Hot Chocolate on a Stick

    When I was looking for food gifts to give this holiday I found a recipe for adorable hot chocolate on a stick.  The base layer is made of chocolate, put on a stick, and topped with a marshmallow.  The entire thing is then dunked in steamed milk and mixed to make a rich and delicious hot cocoa. 

     I packaged mine with pink cellophane and tied on sparkly ribbon with the directions to make the hot cocoa.  Everyone raved about how cute they were and what a great idea it was.  I also have made several for our New Year's Eve party tonight so that I don't have to worry about powdered mixes and finding marshmallows.  It's a wonderful way to serve hot cocoa.

Hot Chocolate on a Stick (adapted from Lark's Country Heart)
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
3 c. chocolate (chocolate chips, bars of chocolate, chocolate melts)
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 T. strong coffee
1 t. cinnamon
36 large marshmallows

1. In a medium size sauce pan mix together the heavy cream and condensed milk.  Stirring constantly until it begins to steam but do not boil it!

2.  Remove from heat and add in the chocolate and the unsweetened chocolate.  Stir for about 30 seconds and then let it sit for 5 minutes.

3.  After 5 minutes stir until the chocolate is completely melted.  Mix in the coffee and cinnamon. 

4.  Spray two loaf pans lightly with cooking spray and spread half of the chocolate mixture into each pan.  Let it sit for 6 hours at room temperature or overnight.

5.  After 6 hours remove the chocolate from the pan and place on a cutting board.  Cut it into 6 slices.  Put three sticks in each slice and then cut each slice into 3 cubes.  Push a marshmallow on top of the stick.  Tie on a ribbon or package in cellophane and give as gifts.

This post linked to:

Sweets for a Saturday, Party Mindie Style

Wonton Tacos

     When I first saw the wonton chicken taco I wasn't sure if it looked delicious or weird.  After staring at the recipe for several weeks I decided to go for it.  The wontons are placed in a muffin tin and are then filled with taco ingredients.  I substituted ground beef for chicken and added in pepper, tomato, cheese, and cilantro. 

      The result was a crispy shell bursting with flavor.  We made a meal out of them by serving them with rice and beans but I also think they would make an amazing game day snack.  The tacos are bite sized, easy to eat, and very filling.  This will definitely be on the menu a lot during football season.

Wonton Tacos (adapted from Stick a Fork In It)
16 wonton wrappers
3/4 pound lean ground beef
2 t. cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 . salt
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/3 c. Pepper Jack cheese
2 green onions, chopped
2 T. cilantro, finely chopped

shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.

2.  Place the wonton wrappers in the mini muffins cups, gently folding the wrapper slightly so that they fit.  Set aside.

3.  In a large skillet cook the ground beef, cumin, garlic cloves, and salt.  Cook for 10 minutes or until heated through.

4.  Put a spoonful of ground beef into each wonton cup then top with green pepper, red pepper, tomato, Pepper Jack cheese, green onion, and cilantro.

5.  Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the wontons are golden brown.  Remove from oven and top with lettuce, salsa, and sour cream.

Note:  Cooked, shredded chicken can be used in place of the ground beef in this recipe in order to make chicken wonton tacos.

This post linked to:

Foodie Friday, Shine on Friday

Baked Southwest Rollups

    My husband and his friend joke that I'll eat anything as long as it has chicken and cheese in it.  While this is not quite true, I do love both chicken and cheese so when I saw a recipe for southwest rollups filled with both, I was immediately in.  Another big plus to the recipe is the large amount of vegetables that are stuffed into the rollups as well. 

     These were easy to make and didn't take too long.  The filling itself is wonderful and I found myself freezing two single serving bags of the filling to put over a salad for an easy dinner another night. I made the rollups out of burrito wraps to make it into a dinner, but they could easily be made in small tortillas as a quick appetizer.

     The rollups were just what I was looking for.  They had plenty of chicken and cheese as well as peppers, garlic, onions, spinach, black beans, and corns.  I wasn't sure about the addition of the spinach, but it ended up flowing well with the rest of the dish.  My favorite part of the entire thing might be the dipping sauce.  It's cool yet spicy and pairs well with the rollups.

Baked Southwest Rollups (adapted from The Adventures of Mini-Martha)
For the Rollups:
1 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 green pepper, diced
4 oz. green chile peppers, diced
1 tomato, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. corn
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and chopped
1 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
1 t. salt
3 T. lime juice
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c. pepper jack cheese, shredded
8 flour tortillas

For the dipping sauce:
1/2 c. low fat sour cream
1/2 c. Greek yogurt
1/2 c. salsa
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. salt

1.  In a small bowl combine the dipping sauce ingredients.  Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

2.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

3.  Add the oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat.  Add the garlic and onion and cook 4 minutes.  Add the chicken and peppers and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the black beans, spinach, corn, tomatoes, seasonings, and cilantro.

4.  Cook the mixture for 5 minutes or until it is heated through.  Add both cheeses and stir until melted.

5.  Warm the tortillas for 20 seconds in the microwave.  Spoon filling on the tortillas and roll up tightly, tucking in the ends.  Place seam side down in the baking dish.  Spray the tops with cooking spray and cook at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.  Serve with the dipping sauce.

This post linked to:

Full Plate Thursdays,  Turning the Table Thursdays,  Frugal Food Thursdays 

Through the Portal by Justin Dennis

     Through the Portal by Justin Dennis is the first book in a fantasy trilogy for young adults.  The story opens with Jem and Oliver, best friends who are attending summer school.  Jem is smart, shy, poor, and gets teased a lot.  Oliver is popular, rich, and has a wild streak.  Together the two of them go off on crazy adventures that Oliver dreams up.  One night they sneak off and go scuba diving in the lake only to be sucked through a portal into another world.

      The other world is anything but ordinary.  In the first hour they are there the boys are chased and almost killed by a fire breathing dragon.  They are only saved by a farm girl named Sierra who was nearby and used her magic to save them.  Oliver and Jem soon realize that in addition to the magic and fire breathing dragons, they've landed in a world that is on the brink of war.

     Sierra tells the boys about the nasty Veroci Regime that  has been taking away The Souls from the six regions of her world.  The Souls are what powers the magic of the people and the Regime is taking them in order to limit the magic of the people and strengthen their own magic.  Jem, Oliver, and Sierra want to join the revolution but in order to do so they have to make it to one of the far away regions while at the same time avoiding both the fire breathing dragon and the Regime.

     I found the first half of the book to be slow moving and fairly unbelievable, even for a fantasy novel.  It was hard to imagine that two young teenage boys would barely have a second thought about their families as they are thrown into a world parallel to Earth.  While I enjoyed getting the background on the characters, I found them to be behaving in ways that didn't follow their personalities.  There were also several spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors that detracted from the story.

     The second half of the book was much better.  It was fast paced with a lot of action.  Jem and Sierra meet up with many different characters and begin strengthening their magic in order to defeat both the dragon and the Regime.  The book ends with the defeat of one of these things but not the other which leaves an opening into the second book in this trilogy.

     In all I thought the book was average and I probably will not read the other two books in the trilogy.  However, I do think that middle school and high school children would really enjoy the adventures of Jem in this book and that they would continue reading the trilogy.  This book is definitely geared to teenagers.

I give this book 2 out of 5 stars.
 **I was given a copy of this book for review by the author**

French Country Bread with a Sourdough Starter for Daring Bakers

    I've never in my life made sourdough bread.  It's always seemed like way to much work having to create and nurture a starter for almost a week before baking the actual bread.  However, after hearing all the wonderful things people have made from their sourdough starters I was excited to make my own!  I had no idea that I could make wheat bread, sourdough bread, pretzels, challah, and a million other things from the sourdough starter.


      Our Daring Bakers Host for December 2011 was Jessica of My Recipe Project and she showed us how fun it is to create Sour Dough bread in our own kitchens! She provided us with Sour Dough recipes from Bread Matters by AndrewWhitley as well as delicious recipes to use our Sour Dough bread in from Tonia George’s Things on Toast and Canteen’s Great British Food!

    It takes a little work at the beginning but once you have your starter going, it only takes a day or two to make bread with that same stater at a later date.  I was shocked by the number of people that have had the same starter for years!  Who knew? 

    Although this bread took a long time to make, it turned out really well.  The flour was a combination of stone ground wheat and all purpose white.  The taste and color reminded me of whole grain white bread.  The bread was slightly sour but not too much.  I've been told that the longer my starter sits, the more sour my bread will be.  The sourdough bread was golden brown and crunchy on the outside by really soft inside with a nice crumb.  We used ours to make toast, bruschetta, and for sandwiches.  I can't wait to try a few other new recipes using my starter!

French Country Bread (and a Sourdough Starter) (from Bread Matters by Andrew Whitley)


Starter Day 1:
4 1/2 T. stoneground wheat flour
3 T. water

1.  In a plastic container, mix the flour and water together, creating a paste.

2.  Set the lid on gently and cover with a plastic bag to prevent messes.  Set somewhere warm.

Starter Day 2:
4 1/2 T. stoneground wheat flour
3 T. water

1.  Stir the flour and water into the mixture from the first day.  Cover with the lid, put in the plastic bag, and return to the warm area.

Starter Day 3:
4 1/2 T. stoneground wheat flour
4 t. water

1.  Stir the water and flour into the mixture from day 2.  Cover with lid, put in the plastic bag, and return to the warm area.

Starter Day 4:
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. (less 4 teaspoons) water

1.  Stir the flour and water into the mixture from day 3.  Cover with lid, put in the plastic bag, and return to the warm area.  At this point the flour should bubble and smell yeasty.  If not, repeat this process for one more day.

French Country Bread-Stage 1:
1 c. starter
6 T. stoneground wheat flour
1 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. water

1.  Mix everything into a sloppy dough.  The dough will be stiff.  Cover and set aside for 4 hours.  At this point it should be bubbly and expanded.

French Country Bread-The Final Stage:
3/4 c. stoneground wheat flour
2 c. all purpose flour
1 t. sea salt
1 1/4 c. water
1 3/4 c. wheat production leaven that you made in stage 1.  (Keep the remaining leaven as your starter for next time)

1.  Mix together the wheat flour, all purpose flour, and water.  This will make a soft dough.

2.  Knead on an unfloured surface for 8-10 minutes.  If needed, get your fingerprints wet to help knead the dough until it is smoother and more elastic.

3.  Smooth the dough into a circle then scoop the production leaven into the middle of the dough.  Fold the edges of the dough around the leaven and need for several minutes or until the leaven is incorporated into the dough.

4.  Spread some water onto a clean bit of the kitchen table and lay the dough on top.  Cover with an upturned bowl, lining the rim of the bowl with a bit of water.  Leave for an hour so that the gluten can develop and the yeasts can begin to aerate the dough.

5.  After an hour remove the bowl and stretch the dough.  Using wet hands knead the dough and fold it on top of itself several times. 

6.  Heavily flour a proofing basket with whole wheat flour. (I did not have a proofing basket so I simply floured a bowl).  Place your dough seem side up in the basket.  Put the basket in a plastic bag and set in a warm place for 5 hours, or until it has expanded.

7.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Carefully invert the dough onto the baking sheet and remove the basket/bowl.  Make 2-3 cuts in the top of the bread and place in the oven.  Bake for 40-50 minutes.  After baking for 10 minutes reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees. 

8.  Cool on a wire rack.

This post linked to:

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday,  Tuesdays at the Table

What's Coming Wednesday

Winter Fruit Salad with Vanilla Scented Honey Lemon Drizzle: Meatless Monday

     When I asked my mother what she wanted me to bring for Christmas dinner her answer was salad.  Since I almost always bring dessert I was startled by this answer and a little confused.  When asked to clarify if she wanted greens, fruit, or pasta salad I was told to bring whatever I wanted.

     After thinking about it I knew I wanted to go healthy.  I decided to bring both a green salad and a fruit salad.  The only trouble with a fruit salad is that most fruits are out of season around here.  I found a few recipes for a winter fruit salad and the combination sounded surprisingly good.  Filled with red pomegranate seeds, pink grapefruit, deep ruby blood oranges, oranges, bright yellow pineapple, green kiwi, and beautiful starfruit it really turned into a beautiful fruit salad.

     Since the citrus fruits tend to be on the sour side I wanted to sweetened the fruit up without drenching it in sugar.  I went with a honey lemon drizzle and then added in just a hint of vanilla to warm it up for the winter.  The results were lovely.  The fruit was so pretty and the different textures and flavors of the fruits was stunning.  I was surprised by just how different, and tasty, this fruit salad was from ones I have made in the past.  I can't wait to make it again this winter!

Winter Fruit Salad with Vanilla Scented Honey Lemon Drizzle (a Hezzi-D original recipe)
2 oranges
2 blood oranges
1 large grapefruit
1 pineapple
2 starfruit
3 kiwi fruits
2 pears
1 pomegranate
1 T. lemon juice
1/4 c. honey
1/4 t. vanilla

1.  Peel the oranges and grapefruit and remove the white pith.  Place the whole blood orange segments in a large bowl.  Cut the regular orange segments in half and put them in the bowl.  Cut the grapefruit sections into three pieces and put them in the bowl.

2.  Next cut the pineapple into bite sized chunks.  Slice the starfruit so that it makes a star.  Peel the kiwi and slice.  Put all three fruits into the bowl.

3.  Peel and slice the pears.  Put them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 cup of water.  Let them sit for 5 minutes in the solution so that they do not brown.  Drain the pears and add them to the bowl.

4.  Cut the pomegranate in half and remove as many seeds as you would like and add them to the bowl for color.  Gently toss the fruits together to combine.

5.  In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, honey, and vanilla.  Drizzle over top of the fruit and toss to coat.  Refrigerate for several hours and enjoy.

This post linked to:

Meatless Mondays, Your Recipe, My Kitchen, Not Baaad Sundays 

Crazy Sweet Tuesdays

Merry Christmas and Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

     Merry Christmas!  I can't believe that it is Christmas time already this year!  I'd like to wish all of my readers and their families a very, Merry Christmas.  I'm excited to be able to spend today with my family and enjoy some food and some fun.

     This holiday I ended up doing a lot of baking.  In the past 2 weeks the final count has come in at 51 dozen cookies, 4 dozen assorted candies, 3 dozen chocolate covered pretzels, and 2 holiday pies.  It was a lot of work but I had fun and got a chance to make several new recipes.

     I'd like to share with my readers two of the cookies I made this past week.  The first is a classic sugar cookie with royal icing and the second is a melted snowman cookie that I made for the kids at school.  Both turned out really great and everyone I shared with loved them!

Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing  (adapted from Annie's Eats)
For the cookies:
1 c. butter

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg, beaten

2 t. vanilla

1 t. salt

2 1/2 c. flour

1.  Cream the butter and sugars in  bowl.  Beat in the egg, vanilla, and salt.  Add in half the flour and mix well.  Stir in the remaining half of the flour.  

2.  Roll the dough into a large ball and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or until firm.

3.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a well floured surface.  Roll to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out with cookie cutters.

4.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until just cooked through.

5.  Cool on a wire rack and then decorate with royal icing.  The recipe for royal icing can be found HERE.

Melted Snowman Cookies (adapted from Crazy Domestic)
1 batch of the sugar cookies from above, cut into circles and cooked
10 large marshmallows, cut in half
3 cups royal icing, divided into 6 bowls
food coloring.


1.  Put half of the royal icing into one bowl then divide the remaining icing into five bowls.  Leave the icing in the first bowl white then color each of the remaining bowls red, green, blue, orange, and black.


2.  Spread the white icing onto each of the sugar cookies, allowing some of the icing to drip down the sides.

3.  Take a half marshmallows and press down on it hard so that it looked squished.  Place it on the royal icing on the cookie.  Allow to dry 1 hour.

4.  When you are ready to decorate, place the icing in decorator bags with small tips and pipe on buttons, scarves, bowties, and hair bands using the red, blue, and green icing.  Pipe on arms, eyes, and mouths with the black icing.  Finish up by piping orange icing for the carrot nose.


5.  Allow the cookies to dry overnight.

Peppermint Patties

     My mother loves Peppermint Patties.  I believe they are her guilty pleasure.  She normally keeps a few in the refrigerator for when she needs a quick "pick me up".  I've always been amused by the fact that she enjoys them so much since her name is indeed Patty.

     For Christmas this year I ended up making a lot of homemade gifts and the one I wanted to make for her was homemade Peppermint Patties.  Candy making and I do not get along all that well (I snapped two of my plastic molds in the past week as they wouldn't release my chocolate) and I've been nervous to make them.  I wanted them to not only taste good but to look pretty as well.

     It turns out this recipe was really simple to make.  The peppermint inside the chocolate is made of only three ingredients that are kneaded into a dough.  The dough is then rolled into balls and popped in the freezer while the chocolate is melted.  Dip the balls in the chocolate, sprinkle with candy cane, and Presto Chango!  I had a Peppermint Patty.  They looked delicious and they tasted exactly like the original.  I ate about 5 of them to make sure but they are just as good as the real thing.  I can't wait to see how my mom likes them on Christmas!

Peppermint Patties  (adapted from allrecipes )
1/2 can (7 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 t. peppermint extract
3 c. powdered sugar
1 pound chocolate melts
Crushed candy cane (optional)

1.  In a medium mixing bowl combine the sweetened condensed milk and peppermint extract.  Add in the 3 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

2.  Turn onto a surface sprinkled with powdered sugar.  Knead lightly to form a smooth ball.

3.  Divide the dough and shape into 1 inch balls.  Place on a waxed paper lined baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.

4.  Meanwhile, heat the chocolate melts in the microwave, checking every 30 seconds to see if the chocolate is melted.  When it is melted remove the peppermint balls from the freezer.

5.  Dip the balls one at a time into the chocolate, tapping on the side of the bowl to remove the excess.  Place on a sheet of waxed paper and sprinkle with crushed candy cane. 

6.  Allow the chocolate to dry for 15 minutes then place in an air tight container for up to a week.

This post linked to:

Shine on Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday, 

Foodie Fridays

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies: What's Baking?

     Did you know that December is national brownie month?  I had no idea so I'm glad that Nicole from Seven Ate Nine, the host for this month's What's Baking? challenge, asked us to make our most delicious brownie recipe in honor of this baker's holiday. 

     Now as many of my readers know, my absolute favorite brownie recipe is my chocolate chip cookie dough brownies with chocolate ganache.  The chocolate chip cookies are baked right into the brownie and then the ganache is spread over the top of it.  I just recently found a decadent chocolate brownie with unbaked cookie dough on top of it. Of course when I tried it, I just couldn't resist putting chocolate ganache on top.

     This version of the chocolate chip cookie dough brownie is super sweet and amazing.  The brownie is rich and chewy, the cookie dough is refrigerated and sets perfectly on top of the brownie.  The chocolate ganache is simply the "icing" on this brownie.  I can't decide which of my chocolate chip cookie dough brownie recipes is better...guess we better have a tasting soon!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies (adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

For the Brownies:
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 c. unsalted butter
1 c. light brown sugar
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 c. flour

For the cookie dough:
1/2 c. unsalted butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. low fat milk
2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. chocolate chips

For the ganache:
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/3 c. sweetened condensed milk
1-2 T. heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with foil. Butter the foil and set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring after every 30 seconds until the chocolate is completely melted. Set aside and cool.

3. In a large mixing bowl mix the butter, brown sugar, and sugar with an electric mixture until it is light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the melted chocolate until just combined. Reduce the mixer speed and add the flour.

4. Spread the batter into the pan and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack and cool completely.

5. In a medium bowl beat the butter and sugars for the cookie dough. Add in the milk and vanilla and stir until well combined. Mix in the flour until just combined. Use a spatula and fold in the chocolate chips.

6. Spread the cookie dough over top of the cooled brownies and place in the refrigerator.

7. Combine the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a bowl. Heat in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until the chocolate begins melting. Add in the milk and continue to heat until the mixture is just completely melted.

8. Remove the cookie dough brownies from the refrigerate and immediately spread the ganache over top. Place back in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

9. When ready to serve lift the brownies out by the foil. Slice into squares and enjoy.

This post linked to:

Frugal Food Thursdays, Turn the Table Thursdays, Full Plate Thursdays
Anything Goes Linky, Sweets for a Saturday

Oatmeal Raisin

    I've been making oatmeal raisin cookies for as long as I can remember.  In fact, I think they may have been one of the cookies I learned how to make in home economics class in high school.  So when I went looking for my recipe to make Christmas cookies with, I was surprised to realized I've never blogged these cookies.

   Oatmeal raisin cookies are simple to make and taste delicious.  I like to slightly under cook them so that the edges are just crispy brown and the insides are soft and chewy.  I also like to add in some applesauce in place of some of the butter to make the cookie a little healthier.  The cookies turned out wonderful as usual.  I've found it's pretty difficult to mess these up so they are the perfect beginner's cookie.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (adapted from food.com)
3 1/3 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. salt
1 T. cinnamon
1 c. butter (2 sticks)
1/2 c. applesauce
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 2/3 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
1 T. vanilla
4 c. oats
2 c. raisins

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  

2.  In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Set aside.

3.  In another large mixing bowl cream the butter and the sugars together.  Stir in the applesauce.  Beat in the eggs one at a time until they are well combined.  Stir in the vanilla.

4.  Stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until no flour is visible.

5.  Stir in the oats and raisins until just combined.

6.  Drop cookies by heaping teaspoon onto a cookie sheet making sure the cookies are 2 inches apart.  Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown.

7.  Remove from oven and and cool on a wire rack.

This post linked to:

What's Cooking Wednesday

Thumprint Cookies

    I love making Christmas cookies.  One of my favorites are thumbprint cookies.  I was anxious to make them this year since I had made and canned five different flavors of jam this summer.  After a lot of debating I filled the thumbprints with spiced peach jam, blueberry lime jam, and raspberry mango.  I made half of them with nuts and half without.


    There were mixed reactions to the nuts.  I personally thought that the cookies looked better with the nuts on them, but they tasted better without.  My husband really enjoyed the addition of nuts.   I had several people ask me to make these for them this holiday and they were split on the nuts as well.  I did find that the favorite jam flavor with peach, followed by blueberry.

   These cookies are buttery and almost melted in my mouth.  The jam gives a great contrast in flavor and texture to the cookies.  The thumbprints not only taste wonderful, but they are pretty as well and perfect for gift giving.

Thumbprint Cookies with Jam(adapted from Martha Stewart)
1 c. butter (2 sticks)
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. almonds
1/2 c. jam

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add in the egg yolks and vanilla and mix well.  Whisk together the flour and salt and add to the bowl, beating on low until well combined.


2.  In a food processor chop the almonds with 2 tablespoons of sugar and process until everything is finely chopped.  


3.  In a small bowl beat the egg whites.  For the dough into 1 inch balls.  Dip the balls into the egg whites, roll in the almonds, and put on a baking sheet.  Press your thumb into the middle of the dough, making a dent.


4.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove the cookies from the oven and push your thumb into the indentation.  Fill the center of each cookie with a teaspoon of jam and continue cooking for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack.

This post linked to:

Meatless Mondays, Mangia Mondays, Making You Crave Monday

Tuesdays at the Table, Made From Scratch Tuesdays,  Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays  

Easy Potato Pancakes: Simply Potatoes (Foodbuzz Tastemakers)

      I enjoy potato pancakes as much as the next person but I absolutely hate grating the potatoes before putting them together.  I remembered my mother telling me that they used to use leftover mashed potatoes to make potatoes pancakes so I figured I'd use that concept with a container of Simply Potatoes mashed potatoes.  I received the Simply Potatoes as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program.

     I wasn't really sure what  to put in the potatoes, but I thought of the things I like to eat with them and came up with garlic, onions, and cheese.  I had a bit of trouble flipping the pancakes because mashed potatoes are much softer then the shredded potatoes, but I eventually got the hang of it.  The best thing to do was to cook the potatoes for 7-9 minutes on each side or until they were a deep golden brown and sticking together.

     These pancakes were much easier to make then the shredded ones because there is almost no prep involved.  The Simply Potatoes mashed potatoes are a buttery, smooth palate for the rest of the ingredients.  The texture of the potato pancakes was interesting with a crispy exterior and fluffy interior, but my husband and I both enjoyed them.

Easy Potato Pancakes
1 package Simply Potatoes mashed potatoes
1/2 large onion, shredded
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
4 T. olive oil

1.  Heat the mashed potatoes in the microwave according to the package directions.  Stir well and place in a large mixing bowl.  

2.  Mix in the onion, garlic, egg, and cheese.  Stir until well combined.

3.  In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.  

4.  With your hands form the potatoes into a ball shape and then flatten into a pancake.  Place each pancake in the skillet, leaving enough space in between them to flip them.  

5.  Cook on each side from 7-9 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from the skillet and drain on a paper towel.  Repeat with remaining potatoes.

6.  Serve hot with sour cream, applesauce, or plain. 

 

This post linked to:

Not Baaad Sundays, Sundae Scoop Sundays

Guest Posting at Mom's Crazy Cooking: Champagne Jelly

     This month Tina at Mom's Crazy Cooking invited fellow cooking blogger's to do a guest post on her blog related to homemade holiday gifts.  Today I'm sharing an amazing recipe for Champagne Jelly.  Head on over to her blog and check it out!