Merry Christmas 2010!

Hope you all are enjoying your family, friends, and good food!

I have one last festive cookie to share for the Christmas season.

Cinnamon Candy Cane Cookies

48 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup red-hot candies, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Red food coloring, optional
• 2 tablespoons coarse sugar

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half. Mix red-hots and cinnamon into one half; tint with food coloring if desired.
• Shape 1-1/2 teaspoons plain dough into a 4-1/2-in. rope. Shape 1-1/2 teaspoons red dough into a 4-1/2-in. rope. On an ungreased baking sheet, place ropes side by side; press together lightly and twist. Curve top of each cookie down to form handle of cane. Repeat with remaining plain and red dough, placing 2 in. apart on baking sheets. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
• Bake at 375° for 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 4 dozen.

Santa Won’t Be Delayed

Santa won’t have any trouble getting to Minnesota this Christmas if the weather we’ve had continues.

I woke up to this winter wonderland  for what seems like the 10th time this December. Is it really not even considered winter yet? Oh, help me. 

But there is one, yes only one good thing about being snowed in—it is a great excuse to stay snuggled up inside and turn on the warm oven, bake cookies, and the necessary taste-testing session as well. So I guess if all this snow is coming the week before Christmas, it’s ok, I had baking on my agenda anyways!

3 days to go!

Santa Graham Cookies

Ingredients:

• Red food color, I used Wilton red food coloring paste
• 1 1/4 cups vanilla frosting (from 16-oz. can)
• 12 (2 1/2-inch-square) graham crackers
• 1 cup (about 75) miniature marshmallows, halved crosswise
• 6 small red gumdrops, halved crosswise
• 24 red cinnamon candies, I used mini red and green M&M’s instead

Directions:

1. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. In small bowl, stir 1/4 teaspoon red food color into 1/4 cup of the frosting; blend well. In separate bowl, stir 1 drop red food color into remaining 1 cup frosting; blend well.
2. For each cookie, frost 1 inch of one corner of cracker with dark red frosting for Santa's hat. Place 1 marshmallow piece in corner for pom-pom.
3. Frost remainder of cracker with pink frosting. Place marshmallow pieces on pink frosting around 2 sides for beard. Add gumdrop for nose and cinnamon candies for eyes. Place on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.

Directions In Pictures:

“Ho ho ho!”

How much snow do you have where you live?

No Chocolate Bunnies Here

Is everyone well on their way to preparing for Easter? I started doing a few odds and ends with cooking today. The recap menu will hopefully be up tomorrow night or Monday morning! I kicked off the weekend by going to a town indoor rummage sale that they held in the middle school—we thought getting there at 8 am sharp would score us some deals, but the place was so packed you could barley walk let alone look at anything. It was still something different to do though, and we did stop at another smaller one and left with a stovetop smoker for just 2 bucks! (Anyone know any good recipes/methods for using one?)

Anyways, just wanted to drop by and send some virtual Easter goodies your way, but they aren’t chocolate bunnies..I think you’ll like these better! =)

Macaroon Kiss Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/3 c. butter, softened
• 1 pkg. of cream cheese, softened (3 oz.)
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp. almond extract
• 2 tsp. orange juice (or vanilla)
• 1 1/4 c. unsifted all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 5 c. (14 oz. pkg.) flaked coconut
• 54 Hershey's kisses, chocolate (9 oz. pkg.), unwrapped

Directions:

• Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk, almond extract and orange juice; beat well.
• Combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to cream mixture. Stir in 3 cups of the coconut. Cover tightly; chill 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.
• Shape dough into 1 inch balls; roll in remaining coconut. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Remove from oven; immediately press unwrapped kiss on top of each cookie. Cool 1 minute.
• Carefully remove from cookie sheet; cool completely on wire rack. (About 4 1/2 dozen cookies.)

Have a great Easter!

Cookie Dough Catch-up

Ever feel like your constantly trying to catch up with things? This week blogging is one of them! I took advantage of the 3 day weekend to relax and get a lot a few necessary things done, but the rest of the time was spent celebrating Valentine’s! I get to pick out a deep fryer this week from the boyfriend. He also won us sweetheart tickets over the radio—they shut the whole movie theatre down except for the winners and they give away lots of prizes (which we did not win) and then watch a movie. The movie was Duplicity which we did not follow at all, but it was still fun! Have you watched that movie?

So needless to say, I didn’t get around to posting about the last and best Valentine’s treat..but it’s not too late—these are perfect for any occasion when your looking to wow a crowd or just your significant other. Sure, homemade truffles may seem like a daunting task, but they really don’t take much longer than a batch of cookies—possibly just a bit more mess, but SO worth it! What is your favorite truffle recipe?

Who needs a expensive chocolate shop when you can make your own?

Cookie Dough Truffles

**Hint—give your truffles away in egg cartons. Perfect size!**

Makes approximately 33 truffles

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I omitted this)

1-1/2 pounds dark chocolate candy coating, coarsely chopped

I decorated mine with assorted toppings—coconut, mini white chocolate chips, and chocolate jimmies.

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour, alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Shape into 1-in. balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip balls in coating, allowing excess to drip off; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. If desired, remelt remaining candy coating and drizzle over candies. Store in the refrigerator.

German Chocolate Peanut Butter Kisses

Valentine’s Day 2010

♥    ♥   ♥

Spending♥

The holiday this year is expected to generate $14.1 billion in retail sales in the United States. The number is down from last year's $14.7 billion, because a number of consumers are choosing not to spend money on Valentine's Day this year.

The average U.S. consumer is expected to spend $103 on Valentine's Day gifts, meals, and entertainment, about 50 cents more per person than in 2009.

Spouses are spending less and plan to pay $63.34 on Valentine's Day gifts for their significant other, down from last year's $67.22 average.

Friends and co-workers will spend significantly more than they did last year, and more will be spent on pets.

Gifts♥

Spending for practical gifts, such as winter clothing and accessories, is up, while only 35.6 percent of those celebrating will plan an evening out. That's down from last year's 47 percent.

U.S. men will spend nearly twice as much on the holiday as U.S. women. In 2010, the average man will spend $135.35 on Valentine's Day gifts, while a typical woman will spend $72.28.

Cards♥

As usual, greeting cards will be the most common Valentine's Day gifts. Fifty-five percent of U.S. consumers plan to send at least one.

About 190 million cards are sent each year. That figure doesn't include the hundreds of millions of cards schoolchildren exchange.

Candy♥

• About 47 percent of U.S. consumers will exchange Valentine's Day candy, which will cost about $1 billion. About 75 percent of that billion is from sales of chocolate. Chocolate has been associated with romance at least since Mexico's 15th- and 16th-century Aztec Empire.
• About eight billion little candy hearts were made last year, with sayings such as "Be Mine.

What are you doing this Valentine’s Day? And what do you normally get/give for gifts?!

German Chocolate Peanut Butter Kisses

Makes approx. 28 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 box German Chocolate cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c vegetable oil
• 1 bag Reese’s PB hearts
• 1 c roasted peanuts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil thoroughly. Set aside.
• Grind up peanuts in food processor and pour into a shallow bowl or plate.

• Start taking wrappers of a hearts.

• Roll cookies into 1-inch balls and follow by rolling them in the ground peanuts.
• Bake 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet for 9-12 minutes.
• Cool for 2 minutes then press Reese’s heart into the middle.

• Let cool completely—2 hours.

1 more day of Valentine’s treats tomorrow—save the best for last!

Come Down to Candy Cane Lane

--My holiday photo contest is extended until December 20th, so keep sending your pictures to apinchandadash@live.com to win the Secret Santa gift!--

Ok, so I may be overdosing on candy canes this year—my tree is a prime example, but hey, I only think, eat, and talk about them during December!

December already?! I honestly wouldn’t believe it if it wasn’t for Jack Frost moving in on us in this last week—10 F temps, my trunk frozen shut, and bringing out the Columbia jacket—it’s December, no doubt. But, in just 26 days I am headed to Orlando for my grandma and I’s annual winter getaway trip. I haven’t been to Orlando in 3 years, so I am excited. Any tips on what to do or see? And any blogger’s in the area January 1-7th? If you are a meet up would be fun!

Now onto the main show..as you know I am not one to use store bought mixes and love making things from scratch, but I realized not everyone has the time to whip stuff up from scratch during this busy season, so I will be featuring some pre-made mix recipes too!

Candy Cane Cake

Makes: 12 servings

**Warning: Make sure you grease your tube pan VERY well**

Ingredients:

• 1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® white cake mix
• Water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix box (I subbed unsweetened applesauce for oil)
• 1/2
  teaspoon red food color
• 1/2
  teaspoon peppermint extract
• Icing: 1 c powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp milk or water, 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Topping: Crushed candy canes, if desired

Directions:

1.Heat oven to 325°F. Generously grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube cake pan. Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour about 2 cups batter into pan. Into small bowl, pour about 3/4 cup batter; stir in food color and peppermint extract. Carefully pour pink batter over white batter in pan. Carefully pour remaining white batter over pink batter.

2.Bake as directed on box or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack or heatproof serving plate; remove pan. Cool cake completely, about 1 hour.

3.In small bowl, mix icing ingredients. If necessary, stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until smooth and spreadable. Spread icing over cake. Sprinkle top with crushed candy. Store loosely covered.

 

Have a wonderful winter weekend!

Cloudy with a Chance of..Lara Bars and Pie

I knew it! Mother Nature wouldn’t be too nice for long—it’s cloudy, rainy, and gloom. But instead of letting it ruin my mood, I  just use it as an excuse to go stroll the mall and, oh yeah..write a persuasive essay.

And another reason I cannot be blue—I received my prize package from winning Shannon’s recipe contest for a great cause! I entered my Pumpkin Angel Food Cake with Cinnamon Cream Filling—told you it was a winner! ;-)

Shannon you are such a sweetheart!! See sent me the cutest card and A LOT of goodies!

She knew my kitchen is cupcake themed, so this goes fabulous on my fridge!

But it doesn’t end there. She sent 2 Blueberry Vanilla and 2 Choco PB Honest food bars, coupon for a free Promax bar, and 2 Newman’s Own dog food coupons, since the contest was paired with the Humane Society. My dog will be one happy camper!

And I know you will all be green with envy, but check out all these mini Lara bars!!

And no I am not eating all of them just like they are, I have a little recipe idea brewing..so stay tuned for that!

Now obviously I’ve been flooded with a rainstorm of Lara bars, but that’s not the only treat that’s fallen into my hands. I came up with a brand new pie recipe that was quite the rival to the Lara’s! For some reason I have been craving slices of pie..maybe I just don’t have the patience to wait for Thanksgiving?? So, here’s a knew one that quieted the pie pestering for awhile, but I am already in the kitchen planning a new one for the week =)

Whipped Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 c Fiber One Cereal
• 1/4 c whipped butter spread
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp Splenda, or other granulated sweetener
• 1 c canned pumpkin
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 c FF evaporated milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 packet cheesecake mousse filling & needed prep ingredients, see below
• 4 Pumpkin Spice Hershey’s kisses, or if you can’t find them anymore, you can omit.

Here’s the cheesecake mousse I used. It’s SF and used 1 cup of Almond Breeze milk to prepare.

 Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 F. Pulse Fiber One, butter, vanilla, and Splenda in food processor till fine crumbs are formed. Press into the bottom of a sprayed pie pan. Bake for 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile beat pumpkin, egg whites, vanilla, cinnamon, and evaporated milk with a hand mixer until thoroughly blended. Pour on top of crust and bake for 20 min, or until the pumpkin filling is shiny and set.
• Let cool for about 25 minutes, meanwhile following cheesecake mousse instructions. With mousse, plan on beating it with a hand mixer for at least 5 minutes to get it fluffier.
• Pour cheesecake layer over pumpkin.
• Take your Hershey Kisses and curl them with a vegetable peeler to get fine curls and sprinkle evenly across the top.

--This was great! I loved the chewy pumpkin filling contrast with the fluffy cheesecake top. Definitely a pie that is on the lighter side, yet still full of flavor that makes for a satisfying fall dessert!--

*If I haven’t over-sweetened you with this post, head on over to this sweet giveaway!*

Gourmet Goodies

 

Good Monday morning all.

How did the weekend go? Lots of candy, costumes and all things spooky? I did the norm—shopping, baking, cooking, cleaning, and actually got around to playing my Wii for awhile. Did you notice something missing there? No homework! Yes, it was a dream, and I savored the fact that I didn’t have to crack the books for once.

So I know everyone is probably tired of hearing/seeing candy after Halloween, but you must give these sweet treats a chance! They are not typical candy, but something I like to call gourmet goodies. I recently was so lucky as to have a chance to sample the divine Amella Caramels. Here’s a bit about the company:

  Our team at Artisan Cocoa has created an exciting and new taste sensation for you to enjoy.  Amellas are an all-natural buttery caramel made using pure cocoa butter, real fruits, nuts, and vegetables all hand dipped in the finest chocolate.

--------------------------------

They make 3 amazing flavors of caramels:

• Carrot Cake
• Passion Fruit
• Black Forest

If the names don’t have you salivating, the pictures will!

My Chew Review

Carrot Cake

If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you know I am a die-hard carrot cake fan—but in cake form. In caramel form, I wasn’t so sure. It sounded amazing, but how could they capture that carrot cake taste and place it in a caramel form with an equal great taste experience? Apparently I don’t have to worry about it because the folks at Amella Caramels figured it out for me! I was in love at first bite! It was actually a really crazy experience, because you bite into it thinking your going to get a fluffy cake texture, but instead it’s a smooth and chewier texture, but still has that carrot cake taste—I was amazed! Not only is this flavor delicious, it also has a great visual appeal with a dark carrot hue, bits of roasted pecans, and the “icing” is a tasty layer of white chocolate. My favorite of the three!

Black Forest

Check out the details in these caramels! You can definitely tell they are handmade with tender loving care. I am a huge cherry fan, and love that this caramel is 70% dark chocolate. You better believe it makes for a rich and satisfying chocolate experience. Although the chocolate flavor is present, it doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the cherry and vanilla flavors, it balances out perfectly. I also really like the addition of the dark chocolate sprinkles as well. Second favorite!

Passion Fruit

Who would have thought that a fruit flavor and a caramel flavor together would meld into another one-of-a-kind caramel experience? I sure didn’t until biting into the Passion Fruit caramel. The slight tart taste of the passion fruit somehow highlights the creamy caramel deliciousness. It’s hard to explain—it’s one of those things you need to taste for yourself! This is good, however it would be one that I would eat occasionally—not everyday more often like the Carrot Cake flavor.

Overall thoughts:

Amella Caramels are to die for! If you’ve never experienced the delight of trying cocoa butter caramels, don’t hold off too much longer! I have a feeling I am going to be slightly disappointed when eating everyday caramels now, just because these take it up a notch…or five! =)

Another noted thing I like about the caramels is how they’re packaged—it makes the whole experience a little more fun!

Plus the nutritionals for these caramels aren’t half bad meaning you can eat more of them. Check those out here.

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Amella Caramels would also make a fantastic gift for the upcoming holiday season. I am hoping Santa would possibly leave some under my tree.

Thanks again to the wonderful caramel creators at Amella Caramels for the awesome opportunity to spread the word!

A Pinch of This, and a Dash of That Halloween Bash

Happy Halloween 2009 all! I was just thinking how fun it would be to have a blogger Halloween bash—great friends, food, and of course some ghoulish fun would all make October 31st just a bit sweeter than all the candy that accumulates, don’t you think?

But since we are all scattered across the globe on this spooky day, I figured I’d invite you to a little ‘virtual’ Halloween bash.

Upon knocking at my door and saying, “Trick or treat,” I would hand you one of the following..that is if I haven’t eaten them all myself! =)

Pumpkin Pie Candy Corn—found at Target

1 lb of Warheads candy in a Spongebob Frankenstein treat caddy.

Or I might even possibly be handing out some of these..

Candy Corn Cookies

Monster Mash Cookies

What will I be dressed up as?

Well one thing—you’ll want to dress warm, because this is how the weather is currently:

Here’s what I would be dressed up as..

(disclaimer: this is not me)

And then once the fun is done, and Halloween is a thing of the past..here’s some ideas for your leftover candy!

Homemade Flavored Drinks

Add Jolly Ranchers or any fruit flavored candy to seltzer to make  bubbly infused fruit sips!

Make Hot Chocolate With Real Chocolate

Melt a 1 oz. mini chocolate bar into a mug of milk, making sure to stir frequently. It's especially tasty with rich chocolates such Dove miniatures.

Sweeten Your Choice

Add some excitement to pork chops by adding a Pixie Sticks glaze. Simply combine red or white wine, vinegar, Pixie Sticks and salt. Try adding Smarties or Red Hots to BBQ for a homemade chipotle sauce.

Make Movie Night Sweeter with Ice Cream Toppers

M&Ms and gummy bears make a great toppings for ice cream sundaes. You can also mix them directly into your ice cream. And don't forget adding some mixed candy to your blended ice cream drinks.

Brownie Blends

Simply stir chopped candy directly into brownie batter. You can also sprinkle it as a topping or use it as a garnish for brownie sundaes.

Secret Treasure Cookies

Cut cookie dough (homemade or store-bought) into 12 slices, bring it to room temperature and then mold each slice around individual-size candies before baking.

Freeze & Forget It!

Place wrapped candy in a freezer bag and throw it in the freezer for later. Candy stored this way will last for up to a year. When you're ready to use, thaw at room temperature (the whitish bloom' that develops on chocolate candy when it freezes will go away after it thaws).
The same goes for cookies - which will keep for six months in the freezer when placed between sheets of freezer paper and stored in a plastic container. Keep the cookies between their wrappers for 10 to 15 minutes when thawing.

Make a Batch of Candy Coated Popcorn

Simply melt any type of leftover Halloween candy and use it as a glaze to coat popcorn (microwave or air-popped) in a large bowl. The key is to make sure the popcorn has no butter or salt (or as little as possible). Spread the glazed popcorn on a cookie sheet to dry, and voila: candy coated popcorn. Even better with nuts.

Try a New Recipe: Apple Candy Bar Salad

You'll need:

• a few Granny Smith apples
• a bunch of candy bars (e.g., Snickers, Baby Ruth or 3 Musketeers)
• Cool Whip

Cut the apples and candy bars into small pieces and mix them with thawed Cool Whip. If the candy is too mushy to cut, put it in the fridge for a few hours before cutting. Serve.

Brought to you by BakeSpace

Have a Bootiful day!

Showers of Joy!

Happy Memorial Day! 

Happy Monday all! I’m sure everyone who works has is off—hopefully! Memorial Day signifies the unofficial kick-off of summer and usually a time to just have a big bash with friends and family. But, of course it is so much more, and much more important than just another day. I have no immediate family members that have or are serving in the armed forces, but for those of you who do I will keep you and your soldier(s) in my prayers and give thanks for them continuously. If it wasn’t for people with that type of courage, those of us here in the US would likely not be as free as we are today.

Now onto some food business, because I am sure that’s what your all looking for! =) As I mentioned a couple days back, I was asked to make a cake for a baby shower. I was super excited because I had the perfect cake I clipped out of a Woman’s World issue a couple months back and was hoping there’d be an occasion to make it. It was rather time consuming (2 days from start to finish—about 3 hours into it I would say), but usually cakes are if you want to put a lot of detail into them! You better believe I had my camera handy every step of the way, so now I present to you my Showers of Joy baby shower cake. (Btw, if anyone wants the rundown step-by-step on how to make this, I would be happy to photocopy the directions—It’s simply too long to type out on here, so email me!)

• The flavor of the cake was a white cake mix with chocolate chips and toasted almonds mixed in and a layer of chocolate frosting in between—yum!

• I always use this cake tool to frost my cakes. I got it for free at a Taste of Home cooking show and I have 2 more thanks to my mom and grandma! Love it! (Tip: When frosting cakes, keep a small dish of cold water to dip your utensil in while frosting—it makes for a much smoother appearance.

 

• Decorations included: Marshmallows, vanilla wafers, starbursts, assorted jelly beans, crystal light candies and chocolate teddy grahams.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a spin on a great Rachael Ray dish!