Category Archives: Holiday Recipes

Cherry huh?

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10

I was doing the usual, just perusing the recipe websites and came across this on Myrecipes.com.  It’s a recipe for something called Cherry Clafouti.

Photo courtesy of Cooking Light

Photo courtesy of MyRecipes

I have never heard of Clafouti!  Have you?  I am dying to try it for two reasons….    1.)  it looks and sounds delicious!  2.)  I like saying clafouti!  It’s really fun!  Like “what are you eating there?”.  “Oh, just some clafouti”.

MyRecipes also adds that the cost per serving is only $.63 cents!  Can’t beat that.

Yield

6 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1  (12 oz.) package frozen pitted black cherries, thawed
  • 1/2  cup  plus 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 3  large eggs
  • 1  yolk of a large egg
  • 1  cup  all-purpose flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2  cups  milk
  • 2  tablespoons  confectioners’ sugar, optional

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter a 9-inch pie plate. Drain cherries; sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. sugar.

Whisk eggs and yolk together in a large bowl until blended. Add flour gradually, stirring constantly with a fork until incorporated. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Slowly add milk, stirring, until mixture forms a thin batter.

Pour half of batter into bottom of pie pan. Bake until firm and set, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and scatter cherries over batter. Pour remaining batter over cherries and return to oven. Cook until puffed, lightly browned and set in middle, about 25 minutes longer. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Sift confectioners’ sugar over clafouti, if desired, and serve warm.

Nutritional Information

Calories:  274
Fat:  5g (sat 2g)
Protein:  8g
Carbohydrate:  49g
Fiber:  2g
Cholesterol:  151mg
Sodium:  66mg

SOURCE

Not your grandfathers log!

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7

Nope, this is not a log found in the forest or one used to make a fire in the fireplace.  Much better!!

This is a recipe for something called Lusciously Nutty Holiday Logs from Eating Well.  Yummmmmm!

Photo courtesy of Eating Well

Photo courtesy of Eating Well

They call them Holiday Logs but I say let’s not wait for a holiday to make them!  They look amazing….   and one thing I especially love is how unique they are.

Definitely not your average cookie or brownie (not that I don’t love your average cookie or brownie!!)

Makes 2 dozen cookies

ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 1/4 hours

EASE OF PREPARATION: Moderate

1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup plus 5 teaspoons sugar, divided
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
8 sheets phyllo dough (9-by-14-inch), thawed
Canola oil cooking spray

Topping
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
2. To prepare logs: Combine nuts, 1/3 cup sugar, orange zest, cinnamon and cloves in a small bowl.
3. Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a clean, dry surface. Coat thoroughly with cooking spray. Top with another sheet of phyllo and coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle one-quarter of the walnut mixture (about 1/3 cup) evenly over the phyllo.
4. Using a sharp knife, cut the large phyllo rectangle lengthwise into 3 strips then in half crosswise to form 6 smaller rectangular strips.
5. Beginning at the short ends, loosely roll each strip into a neat log. Repeat with the remaining phyllo and walnut mixture.
6. Place the logs about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Spray tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with the remaining 5 teaspoons sugar.
7. Bake the logs, in batches, until golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely.
8. To prepare topping: Place chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe dish. Microwave on High for 30 seconds. Stir. Continue to microwave for 20-second intervals until melted, stirring after each interval. Transfer the chocolate to a plastic sandwich bag. Snip off one corner, being careful not to make the opening too large. Squeeze the melted chocolate decoratively across the top of each cooled log. Let stand at room temperature until the chocolate is completely set.

NUTRITION INFORMATION:

Per cookie:

76 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 1 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 31 mg sodium; 36 mg potassium.
1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1/2 carbohydrate (other), 1 fat

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze without the chocolate drizzle (Step 8) for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature before decorating with the chocolate drizzle.

SOURCE

Banana Bread

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2

This is not a recipe I would usually pick out, but Cooking Light’s Classic Banana Bread looks mighty tempting!  I have never made bread before (putting the packet in the bread machine doesn’t count, does it?).  I think this is a perfect recipe for me to try and venture into the world of bread baking, especially since there is no kneading involved :)

This would be a perfect breakfast for me to take in the car on my early morning clinical days.

Image courtesy of cookinglight.com

Image courtesy of cookinglight.com

I think I would throw in some extra ingredients like cinnamon, walnuts, nutmeg, and maybe substitute Greek yogurt for regular yogurt and whole wheat flour for white flour.

Yield

1 loaf, 14 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients

  • 2  cups  all-purpose flour
  • 3/4  teaspoon  baking soda
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 1  cup  sugar
  • 1/4  cup  butter, softened
  • 2  large eggs
  • 1 1/2  cups  mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
  • 1/3  cup  plain low-fat yogurt
  • 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
  • Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Nutritional Information

Calories:
187 (21% from fat)
Fat:
4.3g (sat 2.4g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.3g)
Protein:
3.3g
Carbohydrate:
34.4g
Fiber:
1.1g
Cholesterol:
40mg
Iron:
1mg
Sodium:
198mg
Calcium:
20mg

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2003

Brie en Croute…yum!

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8

I have been looking for some good recipes to make this weekend for the 4th.  While on my search for the perfect potato salad, I somehow got off track and came across the perfect appetizer to put out….Brie en Croute from trusty Nana P (Paula Deen).  I have never had this before, but can only imagine that it taste amazing.   I tasted brie for the first time last year and fell in love!

Image courtesy of pauladeen.com

Image courtesy of pauladeen.com

The pastry looks so soft and buttery…perfect!

But, I still need a good potato salad recipe that is on the lighter side if anyone has any suggestions.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup brown sugar
1   egg, beaten
1   small (8-ounce) wheel Brie
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1   sheet frozen puff pastry (package comes with 2 sheets)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Crackers, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Defrost 1 sheet of puff pastry for approximately 15 to 20 minutes and unfold (place remaining sheet in freezer for later use). Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute walnuts in butter until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon and stir until walnuts are well coated. Place walnuts on top of Brie and sprinkle brown sugar on top of nuts.

Lay the puff pastry out on a flat surface. Place the brie in the center of the pastry. Gather up the edges of the brie, pressing around the brie and gather at the top. Gently squeeze together the excess dough and tie together with a piece of kitchen twine. Brush the beaten egg over top and side of Brie. Place Brie on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes until pastry is golden brown.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ease of Preparation: Easy
Yields: 8 Servings

Happy Memorial Day!

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8

Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend and hopefully lots of sun!  Since I am of adult-age I am trying to think like one (emphasis on trying!)–this means that in addition to being thankful for Memorial Day because it provides me with an extra day of leisure, I am also remembering the soldiers who have fought and died serving our country.  Thank you to each and every one–and their families who have made an equally important sacrifice to our country.

Now, I just HAD to share with you guys a cocktail recipe that I came across on Martha.  It’s called a Bing Cherry Mojito and it looks beyond amazing!

photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

Aaaaaah!!  Just LOOK at all those cherries floating around in there….  I could eat up every single last one!  Hey, let’s have a cherry bobbing contest!

Ingredients

Serves 12

  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups freshly squeezed lime juice, about 9 limes
  • 3 pounds Bing cherries
  • 18 ounces best-quality black cherry or plain vodka (www.beekmanliquors.com)
  • 1 bottle sparkling water (750 mL)

Directions

  1. Bring sugar and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool completely. (Makes about 2 cups syrup.) Syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 month.
  2. Put lime juice into a medium nonreactive bowl. Halve and pit cherries; add to lime juice. Stir in syrup. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (up to overnight).
  3. Stir cherry mixture and vodka in a large serving bowl. Fill 12 glasses with ice. Spoon 1/2 cup cherry-vodka mixture into each glass. Top off with sparkling water. Serve immediately.

source

My all time favorite!

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2

Nana P sure knows how to make her desserts!  And this one doesn’t let you down….her Gooey Butter Cake is amazing!  I love all desserts, but this one is at the top of my list for sure!  I don’t think there has been a holiday yet that we haven’t had this dessert.

Image courtesy of Pauladeen.com

Image courtesy of Pauladeen.com

It is so simple to make and doesn’t call for a ton of different ingredients.  The outside is more cake like while the center is ooey and gooey!  To make it even more delightful, we always sprinkle a ton of powdered sugar on top.  And if you ever want to do a twist on the recipe there is a ton of different variations you can try.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Cake:
1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 16-ounce box powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer.  Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.  Prepare Filling

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together.

Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well.  Spread over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.  Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Yield:  6 to 8 servings
Preparation time:  30 minutes
Cooking time:  40 minutes
Ease of preparation:  easy

source