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| Christmas Table, 2015 |
It has been a long time since I last wrote in this blog. I have been very busy this year. I got my first book published called Facets: Homespun Poetry and Photography on New England under my writers name of Julyn S, Pride. I have also had several exhibits of my photography at art galleries and restaurants. Cooking has been at a premium, primarily consisting of a meat, a vegetable and a starch. The creative juices have been focusing on my poetry and art. So I have had very few ideas on food preparation for the year.
Christmas always lends itself to new recipes. This year was no exception. Our dinner included smoked macaroni and cheese, crockpot pulled pork, mashed potatoes, spoon roast, broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce, and salad. All were incredibly delicious.
My brother, Craig, has developed a recipe for smoked macaroni and cheese using a wood fired smoker. I have not gotten the recipe or technique yet from him, but it may come about again on Easter. For now, I have two recipes to share, and one interesting way to bake boxed brownies. Though the holiday is done for this year, these recipes can be used almost any time. I hope my readers had their own creative moments this holiday season. All it takes are a few changes from your own sense of taste, and the recipe suddenly becomes your own to share with family and friends.
My first recipe is just a basic sugar cookie. I searched many sites for one that I liked and I found one on Food Network. I will first post the original recipe, then my changes to create my own uniquely flavored sugar cookie.
Christmas Cutout Sugar Cookies - The Food Network
Ingredients
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Colored Icing, recipe follows
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Colored Icing, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. In another bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, a third at a time to make a stiff dough. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll out a portion of cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased or nonstick cookie sheets. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minute, rotating baking sheet halfway through cooking time. Cool completely on pans about 5 minutes, transfer to cooling racks and cool completely before decorating.
Colored Icing:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons water
3 to 4 drops food coloring, plus more as needed
Colored sprinkles, optional
In a small bowl, mix sugar and water to form a thick, smooth icing. Stir in food coloring to reach desired shade. Drop icing onto cookies using a small teaspoon and smooth with the back of the spoon. Make additional bowls for additional colors.
Additional multi-colored sprinkles can be added on top of icing before it dries for more decorative cookies, if desired
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. In another bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, a third at a time to make a stiff dough. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll out a portion of cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased or nonstick cookie sheets. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minute, rotating baking sheet halfway through cooking time. Cool completely on pans about 5 minutes, transfer to cooling racks and cool completely before decorating.
Colored Icing:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons water
3 to 4 drops food coloring, plus more as needed
Colored sprinkles, optional
In a small bowl, mix sugar and water to form a thick, smooth icing. Stir in food coloring to reach desired shade. Drop icing onto cookies using a small teaspoon and smooth with the back of the spoon. Make additional bowls for additional colors.
Additional multi-colored sprinkles can be added on top of icing before it dries for more decorative cookies, if desired
June's Adapted Christmas Cutout Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup UNSALTED butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons Half and Half or Light Cream
Honey
Maple Syrup
Colored Sugar
Directions:
1.) Preheat Oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2) Mix flour, baking powder and sea salt in a bowl.
3.) Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This takes time because there is no salt in the butter.
4.) Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix well.
5.) Knead the dough with your hands if it is too dry to stick together. Add Half and Half a tablespoon
at a time to get the dough to stick together. The dough ends up being a lot like shortbread, which
is why I liked the recipe so much.
6,) Roll out the dough a little at a time to 1/4 inch thickness, on the shiny side of Freezer Paper.
This was a discovery I just made as I was rolling out the dough. Lift your cut out shapes with
a spatula. By pulling them off the paper with your hands, the cookies will tear.
7.) Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes. Check after
8 minutes because sometimes you roll the
dough too thin and it bakes quicker.
8.) Let cool.
9.) Mix a 1 to 1 ratio of honey and water in a coffee cup.
10.) Mix a 1 to 1 ration of maple syrup and water in another coffee cup.
11.) Brush on either the honey mixture or the maple syrup mixture on a cooled cookie.
12.) Sprinkle colored sugar before the cookie dries then shake off the excess sugar onto a
creased piece of wax paper. Once the sugar is dry, you can pour back into its jar.
Cranberry Brownies
Ingredients:
A boxed brownie mix, family size to fit 13 x 9 pan
1 1/2 cup Fresh cranberries
Powdered sugar
Directions:
1,)Follow directions on box. Before baking, fold in cranberries. I usually bake my brownies in an
11 x 7 pan.
2,) Bake for about 45 minutes. The cranberries make it a little moist so it takes longer to bake.
3.) Cool, then cut brownies to desired size. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Stuffed Shells with Leftover Mashed Potato
This was a try it recipe that I decided might taste good. As I viewed the 2 cups of leftover mashed potatoes from Christmas dinner, I wondered what I could do to use them up. I am not keen of reheating mashed potatoes, and I just didn't feel like making a Shepherds Pie, so I thought "Maybe it would taste good, almost like a pierogi, if I used jumbo shells and baked it." So this is what I did, and it was amazing. You have to try this one. Kids would probably even eat it, that is how good it is.
Ingredients:
12 oz. box of jumbo stuffed shells
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1-1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
5 strips fully cooked Hormel bacon, original, torn into small pieces
1/8 - 1/4 cup additional 2 % milk
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
parsley or oregano to add color and flavor
1/4 cup melted Smart Balance buttery spread, Original
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
1. ) Cook pasta according to directions on box. Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.
2. ) With a hand mixer, mash cold potatoes with milk to make very smooth.
3.) Add bacon and cheddar cheese to remashed potatoes. Mix well.
4.) Add onion powder and salt to potato mixture and mix well.
5,) Stuff shells with a large spoonful of mixture.
6.) Pour melted butter over shells and bake for
40-50 minutes
Enjoy these recipes. They are all very good. Happy cooking. Hope to see you sooner than a year. With the next book being written, I still may not have much time to keep up the blog. Be assured, though, that there will be future recipes, just maybe not every week. Thanks for reading and have a terrific 2016.
