Holiday Sweet Treats

So, I made a list of things I am making for Christmas this year.  The family went through asking for a few things.  I added and cut some.  Here is this year's list.  Heaven help me... I may get a bit overwhelmed.

Sweet List

1. chocolate covered cherries

1. ingredients
1. 10 ounce jar Maraschino Cherries with stems
2. 4 tablespoons “unsalted” butter at room temperature
3. 4 cups Confectioner’s sugar
4. chocolate almond bark
1. Instructions
5. Drain the Maraschino Cherries reserving ¼ cup of the juice.
6. Mix 3 cups of the Confectioner’s sugar, the butter, and the reserved juice.
7. Add enough of the last cup of Confectioner’s sugar to make a soft dough.
8. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
9. Roll the Confectioner’s dough in 1-inch balls.
10. Flatten the balls and use the flattened dough to completely cover the cherry.
11. Refrigerate the dough  covered cherries for 20 minutes.
12. dip and let air dry

2. chocolate covered peanut clusters
1. almond bark
2. peanuts
3. mini-marshmallows
   
3. chocolate oatmeal cookies
1. mix
2. egg
3. butter
   
4. snickerdoodles cookies
1. mix
2. water
3. egg
4. butter
   
5. cheesecake
1. 1 pkg. Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
2. 1/3 cup lemon juice
3. 1 can Eagle Brand milk
4. 1 graham cracker pie crust
   
6. mini-pies (apple)
1. pie filling
2. pie crust
3. sugar for sprinkling
4. egg
   
7. peppermint dip (to be served with chocolate-covered pretzels and graham crackers)

1. 8 oz Whipped Cream Cheese, softened
2. ½ cup Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
3. ½ cup Powdered Sugar
4. ¼ tsp peppermint extract
5. 6 Mints, crushed
   

8. strawberry pizza
1. 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2. 3/4 c. powdered sugar
3. 1 stick of butter, melted
4. 8 oz cream cheese
5. 1 can sweetened condensed milk
6. 1/3 c. lemon juice
7. 1 quart of strawberries (we used frozen, sliced strawberries)
8. 1/2 c. water (more or less)
9. 4 tbsp. corn starch
   
9. snowman cookies
1. nutter butter cookies
2. white almond bark
3. decorating candy
   
10. dipped pretzels with sprinkles
1. Chocolate almond bark
2. white almond bark
3. pretzels
4. graham crackers
5. sprinkles
   
11. turtles
1. pretzels
2. Rolos
3. pecans, toasted

12. dipped oreos
1. oreos
2. almond bark
13. Divinity
1. 2 cups white granulated sugar
2. 1/3 cup water
3. 1/3 cup light corn syrup
4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
5. 2 egg whites
6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
7. 1/2 cup pecans or nuts of your choice, chopped
8. Combine sugar, water, corn syrup and salt in a glass casserole dish.  Cover with saran wrap and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove from microwave and take off saran wrap. Stir well and return to microwave uncovered.  Cook on high for another 4 to 5 minutes until reaches hard ball stage when a little is dropped in cold water.  Remove and cool about 4 minutes.  Beat egg whites until stiff with mixer.  Pour sugar mixture over egg whites beating constantly with mixer until mixture starts to lose its gloss and holds together.  About 4 or 5 minutes.  Stir in vanilla and nuts.  Drop by teaspoonful onto wax paper.  Makes about 25 pieces depending on size you make them.  Enjoy!
   

14. Christmas Peanut Butter Candies

1. one pound box Confectioners sugar
2. 6 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
3. 7 t. milk, I used whole
4. peanut butter for spreading
   

Ham and Cheese Braid

Ham & Cheese Braid

Last week I made this and it was a huge hit! We served it with homemade potato soup and they cleaned up every bite.  Next time I would line the pan because the cheese goes everywhere.

Monkeying Around With Banana Bread!

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  • Tonight my two youngest monkeys decided to make banana bread.  That is a new recipe for my kids to do on their own, but I knew just what recipe to let them try!
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Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

• Yield: One Loaf

Gather your 4" x 8" loaf pan and start preheating your oven!  

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 peeled, very ripe bananas  (these should have a lot of brown on them and be nice and squishy inside)
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar (1/4 cup more or 1/4 cup less... it depends on how sweet you like it)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 c. walnuts or pecans, optional
• butter or non-stick cooking spray for the pan

Here is how you Make it!

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.   
2. Butter or spray a 4x8-inch loaf pan.
3. In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas. (I just use with a fork, but you could use a potato masher!) 
4. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.
5. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and the vanilla extract. 
6. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt. 
7. Gently fold in nuts, if you choose to ad them.
8. Pour the batter into your loaf pan. 
9. Bake for 1 hour at 350°F or until you put a knife into the center of the bread and it comes out clean.
10. Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack.   This is the hard part.  You are going to want to eat it right then, but don't!  It is actually better the next day.

Enjoy!  This bread is as easy to make as it is yummy. You will want to make it again and again.   

Da Bomb Bacon Wrapped Cheesy Chicken

      Okay if the title doesn't say it all, I don't know what would!  This chicken was easy to fix and there were no leftovers.  Before we finished dinner, I was already being asked to make it again.  Why, yes! Yes, I will make my newest creation for you again... 

I am a happy chef today!

Anyway... 

Ingredients you need:

3 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken (tenders are what I used, but use what you have)

1 block of cream cheese, softened (I did mine in a bowl in the microwave for 15 sec.)

2 lbs of bacon

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (or more LOL)

seasoned salt

oregano, parsley, and garlic powder (to desired taste)

Gather the other items you'll need:

plastic wrap or waxed paper

baking pan

no stick spray

a meat tenderizer (I actually used Big D's wrench HA!!!)

cutting board

bowl

spoon or plastic spatula

What to Do!

Before you really get started touching the chicken, you need to mix up the cream cheese mixture.  I simply softened mine in the microwave, whipped it up a bit with a spoon, then added my spices until I had a flavor I liked.  It is that easy.  Just add a little shake, stir, then taste.  If you like it, move on to step one.

1.  Lay out a piece of plastic wrap on the cutting board.  Place chicken on there, cover with more plastic wrap, then whack the crap out of it!  Err, I mean, Tenderize and flatten the chicken, but do not tear holes in it.  This will keep our chicken moist and cooking evenly.

    

2.  Now move the plastic, with the chicken on it, off the cutting board.  

3.  Place two-three strips of back along the cutting board.  Pick up the chicken and place it on the bacon.  (Do not put the plastic on there!)  The bacon should be about as wide as the chicken.

4.  Sprinkle the chicken with seasoning salt.

5.  Smear a spoonful of your herb infused cream cheese onto the chicken.

6.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

7.  Take the ends of the bacon and wrap them over the top of the chicken.  Any leftover bacon can tuck under the chicken.

8.  Place the chicken into the greased pan.  

Repeat the steps until you have used up all your chicken!  Then bake at 425° for 25 minutes, then broil for around 5 minutes to add crunch to the bacon.  Keep an eye on it and don't let it burn.

Enjoy!