Cranberry Pomegranate Jello

This Jello is wonderful! It might sound like a strange combination, but one taste is all it takes and you will be hooked. It is a great thing to take to any holiday parties, or just to make for your family.

1 small package orange Jello
1 small package raspberry Jello
1 package frozen raspberries with syurp crushed
1 Pomegranate - Seeds only
3/4 C. chopped cranberries

In a large serving dish or jello mold dissolve both packages of Jello in 2 C. Hot water, once dissolved add 1 C. cold water. After Jello is mixed, add fruits and stir. Place Jello in fridge to set. Once Jello is set, serve with whipping cream.

Gingerbread Cake

This is amazing and great as a treat for the Holidays, it is best served warm with fresh whipping cream to top it. My mouth is already watering!

2 C. Flour
1/2 C. Sugar
2 tsp. Ground Ginger
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. Molasses
1/2 C. Butter
3/4 C. Boiling Water
1 large Egg lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350
Grease a 9" square pan

Combine Flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger until well blended

In a separate bowl combine Molasses, Butter and boiling water and stir until butter is melted. Then add Molasses mixture along with Egg to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth. With a rubber spatula scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Serve with fresh whipping cream while slightly warm.

Overnight Pull Aparts

12 to 16 frozen white roll dough (still frozen, I use 16)

1 (3.4 oz.) package vanilla instant pudding

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup dried cranberries

1 orange ring, grated

½ cup butter or margarine, melted

Frosting (recipe below)

Sprinkle cranberries in the bottom of a greased bundt pan. Arrange rolls evenly in pan. Mix sugar and dry pudding together and sprinkle over rolls. Combine orange rind with melted butter and spoon over rolls. Cover pan with sprayed plastic wrap. Place pan in cold oven overnight (8 to 10 hours). Remove rolls from oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap from pan and bake for 25 min. Immediately invert pan onto a serving platter. Cool slightly and drizzle with frosting.

Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon melted butter

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

To make the same thing in a cinnamon version you can use:

¾ chopped nuts in place of the cranberries

4 oz package of butterscotch pudding in place of vanilla pudding and sugar

½ cup packed brown sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in place of the orange rind

Then you don’t even need the frosting, but if you really want it use milk in place of the orange juice.

Baked French Toast

This is a very yummy and easy way to get breakfast done on Christmas Eve!

Ingredients

1 loaf French bread
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups half & half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
11/3 cups packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoons light corn syrup

Directions

Coat a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange bread slices in bottom of pan; set aside. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk , half and half, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour over bread slices, cover and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small sauce pan combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Heat until bubbling. Pour over bread and egg mixture. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. Serve with butter, syrup and powdered sugar. Makes 8-10 servings.

Creme Brulee French Toast

This is not for the Non-Sugar lover! It is very sweet, but makes for a great Christmas morning breakfast! It is very, very good, especially if you like Creme Brulee!



Creme Brulee French Toast

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP corn syrup
1 loaf of Texas toast (thick sliced bread)
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half cream
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

in a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup over medium heat until smooth, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture into large, greased jelly roll pan (cookie sheet) Spread to cover completely. Place 12 slices Texas toast bread in a single layer to cover pan. mix together eggs, cream, salt, and vanilla. Spoon mixture over each piece of bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. remove from the pan and serve. If not serving immediately, turn each slice over( this will prevent bread from sticking to the bottom of the pan.)

Creme Brulee syrup

1/2 cup of butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
2 TBSP white corn syrup

boil together over medium heat for 7-10 Minutes stirring constantly

after you remove from the heat
add:
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda

Buttermilk Pie

This is my mother in-law's recipe and my Husband LOVES it...I do too!

1 2/3 C Sugar
1/4 C Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Stick melted Butter
3 Eggs, beaten one at a time.
1/2 C buttermilk
2TBS Vanilla

Fill a frozen pie shell.

Bake @ 400 for 10 minutes, then @ 300 for 50-60 minutes, or till firm!

FOOD CHALLENGE #3

Here's the third food challenge! Jen mentioned she needed new recipes for the holidays (who doesn't?!?) so... that will be the challenge!

Post some of your favorite holiday recipes. What do you take to parties and family gatherings??

Let us know so we can take new things too!!

White Chocolate-Gingerbread Blondies

These are incredible! And yes, they are from our favorite baker...Martha!

INGREDIENTS

Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch squares.

Vegetable-oil cooking spray
2 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 1/2 sticks (20 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
10 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 17-by-12-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment cut to fit, and coat parchment.

2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.

3. Beat butter and brown and granulated sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and yolk, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla and molasses. Reduce speed to low.

4. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in white chocolate.

5. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake until edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 2-inch squares or desired shape. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Fun Turkeys

I was in charge of bringing a dessert for the kids at one of the dinners we went to. I wanted to bring something they could do - something that would be fun. So I invented these turkeys. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture and in recreating it, realized I ran out of some of the ingredients. But you get the general idea. You could always make up your own idea....

Fun Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies

*Take a sugar cookie (I made sugar cookies that are fantastic! I'll have to post that recipe too.)
*Then we frosted them with either chocolate or white frosting (I only had rainbow chip here)
*Gummy fish for the feathers (the assorted pack has lots of great colors for the feathers.)
*Candy corn for the beak.
*Marshmallows with chocolate chips for the eyes
*Toothpicks for the legs
*Starbursts for the feet (with a section cut out.)


And there you have it.........