Some of the recipes I'll be using for holiday cooking...

Breakfast - rec: Delicious Overnight Coffee Cake

** Delicious Overnight Coffee Cake **

This recipe is based on one I originally got from from the Wolf House Bed and Breakfast on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. It is absolutely delicious!! Wendy Burgess at Wolf House says: "Prepare the batter the night before for a delectable, fresh, and warm coffee cake for breakfast. This is perfect for a sweet wake-up call to overnight guests or anytime you want to treat yourself after sleeping in!" Total time listed does not include chilling overnight.

12-15 servings
time to make 50 min 15 min prep

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar, divided
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 tablespoons chopped cashews (optional)

1. Grease and flour a 9"x13" baking dish.

2. With an electric mixer, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, 1/2 cup of the dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, cocoa powder, butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla and beat together well.

3. Pour the mixture into the greased dish, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight or for 8 hours.

4. When ready to bake the coffee cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

5. Take the remaining brown sugar and cinnamon, the pecans, and cashews (if using) and combine them in a bowl.

6. Sprinkle the mixture over the refrigerated batter in the dish and then bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until an inserted knife or toothpick comes out clean.

7. Cut into squares and serve immediately while it is warm.

http://www.recipezaar.com/106604

 
Snack - rec: Extra Special Holiday Chex Mix

** Julie's Extra Special Holiday Chex Mix **

My mix is based on a recipe that my childhood best friend's mother, Mrs. Harper, had for Chex Mix. It became an annual ritual for me to call her to ask for the recipe yet again. smileys/smile.gif This mix is so very, very yummy and decadent! Good thing I only make it once a year...

14 cups, approx
time to make 1¼ hours 10 min prep

-Seasoning mix-

1 lb bacon, slices
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt, to taste
4 dashes Tabasco sauce, to taste

-The Dry Mix-

2 cups dry roasted peanuts
1 cup cashew pieces
2 cups pretzels, sticks or knots (I like the sticks)
5 cups Corn Chex
3 cups Rice Chex
1 cup Wheat Chex cereal
2 cups Cheerios toasted oat cereal
1 cup cheese nips or goldfish crackers

1. Fry up the bacon until it's nice and crisp.

2. Then place the cooked bacon in a container and reserve it for another use- it's the leftover drippings you're after!

3. Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees F.

4. Melt the butter and bacon drippings together in a saucepan, then stir in the seasonings to make a nice, buttery mix.

5. In a very large bowl, combine the mix ingredients.

6. Gradually stir in the buttery seasoning mix until the dry mix is evenly coated.

7. Spread on cookie sheets and bake for 1 hour, turning every 15 minutes.

8. Spread on paper towels to cool.

9. Store in airtight container.

10. Makes about 14 cups Chex mix snack.

http://www.recipezaar.com/49543

 
Beverage - rec: New Ginger Wine

** New Ginger Wine **

I haven't had traditional ginger wine, but I decided to make a sort of infused ginger wine of my own, and the below is what I came up with. I was so excited and happy when I first I tried it: YUM! smileys/smile.gif Traditional ginger wine, produced before the holidays from scratch, is popular in some parts of England and Scotland. While this version isn't exactly traditional, this is a tasty addition to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays!

5 servings
1 750ml bottle
time to make 1 day 1 day prep

1 tablespoon lemons, zest of
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 (750 ml) bottle white wine
1/3 cup honey or golden syrup, to taste
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/4 cup raisins, chopped roughly
1 ounce brandy or cognac, to taste

1. In a non-reactive saucepan over medium heat, combine the lemon zest and juice, wine, honey or golden syrup, ginger, and raisins.

2. Raise the heat to medium-high, stirring constantly until the honey is melted, which will take about 4 minutes, but do not allow to boil.

3. Add the brandy or Cognac and place into glass container.

4. Refrigerate at least one day (or two, to taste), then strain the wine and serve in small glasses; it will be slightly cloudy but very tasty and very good for helping digest those large dinners everybody had!

http://www.recipezaar.com/48833

 
Dessert - rec: Chocolate Pomegranate Seeds

** Chocolate Pomegranate Seeds **

So easy it's almost ridiculous! smileys/smile.gif These chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds are a great addition to the holiday season, and the kids will like helping to make them.

1 batch
time to make 10 min 5 min prep

2 large pomegranates
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
wax paper

1. Refrigerate the pomegranates (not required, but it helps).

2. Remove all the seeds and place them in a colander.

3. Gently rinse the seeds, then lay them out on paper towels to let them dry.

4. Lay out a large sheet of wax paper on a a cookie sheet which will fit inside your refrigerator

5. Melting the chocolate the easy way: put the chocolate chips in a glass container (I'd use my big 4-cup Pyrex measuring thingy) and microwave them until they're melted, stirring occasionally; don't overdo it, though- you don't want the chocolate to burn or get tough.

6. Melting the chocolate another way: in a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips (if you don't have a double boiler a metal or oven-safe glass dish over boiling water works too); stir constantly while melting so you don't scorch the chocolate.

7. Add the pomegranate seeds to the melted chocolate (making sure the seeds are not wet on the surface, or else the chocolate can seize) and fold gently with rubber spatula until the seeds are thoroughly covered, then spoon out globs of the mixture, whatever size you like, on to the wax paper

8. Place the wax papered cookie sheet in the refrigerator and let the chocolate-covered seeds cool overnight (or for as long as you can stand before tasting them).

9. Keep refrigerated- they should keep for 3-4 days, at least, although I doubt they'll last that long once you taste them.

10. Enjoy!

http://www.recipezaar.com/45549

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/photo.php?rid=45549&num=2

 
To be honest, they're usually eaten within a couple of days, so I don't know... smileys/smile.gif But

...I imagine it would be similar to other oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

 
Cheezz--Your paella Recipe..........

I am unable to locate your paella recipe.
I checked the T and T section three times and did mot find it there.
Would you please check it out and if it is there, please direct me to the proper section? If you find it missing, would you be so kind as to post it for me?
Thanks, chloe

 
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