Reindeer Cookies

Ho, ho, ho it's finally time for Christmas treats. Will & I started off this festive holiday season with these reindeer cookies. At 3 1/2 Will already can name all 8 reindeer & knows every word to "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer". Gotta love his holiday spirit! In honor of his reindeer obsession, I made heart shaped sugar cookies, buttercream icing, & chocolate dipped pretzels to make "Rudolf cookies, because they have a very shiny red nose." I had seen a recipe for reindeer cookies last year, but after I search the internet & couldn't find them, I just made my own. We didn't have M&Ms which would have been my first choice for eyes & nose, but chocolate chips & a little red icing worked better than a special trip to the store. Let the Christmas cookie baking begin!

Note: I made 1 recipe of frosting & made 1/2 of it vanilla & 1/2 chocolate by adding 1/4 cup of baking cocoa to the chocolate frosting. My little reindeer likes "va-nil-la" frosting! To assemble cookies, frost heart shaped cookies, add two chocolate chips for eyes, a blob of red frosting for the nose & place 2 chocolate dipped pretzels on each side of the "head" for the antlers. I made 20 reindeer cookies with a few leftover sugar cookies for little Audrey to enjoy. Store in the refrigerator.

Sugar Cookies:

1 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon

In a large bowl cream butter. Add egg & mix. Add sugar & beat well. Add remaining ingredients and mix. On a floured surface, roll out douag 1/2 -inch thick. Add flour if dough is too sticky. Cut dough into desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire rack & frost with your favorite buttercream or cream cheese frosting. Makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

1 stick butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla

Beat butter until smooth. Beat in remaining ingredients until smooth, anout 2 minutes. Add additional milk a little at a time if thinner consistency is desired.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

Substitute 1/2 cup baking cocoa for 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar.


Kristin

Pumpkin Cake

Since Audrey shared her birthday with our Very Fake Thanksgiving, I went with a Fall theme & made her a pumpkin shaped & flavored birthday cake. I had seen in Williams Sonoma a few years ago two Bundt pans specially made to be the top & bottom for a pumpkin shaped cake. I already have a Bundt pan & with enough icing, no one would know it didn’t have the molding of vines & pumpkin details under it!

Sadly, I have only used a spice cake mix with a can of pumpkin to make a pumpkin cake. Since it was for Audrey’s first birthday I decided to look for a pumpkin cake recipe made from scratch. This one received rave reviews & I managed to only make a few changes by upping the spices & reducing some calories. The result – the best pumpkin cake I’ve ever tasted! It was flavorful & moist. Most importantly, Audrey loved it!

I found this recipe for cream cheese icing on allrecipes.com. I learned it was featured on Throw Down with Bobby Flay. Well, it certainly was delicious & my new “go to” cream cheese icing recipe. The only problem is it’s really soft. For the orange it was perfect, but for the leaves & vines I added some more powdered sugar to give it more structure.

I used two cake ice cream cones to make the stem. The first I put in the hole of the two cake & the second I dipped in melted chocolate, firmed in the refrigerator, & put upside down in the center. I think it turned out pretty cute & for what it lacked in beauty it made up for in taste!

*Note: It takes 2 recipes of the pumpkin cake to make the tope & bottom of the pumpkin shaped cake.

Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil ( I used ½ oil ½ applesauce)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I used pumpkin pie spice)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional, no nuts for the baby)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 12x18 inch pan( I used a Bundt pan). Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread batter into prepared 12x18 inch pan (or Bundt pan).
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Cream Cheese Icing II.

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.
   

Kristin

Turkey Cranberry Wreath

My Mom & I first tried this Pampered Chef recipe at a cookie exchange. Mmmm…that sounds good, the cookie exchange, but that’s for another post. The Turkey Cranberry Wreath was so delicious that my Mom got the recipe & made on herself. We all loved it & now it is a family favorite, we even served it to our family the night before my 2^nd wedding reception in Memphis. It looks impressive, but it is so simple to make. It is equally good made with chicken & it reminds me of a chicken salad sandwich just warm & in crescent rolls!

*Recipe adapted from Pampered Chef Season's Best Fall/Winter 2000 Recipe Collection

2 (235g) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons honey Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, snipped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 ¼ cup Swiss cheese, shredded
1/4 cup pecans, chopped (optional)
1 egg, separated

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Unroll crescent dough; separate into 16 triangles. With wide ends of triangles toward the center. arrange 8 triangles in a circle on Large Round Stone. Corners of wide ends will touch and points will extend 1 inch beyond of Baking Stone. Arrange remaining 8 triangles in center. matching ends. Seal seams. (Points will overlap in center; do not seal.)

In a bowl, combine turkey, cheese, celery, cranberries, parsely, mayo, mustard, & pepper; mix well.

Scoop filling over seams of dough, forming a circle.

Beginning in center, lift one dough triangle across mixture. Continue alternating with outer triangle, slightly overlapping to form wreath. Tuck last end under first.

Separate egg & beat egg white lightly; brush over dough using pastry brush. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cut and serve. Yields 10 servings.

Once again, my hunger took over my brains & I forgot to take a picture. Thank you random person on the internet for providing this one.

Kristin

Marchmallow Pilgrim Hats

We have a guest chef featured on our blog, my husband, Patrick. While Patrick actually only knows how to cook cereal & Pop Tarts, he somehow channeled all of his culinary talents to make these delicious & cute Pilgrim Hat Cookies for Audrey's birthday party. I couldn't believe my ears when Patrick told me he would help me make these cookies while I was making her birthday cake. I told him what to do & he was off, making 25 perfect Pilgrim hats! Well, the proof of the ease of preparing these cookies is in our novice chef, and the proof of their deliciousness is that we ate them all that day! Who doesn't love chocolate covered marshmallows & those yummy striped shortbread cookies made from the Keebler elves in their tree. Patrick also gave me the tip that instead of using 2 toothpicks, just stick the cookie up the toothpick & pull the toothpick down the hole in the cookie! He's talented & smart! Hey Patrick, does this mean you are my new sous chef?

* I made my own icing (since I was making it for Audrey's cake, too) & colored it yellow. It worked very well.

Ingredients

• 24 chocolate-striped shortbread cookies
• 12-ounce package of chocolate chips

• 24 marshmallows
• tube of yellow decorators' frosting

Instructions

1. Set the chocolate-striped cookies stripes down on a wax-paper-covered tray, spacing them well apart.

2. Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave or double boiler.

3. One at a time, stick a wooden toothpick into a marshmallow, dip the marshmallow into the melted chocolate, and promptly center it atop a cookie.

4. Using a second toothpick to lightly hold down the marshmallow, carefully pull out the first toothpick.

5. Chill the hats until the chocolate sets, then pipe a yellow decorators' frosting buckle on the front of each hat.

Kristin & Patrick

Pioneer Woman Delicious, Creamy Mashed Potatoes

I made these mashed potatoes for our second Thanksgiving at my brother's house. I needed them to be easy to transport & reheat without getting dry. I love the Pioneer Woman & I remembered seeing her recipe for make ahead mashed potatoes. I thought they were fabulous & so did the sweet granny sitting next to me. The cream cheese gave these potatoes extra richness & creaminess and the Lawry's Season Salt gave them a little zip. I think I will bag my old mashed potatoes recipe (I never used one, just tossed in ingredients Rachael Ray style) & use this recipe from now on!

I have a theory that when the food is really good & we are really hungry that's when I forget to take a picture.The good news is the Pioneer Woman took a picture of her mashed potatoes & we happen to have cooked them in the same casserole dish, so the recipe & picture are credited to her. Thanks.

Ingredients

• 5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes
• ¾ cups Butter
• 1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened*
• ½ cups (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half
• ½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• ½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.

Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.

Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.

Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Kristin

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

My mom has been making this salad for as long as I can remember. We ALWAYS have it on special occasions, definitely on Thanksgiving. When I was a kid I thought, since my family loves this salad, that all families must eat it on their special occasions, too. Now that I am aged, I've learned that just because my family did something one way not ALL families do it the same. So I am happy to post this recipe & pass it on to other families so that they might enjoy its goodness on their special days too!

We had this on both Thanksgivings but on the first my Mom mixed it up a bit (scary, right?) & made the Jell-O layer a little different. She used one Raspberry Jell-O & one Orange Jell-O, and a can of whole cranberry sauce, and the small can of pineapple. It was delicious & that is the one featured in the picture.

1 1/2 c. crushed pretzels
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. melted butter
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Philadelphia cream cheese
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 sm. pkg. Cool Whip
2 small pkg. strawberry Jello
2 c. boiling water
16 oz pkg. frozen strawberries
1 sm. can crushed pineapple

Mix pretzels, sugar and butter. Spread mixture over bottom of9 x 13 baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Blend cream cheese, powdered sugar and Cool Whip and spread over pretzel layer. Dissolve strawberry Jello in 2 cups boiling water. Add frozen strawberries and drained pineapple. Chill until partially jelled. Then pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate.

Kristin

Hot Artichoke Dip

I've made more complicated artichoke dip recipes, but this simple recipe from Kraft is my favorite. So good, in fact, that we had it at our first Thanksgiving & it was requested for the second Thanksgiving!

1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained, copped
1 cup Kraft Parmesan Grated Cheese
1 cup Mayo
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Chopped tomato, optional
Sliced green onion, optional

Mix all ingredients except tomato & onion. Spoon in 9" pie or quiche dish. Bake 350 degree for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with tomato & onion, if desired. Serve with pita chips & crackers.

*My favorite part of this picute, besides Pocahontas, is my Mom's list of the dishes she is making for Thanksgiving & the times for the sides to go in the oven. What an organized cook!

Kristin

Corn Bread Dressing

Happy Thanksgiving. We had 2 Thanksgiving dinners this year since some of the family are traveling. Our first Thanksgiving we combined with Audrey's 1st birthday party. Mom made all our Thanksgiving favorites!

This recipe comes from my Nanny. She cooks "down home" goodness. I think this recipe is perfect, except for the boiled eggs, which we omitted this year. But hey, some people love a boiled egg (not me).

1 recipe corn bread crumbled
3 pieces dry white bread, torn in pieces
3/4 cup celery, chopped
1 1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 eggs, boiled & chopped
3 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon pepper
3 1/2 cups chicken broth

Saute onion & celery until tender. Combine all ingredients to make a soft mixture. Bake @ 325 for 1 hour.

Kristin

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

There are good times to try out a new recipe & there are bad times to try out a new recipe. Having over dinner guests, cooking for your in-laws, or your husband's boss are all examples of bad times to try out a new recipe. Another bad time is the night before your baby's first birthday party when I needed to make her cake, Pilgrim hat cookies, a hair bow & sew sequins on her tutu. That's probably the kind of night to order pizza, but no, I decided to try something new. So last night was the true test of whether this Tortilla & Black Bean Pie could be labeled as a "go to" recipe. The kind of recipe that is yummy, easy to cook, easy to serve, easy to clean up, & can be made while doing a number of other things simultaneously (like making a hair bow). Ding, ding! We have a winner! Tortilla & Black Bean Pie is definitely our newest "go to" recipe. It was delicious, so simple to make that I didn't mess it up while doing a number of other things, it's actually such a good recipe that I didn't really change anything, it popped right out of the spring form pan & cut into slices perfectly, & only required the use of one skillet & one pan (which went straight into my sink filled with a number of dirty dishes from making Audrey's birthday cake). I almost couldn't believe how well this pie turned on it's first try or that it was so yummy that I won't change a single thing about it the next time I make it.

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie
Ingredients:
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas - I used 8 & doubled the tortillas for each layer
1 tbsp. canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. ground cumin
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 (15-oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
12 oz. beer, or 1 ½ cups water - please, you know I used water!
1 (10-oz.) package frozen corn
4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
8 oz. shredded Mexican cheese
sour cream and salsa, for serving

cilantro

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°. Using a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5-7 minutes.

Add beans and beer (or water) to skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8-10 minutes. Stir in corn and scallions and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Fit a trimmed tortilla in the bottom of the springform pan; layer with ¼ of the beans and sprinkle evenly with some of the cheese. Repeat three times, using all of the remaining cheese on the top layer. Bake until hot and cheese is melted, 20-25 minutes. Unmold pie; garnish with scallions. To serve, slice into wedges and serve with sour cream and salsa.

*Note: I use the uncooked tortilla dough from Costco & cook them on both sides before layering into the springform pan.

Kristin

Banana Pudding

This is a quick and easy recipe for a delicious treat that everyone loves. This particular batch was for my boss, Jennifer. She loves it and is actually a little greedy with it when I make it. We were recently traveling together, and she got some banana pudding for dessert. After the first bite she said, "Yours is better" and pushed it aside. You can make it almost guilt-free by using sugar-free pudding, fat-free sweetened condensed milk, sugar-free Cool Whip, and reduced-fat Nilla Wafers.

1 package French vanilla instant pudding
1 cup water
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip
2 bananas
1 box Nilla Wafers

Combine pudding, water and sweetened condensed milk. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread a layer of pudding mixture in the bottom of an 8X8 pan. Add a layer of Nilla Wafers and bananas, then top with a layer of pudding. Continue layering until pudding mixture is finished. Top with crushed Nilla Wafers if desired. Store in the refrigerator.

hannah