Peppermint Patties

I found this recipe about three years ago when I was attempting to expand my Christmas-treat-repertoire. But when I tried to make them, I did not allow myself enough time and ended up botching the recipe. Needless to say, my frustration held any desire to make these again at bay...until this year. With more time (and patience), I was able to complete the recipe successfully...and, if I do say so myself, these may be my favorite treat of Christmas 2010!


Ingredients
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 tbsp. peppermint extract
6 cups powdered sugar
3-4 boxes Baker's semisweet chocolate


Directions
1. In a medium bowl, combine the milk and peppermint extract.
2. Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix with stand- or hand-mixer until combined.
3. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and knead on a surface sprinkled with powdered sugar until dough is stiff (the stiffer the better when it comes to dipping it later). Add more powdered sugar while kneading if the dough is sticky.

4. Roll to 1/4-inch thick.

5. Using a small circular cookie cutter, cut the dough into small circles (no bigger than 1 inch or they will fall apart when you dip them). I have never been able to find a small enough cookie cutter, so I used the screw-off top of my balsamic vinegar (I made sure to rinse it well to avoid a weird balsamic-flavored peppermint patty!) You can also use a screw-off wine bottle cap.

6. Once all the patties are cut, re-roll the dough and cut out more (as you would with cut-out cookies). Repeat until all the dough has been used.
7. Place the patties on wax paper and let them dry at room temperature for at least two hours on each side (four hours total).

8. Once the patties are dry, melt the Baker's chocolate in a double boiler (a pot of boiling water with a glass bowl resting over it. Make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching any water, or it will burn the chocolate). If you cannot find Baker's chocolate, you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips but melt them with 1 tbsp. of shortening for every 6 oz. of chips.
9. Once the chocolate is melted, remove from heat. Keep the glass dish over the pot of water while dipping to keep the chocolate hot.

10. Coat the patties in the melted chocolate. I use two forks, placing the patty on one and dipping it completely into the chocolate, then moving the patty back and forth between forks to let any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl.
11. Place dipped patties on wax paper until the chocolate is hardened. Store in an airtight container.

Homemade Gumdrops

After I made this recipe for the first time three Christmases ago, they are by far the biggest hit of the treat boxes I give as gifts for the holidays. They seem to be the one treat people remember from year to year, and I have had more requests for this recipe than any other. But I cannot claim credit for these delicious sugary treats - I found the recipe online!

Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar + 1 cup for rolling
1 1/2 cups applesauce
2 (3 oz) packages Jell-O gelatin mix (I like red flavors for Christmas, such as cherry, raspberry or strawberry)
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 tsp. lemon juice


Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups sugar, applesauce, Jell-O gelatin, unflavored gelatin and lemon juice. Let stand for one minute.

2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
3. Boil for one minute.
4. Pour immediately into a well-greased 9x13-inch baking dish. (I prefer to line the dish with parchment paper because the gumdrops are very sticky).

5. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm.

6. Once the gumdrops are firm, remove from pan. If you use parchment paper, you can simply pull the paper up at the ends. If you do not use parchment paper, gently loosen the gumdrops from the side of the dish with a spatula and invert onto wax paper.

7. Using a sharp knife dipped in steaming hot water, cut the gumdrops into squares (you can make them any size you like). It is helpful to run the knife under very hot water after 2-3 cuts to prevent the gumdrops from sticking to the knife.

8. Place the gumdrops on a sheet of wax paper and let dry at room temperature for 8 hours (and no longer, or the gumdrops will lose their stickiness).

9. Once the gumdrops are dry, roll in sugar. Store in an airtight container.

Caramels

These caramels go way back as a tradition in my family to my childhood - a neighbor who lived a few doors down made these every year, and they were so good, my mom asked her for the recipe. We've since moved from my childhood neighborhood, but the caramels have come with us!


The recipe itself is not difficult, but it requires precision in watching the temperature of the mixture on a candy thermometer. They really cannot be done without it, and you have to pay very close attention! If the mixture heats too high, the caramels will turn hard, sort of like brittle. And if the mixture does not get hot enough, the caramels will remain soupy. 


Ingredients
1 cup light colored corn syrup
2 cups granulated sugar
3 (1/2 pints) heavy whipping cream (1/2 pint=1 cup, so you can also measure it as 3 cups)

Directions

1. In a medium pot, place candy thermometer on side. Be sure that the bottom of the thermometer does not touch the bottom of the pot, as this will give you an incorrect temperature reading.

2. Combine corn syrup, sugar and 1 cup of cream. Heat, stirring constantly, to soft ball stage, 240 degrees.

2. Add another cup of cream and cook to 240 degrees again, stirring constantly. When you add the cream, the mixture will cool and stop boiling. Just keep stirring, and notice that the mixture gets darker each time it reheats.

3. Add the last cup of cream and cook to 248 degrees, stirring constantly.

4. Pour immediately into well-greased 9x13" glass dish (I prefer to line the dish with parchment paper, as the caramels can be really sticky).

5. Cool to room temperature. 

6. Cut and wrap in waxed paper. Store in an airtight container.

Butterscotch Gingerbread Cut-Outs

Christmastime is my favorite time of year. I love the traditions that I have with family and friends, the snow and lights, the time off of work and school...and the treat-making! I grew up with my mom making quite an assortment of treats around the holidays, and I have carried on that tradition with some tried-and-true recipes as well as some new treats I've found.

Every year, my mom makes cut-out cookies from my Grandma Johnson's recipe...we usually leave them plain and dip them in coffee. Mmm! So when I wanted to make cut-outs to bring home last year, I thought I'd try a new recipe so we wouldn't have hundreds of the same cookie for Christmas. I found this recipe in a Christmas Cookie booklet I picked up at the grocery store, and it was a hit!

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened to room temperature

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 packages (3.5 oz each) Jell-O Cook-and-Serve butterscotch pudding mix

3 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in the eggs.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, pudding mixes, ginger, cinnamon and baking powder.

4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix well.

5. Wrap the dough in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour (you can even do it overnight if it's easier to make the dough one day and the cookies the next).

6. Once the dough is chilled enough to handle, cut the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. (The dough warms up very easy, so this will keep the one half chilled until you are ready to use it).

7. Roll out one half of the dough to 1/4" thick. Cut with a lightly floured cookie cutter. Place cookies 1" apart on baking sheets.

8. Repeat with the second half of the dough that's in the refrigerator.

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes or until firm but not browning on the edges. 

10. Remove to wire racks to cool. 

11. Decorate as desired. (I used red and green Cakemate icing tubes that I bought at the grocery store, but you can decide what type of icing you prefer depending upon how much you want to put on each cookie/how you want to decorate them). I'm not a huge fan of icing, so I kept it simple.

Uncle Craig's Beans & Rice

My Uncle Craig is a vegetarian, and he has mastered the art of making super-flavorful meat- and dairy-free food. This is one of my favorite dishes of his. Thanks for sharing, Uncle Craig!

Ingredients
3 cans black beans (I like to use Bush's seasoned black beans)
1 can Rotel tomatoes with chiles
3-4 bunches scallions
28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
28 oz. can hominy
1 head garlic
1 tbsp cumin
1 box Near East whole grain brown rice pilaf


Directions
1. In a large pot, add the can of tomatoes and break up the whole tomatoes with your hands.
2. Over medium heat, add the black beans, Rotel, hominy, garlic, cumin and scallions.
3. Simmer until heated through, stirring often.
4. Meanwhile, make the rice pilaf (a mixture of rice and orzo pasta) per the instructions on the box.
5. Serve beans over rice. 

Potato & Leek Soup

For this soup, I combined parts of several different recipes that I found, substituted some ingredients...and success! I think it tastes like a creamy version of a baked potato.


Ingredients
6 strips of turkey bacon, diced
2 small white onions, diced
3 large leeks (white and light green parts), sliced
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
8 cups chicken broth
3 tbsp. white wine
5 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Fresh chives, for garnish


Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot. While the oil heats, dice the turkey bacon by slicing each strip in half lengthwise and then dicing across.
2. Add the turkey bacon to the pot and cook until it begins to brown.
3. Meanwhile, dice the onion and slice the leeks.
4. Add the onion and leeks to the pot, season with salt and pepper and saute for 2 minutes.
5. Add the butter and stir until melted. Then, stir in the flour.
6. Add the chicken broth and bring to simmer.
7. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and dice into small cubes to ensure a quicker cooking time (I cut each potato in half lengthwise, and then in half lengthwise again. I then cut each quarter of the potato into small dices).
8. Add the wine and potatoes, and bring to a boil.
9. Lower the heat and allow the potatoes to simmer until fork-tender (about 20 minutes).
10. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
11. Stir in whipping cream.
12. Garnish with freshly snipped chives, and serve with a fresh slice of bread.

Creamy Tomato Soup and Ultimate Grilled Cheese

I have fond memories from childhood of my dad standing over the grill flipping skirt steaks and kabobs or putting together tuna fish sandwiches. And I remember complaining to him my freshman year of college about the dorm food I was stuck eating. He listened, sympathized (he went to U of I, too) and then recommended the tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.


To this day, I think of my dad every time I have tomato soup. And it's usually accompanied with the melty, gooey-goodness of grilled cheese. This one' s for you, Dad.

Ingredients
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tbsp. flour
2 (28 oz) cans Hunts fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp. each dried basil and thyme
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream


Directions
1. In a large pot, heat olive oil.
2. While the oil heats, chop the onion and mince the garlic.
3. Add the onion and garlic to the pot, season with salt and saute until tender (about 5 minutes).
4. Chop the celery and carrots.
5. Add celery and carrots to the pot, and cook until tender.
6. Add the flour, and stir to combine.
7. Add the tomatoes (do not drain), and add the broth.
8. Add basil, thyme, salt and pepper.
9. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
10. Let cool 10 minutes, then blend with an immersion blender.

My immersion blender:
If you like to make soups, you have to have this tool!

11. Add heavy whipping cream and stir.


Ultimate Grilled Cheese
Who doesn't like to dunk a little grilled cheese into their tomato soup? I'm sure we all have our favorite way of making this delightful sandwich, but here is how I like it:


Ingredients
2 slices fresh bread
2 slices Gruyere cheese
2 slices White Cheddar cheese
1 slice white onion
2 strips turkey bacon


Directions
1. Cook turkey bacon in a small skillet until crisp.
2. Butter both sides of each slice of bread.
3. Lay slices of both cheeses on one side.
4. Add onion and turkey bacon.
5. Top with second slice of bread.
6. Heat a grill pan (or skillet) and place sandwich on heated surface.
7. Flip at desired done-ness and cook the other side.
8. Cook until the cheese is melted and the sandwich sticks together.