November Recipes

166) Okay, so it is November 23rd and this is the first new recipe of the month. I am giving myself some leeway since I did have a baby on the 2nd. Time to kick it into gear though. This chicken was sooo crunchy and tender. It took a lot more time than my average fried chicken and it used a lot of oil but it was a delicious treat. We decided to forego the honey sauce as Jared isn’t a fan of spicy foods and I am avoiding them while I nurse. We will be making this again!

http://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/7110-honey-fried-chicken

 

December Recipes

 

167) I accidentally copied the print page on this one. Parmesan Pull apart Bread. It was very good and simple.

 http://foodapparel.com/easyrecipe-print/1787-0/

168) Delicious and rich!

 http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2014/10/chocolate-pie/

169) We are always looking for another way to eat our many green beans we put up this summer. This one was good and simple. I skipped the first step of boiling the beans since I used frozen beans that were blanched before we put them up. If you are using fresh, make sure to boil them first. I do not recommend using canned beans.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Marilyns-Green-Beans-Italiano/Detail.aspx?prop24=RD_RelatedRecipes

170) Good and easy but not a favorite. I find that crock pot meals tend to lack texture and flavor. I would rather spend more time cooking from scratch.

http://backforseconds.com/cheesy-ranch-chicken-potatoes/

171) I had leftover pork chops and didn’t know what to do with them. I made up this sauce and sliced the chops really thin over pasta. It was so good. I added a little Italian blend cheese to each plate.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/White-Sauce-for-Pasta-2/Detail.aspx?evt19=1

172) I was soooo hungry when we sat down to eat this meal so there is a possibility that this wasn’t as amazing as I thought it was. Either way, it was still delicious. Roasted Chicken Thighs with winter veg.

Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil on a large rimmed cookie sheet, put 4 thighs on it and toss to coat. Mix a chopped clove of garlic with a teaspoon of coriander and salt and pepper and pat on the chicken. Chop up 2 lbs of winter vegetables into 2” pieces and toss in a tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper. Arrange the veg around the thighs and bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes or until skin gets crispy. I used potatoes, carrots and purple cauliflower. It was really pretty.

173) Tis the season for Christmas candies! Woohoo! I love coconut and I was really excited to make this. It’s super sweet so I can only manage small amounts but that is what Christmas is for, to eat sickly sweet foods until you are sick to your stomach.

 http://backforseconds.com/4-ingredient-coconut-cream-bars/

174) I despise candy corn but I love Butterfingers so I gave this a shot. It does taste just like a Butterfinger but it is soft and chewy like fudge. I think I prefer real ones for the crunch but this was still good.

http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2012/10/butterfinger-fudge/

175) This recipe was really hard to roll out and cut. It tastes good but I had to add a lot of flour to make it workable.

 http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/The-Best-Rolled-Sugar-Cookies/

176) I have had a ham bone in the freezer for a couple of weeks. Jared doesn't like beans so ham and beans wasn't an option. I searched for a recipe for awhile and found this. I was skeptical but it actually was very good! I think you could even substitute potatoes for the noodles. I did chop the mushrooms up since I don't love them.

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/crossculturalsoups/r/ham-green-bean.htm

177) A request from my hubby for a Christmas treat. This one was easy and delicious!

http://www.remodelaholic.com/2013/03/caramel-nutella-chex-mix/

178) These cookies had a ton of red food coloring so I probably won’t be making them often. I didn’t love them but the girls did.

http://www.cookingclassy.com/2013/11/red-velvet-crinkle-cookies/

179) I have always wanted to make eggnog so this year I actually attempted it. It’s quite a bit of work. I opted for the recipe that cooks the eggs, because although I love raw cookie dough, drinking raw eggs kinda freaks me out. I have to say that this is one thing I will continue buying at the store. I didn’t enjoy the homemade version at all. Funny texture.

http://momsneedtoknow.com/easy-eggnog-recipe/

180) Steak and taters are always a hit around here. I really loved these waffles. I am looking forward to trying other variations of them. My waffle iron must be considerably smaller than theirs though because we had to do it in 2 batches and it should be done in 3 or 4. The cheddar sauce was a hit and Molly told me the eggs “weren’t yucky this time.” High praise from a kid who cries at the sight of egg on her plate. I don’t think I will make steak with it again though. It was yummy but not really necessary. I think it would be just as good with sausage or bacon.

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/steak-eggs-hash-brown-waffles-clinton-kelly

 

Phew!!! What a year! We have found so many new family favorites and learned to love some new vegetables. My kids learned that they love Brussel sprouts and cauliflower. I learned that I love many veggies I used to hate. But only because they were boiled. Roasted veggies are the way to go. Jared learned that he actually likes soups, just not weak, brothy soups. All in all it was a fun adventure. I am going to strive to still be trying new things regularly but maybe keep it to a more manageable number. Now, what should this years resolution be?

Bacon Potato Soup

For Christmas, my Mom gave me an immersion blender. Something I have been wanting for a very long time. So I wanted to cook something that would require the blender. I have made quite a few potato soup recipes over the last couple of years but this time I decided to combine my favorite aspects of each. The result was creamy, savory and delicious! I decided to write down my recipe before I forget.

7-8 average sized russet potatoes, diced

1 large or 2 small onions, diced

6 stalks of celery, diced

5 carrots, diced

6 slices of bacon, chopped

4 cups of chicken stock

flour

olive oil

heavy cream(optional)

cheddar(optional)

 

In a Dutch oven warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat and add the bacon. Cook until slightly crispy on the edges but not crispy all the way through. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel covered plate. Add onion, celery and carrots to the oil and cook while you are peeling and chopping the potatoes. I cooked them on the oil for about 5 minutes, until the onions were translucent and slightly browned and the carrots were beginning to soften. Add potatoes and generously salt them. Add black pepper if you are a fan of pepper. We are so we added quite a bit. Stir to combine and cover with chicken stock. If your stock doesn’t cover the top of the veggies, add a bit of water. In a cup, combine about a tablespoon of flour with half a cup or more of water and whisk until it is smooth and combined. Add to soup pot to thicken it. Bring to a boil and cook until all the vegetables are soft. Once everything is well cooked, remove about 2 cups of vegetables(minus broth) and then, using an immersion blender, blend what is in the pot to a creamy state. I didn’t cream it all completely but just to the texture I was looking for. Then add back the whole veggies and bacon. Add 1/2 – 3/4 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup cheddar. Warm the soup until the cheese is melted and serve.

My husband liked this soup so much, he got up from the table multiple times to kiss me and tell me it was delicious. It would be amazing in a bread bowl.

A Family Favorite!

For as many Christmases as I can remember, my Mom would make a couple of batches of caramel corn. They rarely last more than a day. I’m not sure why we don’t make it more often throughout the year but it is an absolute requirement for Christmas. I almost didn’t make it this year. But then my brother said he would be visiting on Christmas Eve and I decided that we needed caramel corn. This recipe is really very simple, and as long as you don’t burn the popcorn, which is where I usually mess up.

4 qts popped corn

1 cup Brown sugar

1/2 cup of butter

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Pre heat oven to 250. Line a large baking sheet with popcorn(I used 2 glass 9x13’s because they wash easier). Combine butter, sugar, syrup and salt in a large stock pot and combine. Bring to a boil and let it boil, without stirring, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda, stir. Pour on popcorn and stir to coat. Put in oven and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

I usually double the recipe so it lasts a bit longer…like 36 hours rather than 24.

Enjoy!