Together Wishing You a Happy New Year!

Hello to our few readers! Thank you so much for reading our blog this past few months. We've discovered that documenting our posts can sometimes turn into eating cold food, but the best part of posting is sharing with our family! Wishing you all a safe and happy New Years! We're looking forward to continuing our blog throughout the next year! Stay tuned! 

Anchovy Lovers

Delish! Anchovy pizza, excellent anytime! 'Tis the season to be jolly-LOTS of eats call for a light and delicious meal! A quick pizza dough, and homemade sauce whips up in minutes. A little anchovy and cheese on top, and AWAY WE GO!

Cranberry Cookies Take 2

This is my second batch of the cranberry cookies. This was my post from round one.  As you can see they are still very crumbly. I will not give up on these cookies! I love the flavors and I want to make them perfect! Any other tips out there? Thanks.

Made by AM.

Together Making Snowman Place Cards

This year we had a large Christmas dinner on the the 23rd. We needed a good way to arrange everyone at the table so we created these great place cards and also doubled as ornaments as you see above. We had an army of about 11 caroling snowmen. They were great! We put the names on their caroling books and then everyone could take them home after dinner and use them as ornaments. I thought that they were quite clever. I crocheted all the hats and then added a white pom pom on top. Then there bodies were simply sticks, white foam balls, beads, and jingle bell buttons!
Made by AM, DD & EJ (sister)

Marshmallows

After reading from a blog called This Week for Dinner about these delicous homemade marshmallows, I had to give them a try to see if they really were fool proof. So late last Sunday night as I was finishing up my amaretto cakes I threw these together and then cut them up this morning. Simple simple. These make for a great additional treat along side hot chocolate for dessert! Yummy. Recipe.

Flan

Flan, also known as flop, may perhaps be the fast most beautiful dessert I've ever made. The mix by Goya is quite good and is less than a dollar. I simply add milk, heat and then empty the contents into small espresso cups. After a few hours I simply slide them right our onto the saucers. Simple and beautiful. I would recommend making this as an easy dessert to anyone!

Together Crocheting

The crocheting is still going quite well. I have made several dish clothes out of this great cotton yarn and in between posts I have been crocheting miniature hats that will be on top of our snowman place cards for Christmas dinner. There will be eleven people attending dinner and one absent. So all together my sister and I are making an army of twelve caroling snowman place cards. I will include an image later in the week!

Amaretto Cakes

These little bundts are delicious! They were featured in the 1992 edition of Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cooking as an under $2 per cake gift. The recipe said that it made at least eight cakes but I only squeezed out six. They are perfect little vanilla butter cakes topped with amaretto. These will be traveling via snail mail as soon as the post office opens! If you're lucky these little joys of goodness will be coming to you soon. 

Christmas Pudding

Orange-Pecan Pudding

(Will need a six-cup steam pudding mold with lid for this recipe.)

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

3/4 teaspoon grated orange rind

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

1/4 teaspoon allspice, ground

dash of cloves, ground

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

one small cooking apple, peeled & cored, & grated

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

3 Tablespoons minced crystallized ginger root*

Citrus Hard Sauce (recipe follows)

*Most often found in Asian cooking section of general grocer

Beat butter at medium-high speed of an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in orange rind.

Combine 2 cups flour (reserving 1/2 cup) and next 4 ingredients. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with milk and orange juice concentrate, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition.

Chop crystalized ginger root. Toss apple, pecans, chocolate minis, and ginger with reserved 1/2 cup flour; fold into batter. Spoon batter into a well-greased 6-cup pudding mold. Before covering tightly, DD delicately places an English coin, wrapped in foil, into the batter. Place mold on shallow rack in a large, deep kettle with enough boiling water to come halfway up mold. Cover kettle; steam pudding 3 hours in continuously boiling water, adding boiled water if needed. Remove mold from water and cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides and unmold directly onto a serving platter. Serve with Citrus Hard Sauce.

Citrus Hard Sauce

1/2 cup butter, softened

1-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1-1/2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier or orange-flavored liqueur

Beat butter and sugar at medium-high speed of an electric mixer till smooth. Gradually add Grand Marnier, beating until blended. Cover and chill. When served over a warm dessert, slowly melts-as shown in picture.

Make no mistake this is a very rich dessert. Although the recipe suggests eight servings, many more are easily satisfied.

And, don't forget to inform your guests of the hidden surprise...that will bring to the finder good fortune in the New Year.

Recipe credit to Oxmoor House, Inc/American Country Christmas 1993

Venison Stew

Venison Stew

2 TBSP vegetable oil

2 lbs venison stew meat

3 large onions, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

3 c low-salt beef broth/or chicken

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 T soy sauce

1 t dried oregano

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

6 medium potatoes

3/4 lbs carrots

1/4 c all-purpose flour

1/4 c cold water

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add venison and cook until all

sides are nicely browned.

Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until onions are

softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, soy

sauce, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and

simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until meat is tender.

Add potatoes and carrots and continue to cook, covered, until vegetables

are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.

In a small bowl or cup, combine flour and water until smooth; stir into

stew. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

Makes 8 servings.

The Best Pumpkin Pie

Paula Dean from the foodnetwork is know for two things. Mayonnaise and cream cheese. I swear that that woman is going to kill Michael (Paula's boyfriend).  Well this recipe is the best pumpkin pie that I've ever had. So stop making regular pumpkin pie and make something worth eating! Of course paula incorporates a little half and half and cream cheese but her recipe is the best pumpkin pie you'll ever make! Print this recipe and do not lose it! Its a keeper. 

Made by AM

 

for the recipe visit foodnetwork. 

toastabag 500 made for Lakeland

Let me introduce toasted sandwiches in 3 minutes or less. WD recently introduced DD to the reusable toaster bag. Quick, easy, and revolutionary, if not curious! Cleans up in seconds with hot water and soap OR toss in the dishwasher. Make a grilled turkey and provolone as shown here OR get WILD and toast a cherry chocolate delight!

Check out http://www.lakeland.co.uk/F/keyword/toastabag+500/product/10724

"the home of creative kitchenware."

Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies

One of my favorite blogs to read is We Are Not Martha, and they recently featured these cookies. They are a great concept but the recipe isn't quite right. The cookies are far to sticky to get off of any type of wax paper or foil that you use and the cranberries are a little tart for some palettes. I did enjoy that the cookies were not just butter cookies but they had yellow corn meal mixed in. This was a really nice hint and something unusual. Now the recipe just needs some work. Check out the recipe on their site and maybe other bloggers out there have another idea of improving this cookie. 

Peanut Butter Blossoms

These cookies are amazing straight out of the oven, refrigerated, or frozen! Try them all ways! They are a perfect treat if you like peanut butter and chocolate. I tend to use butter instead of shortening. They turn out the same. You decide!

Made by AM. 

chocolate kisses 

1/2 c shortening

3/4 c Peanut Butter

1/3 c granulated sugar

1/3 c packed light brown sugar

1 egg

2 T milk

1 t vanilla extract

1-1/2 c flour

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

• Granulated sugar
• Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates. Put kisses in freezer so that they get cold. (I store mine in the freezer!)

Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. 

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet. 

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. (secret: keep your kisses in the freezer, that way they will refrain from melting when  you push them into your cookies!)

Rumprints

Featured on the lower right, in the 1988 Better Homes & Gardens Creative Ideas, Holiday Cooking magazine are these delicious little treats! Rumprints! The best part of these cookies is the rum flavored frosting in the middle! Yummy! Imitation rum will do the trick! They remind me of egg nog with lots of nutmeg! I just can't get enough of these!

made by am

dough

2/3 c butter

1/3 c sugar

1 egg

1 t vanilla

1 3/4 c flour

1/4 t nutmeg

frosting

1/4 c butter

1 c powdered sugar

1 t imitation rum and 2 TBSP milk (OR 1 TBSP rum)

Ground nutmeg

Combine the first six ingredients for the dough. Chill for 1 hour. 

Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Top with frosting from a pastry bag and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Enjoy & Share!

Snickerdoodles

Yummy snickerdoodles! I told my sister that these little treats are a neutral cookie because who doesn't like cinnamon and sugar. They are so easy to make and require very few ingredients! She told me that she does not like snickerdoodles! I guess they're not that neutral after all. Maybe if I had rolled them in red and green sugar? Would they have been more appealing? 

Apple Blackberry Cake

Berries are not usually paired with cakes. But this cake is worth trying. It tasted delicious paired with a nice vanilla or coconut milk ice cream. It was featured in Martha Stewart's magazine.

Made by DD.

1 1/2 c flour

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

6 T butter, melted, 2 T butter set aside

3/4 T light brown sugar

1/2 c milk

2 eggs

4 apples

1 c blackberries

1/4 t ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, and dust with granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together melted butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, the milk, and eggs in another bowl. Whisk into flour mixture.

Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Arrange apple wedges over batter, and sprinkle with blackberries. Gently press fruit into batter. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and the cinnamon, and sprinkle over fruit. Dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bake until top is dark gold, apples are tender, and a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Let cool. Serve with ice cream. 

Peanut Butter-Choc Chip Oaties (PBCC)

Gearing up for the holiday season ED created yet another cooking sensation, PBCC-Oaties. A magnificent pairing of chopped peanuts and chocolate with a sprinkling of oats made these cookies an instant hit especially with non-dairy folks-as no cows were harmed in the baking!