Holiday treats 2010: Peppermint Bark

I had always wanted to try making peppermint bark. I love peppermint and chocolate, it is such a great combination. The recipe looked easy enough. It has been quite busy this holiday season and I needed an easy treat to make and give as gifts. Now was a great time to give it a try.

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients
12 ounce milk chocolate melts
12 ounce white chocolate melts
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
10 peppermint candy canes, crushed, divided

Directions

1. Line a 9X14 inch cookie pan with aluminum foil.
2. Melt the milk chocolate in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting, for 1 to 5 minutes. Do not overheat or chocolate will scorch.
3. Stir in the peppermint extract. Spread the chocolate evenly in the prepared pan; chill for about 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting, for 1 to 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup of the crushed candy canes.
   
5. Spread the white chocolate mixture evenly over the milk chocolate. Sprinkle the remaining candy cane pieces evenly over the white chocolate layer. Chill until set, about 1 hour. Break into small pieces to serve.

Thanksgiving 2010

I never made cranberry sauce before and actually never really liked cranberry sauce. But others like it and it is a staple for Thanksgiving so I thought I would give it a shot for Thanksgiving. I figured it would be a nice alternative to the canned stuff. It was incredibly easy and actually quite yummy. I may actually like cranberry sauce now.

Cranberry Sauce
From: Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
¾ cup water
1 small orange, zested and juiced
2/3 cup sugar, plus more to taste
12-16 oz. fresh or frozen cranberries

Directions:

1. Combine the water, orange zest and juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved.
   
2. Stir in the cranberries and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer uncovered, about 15 minutes, until the cranberries have popped and the sauce is thickened.
   
3. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Store in the refrigerator and let come to room temperature before serving.

Easter Dinner 2010

Easter Dinner menu

Pot Roast
Mashed Potatoes and gravy
Green Bean and Mushroom Medley
Peach Crunch Cake

I made this pot roast dinner a couple of years ago for Easter. I really like the recipe and have made it again and again and decided to make it again this Easter. Mashed potatoes and gravy always go well with a pot roast. We needed some veggies to go with our meal, so I searched on the internet and found this Green Bean and Mushroom Medley on allrecipes.com. I found a easy dessert to make on Bakerella's website, Peach Crunch Cake. Not only was it easy to make it was soo yummy. Definitely a keeper and to be made again.

Green Bean and Mushroom Medley
From allrecipes.com



1/2 pound fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 carrots, cut into thick strips
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, sliced
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Directions

1. Place green beans and carrots in 1 inch of boiling water. Cover, and cook until tender but still firm. Drain.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions and mushrooms until almost tender. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 3 minutes. Stir in green beans, carrots, salt, seasoned salt, garlic salt, and white pepper. Cover, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Peach Crunch Cake
From bakerella.com



24.5 oz jar of sliced peaches in light syrup
1 package yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), cut into 16 pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Layer ingredients in a 13 X 9 dish, in order starting with the peaches.
Bake for about 40 minutes.
Serve warm or cold… with or without ice cream.

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

I made some appetizers for my friend's birthday. I found this recipe from Pioneer Woman, I love her blog. She even has her cook book out, which I want to get. This was seriously so easy and so yummy!! I will definitely be making this again. And yes, she actually calls it "thingies."



Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies
From: Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients

* 20 whole Fresh Jalapenos, 2-3 Inches In Size
* 2 cubes Cream Cheese, softened
* 1 pound Thin(regular) Bacon, Sliced Into Thirds

Instructions

1. Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT).
   
2. Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half.
   
3. Wrap jalapeno with bacon pieces (1/3 slice). Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle. (At this point, you can freeze them, uncooked, in a Ziploc bag for later use).
4. Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don’t want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to the squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn’t look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of bite to it.
5. Serve immediately, or they’re also great at room temperature.
   

Salsa Verde Carnitas (pork)

I love a good crock pot recipe. A friend shared with me this easy recipe.

Salsa Verde Carnitas

Ingredients
3 lbs pork roast
1 onion chopped
1 jalapeno
1 jar of salsa verde
1 cup of chicken broth (optional)

Put onion, jalapeno, and pork roast in the crock pot. Cover with salsa verde and chicken (if desided). Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred and enjoy with tortillas and rice. Yummy!!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

My friend made this wonderful Jalapeno Popper Dip for a pot luck and I had to make it for Christmas. It was sooo so yummy and was gobbled up. Definitely a keeper to be made again.


Jalapeno Popper Dip

Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
2 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese
Parmesan cheese

Directions

Stir together cream cheese & mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chiles, jalapeno peppers, and Monterrey Jack cheese. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish & sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Microwave on high until hot, about 3 minutes OR bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes.

Source: adapted from Allrecipes.com

Pizza Swirls

A yummy appetizer. I forgot to take pictures before it was all gone. Definitely something I will whip up again.

Pizza Swirls

Ingredients
1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
1/4 pound Genoa salami, thinly sliced
1/4 pound pepperoni sausage, sliced
1/4 pound provolone cheese, sliced
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 jar of pizza sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.

Roll pizza crust dough into an approximately 10x14 inch rectangle on the baking sheet. Layer with thin layer of pizza sauce, Genoa salami, pepperoni, and provolone cheese. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese to within 1/2 inch from edges of the dough. Roll jelly roll style. Seal the edge with a fork.

Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, flip over and bake for another 5 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing into 1 inch pieces to serve. Serve with pizza sauce on the side.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com