Peppermint Bark

I've been making this delightful Christmasy treat since December 2005 when it first appeared in Everyday Food. I love it. My kids love it. I love putting it on our goodie plates. I love putting some in a little airtight container and mailing it friends. Its easy, oh so very easy. Which is all the better, because lets face it, who has time to make labor intense treats this time of year? Exactly. Enjoy this crunchy treat!

Makes 36 pieces

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 pound white chocolate, chopped (do not use chips)
• 2 cups puffed rice cereal
• 1 bag (7.5 ounces) hard peppermint candies, unwrapped

Directions

1. Spray a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; line with a piece of waxed paper. Crush candies (see note below).
2. Place white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in rice cereal.
3. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; with a spatula, spread to edges of pan.
4. Sprinkle with crushed candy; with a piece of waxed paper covering the entire surface, press in gently (paper prevents hands from sticking to candy and chocolate). Chill until firm, 20 to 30 minutes (no longer, as candy will begin to soften).
5. Peel waxed paper off. Break bark into 2-inch pieces. Store at room temperature in an airtight container, up to 1 week.

Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies

These are the most Christmasy blondies you will ever meet. And you'll be so glad that you did, in fact, have the opportunity to meet. Because they will change your Christmas. Last year, I made 6 pans in a 2 week period. No joke. They are now a permanent staple on my neighborhood goodie plate. And they've made appearances at a church function, school party and potluck, and each time, I've been begged for the recipe. Again, no joke. Thanks to the genius Mel for sharing this lovely holiday concoction.

Ingredients:

2 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 ¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
1 ¾ cups white chocolate chips (I used a whole bag)
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside (I lined my pan with aluminum foil and then sprayed the aluminum foil with cooking spray).

Whisk together flour, soda, salt, and spices in a bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until creamy and pale, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolk one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla and molasses and mix on medium speed until combined.

Add flour mixture on low speed until combined. Stir in white chocolate.

Spread batter evenly into prepared pan and bake until golden around edges and toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan; cut into 24 squares. Blondies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

*makes about 24 blondies, depending on big you cut them. They do sink a little after they've cooled, TOTALLY NORMAL. As per Mel's suggestion, cut off the jaggedy edges that are higher than the center, save those for your kids and husband, and then cut the rest into uniform squares to serve. voila!

Dixie Salad

My daughter recently has expressed her undying love for all things pomegranates. Since I am happy when they are happy eating fresh fruits and vegetables, I had to make this salad. And it has homemade whipped cream in it. Which makes me very happy. So really, its a win/win for everyone. Thanks to my lovely Mary Ann for sharing this with me!

The sauce: (yes, this is a salad but it starts with a sauce, just trust me!)

In a small bowl combine;

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

Pour this mixture into a medium saucepan and add:

20 oz can crushed pineapple, DO NOT DRAIN

1/4 cup sugar

Mix all ingredients together and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

Let cool completely!

In a large bowl combine:

2 apples, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
2-3 bananas, sliced
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2- 2 cup pomegranates
1 cup whipping cream (whipped) with 1/4 cup powdered sugar & 1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 cup mini marshmellows

Add the cooled pineapple mixture to the bowl with chopped fruit. Fold everything together. Keep chilled in fridge until ready to serve. And like all things made with fresh fruit and whipped cream, its best to eat it all the day you serve it or else it gets mushy. Read: spoon heaping mounds onto your plate because you don't want leftovers and because its deliciouso!

Caramel-Pecan Apple Pie

Doesn't the title alone grab you? Doesn't need much by way of introduction I'll tell ya that much! This comes from my good friend Heidi Dahl who kindly shared some with me a few Thanksgivings ago when she learned I wasn't making any pie that day. (Our family actually celebrated Thanksgiving earlier in the month with family up in Idaho so don't think we're anti-turkey day!) Anyway, there's some caramel and some apples and then some pecans and more caramel. Happy Holidays to me!

Original recipe from Taste of Home Oct/Nov 2007, adapted slightly by Heidi

Ingredients:
7 cups sliced peeled tart apples
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping, room temperature (I used Mrs. Richardsons)
1 unbaked pastry shell, 9 inches
3 tbsp butter, melted

Streusel topping:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp cold butter
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping, room temperature

Directions:
In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and vanilla. Combine sugars, cinnamon and cornstarch; add to apple mixture and toss to coat. Pour caramel topping over bottom of unbaked pastry shell; top with apple mixture. This will be a heaping mound of apple goodness, don't be alarmed! Drizzle with melted butter.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, pecans and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over filling. Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is browned. Immediately remove from oven and drizzle with caramel topping. Cool on wire rack. Serves 8.

*a note. I served this in the evening on Thanksgiving day so I made the pie early in the morning. It sat on my counter all day, don't refrigerate it. So its not a traditional "hot apple pie serve with ice cream" type deal.

Orange Chicken

Last week my daughter said something really hurtful. She told me that school lunch was better than sack lunch. Ouch. I asked why. She said that the orange chicken she had for lunch that day was way better than a ham and cheese sandwich. I totally agree that *really good* orange chicken is "way better" than a ham and cheese sandwich. But still . . . cafeteria food had my child singing praises? I had to do something and quick! Allrecipes.com to the rescue! Tons of rave reviews? check. Ingredients I already have? check. End result super yummy AND everyone agreed that it is way better than the stuff the school passes off as orange chicken? check. I am pretty much a cooking rock star now in the eyes of a 6 year old. Make this and be the hero of the day in your house too!

here's the link to the original recipe off Allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• Sauce:
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 
  
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 
  
• Chicken:
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Place the chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, and cover with aluminum foil.
5. Wipe out the skillet, and add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce. Add pepper flakes. Reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

* my notes.
#1- Don't like the time consuming (and icky) task of cutting raw chicken into bite sized pieces? Me neither. Which is why I kindly asked the meat counter to do it when I purchased the chicken. Score for me.
#2- Lets talk spicy. If you want MUCHO spicy, add 1 tsp of red pepper flakes to the chicken marinade and add another 1 tsp to the orange sauce at the end (step 5 in the instructions.) If you want semi-spicy, just add anywhere from 1/4 - 1 tsp of the flakes just to the sauce. And if you want a very mild, sweet orangey chicken, omit the flakes all together. I like to add about 1/2 tsp flakes to the sauce at the end. My kids like it better that way.

Peanut Butter Bars

Who has too many recipes for treats? Who, I ask? No one, that's who. We always need another one and so here's one for today. It comes from my good friend Christy Miller. She's always cooking up something yummy! And I love how all the ingredients I already had in my pantry, nothing fancy to go buy. That means the time from getting the recipe to making the treat was dramatically reduced. Score.

Ingredients:
12 whole graham crackers, crushed
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup smooth peanut butter
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 (12oz) chocolate chips (I prefer milk chocolate)

Directions:
Combine graham crackers, butter, peanut butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Pat firmly into a greased 9x13 pan. Melt chocolate chips until smooth when stirred. Frost the patted down mixture with the melted chocolate. Refrigerate for several hours. When chilled, cut into small squares, they are rich!!

Shrimp, Tomato, Basil Pasta

I have loved this recipe for several years. Its fresh, fresh, fresh! And have I mentioned my love affair with basil? If not, let me mention it now. I have a love affair with basil. My husband and kids, not so much. But really, that is A-Ok with me. Because more for me. How's that for sharing, loving and giving? Ha! And shrimp, shall we talk about shrimp? So very, very tasty. Now the tomatoes are going to feel left out so here's a little diddy about them: they are the perfect addition to this meal. Can you imagine this dish without tomatoes? Me neither. Without further ado, I give you dinner tonight!

this recipe comes from Everyday Foods magazine, June 2006

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails removed)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 6 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 pound linguine
• 1 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces, plus extra leaves for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 4 teaspoons oil over high. Add shrimp; cook until opaque throughout, turning occasionally, 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.
2. Make sauce: To the same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garlic; cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add canned tomatoes and their juice, along with 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have softened and are saucy, about 15 minutes. Remove sauce from heat; stir in cherry tomatoes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain; return pasta to pot. Add tomato sauce, shrimp, and basil; season with salt and pepper, and toss. Serve immediately, garnished with basil leaves, if desired.