Homemade Turtles

1 (14 oz.) package caramels
3-4 T. milk
2 c. pecan pieces
butter
1/4 bar paraffin
1 (12 oz.) bag semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Melt caramels in milk over low heat; add pecan pieces. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto buttered wax paper. Chill until set. Melt paraffin and chocolate morsels in heavy saucepan over low heat. Dip chilled caramel clusters into chocolate and return to wax paper. Chill for at least an hour.

Christmas Through the House

To keep that Christmas-y scent wafting through my house even when I'm not baking, I keep a little pot on the stove, about half full of water and put in a couple of sticks of cinnamon, some nutmeg, a few whole cloves and the orange peels whenever someone eats an orange. If it's on the back burner, it warms while I'm cooking, but if I'm not, I just leave the eye on low for a little while. You could add just about anything you like -- lemon peels, vanilla, maybe even a sprig of the tree. It's just that special blend of smells that only fills our home this time of year and makes your home smell extra welcoming to all those out-of-town guests!

Merry Christmas!!

Fudge in Five .... No Fudgin'!

This is by far the easiest fudge recipe I've ever come across. My Mama gave it to me and I actually think she found it in the book that came with her microwave. This is a NEVER FAIL recipe, so easy even the kids can do it, and mine have -- successfully.

Fudge
1 bag (12 oz.) chips (can use peanut butter, milk chocolate, semi-sweet, white or Swirls)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. butter
1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Place all ingredients (except nuts) in a large bowl. Microwave at medium (50%) until chips are melted, 3-5 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking. Stir in nuts. Pour into well-greased 8x8 baking dish. Refrigerate until set.

Variation: Can substitute 6 oz. peanut butter chips for 6 oz. of chocolate chips to make a chocolate-peanut butter fudge.

Or, you could stir in a cup of broken pretzel pieces instead of nuts to make a chocolaty-salty treat.

My family loves, loves, LOVES this fudge and it is so easy that I make several varieties throughout the season. I've even packaged it in tins and given as teacher gifts.

Enjoy!

The 12 Cookies of Christmas

December is a month steeped in tradition and one of ours is the 12 Cookies of Christmas. Throughout the month I bake -- excessively, and we eat -- excessively. I do some of this at a friend’s cookie exchange each year, where we gather with our cookie dough, bake, eat, have tea and talk! If you’re having or attending a cookie exchange this year, or even if you just bake at home, this column will give you a couple of new ideas. The cookies I bake aren’t always sweet, some are savory and I’m giving you one of each to satisfy all the taste buds. So this month, let’s have “Dessert @ 6”, with each of the treats having 6 or less ingredients, which will help us wedge in some baking between all that shopping and wrapping!

Cheese Crisps

½ lb. extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 sticks butter
2 c. all purpose flour
2 c. Rice Krispies
¼ t. salt
½ - 1 t. cayenne pepper (depending on tastes)

Grate cheese into large bowl. Place sticks of butter in bowl with cheese. Let stand at room temperature until both are soft. Cream together butter and cheese very well; add flour, salt and cayenne pepper. Mix will; stir in Rice Krispies. Roll about 1 tablespoon of mixture into a ball. Place on cookie sheet and press with the tines of a fork. Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes, watching carefully after 15 minutes to make sure they don’t overcook. These will not brown, but should be crispy, not soft.

Now for the sweet! These remind me of the date nut roll my grandmother used to make and they are so deliciously different, yet extremely quick and easy to make. They will also help use up the rest of the box of Rice Krispies you bought to make the Cheese Crisps. The great thing about the next recipe is that it’s all done on the stovetop – no baking!

Date Crisps

1 stick butter
2 c. Rice Krispies
1 (8 oz.) pkg. chopped dates
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. chopped pecans
Powdered sugar

In a medium saucepan, place butter, brown sugar and dates. Cook over medium heat until butter and sugar melt. Add Rice Krispies and chopped pecans, stirring to combine. Cool until mixture is warm enough to touch. Form mixture into 1” balls and roll in powdered sugar.

I'd love to collect a few more recipes from some of you. I invite you to email me at lwhite_bloomingdalegazette.com and share your favorite Christmas cookie.

Also, I'll be posting a few more treats this month that your family is sure to love, so check back often.

Happy baking!

Cool Weather Comfort Food

Nothing says "fall", culinarily speaking, like a steaming bowl of chili, soup or a hearty stew. But there's one more food that warms me from the inside out -- a meatball sub. Cuddle it up next to a heap of fries and I'm one happy girl! I thought I'd share my recipe on a Saturday to feed all those hungry football fans that congregate around the TV at your house over the weekend.

Meatball Subs

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/4 c. Italian flavored bread crumbs
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, grated
1/2 c. fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped, or 2 T. dried
1 large egg
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
4 c. marinara sauce
2 c. grated provolone or mozzarella cheese
Sub rolls

Break egg into large bowl, beat. Add everything but meat; blend. After blending, add in beef and pork, mixing with hands to combine. Form meat into 1" meatballs and place in microwavable baking dish. Microwave on high 4-6 minutes, longer if needed. Once that's done, place meatballs in crock pot set on low and cover with sauce. Let them cook for 2-4 hours on low.

I slice the sub rolls, put them on a cookie sheet and fill them with meatballs and sauce, then top with grated cheese and toast them under the broiler 2-3 minutes to melt the cheese and warm the rolls.

This should serve 6, depending on how high you pile the meatballs. Some people like more sauce, some less -- so fix according to your own tastes. I use a homemade marinara sauce that I make in bulk and freeze, but you can also use a jar of spaghetti sauce as a shortcut. I also use provolone cheese because I like the stringiness of it, but some prefer mozzarella. Again, totally up to the taste buds that live in your house.

Now, there's just three weeks until Thanksgiving – oh, boy! There is no 6 ingredient solution to that day, so we’re going to shift our focus to the next most important day of the month – “The Biggest Shopping Day of the Year”! On my calendar, that day gets circled in red, marked with a star and decorated with a happy face.

Oh, yeah, it’s deal time, baby!

Not everyone gets that excited about shopping. In every home, there’s a crowd that’s less than enthused with the onslaught of shopping enthusiasts preparing to hit the mall and big box stores at the crack of dawn. For those you’ll leave behind in search of the elusive in-stock bargain, it’s important to also leave behind something for them to nibble on in your absence. This month, I’m offering a few recipes that should sate their appetites for the day, starting with breakfast. Now, don’t check out on me here. I know what time the sales start, the doors open and the shoppers stampede with Starbucks in hand. This breakfast is one you assemble the night before, pop in the oven, set for timed bake - an effort that will result in your beloved non-shopping family waking to the scent of a home-cooked warm breakfast.

Breakfast Casserole

1 cup chopped ham
2 cups grated cheese (can use cheddar or swiss)
8 eggs
1 cup whipping cream
¼ teaspoon mustard
Sprinkle with salt & pepper

Spread ham and grated cheese on the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish. Whisk eggs, cream, mustard, salt and pepper together in a bowl until well blended. Pour over ham and cheese. Refrigerate overnight. The next morning bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

If you’re planning an extended shopping day you may need lunch or dinner as well. A little prep work the night before will give you a head-start and help you use a few leftovers too.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, cubed
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 can cream of potato soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups milk
1 large potato cut in ½” cubes
Ritz crackers

Mix all in saucepan and heat. Simmer 15-20 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. These ingredients can also be placed in the crock pot before you leave and left on low until lunch. Top each bowl of soup with crumbled Ritz crackers. This is a quick and easy lunch to use up the leftover “bird” in a satisfying way!

With these efforts, your family will be well-fed while you cross items off their holiday wish lists! So, that takes care of “the day after”.

Dinner Do-over

In my house "leftovers" can quickly turn into a science project in the frig because no one's interested.

"Been there ...... eaten that."

So, what's a mom to do?

I try to use whatever is left in a *fresh* way. For example, in the recipe below, "Mama's Enchiladas", I normally have a little of the chicken mixture leftover. I've found a couple of ways to make use of it without anyone at my table uttering the phrase, "Didn't we just have this?"

My favorite way to re-use the mix is to put it on top of tortilla chips topped with Monterey Jack cheese, all on a cookie sheet, and put it under the broiler until the cheese melts and the chicken has warmed. Top with your favorite nacho toppings and -- VOILA - chicken nachos.

If nachos aren't your thing then the whole concoction can go inside a taco shell. Haven't tried that one, but it's the same concept as the nachos.

What I have tried are quesadillas. I either use Colby-jack cheese or Monterey Jack and then top with a couple of spoonfuls of the chicken mixture, maybe sprinkle a few black beans around or some salsa, whatever you like, then pan fry in a pat or two of butter. Top with a dollop of sour cream and a jalapeno and cut into triangles.

Just a couple of ideas for extra uses of the enchilada mix on nights when life is mach 10 and you need something quick.

Mama's Enchiladas

This recipe is one of my Mama’s, who somehow managed to work full time and still have a great dinner on the table every night. Her key to success was planning, planning, planning. And, to this day, she still keeps these ingredients on hand for a fast dinner fix.

Mama’s Enchiladas

1 (12.5 oz.) can breast of chicken
1 small onion
1 Tablespoon butter
1 (10 oz.) can enchilada sauce
Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Flour tortillas

Dice onion and sauté in butter over medium heat in frying pan. While onion is sautéing, drain can of chicken of all juices and separate the chunks in the can with a fork. Once onion is tender, add chicken and enchilada sauce, stirring to combine.

Let this simmer over medium-low heat while you warm up the flour tortillas and grate cheese to top. You can also top with salsa and sour cream.

6 ingredients -- 6 servings -- all in less than 30 minutes.

A great accompaniment to this dish is Spanish Rice, which I make in my rice cooker to get a head start.

Rice Cooker Spanish Rice








1 1/2 c.* long grain rice
1 cup* chicken broth
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (14 oz.) can stewed tomatoes with juice, Mexican Style
1/4 cup salsa
3/4 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried onion (can use fresh)
1/2 c. chicken broth

Add rice, 1 cup* broth and next 7 ingredients. Stir. Turn on rice cooker. When the cycle nears its end, which varies according to manufacturer, check the rice for consistency. If necessary, stir in 1/2 c. chicken broth to thin rice out.

6 servings -- ready @ 6!

* Use the measuring cup that comes with your rice cooker for the best results in your machine.

Cook Once - Eat Twice

Doubling your efforts on one day can really help you out later in the week. One of my new found favorite ways to do this is with a turkey breast. Early in the week I get a 3-4 lb. turkey breast roast, baste it with melted butter, salt & pepper it, shake on my favorite garlic-basil seasoning and put it in the crock pot on low for at least 6 hours. That's the main entree for dinner that night, but later in the week, when leftovers are the last thing you feel like having for dinner, I take the leftover turkey breast and make a quickie-pot-pie with - you guessed it - 6 ingredients. This also works with leftover chicken breasts or a store-bought rotisserie chicken.

Quickie-Pot-Pie

1 package (2 count) refrigerated pie crusts
2 cups shredded turkey or chicken
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables or 1 can Veg-All
1 t. sage
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup low-fat milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Unfold pie crust and form on bottom of 8x8" pie pan.

Mix turkey or chicken, vegetables, sage, soup and milk in a bowl. Place mixture in middle of pie crust and spread evenly.

Unfold second crust and lie over top of pie pan. Press and crimp edges with the tines of a fork.

Place generous number of fork holes on top of crust to allow steam to vent. Bake for 35 minutes on the top rack, covering crust edges with foil after 15 minutes of cooking. Let cool 10 minutes before eating.

Enjoy!!

p.s. Thanks to my best friend from high school, Michelle, for this tasty recipe!