Holly Jolly Buckets and Bark

Every year I try to put together either Thanksgiving/Fall or Christmas/Holiday home baked goodies for our nearby neighbors.  Last year I had my act together a little earlier and made everyone my Pumpkin Bread.  This year...not so much.  I really struggled for what seemed like eternity with what, how and when to fit it all in before the holiday gets away from me.

Finally figured out some easy recipes that looked festive, along with the help of my daughters.  I proceeded with my Holly Jolly Bark and Holiday Cake Cookies.

As luck would have it, my daughters had some extra "Treat Sleighs" that they made for their Leadership Group.  So, away we went with a plan, ingredients and fun gifts for our neighbors.
I found perfect size chalkboard/galvanized buckets and labeled them in fun holiday chalkboard markers.

The boys even joined in, but between their "spa day",

 holiday baking, wrapping gifts and fitting in all the other weekend 

household duties, they couldn't stay awake another minute.

Looks like they "just settled down for a long winters nap".

Holly Jolly Bark

16 whole "Christmas edition" Oreo cookies with red filling, broken up
1-1/2 cup pretzels (long, skinny ones), broken up
1 cup red and green Christmas M&M's
1 lb. white chocolate bark
Christmas colored sprinkles

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Lay out the broken cookies, pretzels and M&M's

Melt the white chocolate bark according to package directions.

Pour melted chocolate over cookies, pretzels and candies.

Use an offset spatula to spread chocolate evenly and

add the holiday sprinkles over chocolate.

Let set for at least 6 hours, so chocolate can set.

Cut into bite size pieces and package in holiday bags.
(Use any leftover scraps from the sides as
topping for ice cream -Yummy!!)

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

One Year Ago: GGMa's Lemon Shrimp

Two Year's Ago: Thumbprint Cookies

Wassail and Blessings

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours...so much to be grateful for and the many blessings that have and continue to bestowed upon us.

We started our morning with a "turkey trot" and a glorious sunny walk with the dogs.  When we came back home, I had a nice hot batch of Wassail waiting for us, complete with my homemade Juicy Apple Popovers.

My husband has been fighting a terrible cold all week and I knew a batch of his favorite Wassail would do the trick to help him feel better.

We hope this holiday finds you, your friends and families well and full of blessings!

Hot Wassail

1 gallon apple cider
4 cups orange juice
5 cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbl. whole cloves
1 orange, sliced into rounds
1 lemon, sliced into rounds

Bourbon (optional)

Place all ingredients in slow cooker (except Bourbon) and mix well.

Turn the slow cooker on high heat and cook for 3-4 hours (or on low for 6-8 hours).

Ladle in a mug and serve hot.  (Optional to add a wee taste of Bourbon to your mug of wassail, should you choose).

One Year Ago:  Apple Pie Martini
Two Years Ago: Juicy Apple Popovers

Bourbon Glazed Salmon with Savory Roasted Peppers

Growing up I never liked the taste of salmon, and I grew up in Alaska!  I think it took me until I was in my thirties to really acquire a taste for it and appreciate all the different ways it can be prepared. Now, I love it!  I have learned to grill, bake, and pan sear it.

Our local fish counter every now and then has their featured "Bourbon Glazed Salmon" for sale.  It has been marinated and ready to prepare. Try as I have, I cannot get them to give me their recipe for the bourbon glaze, which is out of this world..  I am still experimenting with it and trying to recreate the glaze, but until then, I'll just keep enjoying theirs.

These peppers are awesome on salmon and just about any other type of meat.  These have become a staple in our house and a quick accompaniment to any dinner.

Savory Roasted Peppers
Adapted from Kikkoman

3 large peppers (orange, yellow and/or red)
3 Tbls Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce
2 Tbls balsamic vinegar
2 Tbls olive oil
1 Tbl finely chopped fresh oregano leaves (or 1/2 Tbl. dried if you don't have fresh)
1 clove garlic, peeled and pressed
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional), depending on what you are serving this with

Turn on oven to broil mode.  Cut peppers in quarters and arrange skin side up,

 in single layer on foil lined cookie sheet (sprayed with non-stick spray). 

 Broil 6 to 8 minutes or until skin is blackened.  

Turn peppers over and cook 5 minutes longer. 

 Remove from broiler; let stand on sheet 5 minutes.

Remove skin from peppers and cut into strips, set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, 

olive oil, oregano and garlic.

Add peppers to vinegar mixture, stirring to coat well.

Marinate 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Arrange marinated peppers over your favorite meat or fish.

(Sprinkle feta cheese over peppers if serving with steak or chicken)

One Year Ago: Two Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
Two Years Ago:  Churchill Downs Signature Barbecue Shrimp

Every good chef should have a secret sauce, 

wouldn't you agree - here is mine!

Cioppino For Those Chilly Nights

It's back, it's cold and it came in hard last night with a vengeance!  Our first winter snow storm came roaring in like a lion with severe wind gusts all night and this morning.  Needless to say when the dogs went out, they were very quick to do their business and came running back into the house looking like I had just dusted powdered sugar all over them.

I have been on a serious soup craving as of late, with all the chilly nights we've been experiencing.  It started last week with a chiropractic appointment for my daughters that went into overtime and we got out late.  I looked at my watch and said, "I'm not cooking, we're stopping at Panera to pick up dinner!" (which is a very rare statement for me to make on short notice).  I have to admit, that was the best chicken and wild rice soup I have had in a very long time - definitely hit the spot!

This Cioppino, I decided to tackle during one of our ENS nights (Empty Nest Syndrome), while the girls were at a tournament.  I don't know why I had been so intimidated by the soup (aka "Fisherman's Stew"), it was one of the easiest and most flavorful and fun dinners to make.

Cioppino
For Chilly Nights

1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, smashed, peeled and chopped finely
3 Tbl. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp. dried red chili pepper flakes
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in juice
1-1/2 cups water
1 cup full bodied red wine (like Zinfandel)
1 (8 ounce) bottle clam juice (or fish stock)
1/2 pound mussels, scrubbed, debearded
1/2 pound manila clams, scrubbed
1/2 pound halibut, cut into 2 inch chunks
1/2 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound scallops
1/2 pound cooked snow crab legs, shells cracked and meat removed (discard shells)
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 loaf rustic crusty baguette

Heat olive oil in a 5 to 6 quart heavy pot over medium-high heat.  Stir in the onions, garlic, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and salt.  Cook covered over medium heat, stirring once or twice until onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes.

Add tomato paste, tomatoes with their juice, water, red wine and clam juice.  Cover and bring to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer covered about 30 minutes, until the flavors blend.

Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid.  Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5-10 minutes.  Add the halibut, shrimp, scallops and snow crab meat.  Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer.

Discard any clams or mussels that do not open and discard the bay leaf.  Season the soup, to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls.  Squeeze a little of the lemon wedge over the soup and serve with rustic baguette (for some serious mopping up of all that yummy goodness).

One Year Ago:  Sweet Shrimp and Spicy Sausage Skewers
Two Years Ago:  Pear Tart

Yes, it was that good - he went for seconds and thirds!!

Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast Bake...Baby It's Cold Outside

Well our morning temperatures have definitely dropped as of late.  It's just a tad bit chilly when we wake up now.  Still no snow yet though, just crisp fall air which is perfectly okay with me at this point.  I'm not quite ready to pull out every parka, coat, scarf, hat and gloves quite yet.  Although, I have already started wearing a few of my pashmina scarves that I love so much (don't ask how many colors of them I have), because I am fashionable like that.

A few weeks ago when we were entertaining family, I decided to have a send off Sunday brunch for my sister-in-law and her husband.  In planning the menu I really wanted to do biscuits and gravy but they can really get heavy sometimes.  I decided to make a breakfast bake instead with the same ingredients, only cutting up biscuits into quarters.  This way it is much more portioned control and health conscious for those of us watching our figure...well, that's the story I was trying to convince myself of anyway.  

WOW!!  This dish was awesome.  My husband went back for seconds and thirds.  The bake was gone in a blink, before I could even get a photo of it.  So, as luck would have it, I made another batch of it the next week, so I could get photos and it was still a huge hit with the family!  If you have upcoming holiday company in the near future, I highly recommend this one for breakfast.

Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast Bake

2 (12 ounce) packages Jimmy Dean Reduced Fat Sausage

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 to 4 cups whole milk

1/2 to 1 teaspoon Lawry's season salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (12 ounce) container Pillsbury Grands Jr. Biscuits (10 count)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9x13 glass baking dish

with non-stick spray inside (bottom and sides).

If you have a cast iron skillet, I recommend using that

to make the sausage gravy.

Brown sausage over medium-high heat until no longer pink.

Reduce the heat to medium-low.  Sprinkle half the flour and stir so

that sausage soaks it all up, then add more a little at a time.

Stir around again and pour in the milk, stirring constantly.

Cook the gravy, stirring frequently until it thickens (up to 15 minutes).

Sprinkle in the seasoned salt and pepper and continue cooking.

If it gets too thick, add 1/2 cup milk at a time, if needed.

While the sausage gravy simmers, cut the biscuits into

quarters and spread around baking dish.

Pour the sausage gravy over the biscuits and stir well, 

to make sure all the biscuits are coated and evenly distributed.

Bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes,

until biscuits are cooked through and lightly browned.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

One Year Ago:  Creamy Artichoke Bruschetta
Two Years Ago:  Cherry Cheesecake Brownies

Shortbread S'mores Cups and The Stanley Hotel

Today is Halloween once again.  The Tamale Casserole is in the crockpot and has been brewing since 6:00 this morning, when we saw the girls off to their volleyball tournament.  After a full day of sports, I'm afraid I have become my worst nightmare...this year I decided to boycott Halloween and handing out candy.  This year, I announced "we're going dark"...no candy handouts.  Since the girls won't be home, it's just not the same this year.  They were sweet enough to carve masterpiece pumpkins for me, and decorate our front porch, but that's the extent of it this year...and that's perfectly okay.

We did however, get a dose of spook while visiting the famous Stanley Hotel in Estes, Colorado, just 45 minutes from our house.  "The Stanley" is quite a historical landmark, both outside (and inside).  Just walking around either on the grounds or in their haunting halls, can give you the chills.  We treated my brother-in-law and his friend to a first class tour there.

They recently made some incredibly beautiful improvements to the grounds, including a new reflective pond and maze (just like in the movie, "The Shining").

Our self-guided tour was glorious.  The sun was perfectly shining on the porch and we sat and enjoyed their garden sofas and a glass of wine with all the other tourists.  Afterwards, we treated ourselves to a picnic on one of their breathtaking lawn areas...the perfect way to spend an afternoon.

If you're also doing away with the Halloween candy this year but are looking for a treat and no tricks, this little one is awesome.  I took my Grandma's Layered Pudding and morphed it with my daughters' favorite S'mores.  These were great for just wanting a little taste of sweet without having a full pan of calories haunting me every night!!

Shortbread S'mores Cups

1 cup flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup (plus 1 cup) powdered sugar, divided

1 (8 ounce) block of cream cheese, room temperature

1 9 ounce container of Cool Whip

1 small package instant chocolate fudge pudding

1 small package instant white chocolate pudding

3 cups cold milk, divided

large marshmallows

Mix flour, butter, salt and 1/4 cup powdered sugar well and pat out in a 9" x 13" pan.  Bake in 325 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.

While shortbread is baking, mix cream cheese, Cool Whip and 1 cup powdered sugar.  Whisk/beat until well blended.  Set in refrigerator for one hour.  

In a separate bowl, mix chocolate fudge pudding and 1-1/2 cup milk. Whip well with electric mixer and set in refrigerator for one hour.  Do same process in separate bowl with the white chocolate pudding, and also set in refrigerator for one hour.

When ready to serve, remove cooled shortbread from pan and crumble.  Add a layer of the shortbread crumbles in a short triffle cup.  Add a spoonful of the cream cheese/Cool Whip mixture.  Then, add a small layer of chocolate fudge pudding and a layer of white chocolate pudding.

Toast your marshmallows in fire or on a gas cooktop flame (carefully).  Add toasted marshmallows to top of pudding....and enjoy some ooey, gooey sweetness!!

One Year Ago: TyKu
Two Years Ago: Tamale Casserole

Crockpot Pulled Pork Chili...Pull Out The Blankets

It finally happened...our days of 79 degree fall weather has left us.  Our days of sunshine warming our skin while taking in the beautiful fall colors is over.  We had three solid days of bone chilling cold rains last week and you know what that means...comfy blankets, slippers, soups and chili!

A few fall colors over our fireplace mantle.

Autumn florals over the dining table.

My handsome guy with his "Boo Bandana".

When my brother-in-law was here visiting a few weeks ago, we made 83 pounds of pulled pork for our slider dinner one night (okay, maybe the pounds are an exaggeration), but there was a lot of meat left over.  I froze it until I could figure out what to make with the masses of meat.  Bingo...chili!!  Our cold days and nights last week were the perfect prescription for such a dish.  I prepped in the morning before work, fired up the crock pot, and the dish and dinner was served when we all came home - yummy and comfy!!!

Crockpot Pulled Pork Chili

2 to 2-1/2 pounds, cooked, shredded/pulled pork
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 (14 ounce) cans chili beans in hot sauce
1 small can tomato paste
4 Tbl. chili powder
2-1/2 Tbl ground cumin
1 Tbl smoked paprika
2 small zucchini, grated

for serving, optional:
sour cream or greek yogurt
grated cheese
sliced green onions or chives
chopped red onions
diced/sliced fresh avocados
tortilla chips/strips

Set crock pot to low heat setting.  Add all ingredients (except zucchini) in crock pot. Mix very well. Cover and let cook approximately 8 hours.  During the last hour, add the shredded zucchini and stir well again.  ** This chili is very thick, if you like your chili a little thinner/soupier you can add a small amount chicken stock/broth to your liking.

Pulled Pork Dinner (before the leftovers and Chili) - awesome slider sandwiches!!

One Year Ago: Chocolate Brownie Brittle Mousse

Two Years Ago:  Pumpkin Pancakes

Goat Cheese, Artichoke, and Olive Bruschetta and Chapel On The Rock

(photo taken before 2011 floods)

One of the great things about having company stay with you for the first time, is you get to play tourist right along with them.  I had been wanting to visit Chapel on the Rock, ever since we moved to Colorado and three years later I finally made it.

We took my husband's sister and her husband there, on our way to Rocky Mountain National Park for the day...the Chapel was everything I had imagined and heard about.  The Chapel on the Rock (officially, Saint Catherine of Sienna Chapel) is a landmark in Allenspark.  

In 1999 Boulder County designated the chapel as a historic site.  Pope Saint John Paul II prayed at the chapel during his visit to Denver in 1993; he blessed the chapel afterwards.  

The grounds and surroundings of the chapel are so peaceful and tranquil.  Unfortunately after the 2011 floods, much of the terrain was destroyed, including the lake surrounding the chapel.  There is a stream, pictured above that is starting to grow and the area is maturing again.

After an incredibly memorable and fun weekend, our finale was their amazing dinner they made for us and completely spoiled the family with. We started with these bruschetta that were out of this world...they were so good that I made them again for us the next week!!  These would be perfect for your upcoming holiday open houses, parties, or pot lucks!!

Goat Cheese, Artichoke, and Olive Bruschetta

Courtesy of Sunset Magazine, October 2015

1 large artichoke or 1/2 cup diced thawed frozen artichoke hearts

1 shallot, finely chopped

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

about 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 small garlic clove, minced, plus 1 whole clove

1 Tbsp. Meyer or regular lemon juice

about 1/4 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. .chopped flat leaf parsley, plus small leaves

1/3 cup picholine or Nicoise olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

12 baguette slices (from 3/4 baguette), cut on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick and 4 to 5 inches long

1/2 cup fresh goat cheese

Cut off and discard artichoke stem and all but 1-1/2" from leafy top.  Pull off leaves down to pale yellow ones.  Cut off all green parts from outside.  Halve artichoke through stem and use a pointed teaspoon to dig out fluffy, fibrous choke.  Cut artichoke into 1/4" dice.

Cook fresh (or thawed frozen) artichoke, shallot, 1 Tbsp. oil and 1/4 tsp. salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, covered, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add minced garlic; cook until artichoke is tender, 5 minutes more.  Let cool.

To artichoke mixture add 2 Tbsp. oil, the lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. pepper, the chopped parsley and olives.  Stir; let relish sit at least one hour.

Preheat broiler with rack set close to heat.  Broil baguette slices on a baking sheet, turning once, until light golden, 3 to 4 minutes total.  On one side, lightly rub toasts with garlic clove, brush with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Spread toasts with goat cheese, leaving a corner uncovered and top with relish.  Set a parsley leaf on each.  

Peace and Blessings be with you...Enjoy!!

Pairs beautifully with white or red wine....we enjoyed Educated Guess for the evening.

After we relaxed with our Bruschetta and Cabernet Sauvignon, 

my sister-in-law's star of the evening was her unforgettable dinner!

Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs (Sunset Magazine, October 2014) click here.

Kohlrabi, Apple, and Horseradish Remoulade (Sunset Magazine, October 2014) click here.

Roasted Carrots

Spaetzle

One Year Ago:  BLT Sandwiches with Nana Tomatoes

Two Years Ago:  Grannie's Lasagna