The Magic of Leftovers

Because of a "lovely" stomach virus, not alot of people in our family were up to eating as much as they would like to on Christmas Eve. The result: lots of leftovers!!!
So last night I got creative with dinner with a very yummy outcome! The menu last night was porkchops and potatoes. Kinda boring right?
Well, I used the leftovers of my goat cheese crostini to make a really yummy dinner.

Take 1 1/2 cups of balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil, and then lower the heat to medium low, reduce by half. Add 1/2 cup of brown sugar and the left over cherry relish (recipe for the relish is in the previous post). Continue cooking until the mixture becomes syrupy. Then set aside.
Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Sear each side on high heat and then move to a 250 degree oven till cooked thru. At least 160 degrees.
To serve, top with the balsamic reduction.

To use the rest of the goat cheese, I simply cooked up some hashbrowns with onions, and then sprinkled the goat cheese on top, right before serving. (hint: par cook the potatoes in a dish of water covered in saran wrap for 5 minutes in the microwave before you begin to fry them up)

The tang of the cherry relish works wonderfully with the fattyness of the pork, and the goat cheese adds a wonderful depth of flavor to the hashbrowns.

(I can't include any pictures because I left my camera at my inlaws Christmas day, and haven't gotten it back yet!)

The Final Leg of My Marathon!

It was a crazy day yesterday. I knew I had alot to get done, and even tho I was organized it was still quite a feat!
I didn't do any chocolate bark, but we made and decorated about 45 sugar cookies! It was alot of fun for the kids, and it is amazing how far sprinkles can travel! I used a recipe I found on Foodnetwork.com for the dough, and was really pleased on how it turned out. The dough was easy to work with, and the taste and texture of cookies were just about perfect! I was able to double the recipe very easily!

Sugar Cookies
Ingredients

* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla paste or vanilla extract

Directions

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat the butter and both sugars in another medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs and vanilla mixing until fully incorporated. Slowly add the flour mixture, and continue beating just until the dough comes together, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide dough in half, pat into disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Generously flour a clean work surface. (For a nice, even layer of flour, lightly sift flour over the work surface.) Gently roll chilled dough about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into desired shape using a cookie cutter, working quickly enough so dough remains chilled. If dough gets too soft, refrigerate on a lined baking sheet until firm again, about 30 minutes.

Transfer cut cookies to un-greased baking sheets, leaving about 1-inch between cookies. Refrigerate the formed cookies for at least 30 minutes. Lightly dust off excess flour with a dry pastry brush. (Excess dough can be pressed into a disk, chilled and rerolled.)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bake the cookies, until the bottoms are golden, about 12 to 15 minutes depending on shape. Cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to transfer to a rack to cool. Decorate as desired and serve. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

In addition to the baking I did alot of prep for our Christmas Eve dinner. This year we decided to start a new tradition of having appetizers for dinner. Our menu includes my spanakopitas, turkey meatballs in a paprika sauce, goat cheese crostini's with a dried cherry relish, shrimp cocktail, and my hubby is making up some sushi rolls.
I won't post the recipe for spanakopitas, it is in a previous post. I have made one change to it, and instead of using bread crumbs, I use ground up Ritz crackers! It adds a wonderful buttery crunch.

My dried cherry relish I found on foodreference.com. I used it for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit.

DRIED CHERRY RELISH
Makes about 2 cups; 12 servings as a relish.


1-1/2 cups dried tart cherries
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon margarine
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper


In a medium bowl, combine cherries, red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar. Let soak 30 minutes.

Heat butter in a large skillet. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, or until onion is soft. Add sugar; mix well. Cook, stirring occasionally, over low heat 10 minutes.

Add cherries with soaking liquid to onion mixture. Simmer, uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes, or until almost all the liquid is evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.


I had some fun changing up the recipe for my turkey paprika meatballs. My mom has some diet restrictions, so I changed it up so she would be able to enjoy it!

Turkey Meatballs in Paprika Tomato Sauce

1lb ground turkey, thawed
1 cup cooked white rice
1 carrot minced
about 5 button mushrooms diced
1/2 tsp chinese five spice
salt and pepper
1 egg

Mix ingredients together. Form balls and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Once they are cool you can refrigerate them over night. Before serving put them in a pot with a can of fire roasted tomatoes, add 1 tsp of soy sauce and cook them over low heat for about 45 minutes, till they are heated through. You can serve them on bread, or just by themselves!

Christmas Marathon: Day Three!

It has been a crazy couple of days! No matter how well I plan holiday's love to throw me some curve balls, so even though it is a day late I hope you enjoy the story of the next day of my marathon.
For day three I made chocolate bark and added a mix of dried fruit and almonds. I really enjoyed this one. The fruit was a mix of apples, plums, pears and apricots. To add some crunch I just put some sliced almonds on the top. I think it is actually my favorite of the barks.
For the cookies I made my husbands favorite cookies. Oatmeal cookies with crasins, white chocolate chips and macadamian nuts. The original recipe didn't have the nuts, and they are still wonderful without them, but the nuts add a nice bit of crunch.

Oatmeal Crasin White Chocolate Macadamian Nut Cookies
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 lrg eggs
1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cup four
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 6 oz package of cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips
1/4 cup chopped macadamian nuts

Preheat oven to 375. Using an electric mixer beat butter and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes approx. 2 1/2 doz cookies

Christmas Marathon: Day Two!

For day two I decided to re-create one of my favorite snacks in chocolate bark form. I love Snyder's Pretzel-Peanut Butter Sandwiches dipped in chocolate. So I pressed broken pretzels, as well as peanut butter chips into my semi-sweet chocolate bark. The result: a wonderfully salty sweet treat!
I tried a new cookie recipe for Mexican Chocolate Shortbread from the Food Network Magazine. It seemed a little dry to me, but I think I just over cooked it. I also tried doubling the recipe instead of making two separate batches and I think that might have affected the outcome. The taste is wonderful tho, and I will be trying this one again!

Mexican Chocolate Shortbread

12 Tblsp unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tblsp sliced almonds, plus more for topping
6 Tblsp Dutch process cocoa powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tblsp raw sugar

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 inch square baking pan, then line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all four sides. Pulse the flour, almonds, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt and cayenne in a food processor until the almonds are finely ground.
Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined (dough will be crumbly). Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Prick the dough all over with a fork, then use a sharp knife to cut into 18 strips. Top with almonds, lightly pressing them in. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 10 minutes.
Bake until the shortbread is slightly puffed and firm, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately retrace the strips with a knife; cool completely in the pan on a rack. Lift up the parchment paper to remove the shortbread from the pan, then separate into bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Christmas Marathon: Day One!

Today began my Christmas baking. Don't get me wrong, I have been baking this whole season, but now it is specifically for Christmas Eve and Day.
What I have decided to do this year is do one type of chocolate bark, and a cookie each day. Today I made peppermint bark, and my mocha chip cookies.
Now everyone usually has their favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Personally, I just use the one on the back of the bags of whatever chips I have, and have never been disappointed. What I do to turn them into mocha chips is add one tsp of instant decaf coffee. It really brings out the chocolate flavor and adds a real depth to the classic cookie.
I got the recipe for chocolate bark from the Food Network Magazine. I did use chocolate chips instead of block chocolate because not only was it a bit cheaper, it also took one of the steps out and made it even easier. I will post the basic recipe today, and then share what I added to each one of the barks that I make.

Line baking sheet with foil, shiny side up, smooth out the creases.
Pick your ingredients. Must include 1 lb chocolate either bittersweet or semisweet, and then whatever toppings you like. Today I used crushed up peppermint candy with white chocolate.
Make sure all your tools are dry. Chop chocolate into 1/2 inch pieces if you are using a bar instead of chips. Place all but 1 cup of the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds, then stir with a rubber spatula. Continue microwaving and stirring at 30 second intervals until melted. 3-5 minutes total.
Immediately add the reserved chopped chocolate to the bowl. Stir vigorously until melted and shiny. Don't worry if there are a few small unmelted pieces.
Pour the chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet; use the rubber spatula to spread it into a 10 to 12 inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick.
Press your toppings into the chocolate, arranging them so each bite has a mix of flavors and textures. Let bark harden completely at room temperature, about 1 hour. Break into pieces and store in a airtight container at room temperature of 1 to 2 weeks.

3 1/2lbs Confectioners Sugar on My Counter.....

This year I was introduced to my husbands family's tradition of making Christmas candy. We have wanted to try it out for years, but one thing or another kept getting in the way.
Last year when we moved into our house one of the first things my husband and mother-in-law both said was..."your island will be great for Christmas candy".
What they didn't tell me what that the candy involved MOUNTAINS OF POWDERED SUGAR!!!!!! For those of you who know me, you can imagine the look on my face as they pour 3 1/2 POUNDS OF POWDERED SUGAR on my island!
The next step involved patting down the mountain until it was an even slab. The kids had fun with that, although I don't know exactly how even it was! The grownups had to help them with that.
Then we drew furrows through the confectioners sugar, which held the molten candy as it was poured. The next step was covering the candy in powdered sugar until it cooled down and then cut/broke into pieces. We also got a bit inventive and let the kids make handprints in the powdered sugar to make lollipops!

It was messy...but alot of fun. You are able to keep the left over powdered sugar for the next year. And I think I will be finding little bits of powdered sugar till then!

Christmas Candy

3 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp flavoring oil
citric acid
coloring as desired

Combine sugar, water and corn syrup over medium heat until it reaches the "hard crack" stage. Take it off the heat. When it stops boiling add coloring and flavor. Pour into your powdered sugar molds. Cover the candy with powdered sugar. Let cool.

"Hard-Crack Stage
300° F–310° F
Sugar concentration: 99%

The hard-crack stage is the highest temperature you are likely to see specified in a candy recipe. At these temperatures, there is almost no water left in the syrup. Drop a little of the molten syrup in cold water and it will form hard, brittle threads that break when bent. CAUTION: To avoid burns, allow the syrup to cool in the cold water for a few moments before touching it!"

Sweet Potato Muffins

As I was reviewing this blog I realized that I have left out one of my favorite "go to" recipes....Sweet Potato Muffins. I am a big fan of muffins and quick breads because they are so portable.
I discovered this recipe in a magazine last year, and have made it countless times since! It is a great way to use leftover sweet potatoes.
The recipe calls for raisins, but I have also used crasins with wonderful results. The cinnamon and sugar on top provides a wonderfully crisp, crunchy topping, and the muffins are moist and soft. If you have a picky eater this is a great way to sneak some veggies in without them even knowing it!

ENJOY!!!

Sweet Potato Muffins

½ cup butter (softened)
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 ¼ cups mashed sweet potatoes (1 lrg potato)
¼ cup milk
1 ½ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ cup raisins
¼ cup chopped pecans

Topping: 2 TB sugar/ ¼ tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar, beating on a medium speed. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the sweet potatoes and milk. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add to the creamed mixture, stirring just until moistened. Fold in raisins and pecans. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins, filling 2/3 full. Mix together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle liberally over each muffin. Bake at 375 for 25-27 minutes.

A Great Way To Start The Day....

I am always on the look out for good things for breakfast. It is the one meal of the day that I tend to neglect because I really don't feel like cooking first thing in the morning.
Last year I was watching "Barefoot Contessa" and saw a recipe for wonderfully simple cheese danishes. I really wanted to try them, but never got the chance until I came across the recipe again in one of her cookbooks.
They really are wonderfully easy, and extremely tasty, as with all of my favorite recipes look and taste like a lot more energy than they are.
I made them for playgroup this morning and actually cut the puff pastry smaller so I could get more of them and make them more kid size friendly and they turned out wonderful!
I plan on making these for Christmas breakfast...they are filling and we can eat them quick and get to presents!


Easy Cheese Danish

8 oz cream cheese as room temp
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra large egg yolks at room temp
2 TBSP ricotta cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 TBSP grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
2 sheets (one box) frozen puff pastry defrosted (I usually leave it in the fridge over night)
1 egg beaten with 1 TBSP water for egg wash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place the cream cheese ans sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don't whip!
Unfold one sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until its a 10x10 inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife.
Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold two opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate with filled Danish for 15 minutes.
Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking until puffed and brown. Serve warm.

If you make these in advance, reheat them in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.