Caramelized Almonds

On the 11th day of Christmas my kitchen gave to me, Caramelized Almonds!

I was always under the impression that caramelizing nuts was always done in five star restaurants.  I now stand corrected.  I made these several days before Christmas, stored them in a jar and served them over a salad.  Everyone thought they were at a five star restaurant!
1/8 cup-butter
1 cup-sliced almonds
1/2 cup sugar (I went crazy and did 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup maple syrup; note: the maple syrup makes it take longer to cook)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add sliced almonds, then add sugar and salt.  Stir over low heat until they have "dried out," being careful to not let the sugar burn.  Usually take 10min or approx. 20 if using maple syrup.  To check if they are done, take a piece out of pan, allow to cool and eat.  If it is still chewy then it is not done.  If they crunch, then it is done.  Allow to cool and enjoy!

Chrstmas Cinnamon Rolls

On the 10th day of Christmas my kitchen gave to me, Cinnamon Rolls!
I'm never a person to follow recipes completely.  I'm either trying to find ways to make something more healthy without sacrificing the taste, using what I have to make the recipe work, or just experimenting for the fun of it.  For now this is my cinnamon roll recipe (adapted from Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Roll recipe).
Liz's Cinnamon Rolls:
 -2 cups- milk (any kind is fine)
-1/4 cup-canola oil
-1/2 cup-sugar (if making these into dinner rolls then reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup)
Heat together the milk, oil, and sugar until sugar is dissolved and oil is mixed in.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

After an hour, the dough will look like this

Once cooled, add:
-1 package of yeast (approx. 2 1/4 tsp.)
Allow the yeast to sit for a few minutes.
Now add:
-4 cups-flour
Stir and let rest for at least an hour.
Once the hour (or so) is over, add:
-1/2 cup-flour
-heaping 1/2 tsp-baking powder
-scant 1/2 tsp-baking soda (if you do a full 1/2 tsp it will have a baking soda flavor)
-1/2 TBSP-kosher salt
Knead dough until it is all mix.  You may need to add more flour if it is too sticky.  Now you can either cover and put in the fridge until ready to use, wrap up and store in the freezer, or use it right away.  I would recommend chilling the dough first and then using it.  However, if you are pressed for time then you can use it right away.
Now you have dough! Do what you will with it.  I made my dough into cinnamon rolls.
Roll out half the dough ball into a rectangle about 12"x16".  Spread softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon all over rectangle, and roll up.  Once rolled, cut log into spirals and place in greased pan (one recipe makes approx 21 cinnamon rolls (9 cinnamon rolls in an 8"x8" and 12 in a 9"x13"pan).
Let them rise for a few minutes (maybe 20) and bake at 375F for15-20min.

 

Note: You can freeze your cinnamon rolls at this time, just wrap in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. Or you can let the cinnamon rolls rise in the fridge over night and bake them in the morning.

 Now its time to make frosting.  Cream cheese frosting is a weakness of mine!

1-8oz package-cream cheese-softened

1/4 cup of butter-softened

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup-powdered sugar (I don't like it too sweet)

Mix all together and spread over baked cinnamon rolls.

Note: You can also make this ahead of time, place in ziplock bag, and refrigerate or freeze.  When ready, snip corner of ziplock and squeeze frosting all over cinnamon rolls.

Pumpkin Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup

On the 9th day of Christmas my kitchen gave to me, Pumpkin waffles with apple cider syrup!

When I was little, it was tradition that on Christmas morning my dad would make pumpkin waffles and apple cider syrup.  Over the last couple of years, the tradition has died off so I decided to bring it back and who knows where the recipe of old is.  However, with my good friend google and some imagination, I made something that tasted outstanding for Christmas.  The recipes are as follows.

Punkin Waffles:
1 cup flour
1 cup oat flour (I just blend oats in my blender)
4 tsp. baking powder
1 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (if I have buttermilk I'll use it to replace some of the milk)
2 T. oil (I've forgotten the oil before and they have still turned out great)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pureed pumpkin (optional)
Mix everything all together and add more milk if needed.  Make into waffles and serve with Apple Cider Syrup.

Apple Cider Syrup

Apple Cider Syrup:
2 cups-apple cider (or apple juice)-divided
1 1/4 cups-sugar (you can use either brown or white; I used white)
1 tsp.-cinnamon
1/4 tsp.-nutmeg
2 tsp. lemon juice
4 T.-white flour or 2 T. corn starch
Heat 1 1/2 cups of the apple cider, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice until boiling. Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of apple cider and white flour. Slowly pour flour mixture into boiling cider mixture stirring constantly to make sure there are no lumps.  Boil for 2 minutes.  Turn off heat.  Taste syrup to see if it is to your liking and fix accordingly.  Serve immediately or pour into clean jars and store in fridge for a week.

Mashed Potatoes

On the 8th day of Christmas my kitchen gave to me, Mashed Potatoes!

I know, I know, you looked at this blog post and thought to yourself that I'm crazy for posting about mashed potatoes.  But these are not your normal mashed potatoes.  These are the make-ahead-and-freeze, heart-attack-waiting-to-happen, gain-ten-pounds kind of mashed potatoes.  These are only allowed to me made at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. 

Mashed Potatoes (allow at least 1/3 lb of potato per person. 5 lb bag= approx. 12-15 people):
Peel, chop, and boil 5 lbs of potatoes (remember we are talking holidays here with many people).  Once the potatoes are soft (but not baby food status), drain water and add the following:
2 cubes (1 cup)-butter
1 cup sour cream (I usually do half sour cream and half greek yogurt if I want to be a little healthier)
1 package-cream cheese
a little milk
salt and pepper to taste
Mash all together and scoop into a freezer safe casserole dish.  Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until the day before the big event.  Thaw in fridge for at least 24 hours.  Optional: Just prior to baking, pour melted butter over the top (butter will make a slightly crunchy and delicious topping).  Bake uncovered at 350F for 30-45 min (or until hot). Enjoy!

Corn Bread Pudding

On the 7th day of Christmas my kitchen gave to me, Corn Bread Pudding.

This is a recipe from my sister's mother-in-law and has become a favorite of mine.  It is so simple to make for large crowds and it is so delicious why not make it for Christmas.
Corn Bread Pudding:
1 can of cream corn
1 can of corn (drained)
1 box of corn bread mix
1 cube (1/2 cup) butter-melted
8 oz of sour cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9x13" pan (you can use a smaller pan but it will be thicker and take longer to cook).  Mix all ingredients together.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20-25min. or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Enjoy!

Jello Salad

On the sixth day of Christmas my kitchen gave to me, my Grandma's Jello Salad!

There is a long standing tradition to have my Grandma's Jello Salad for any big event we have at her house.  I always thought it was this semi-gourmet thing that took her hours to make.  Little did I know how effortless it was to make.  I now know her secret!  Fortunately for you, she never swore me to secrecy.
Grandma's Jello Salad (makes a 9x13 pan size):
2 small boxes of strawberry jello (or one big box)
1 can of crushed pineapple (don't drain the juice)
10 frozen strawberries (cut up)
3 bananas (sliced)
Basically follow the instructions on the jello box but reduce the water to about how much juice you think is in the pineapple.  Put 9x13 casserole dish or bowl in the fridge until set.  Note: I've noticed that it takes longer to set than normal jello so plan ahead.

Happy New Year to all!

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope this post finds you healthy and happy.  If not, sorry I can't do much about the happy part, but I will be posting stuff on how to live healthier in 2012. 
Stay tuned!