Butter Dinner Rolls

 I made these delicious dinner rolls for our Christmas dinner. This recipe is a simple one and it is great because it can be prepared in advance so as to lessen the load on Christmas dinner. What's nice is that they are very buttery delicious and there really is no need to butter the rolls once they are done.

Baked Brie with Caramelized Onions

This is a traditional appetizer that one of my Aunt's makes every Christmas. It is an absolute family fave and so I could not let this Christmas go by without making this appetizer, even if it was only for two. Everyone should give this appetizer a try, it is just too good.

Horseradish and Garlic Crusted Prime Rib

Our first Christmas dinner alone and so I wanted to make it special. I came up with a menu for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving:  brie and onions appetizer, traditional Oplatki, creamed corn, sauteed mushrooms, asparagus, dinner rolls, roasted potatoes, and prime rib. Once this menu was settled it was literally all I could think about until we finally cooked everything up on Christmas day. This prime rib recipe was absolutely wonderful and the crust was quite tasty.

Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

One of Nick's family traditions is enjoying this lovely breakfast casserole on Christmas morning. It is a delicious hash brown and sausage casserole that can be prepared ahead of time so that all that needs to be done Christmas morning is to bake it in the oven. It can be served alone or with scrambled eggs and/or rice. It's also good with a drizzle of hot sauce. This is a great recipe that we will continue to make an appearance every year for Christmas morning.

Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas Everyone!

This is the first year ever that Nick and I are spending Christmas away from our families. Although we miss our families and friends back home very much, we are managing pretty well. Both our families mailed us some great Christmas packages and we have been Skyping with everyone all month and on Christmas day. One thing we have noticed since we've moved here is how small the world is now with technology like Skype, email, and google chat. It has been very easy to keep in close contact with all of our family and friends no matter where they are now, whether it is back at home in CA or in Africa, and so it doesn't really feel like we are 2,000 miles away. Therefore, it has been less difficult than expected, to not be with family this year.

Since it is our first Christmas alone, we are starting some new traditions. We started by making a quick one day trip to Chicago so that we could check out the city and all the Christmas decór that the city has to offer. We also have started a new Christmas tradition of making homemade pizza Christmas eve and watching The Grinch. Tomorrow, Christmas morning, we will have Nicks family tradition of breakfast casserole and then my family tradition of prime rib for dinner, I'm looking forward to it. Another new Christmas experience for us is enjoying some snowfall outside of our very own house, even if only a little. So far this Christmas has been quite pleasant, but we do still wish we had some family here to celebrate with.

Pretzel Caramel Bark

 

 Okay, it's official, I am addicted to baking. I seriously cannot stop baking things. I spent this weekend baking Nutella cups, chocolate peppermint Andes cookies, brownies and this delicious pretzel caramel bark. This bark is great and tasty, a perfect treat to bring to any holiday party. 

Mini Corn Dogs

 

 I will never buy frozen corn dogs again, no need. This was such a simple recipe and since it is homemade I can guarantee that the corn bread being used is as healthy as it ought to be. I think they would also work great for mothers who want to make them ahead of time and then stick them in the freezer to warm up on a moments notice.

Turkey Tetrazzini

 I was searching for recipes that I could use for leftover turkey. I found this recipe and knew it was perfect, especially since it is made with regular household ingredients. I love Thanksgiving and all the food it entails but when it comes to leftovers sometimes it is great to eat something with the leftover turkey that is not so Thanksgiving-y. This was perfect, a pasta dish with turkey and mushrooms, it was great! This recipe will definitely be added to my arsenal of Thanksgiving leftover recipes. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake

In my office we take turns providing cake for our co-workers on their birthdays. It was my turn this week and I knew my co-worker loves cookies, hence my decision to make this lovely cake. While this cake is quite time consuming, it is well worth the effort. It is absolutely delicious and there are ways to simplify the recipe so that it is not as time consuming as the complete original, shared here.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

So good! If you are a fan of salted caramel items then you will love these. Start by making your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, like this one here. Just cut-up caramel chews into eighths and add them to the cookie dough along with the chocolate chips, being sure to make sure the caramel pieces are completely covered with cookie dough. Next, form cookies on baking dish a add a pinch of sea salt to the top of each cookie. Bake and enjoy!

 

Thanksgiving and Leftovers

Hello everyone, it's that time again. The best time of the year. Time for loads of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, veggies etc. Nothing is better than enjoying a fresh baked holiday meal and then having enough leftover to eat it again the next day and sometimes all week. My fave is leftover turkey sandwhiches. Here are a few ideas for your turkey day meal and for ideas for the reaminder of the week. Happy Thanksgiving!

Cajun Gravy

Corn Bread 

 

Creamed Corn and Mashed Potatoes

  

Creamed Spinach

  

Stuffing

 

Leftovers:

Turkey Pot Pie

 

Enchiladas w/Turkey

  

Turkey Sandwich (turkey, cranberry, gravy, stuffing on sourdough)

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

This is a great alternative to regular pizza. It is just as delicious but much cleaner. If your favorite part of pizza is the crust then you will love this recipe, it is lots of yummy and fluffy crust. I made these last week and now after creating this post, it makes me want to make some more. In our family, you can never get enough pizza.

Orange Oatmeal Muffins

 My friend Megan shared this recipe with me years ago and it is one of my fave muffin recipes, the combination of orange and oatmeal is delicious. Since I have my new mini muffin pans, I decided to make some mini orange oatmeal muffins. This is a great recipe and it can be great as a bundt cake too.

Creamy Ham Pasta

 My co-worker and I were talking about our interest in cooking with alcohol and the lovely tastes some alcohols give to certain recipes. She then shared this recipe with me and it reminded me of something my Senora would make me when I was living in Spain. It immediately brought back good memories and my love for this dish. I decided to make it and it was just as great as I remembered. This is a great way to mix it up with pasta. Enjoy!

Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas

I was craving enchiladas and so I decided to find a healthier version, although in the end this recipe may not be healthier it does provide more nutrition with the addition of spinach. These were quite delicious and will definitely be added to my enchilada rotation. 

Nutella Cups

Happy Halloween!!!

 

I made these for my works Halloween luncheon today. They are fairly easy to make and they are very delicious! Once you've started, it's hard to stop eating them. 

Tiramisu

 Tiramisu is so delicious! I have been wanting to make it for quite awhile but never had a reason too. Nick's parents visited last weekend and so I used it as the perfect excuse to make some. It was quite delicious and probably one of my most favorite desserts, I would probably make it more often if ladyfingers were easier to come by.

Butternut Squash Risotto with Spicy Shrimp

 

'Tis the season for squash. I bought some butternut squash to make Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese and had some left over. I have bought frozen butternut squash risotto from Trader Joe's before but since I had some squash left over, I decided to go for it myself. This was absolutely delicious, very rich in flavor and that is why the spicy shrimp is a perfect contrast companion. This is a great meal to impress others with.

Sugar Cookies

 

 I have never made sugar cookies before but I saw a recipe that had the cute idea of adding candy corn to a sugar cookie to make it festive and so I just had to make them, because they are adorable. 

Asian Pork

 Nick decided to make dinner the other night, he chose a recipe out of the cookbook I bought him, CookWise, that explains the chemistry involved with cooking and the hows and whys about cooking. This recipe was very delicious and he cooked it perfectly.