ITALIAN BISCUIT COOKIE

This recipe is for an Italian Biscuit Cookie or as my husband likes to call the " Dream Cookie."  You may be wondering why he calls these cookies the "Dream Cookie"?  These cookies are so good you feel like you are in a dream?  The sugar, butter and almond flavoring combine together and literately melt in your mouth.  Add the buttery & creamy icing to the top and you feel like you have died and gone to heaven!!!!  I found these biscuits on Pinterest and they were called "Spring Biscuit Cookies".  Let me tell you....you can make these cookies in the spring, you can make them in the summer, you can make them in the fall, you can make them for Easter, Christmas, Birthdays....etc....No matter when you make them or where you bring them I promise you they will be gone, gone, gone! I have made them for Easter & Mother's Day and I tinted the frosting pastel colors or left them plain white and sprinkled pastel sugars on them.  This time around I made them for a trick-or-treat broker open house (yes, we are trying to sell our home).  As you will see I tinted the frosting a light orange, placed a candy corn in the middle and wrapped them up as a "thank you" goody bag.  I doubled the recipe and brought some over to a friends house as a gift for Halloween and brought extras to my parents Halloween party.  Make these cookies once and you will make them again, and again, and again!  People will request you bring these to their parties!  These are the types of cookies you will not be able to eat just one.  You eat one and then you just keep eyeing the platter of cookies and sooner rather than later you just go ahead and grab another...because they are just that good!  Believe me..or rather believe me husband when he says these truly are a "Dream" Cookie!

ITALIAN SAUSAGE, BELL PEPPER & PARMESAN CHEESE STRATA

I don't know about you guys, but when I have guests I really don't like to do alot of cooking in front of them.  I feel like when I am cooking and working in front of them I do not get to enjoy their company and then that defeats the purpose of inviting people over to your home.  This recipe, Italian Sausage, Bell Pepper and Parmesan Cheese Strata is awesome AND it can be made the night before OR the morning of.  I always try to have some sort of "bake" for breakfast on Christmas morning and my husband said he believes we have a new "winner" with this recipe...which is a major compliment.  I got the recipe from epicurious.com and it called for fontina cheese.  Fontina cheese is really soft and I did not believe it would taste as good as grated parmesan or romano.  Hey...who am I to argue with the pro's, but that was just my opinion. Also, I do agree with them not to use green bell pepper and to use red, orange or yellow instead.  I feel bad for the poor green pepper, but the other colors have a way better flavor. Anyway, try this recipe...it is easy to make and it tastes great!  The one tip that I learned from this recipe is to cook the peppers on the other side of the sausage in the same pan.  It really flavors the peppers and also carmalizes them from the oils in the sausage.

 

YOGURT PARFAIT TRIFLE

I may not be able to catch you in time if you are having guests stay the night for Thanksgiving...but if you are having sleepover guests anytime this holiday season you have to try out this Yogurt Parfait Trifle.
 I love to make yogurt and berry trifles when I have breakfast or brunch guests.  They are so easy to make, they look pretty and everyone usually loves them.  Recently, I saw in a magazine (I believe it was Martha Stewart) where she made a large yogurt parfait but in a large trifle bowl.  Of course her recipe you made home-made granola and a cherry fruit compote....but who the heck has time to make all that when you are cooking for Thanksgiving of Christmas?  Not me!!!!  So I just bought store bought yogurt, granola, and fresh fruit.  I layered it in a clear glass trifle bowl.  I think I made this in about 5 minutes.  My guests and my family all loved it.  I served it with some cheesey scrambled, slices of canadian bacon and toasted bread.  Simple and easy....yet really good!

BRUSSELS SPROUTS BRAISED W/ PANCETTA, SHALLOT, THYME & LEMON

If you are like me you have never really given brussels sprouts a second thought....right?  I mean why make brussels sprouts when there are so many other vegies out there that you could make; carrots, green beans, peppers, etc.  I started to get bored with the same ol' vegies so I decided to add this recipe; Brussels Sprouts Braised w/ Pancetta, Shallot, Thyme & Lemon to a dinner I made a few years back for my husband and sister.  I served this dish along side a Beef Stew w/ Wine & Carrots and mashed potatoes.  I recently made this dinner again for my entire family to help celebrate some October birthdays.  Once you make this brussels sprouts dish you will never want to go back to steamed green beans and carrots.  The pancetta, shallots, thyme and lemon braise together with the brussels sprouts to create a perfect blend of flavors.  It is a hearty dish so I would suggest adding it to your fall and winter menus.  They would go great for a side dish for both Thanksgiving and especially Christmas!

CARAMEL APPLE BREAD PUDDING

Here is a little secret....you know those little recipe magazines that you see when you are in the check out line at the grocery store...I buy them!  I buy them all the time.  I am addicted to them.  But I especially buy them around the holidays.  They have the best recipe for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New  Years.  I mostly  buy them for their baked goods recipes.  A few weeks ago I was standing in the check out line and a Taste of Home mini recipe book caught my eye by stating " Halloween: Food & Fun"!  That was all I needed to give in and pay the $4.99.  There were many great recipes in this book, but I found the best recipe of all, and I in fact have made it twice since.  This recipe was the Caramel Apple Bread Pudding. To be honest with you I am not a huge fan of bread pudding...that is until I found this recipe.  Usually bread pudding is thick and dense and heavy once cooked. This bread pudding was ooey and gooey and soft and fluffy and creamy and light in texture.  It was fantastic!  Please...I beg of you...please try to make this for at least one of your upcoming holidays....your guests will RAVE!

Pasta Dinner Just Like Grandma Used To Make

We had my husbands family over for dinner this past Sunday to celebrate Christmas.  I wanted to make something that could be made ahead of time so I decided to make a pasta dinner with homemade slow cooked sauce.  I made the sauce and meatballs last Sunday and then froze everything.  I took everything out of the freezer, thawed it, and cooked it up on the stove....tadah....dinner is served.  Well, of course it was not that easy!  But I did make things a bit easier on myself by making those things ahead of time.  It all came together extremely well.  Everyone had a great time and I believe everyone enjoyed the food.  I was pretty proud that I made a "Pasta dinner just like my Grandma used to make"!

Christmas Dinner - Prime Rib With All the "Fixin's"!

A few years ago my mom and dad took over hosting our family for Christmas dinner.  My grandmother passed away and the "torch" was passed on to my mom.  The first year I believe she made a beef tenderloin, but the second year and third she made a prime rib to die for!  Last year she perfected her menu and we told her not to change one thing.  This year she listened to us and she did not change a thing!  It is the perfect Christmas menu for our family.  It is relaxing...my mom gets to relax as well because a lot of the recipes she can prepare ahead of time.  Check out our Christmas dinner menu: Prime Rib With All The "Fixin's"!

Fun, Festive, Cocktails!

If you cannot already tell, I love speciality cocktails!  They are so fun and welcoming and many times are a conversation starter!  Here are a few fun, festive, cocktails you can serve at your holiday party!

COSMOPOLITAN PUNCH 

•  4 cups vodka
• 2 cups frozen limeade
• 1 cup Triple Sec
• 1 cup cranberry juice
• 1 bottle sparkling wine (750 ml)
• 1 bottle club soda (1 liter)
• Lime zest for garnish

Stir all ingredients together in a large pitcher or punch bowl; add ice.  When cold, remove unmelted cubes and serve; garnished with strips of lime zest.

Another fun thing to do is to fill a jello ring half full with water.  Freeze.  Place limes, lemons, rasberries or whatever kind of fruit you would live over the frozen water.  Fill rest of way with water and freeze completely.  Run ring under hot water for a second to loosen.  When ice ring comes away from holder place it in  punch bowl to keep drink cool.

*Recipe & Photo Courtesy of http://www.cuisineathomespecials.com/


MULLED RED WINE 

• 4 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
• 1 TB. cardamom seeds, crushed
• 2 tsp. whole cloves
• Peel of 1/2  a lemon and 1/2 an orange
• 2 cups vodka
• 2 bottles of dry red wine (750 ml each)
• 1 cup sugar
• Grape clusters and oranges for garnish

Steep cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and citrus peel in vodka in a large pot over low heat, 10 minutes.  Add wine and sugar, and heat 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Strain out spices and serve warm, garnished with small clusters of grapes and slices of orange.

WHITE RUSSIAN EGGNOG 

• 8 cups purchased egg nog
• 1 cup vodka
• 1 cup coffee liqueur (such as Kahlua)
• Grated nutmeg and cinnamon sticks for garnish
• Stir all ingredients together in a large pitcher or punch bowl, add ice.  When cold, remove unmelted cubes and serve, garnished with nutmeg and cinnamon sticks.

 POMEGRANATE MOJITO MARTINI 

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 40 leaves fresh mint
• 1 liter club soda
• 4 cups white rum
• 2 cups fresh lime juice
• 2 cups purchased pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 8 leaves fresh mint
• thinly sliced limes for garnish

1. Boil 2 cups sugar, water and 40 mint leaves in a saucepan over medium high heat until sugar dissolves, stirring often.
2. Reduce heat to m edium and simmer 2 minutes.  Strain syrup, dicarding solids, and cool to room temp.
3. Combine cooled syrup with soda, rum, lime juice and pomegranate juice in a large pitcher or punch bowl, add ice.
4. Process 1/4 cup sugar and 8 mint leaves in a mini food processor until mint is finely ground; transfer to a plate.  Rub rims of glasses with lime wedges then dip into the mint sugar to coat.  Set glasses aside.
5. When mojito mixture is cold, remove unmelted cubes and serve in martini glasses, garnished with lime slices.

*Recipe & Photo Courtesy of http://www.cuisineathomespecials.com/

Christmas Breakfast

Here is a nother tradition my husband and I wanted to start.  We wanted to come up with a breakfast that we only had once a year - on Christmas morning.  I wanted something that I could make the day or night before and just pop it in the oven the next morning.  Basically something that is hassle free so I can enjoy  my family Christmas morning.  Here is the menu that we came up with.  Pictures will  be coming, but I have not made this menu yet this year.

Silent Night, Holy Night - A Quiet Christmas Eve

You will see a lot more posts coming up today and tomorrow. I am trying to post all my recipes and menus for the upcoming Christmas holiday in case some of my followers need some ideas.  Also, because I am going to start running out of time to post blogs because my schedule is getting a bit hectic.

My husband and I wanted to create a tradition all our own with our children for Christmas Eve.  Since my family celebrates a big Italian Christmas Eve a week before(plus we see them on Christmas Day) and Mike's family all lives out of state, we decided that we would have a quiet Christmas Eve at home tradition.  We want it to be a night of attending Christmas Eve mass and also relaxing at home with our kids.  We also wanted to come up with a Christmas Eve dinner tradition as well.  A menu that is not complicated and also a bit lighter since we will be eating huge at my parents the next day. We also wanted to stick with the Italian-Christmas Eve seafood theme as well.  I have attached my "Quiet Christmas Eve At Home Dinner" in this post for you to view.  You will find that it is simple and yet elegant!

An Italian Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve in an Italian family  is the feast of the seven fishes, which means the Christmas Eve meal is all about the fish!  It is a tradition for Italian cooks to serve seven different types of fish. In Italian, the meal is known as La Vigilia, or Feast of the Seven Fishes, and it is one of Italy’s most famous traditions.  No one knows for sure the significance for offering seven fishes, although there are numerous explanations for it. Some believe that seven fishes are served because it took God seven days to create the world, while others mention the Seven Hills of Rome. There is also the possibility that the seven fishes symbolize the seven sacraments in the Catholic Church, along with the seven sins. Today, the number of fishes served varies. Although seven remains the historical number.

So..that being said my family, since we are Italian, tries to stick to this tradition of "fish". We do not however make 7 different kinds of fish.  We make three:  fried shrimp, fried calamari and fried smelt.  I have included our entire Christmas Eve menu (our family is now actually too big so we do not actually celebrate this party on Christmas Eve...rather the saturday before)  for you on this post.  Our menu does not falter, does not stray...it is strictly the same every year!  A tradition my Grandmother & Grandfather started way back when.  We tried to honor them every year by keeping up the italian tradition!

Making Christmas Cookies with Kids!

About three years ago my husband and I started a tradition of having my nephews come over to our house to make Christmas Cookies.  We have kept that tradition alive again this year!  We make a really big deal out of it. Chase is 7 and Nick is 4 so they are very excited to come to "Auntie Ra and Uncle Mike's" house to make cookies, eat cookies and chocolate milk, watch Christmas movies and then the finale'...they get to sleep over at our house!  Yes!  We are crazy!  My mom and sister n' law come over to help. So we have a total of 4 adults and 5 kids running around, singing, dancing and making cookies! 

We have come up with two different Christmas Cookies that are very, very easy to do with all these kids.  Check out the recipes and try to make a Christmas tradition with the kids in your family!!!!

A Wine Tasting Party

This post is dedicated to my wonderful sister n'law, Melissa.  Today is her birthday and in honor of her birthday I wanted to post pictures and recipes from a spectacular Wine Tasting/Christmas party she and my brother hosted last week-end!  Everything was picture perfect!  Her food was awesome and decor was so festive! I think I had a camera in my hand the first hour of the party!  Throwing a party is so stressful and time consuming, but Melissa made this party flawless!  Enjoy!  Maybe this will give you some ideas so you can throw your own wine tasting party!

Peppermint Ice Cream - A Christmas Tradition

A couple years ago ,when I had a lot of time on my hands, before a husband and kids, I came up with the idea of making home made Peppermint Ice Cream .  I made a total of 2 gallons.  This was enough to feed party members at three different family Christmas parties.  Let me tell you....it went over extremely well!  In fact it went over so well that people were going back for seconds!  Now every year I make 2 gallons of home made Peppermint Ice Cream because all these family members have waited one whole year for it!  I cannot blame them...because I too have waited one whole year to try this super special Christmas ice cream tradition.  I use two different ice cream makers: one is an electric one where I don't have to do any work, the second is a hand crank version.  Both are extremely easy to use.  Please try this recipe it really is heaven on a spoon!


PEPPERMINT ICE CREAM 

* This recipe makes one gallon
** Please be aware that this recipe is a two day process...so start it with enough time for a day or two of
     freezing.

• 14 oz. peppermint stick candy
• 10 cups half and half cream
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 6 or 7 oz. additional peppermint sticks, crushed

1. Break 14 oz. of peppermint stick candy into pieces.  Place in a quart jar.
2. Add 2 cups half and half and allow to dissolve overnight.
3. The next day, combine remaining cream and sugar, stirring constantly until sugar is completely dissolved.
4. Stir in vanilla, salt and crushed peppermint. 
5. Combine with dissolved candy, stirring until completely blended.
6. Pour into frozen ice cream make canister (may have to do in batches depending on the size of your ice-cream maker canister).
7. Follow directions to your ice-cream maker on how to make ice-cream.  Either elecric or hand turn.
8. Once ice cream is finished place in containers and place in freezer for at least one day.

*Recipe Courtesy of Mormon Chic

Holiday "Apps" That Are Sure to Dazzle

Depending on the type of holiday party you are throwing there is a perfect appetizer for any party.  There are the appetizer and cocktail party where you want very filling apps because those in fact are the meal.  If you are having a large Christmas dinner at the dining room table you want to keep the apps simple and not extremely filling so that you guests will devour your beautiful Christmas dinner.  The following posts are dedicated to the perfect holiday appetizers....they are sure to dazzle!

 *Photo Courtesy of Southern Event Planners

Wax Paper - Vs- Parchment Paper

Is there a difference between wax paper and parchment paper.  The answer is plain and simple...YES!  What is the difference you ask?  Well parchment paper does not stick to your cookies and wax paper does! 

I always choose one outstanding, beautiful and more complicated cookie to add to my Christmas cookie trays.  This year I chose a recipe from December's issue of Bon Appetite, called Lemon Cranberry Florentines.  The recipe seemed a bit more complicated then my regular flour, sugar, butter cookies that I make...but what the heck I was up for the challenge. If you do plan on making these cookies just know that they are a two day cookie making process, because you have to make home-made candied lemon peel that has to sit over night.  Also....please....if there is one thing you take away from this post is please, please...when a recipe calls for parchment paper...just use parchement paper....do not...I repeat...do not use wax paper instead. 

Holiday Spritz Cookies

If there is one Christmas cookie that just looks joyous and festive it is the Holiday Sprtiz Cookie.  They are so simple to make.  You do need a cookie press.  You can find cookie presses basically at any place that carries baking needs.  You can use food coloring and color your cookies different colors.  You can put icing on them or use sprinkles to make them colorful and cheerful.  This super simple recipe came from Betty Crocker's Best Christmas cookbook. 

HOLIDAY SPRITZ COOKIES 

• 1 cup butter softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract or vanilla
• few drops of food coloring if desired

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Beat butter, sugar and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients
4. Place dough in cookie press.  Form desired shapes on ungreased cookie sheets.
5. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until set but not brown.

6. Immediatley remove from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool completely.

BUTTER RUM GLAZE 

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. rum extract or vanilla
• 1 to 2 TB. hot water
• food coloring

1. Melt butter in sauce pan; remove from heat.
2. Stir in powedered sugar and rum extract.
3. Stir in a bit of water until glaze is desired consistency.
4. Tint glaze with food coloring if you wish to match cookies.

Peanut & Raisin Candy Clusters

I love the sweet and salty taste of chocolate covered raisins and peanuts.  My husband calls it the "ying and the yang"!  So this year I thought I would put all these flavors together...the saltiness of the peanuts, the sweetness of the chocolate and the chewiness of the raisins.  You put all these ingredients together and make a yummy candy cluster!  The recipe is very simple and the presentation looks great on the cookie tray!

Marshmallow Fudge

I always make a nice big batch off fudge to go along with my Christmas cookies.  I use the Toll House Famous Fudge recipe, which is pretty simple and straightforward.  Last year, by accident, I created my own version that somehow included large chunks of marshmallows.  The recipe calls for miniature marshmallows. I doubled the recipe and when it came to adding the miniature marshmallows I realized I did not have enough so I added a handful or the large marshmallows.  Well...those large marshmallows did not melt into the chocolate like the miniatures did, they remained large and intact!  I followed the rest of the recipe and cut the fudge into little chunks like I usually do.  They turned out GREAT!  The large chunks of marshmallows just added to the flavors and made things just a bit more interesting!  I loved my "mistake" version of this fudge so much that I decided to make the same mistake this year!  So now here is my version of
 Marshmallow Fudge!

Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies

Bon Appetite Magazine came out with a bunch of new cookies in their December 09 issue.  I always like to try a few new cookie recipes just to have something different on the cookie tray.  I made their Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies and they turned out awesome!!  These shortbread/peppermint bark cookies are so easy to make!  I loved the mix of shortbread, chocolate and peppermint!  Tastes like Christmas!