine.

I am so excited to help the class build their gingerbread house, which will certainly NOT be your typical gingerbread house!

Eggnog Gingerbread Trifle

So the other day, I still didn't know what to make for Christmas Dessert since we are not going with our traditional Beef Rib Roast.  I happened to be blog hopping and came across a blog called The Girl Who Ate Everything.  The recipe I spotted was called Eggnog Gingerbread Trifle.  Oh my gosh....that recipe just hit me as something that sounded perfect and I love eggnog and gingerbread.  My sous chef, (aka Master Chef Victoria or Miss V) and I went to the store and picked up our ingredients.  I did modify it a bit from her directions.

1 (14.5 ounce) package gingerbread cake mix (and ingredients to make it)
3 cups eggnog
1 (5.1 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Gingersnap cookie crumbs
Make and bake gingerbread cake mix according to package directions.  Cool completely.

Place the pudding mix in your mixer's bowl. Pour in the eggnog.  Use the whisk attachment and whisk for about 2 minutes until the pudding is thick and creamy.

Refrigerate the eggnog pudding until you ready to put together the trifle.

Place the mixer's bowl and the whisk attachment into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes so that the whipped cream will come together quickly.

Add the cold heavy cream into the mixer's bowl and whisk on high until stiff peaks start to form.  Add sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form again. 
Cut the gingerbread in half.  I like to cube my cake so that it looks prettier in the trifle bowl.

Place half of the gingerbread in the bottom of the trifle bowl.  Spread half of the eggnog pudding over the gingerbread cubes.  Then spread half of the whipped cream.  Repeat layers.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

About 15 minutes before I serve it, I pull it out of the fridge and sprinkle crushed gingersnaps on top.

Oh I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful this tasted!  I think I might just eat some for breakfast.

Ham and Swiss Pie (with picture)

I make this Ham & Swiss Pie every Christmas break, OK well maybe three or four times over break. It is so good!!

I made one for breakfast this morning and had to take a picture of it. It is definitely a family favorite!