New Year's Day

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I'm not a "good luck food on New Year's Day" kinda girl. Though I have prepared Hoppin' John or pork and kraut on this holiday just for fun, I certainly don't believe it brings us luck. That said, my family has come to think of pork on New Year's Day as normal and when we learned this year that our extended families would all be packing up early on New Year's Day to head home, and it would just be us, my husband asked for BBQ ribs on the grill. Because this dish is hard to make for a crowd (there is only so many ribs that fit on the grill), I said o.k. The weather is supposed to warm up in Ohio for the weekend, so it shouldn't be too bad to stand out by the grill and babysit the ribs.

Dessert is yet to be decided. Frankly, I'm kind of all "desserted" out, if you know what I mean.

BBQ Ribs (this recipe)

Bacon and Onion Potato Salad

Braised Cabbage with Spicy Croutons

Rye Bread

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New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve usually finds most of my extended family at my house, and this year will be no exception. A variety of aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters-in-law, cousins, nephews and nieces, parents from both sides, all of my children, and probably a few friends will gather to ring in the New Year. Usually we have a huge spread of appetizers and desserts, but by about 10 p.m. we're all yawning and staring at each other over a spread of leftover snacks. This year I have decided instead of offer a meal, followed by some choice munchies to go with the adult (and kiddie) beverages.

A beef tenderloin is an expensive piece of meat, but one of my husband's favorites. It can be stretched for quite a few people if you serve it with soft buns, with horseradish cream on the side, for sandwiches. I think I'll serve some au gratin potatoes and a huge green salad. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by for a bite!

Antipasto Platter
Beef Tenderloin prepared on the grill

Poppy Seed Rolls

Horseradish cream

Au Gratin Potatoes

Greek Salad

Gingersnap Cheesecake with Cherries

Assorted Christmas Cookies and Candies

Rosemary Mixed Nuts

Crunchy Paprika Chickpeas

Reindeer Mix

Spicy Nuts

Red Wine

White Wine

Assorted Beer

Assorted Soda

Merry Christmas

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I apologize for my absence here these past few weeks. The Christmas preparation and having all the children home really took it out of me, and then three days before Christmas I hurt my lower back. I was able to serve Christmas Eve dinner to my extended family and Christmas Day dinner to my family and Doug's parents, but it was no easy task. So, again, my apologies for abandoning you in your time of food need! ;-) I didn't even post one Christmas cookie recipe. I don't normally make New Year resolutions, but I do promise to be a better food blogger after the  New Year!

I did get a couple pictures of the table on Christmas Eve Day -- waiting for Our Savior to come...waiting to put the baby Jesus in each nativity. I love this sweet little porcelain set that goes on the dining room table each year.

Merry Christmas to you, and yours.


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Mexican Chocolate Cake

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For this past Sunday's dessert, on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I baked this Mexican Chocolate Cake, the recipe for which I found at Catholic Cuisine. It was divine. Really. It was a lot like a Texas Sheet Cake, which I always enjoy, except for the addition of cinnamon. Mmmm. Cinnamon and chocolate seem to be a quintessential Mexican dessert combo, and they are so yummy. This cake is moist and the icing is rich and buttery and so good you could eat the whole recipe right out of the pan (at least I could!).

This would be a great recipe to enjoy during Las Posadas, the Mexican celebration which begins today, December 16, and remembers the trip that Mary and Joseph made by donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, arriving to find "no room at the inn."

I modified the frosting because I did not have a box of powdered sugar and I had no idea (nor the desire to determine) how much powdered sugar is in a box. I also omitted the nuts for allergy reasons.

Mexican Chocolate Cake

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. oil
4 T. cocoa
1 c. water
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine butter, oil, cocoa and water in sauce pan. Heat until butter is melted.

Combine flour, baking soda, sugar, milk, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla in a large bowl. Combine with first mixture.

Pour batter into a greased 12-by-18-inch cake pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool slightly and prepare frosting. Pour warm, liquid frosting over cake and spread to edges while cake is just slightly warm.

Mario Bosquez's Mexican Chocolate Icing

1/2 c. butter
4 T. cocoa
6 T. milk
3 cups powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

1 c. pecans chopped (optional)

Combine butter, cocoa, and milk in saucepan. Heat until bubbles form around edge. Remove from heat.

Add vanilla, and nuts (if desired). Add powdered sugar and beat with a whisk until smooth. Ice cake while frosting is warm, not stiff.

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Source: Catholic Cuisine, originally from In the Kitchen with Mario Bosquez

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Santa Lucia Day is Tomorrow

Make some buns for the people you love!

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Vanilla Cupcakes and Vanilla Buttercream Fosting

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For the big 25/50 party we hosted a couple of weekends ago, I made many, many desserts and froze them because I knew with Thanksgiving just two days before the party that my party baking time would be limited. I had not ever frozen whole cakes, or even cupcakes, so it was quite an experiment for me, and fortunately all turned out well.

The first experiment was on these cupcakes. I baked them, wrapped them and froze them and then the next day took one out, thawed it and tasted it. They were fabulous - nothing was lost in the freeze and thaw. I frosted them after they thawed, however, because I knew the frosting would not do well in the thaw.

The recipe for these cupcakes came from the Brown-Eyed Baker and they were so good I don't know if I'll ever use another recipe for vanilla cupcakes. The frosting especially was really rich and tasty. Yum! They are very high in butter content, however, so eat in moderation!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

makes 12

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1½ t. baking powder
½ t. table salt
8T.  unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
½ cup sour cream
1 large egg , room temperature
2 large egg yolks , room temperature
1½ t. vanilla extract

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.

Fill cupcakes tins a little more than halfway (do not overfill -- leave a little bit of batter out rather than overfill). Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Yield: Enough to frost 12 cupcakes

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
1 T. vanilla extract

Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.

Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.

Printer Version

Source: Brown-eyed Baker

Crisp Vanilla Biscotti

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A few weeks ago (back in November) we had our third Little Flowers meeting, where the girls learned about St. Clare of Assisi and the virtue of Joy. I had a hard time thinking of a snack for this meeting. Because the girls also learned about the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary, I would have liked to do something with the rosary, but with only two girls I was not inclined to make a cupcake rosary. I decided instead to focus on St. Clare's life. I chose this recipe for biscotti because it is very simple and very plain and biscotti are from Italy, like Clare. The recipe I normally use for biscotti has chocolate in it, and I wanted something simple, so I went hunting for a recipe that Charlotte posted a while back. I substituted vanilla for the anise because I thought the girls would enjoy them more, and this recipe has become one of our favorites since. I have made them several more times and I love knowing they are in the cookie jar for a quick snack with a cup of coffee.

For the Little Flowers meeting, I used a bowl of "fancy" gold and red wrapped chocolates to represent the riches that St. Clare had before she took her vows. The biscotti represented the simple and poor (but sweet!) life she had as a nun.

Vanilla Biscotti

½ cup vegetable oil
    1 cup white sugar
    3¼ cups all-purpose flour
   3    eggs
    1 T. baking powder
    1 t. vanilla extract       

powdered sugar to sprinkle

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, beat together the oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the egg mixture to form a heavy dough. Divide dough into two pieces. Form each piece into a roll as long as your cookie sheet. Place roll onto the prepared cookie sheet, and press down to 1/2 inch thickness.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. When The cookies are cool enough to handle, slice each one crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Place the slices cut side up back onto the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 6 to 10 minutes on each side. Slices should be lightly toasted.

Cool completely and sprinkled with powdered sugar if desired.

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Source: allrecipes

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Today's the Day...

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... to Bake Speculatius for a Happy St. Nick Day Tomorrow

The recipe can be found here.




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Carpe Diem -- Hot Pumpkin Pie Milk

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Seasonal eating does not just mean eating fruits and vegetables that are available locally and seasonally. That's healthy seasonal eating.

Seasonal eating in a broader sense means eating those yummy foods that are only available at certain times of the year, like Trader Joe's Joe Joes, and Peeps, and Pumpkin Pie ice cream.

We created a treat this year with Pumpkin Pie ice cream based on a recipe I saw for Pumpkin Pie lattes made with Pumpkin Pie ice cream. My kids loved them made with just milk and so we are drinking our way through the grocer's ice cream freezer of Velvet Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream. Yum!

Hot Pumpkin Pie Milk

1/2 mug filled with milk

a large scoop pumpkin pie ice cream

whipping cream

cinnamon or nutmeg

Place ice cream in mug with milk. Heat in microwave for 90 seconds or until as hot as desired (alternately you can place milk and ice cream in a saucepan and heat on the stove until steaming). Top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg.

To enjoy the Pumpkin Pie Latte, fill the mug halfway with coffee and proceed with ice cream the same as with the milk.

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