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11/27/06

Amaretto Truffles

Amaretto Truffles

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Amaretto
4 ounces milk chocolate or white chocolate
cocoa powder

Place chocolate in stainless steel bowl. Combine the cream and butter in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Pour over chocolate. Add Amaretto and stir until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours or until set.

Shape the chilled mixture into 1-inch balls, rolling with the palms of your hands, and set aside on waxed paper. Chill for 1 hour. Melt milk chocolate. Dip the chocolate balls into milk chocolate and, immediately, roll each in cocoa. Chill.
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11/26/06

Truffles Truffles Truffles!

Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Truffles

1/3 C heaving whipping cream
6 Tbs unsalted butter cut into small pieces
2 C Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Bittersweet chocolate chips OR (2) 4oz Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate baking bars
3/4 C finely chopped almonds



Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add butter and stir until melted. Add Ghirardelli chocolate, stir until melted and smooth.

Remove from heat and pour the chocolate mixture into a shallow bowl. Cool, cover and refrigerate until firm - at least 2 hours. Roll mixture into 1" balls and then roll each ball into the finely chopped almonds.

Put into a cute little mini muffin tin sized holiday or foil cupcake liner.
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11/25/06

Use up that Cranberry Sauce

Thanksgiving is over and you still have cranberry sauce leftover. Yeah! Lucky you! Now you can make these yummy bars. They also could double as a coffee cake and are so delicious you should invite someone over for coffee to share!



Cranberry Bars

2 eggs
1 stick butter
1 1/2 c sugar
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond extract
1 t baking powder
1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 c leftover cranberry sauce - any style


Beat together the eggs, softened butter, sugar, vanilla and almond. Add flour and baking powder. Mix well. Spread 3/4 into a lightly prepared 9X13 inch pan. Spread the cranberry sauce over the top. Using the last 1/4 of the batter, drop it by spoonfuls over the top covering as much as you can.

Bake at 350 for approximately 40-45 minutes until just golden and the center is done. Prepare a simple powdered sugar glaze (powdered sugar, milk and almond extract) to drizzle over the top of the cooled bars.

Enjoy!Print Friendly and PDF

11/23/06

Lemon Supreme Pie

This is the pie I wanted to make this year for Thanksgiving but I already made a traditional pumpkin, pecan pie, and double layer pumpkin chiffon. 3 pies so far... and there are only five of us! LOL. I'll put this on the back burner to make in a week or two 'just because'. This is one of my families favorite pies. I've been making this particular recipe since around 1997. We've never found one we like better.

LEMON SUPREME PIE

1 baked pie shell
1 1/2 c sugar
6 T corn starch
1/2 t salt
1 c water
2 T butter
2 t graded lemon zest
2/3 c lemon juice
12 oz. cream cheese
3/4 c powdered sugar
2/3 c heavy cream
1 T lemon juice

In a saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cook and stir 2 minutes until smooth and clear. Remove from heat, stir in butter, lemon peel and lemon juice. Cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

In a bowl mix cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fold in the whipped cream and lemon juice. Save 1/2 c for garnish. Spread the remaining into the pastry shell. Top with the lemon filling. Chill 8 hours. Garnish with reserved whipped cream mixture.Print Friendly and PDF

11/19/06

Old Fashioned Stuffing

I've posted this one before but it's Thanksgiving Week here in the States and I wanted to post it again incase someone needed it.

Old Fashioned Stuffing
Nothing crazy or fancy - no raisins or oysters, sausage or corn bread. Just the yummiest stuffing like Grandma made.


1/2 c chopped onion
3/4 c diced celery
1/4 c butter
4-5 c dry bread cubes/pieces
3/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1/4 t poultry seasoning
1/4 t sage
1 egg
water - about 1 cup


Cook onion and celery in the butter. Add this to the bread pieces and cubes in a large pan. Sprinkle with all the seasonings. Mix the egg and water together in a cup. Pour over the bread cubes and toss with a fork or large spoon. The amount of water depends on how dry or moist your bread cubes are. If you have to use moist bread it will take barely 1/2 cup. Very dry bread cubes and pieces require about 1 cup or more. The stuffing should be moist, but not soggy. It should still be in cubes and pieces, not mashed together. Stuff the bird immediately and roast.

Remove the stuffing into another bowl to serve. Being inside the turkey gives it the wonderful flavor you won't have if you bake it outside the bird.Print Friendly and PDF

Make your gravy this week so you don't have to on Thursday!

This is the worlds best thanksgiving gravy - and not only for the flavor, but for the fact that you can make it ahead of time and it does not gel up!


GRAVY
*best when used with homemade broth - recipe at the end.



Mash 6 T butter with
3/4 c flour

Mash until it's a paste and break into 4 chunks.

Bring 6 c chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low and gradually whisk in flour chunks one at a time, whisking until thick and smooth. Boil 3 minutes. Cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed within 2 days. If longer, be sure it's in an airtight container in the coldest part of the fridge. Can also freeze until needed and slowly cook and reheat to thaw before continuing.

When you make your gravy;
After your turkey is done, add the pan drippings - at least 3/4 - 1 cup (up to 2 cups) heat until hot and serve!




*broth*

6 c chicken broth (water with bullion is fine)
2 lg. onions, chopped
1 c sliced fresh carrots
1 c water or dry white wine
1/2 c celery leaves and stems

Mix all ingredients in a soup pan and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Strain through a wire strainer and disgard vegetables. Add water if needed to make it 6 cups.


Save for gravy.Print Friendly and PDF

11/18/06

Pecan Pie... just in time for Thanksgiving

Pecan Pie

I've been making this particular version of pecan pie since about 1994. I've often told myself I'd branch out and try new versions (chocolate pecan pie) but before I know it, Thanksgiving is once again upon us and I'm scrambling to get all the pies made and I decide I'll just make this traditional pecan pie 'one more time'.

This year I'm doing one little itty bitty thing different. Instead of using pecan halves and laying them out in a beautiful sunburst design on top of the pie, I bought pecan pieces and I'm going to be mixing them into the filling for tiny pecan bites throughout.

1 - 9" unbaked pie crust (homemade or store bought)
1 c light corn syrup
1 c brown sugar
4 eggs
1/3 c butter
dash of salt
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c pecans

Preheat the oven to 350. In a bowl combine the corn syrup, sugar, eggs, butter, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Pour filling in the crust and position the pecan halves around the pie in rows until you finish with one pecan half in the center. Bake in a gas oven approximately 50 minutes and in an electric oven about 1 1/4 hours. Test for doneness with a toothpick. You can cover with foil if it is getting too brown on the edges for your tastes.

*note*
This year I bought pecan pieces so I can mix them into the filling and pour it in the crust. Will top with pecan halves to make it pretty.Print Friendly and PDF

11/9/06

Mini Thanksgiving Dinner Cupcakes - Candy and cookies look like a replica mini Thanksgiving Dinner on a Cupcake

Here is another 'classic' in our family... itty bitty fake Thanksgiving dinner topped cupcakes!



Needed:

Brach's Maple Nut Candies
White frosting
Yellow gel food color (in a little tube)
non-perils - red or green (for tiny red cranberries and green peas)
I couldn't find them so I bought the long shapes and called them 'green beans'
chocolate chips or butterscotch chips for 'gravy'
a package of cookies - I choose the ones with the 'pretty edge' to look like a plate
yellow frosting or other for the 'plate'


Bake and cool your favorite cupcake recipe. Place frosting on the cupcake and top each with a cookie while the frosting is soft to 'adhere' the cookie-plate to the cupcake.

Slice the maple nut candies thin and layer them as 'turkey'. Dab some white frosting next to it for 'mashed potatoes' followed with a little dab of yellow gel food color as 'butter'. Melt your butterscotch or chocolate chips and thin with a little vegetable oil. Drizzle over the 'turkey' as gravy. Finish it off with the 'cranberries' (red colored sugar or non-perils) and little green 'peas' or 'beans'.


Update:
This years Thanksgiving Dinner Cupcakes... 2006


The cupcakes from 2004 featured darker gravy as I used melted chocolate chips and butterscotch chips that year.

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Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

I believe I started to make this recipe around 1993. It's a no-bake double layer pumpkin pie made with pudding. It's a tradition in our family and might become in yours too!


Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

1 1/2 c cool whip
4 oz. soft cream cheese
1 T milk
1 T sugar

1 c cold milk
2 pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1 can real pumpkin
2 t pumpkin pie spice

1 graham crust


Mix the cream cheese, milk and sugar with a whisk until smooth. Add the cool whip and spread into the graham crust on the bottoms and up the sides. Mix 1 c milk with the pudding. Whisk for 1-2 minutes until thick. Add pumpkin and spices. Spread over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate at least 3 hours. Garnish and serve!Print Friendly and PDF

11/4/06

Hash Brown Potato Casserole

This is being posted to remind myself to make it again... soon! We love this sidedish.

Hash Brown Potato Casserole

1 - 2 lb. package frozen hash browns
1/4 c chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 - 16 oz. container sour cream (I always feel guilty and only use about 3/4 of it
2 c cheddar cheese
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 c crumbs of choice (corn flakes!)
1/2 stick butter


Mix everything but the crumbs and butter. Melt the butter, stir in the crumbs and pour over the top in a greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.Print Friendly and PDF