Pickle Roll-Ups

gosh, i forgot how much i love these!

Ingredients:
8 slices corned beef lunch meat
4 oz. cream cheese
4 medium dill pickles
Directions:

Lay corned beef in stacks of two on a hard surface. Spread 1 oz. of cream cheese onto
each stack. Place a pickle directly in the center of each. Roll corned beef around the pickles and cut each roll into four equal parts.

recipe and photo by pipandebby.com

christmas cake!

WOW! is this not the most beautiful Christmas cake ever?

i LOVE this photo of the naked layers:

and of course the final product:

for more photos and the recipe visit bakingdom.blogspot.com

gourmet hot cocoa

i am freezing tonight and all i can think about is sweet hot cocoa. these from Teton Cocoa Company look super yummy (and a fun holiday gift idea!) my picks are pumpkin spice, peppermint, and white chocolate.

Homemade Pretzels (like Auntie Anne’s Pretzels!)

i am sooo excited to find this recipe. i have always wanted to learn how to make yummy homemade pretzels. and the recipe actually sounds like something that i could handle!

INGREDIENTs (Auntie Anne’s Pretzels)
1-1/2 Cups Warm Water
1-1/8 tsp Active Dry Yeast
2 tbsp Brown Sugar (I used light brown sugar)
1-1/8 tsp Salt
1 Cup Bread Flour
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Cups Warm Water
2 tbsp Baking Soda
Course Salt to Taste (I did not use any salt)
4 tbsp Melted Butter (I used my Cranberry Honey Butter)

Directions
1. A) Add the warm water to your stand alone mixing bowl along with the yeast and stir to dissolve. Add the sugar, salt and stir to dissolve. B) Attach your mixing bowl to your stand alone mixer fitted with the dough hook and add the flour allowing the mixer to operate on speed 2 or 3. C) Knead the dough until it forms a ball around the hook.

2. Take the dough out onto a work surface area and knead by hand until the dough feels smooth and elastic. Form into a ball cover and allow to rise for at least 30 minutes to 45 minutes.

I simply placed a clear glass bowl on top of the dough. You may also place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with saran wrap. Its up to you.

While the dough is rising, prepare the baking soda bath with warm water in another bowl, big enough to dip the pretzels in. Stir the mixture often.

3. Take a pastry cutter and cut your desired amount of dough and begin to roll into a long rope (as long as your heart desires) but no thicker than a 1/2 inch and shape into a pretzel. Repeat until you have used up all the dough.

4. Dip the pretzels in the baking soda bath, allow the access water to drip off. Preheat your oven to 450º at this time.

5. Place the pretzels on a greased or lined baking sheet and allow to rise for an additional 15-20 minutes. Then bake for about 10 minutes or until golden.

visit koreanamericanmommy.com for the photo step by step!

Edamame Hummus

this looks like something light and delicious to snack on in the evening while i am watching my BRAVO shows!

INGREDIENTS
2 green onions
10-oz. package frozen shelled sweet soybeans (edamame)
½ cup fresh Italian parsley sprigs
½ cup water
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh lemongrass or ½ teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
1 Tbsp. canola oil
3 cloves garlic, quartered
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon salt
Red pepper flakes
Assorted dippers – radishes, red peppers, carrots, pita wedges

DIRECTIONS
1. Thinly slice green onions, keeping green pieces separate from white pieces; set aside.
Cook edamame according to package directions, except omit salt; drain. Rinse with cold
water; drain again. Reserve a few edamame for garnish.
2. In a food processor, combine white parts of green onions, the remaining cooked
edamame, parsley, water, lemon juice, lemongrass, oil, garlic, ginger and salt. Cover
and process until nearly smooth. Stir in green onion tops.
3. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl. Garnish with reserved edamame and red pepper
flakes. Serve with vegetable dippers and pita wedges

via pipandebby.com

Spicy Acorn Squash Soup

i have an acorn squash that has been sitting on my counter for almost a month and now i have something to make with it! (harper might really like this recipe too!)

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive (plus more for squash)
1/2 cup shallots diced
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup med-hot chili peppers
1 apple, peeled and diced (go for sweeter apples)
2 cups veggie broth (may need more)
1 large acorn squash
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons each fennel powder and paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 400˚. Cut acorn squash in half, scoop out seeds, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cut side up in the oven and let roast for 35-45 minutes until squash is soft and easy to scoop.

Right before squash is done, in a pot heat olive oil over medium low heat. Saute shallots, garlic and pepper until softened slightly. Add apples in and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour in veggie broth and add in fennel, paprika, and red pepper flakes.

Continue to simmer until apples have softened, about another 5-6 minutes. Once apples are ready, scoop out the acorn squash into the pot and stir. Once squash breaks down, you may need to add a little more veggie broth to get the soup to a better consistency.

Remove pot from stove and with an immersion blender (or a food processor), puree mixture until apples and squash are smooth. Return to heat and cook for 2-3 minutes more.

recipe and photo from naturallyella.com

Nutella Stuffed French Toast

something delicious to sabotage my diet with this weekend. mmmmmm! (wouldn’t it look pretty with ripe red strawberries on top?)

INGREDIENTS
4 slices Texas Toast
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/8 cup powdered sugar
4 Tbsp Nutella
maple syrup or strawberries

Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium low heat. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, cream, and powdered sugar. Take 2 slices of the Texas Toast and spread 1 Tbsp of Nutella on each one. Sandwich together and dip both sides in the custard mixture. Grill on each side until brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately with maple syrup.

recipe and photo by heathersdish.com

Peppermint Meringues

these are so darling! i had to copy and paste this recipe for future use.
ps..meringues are super low in calories (for cookies anyway!)

Peppermint Meringues
Makes 75 meringues

3 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
red gel-paste food coloring

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

Put the egg whites and sugar in the metal bowl of a stand mixer. Place over a pot of simmering water and stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Return the bowl to the stand mixer and beat on high until the meringue reaches stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, use a small paint brush to paint the inside of a pastry bag fit with a small star tip with 3 stripes of the red food coloring. When the meringue is ready, fill the pastry bag and pipe into quarter sized stars on the prepared sheet pan (Note, the first little bit of meringue to come out of the pastry bag will not have the red stripes because it was inside the tip and not the bag. Pipe it out into a bowl until you see the stripes, then begin piping the stars).

Bake for 1 hour 40 minutes until meringue is crisp but not browned. Let cool on the sheets on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

via completelydelicious.com