We hope you enjoyed the recipes and traditions shared with our designers yesterday! Today we enjoy favorites from Anam Stubbington, Suzanne Sergi, Tamara Jensen and Amber Packer.
I hate boiling vegetables – normally because i over cook them so we do our vegetables this way. We spend Christmas with Ian’s parents so instead I cook a big meal for either New Years Eve or New Years Day with meats and roast potatoes.
Ingredients
- 30 Brussels sprouts and other green vegetables
- 8 to 10 slices of Bacon Rashers
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Mandarin Oranges (or Satsuma)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Wash and then peel off any loose or damaged leaves from the sprouts. Trim the root end and cut each sprout in half.
Cook the bacon and walnuts in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat until bacon just begins to crisp and walnuts are toasted, about 4 minutes. Transfer the bacon and walnuts with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside. Add the Brussels sprouts to the skillet and season with salt and pepper.
Put the pan in the oven and roast the Brussels sprouts for about 30 minutes, add the bacon and walnuts and continue to roast until the sprouts are cooked through and golden, about 10 to 15 minutes more.
Right before serving add the mandarin orange segments.
The textures and tastes work really well together.
Jumbo Oatmeal Raisin Cookies from Suzanne Sergi
photo courtesy of marthastewart.com
I am not a seasoned baker, but I love to bake at the holidays. I enjoy packing assorted cookies, and giving them to friends at Christmastime. Baking is also something I enjoy doing with my children. Martha Stewart's Jumbo Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are a tried and true favorite of mine. I make this cookie all year round. The recipe is foolproof, so it has become a family favorite. I do not have to worry of making a mistake, because these cookies are so easy to make. Since they are a bigger size cookie, they make for a gorgeous presentation in a Kraft gift bag tied with twine. I also like putting a layer of parchment in between each cookie.
Jumbo Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Martha Stewart)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups raisins
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add flour mixture; beat just until combined. Add oats, raisins, and coconut; beat just until combined.
- Drop level 1/4-cup measures of dough, 1 1/2 inches apart, onto baking sheets.
- Bake until cookies have spread and are golden brown and soft to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. You can also freeze unbaked cookies and bake them later. Place unbaked cookies on baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Transfer to resealable plastic bags (label and date); keep up to 6 months. Bake as many as you need (without thawing); place 1 1/2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.
Cook's Note
Freeze unbaked cookies on baking sheet until firm, about 30 minutes. Transfer to resealable plastic bags (label and date); keep up to 6 months. Bake as many as you need (without thawing); place 1 1/2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.
Tamale Queso Dip from Tamara Jensen
This is our family's FAVORITE New Year's Eve recipe - a flavorful and addictive Tamale Queso Dip. Be careful, after one bite - you just can't stop. We have wonderful memories of sitting around the island - laughing, talking, and feasting on this delicious dip. We also like to make it for a Christmas Eve appetizer. We love that it is so simple and easy to make. Be prepared for everyone to request this recipe from you. Enjoy!
Tamale Queso Dip
1 lb. (4 c.) Velveeta Cheese
2 cans Rol-tel Tomatoes
1 can Chili Con Carne (without beans)
1 can tamales
Dash Worch. Sauce
Dash of garlic salt
Melt the cheese, add tomatoes, then chili, over medium heat. Remove paper from tamales and mash them with a fork, and add remaining ingredients. Serve in a warm crockpot with corn chips, Fritos, etc. (We always double this recipe, or triple for large crowds)
Cinnamon Rolls from Amber Packer
If you have ready my blog for a while, you probably already know this… but I LOVE my Mom’s Cinnamon Rolls. No matter how hard I try, I can’t make them as good as hers!
That’s okay that I can’t make them the way my Mom does, because when we go to my parent’s home on Christmas, we get some!!
There is something about food and childhood memories that are comforting in a world that is constantly turning upside down, isn’t there?
Now, since we have these on Christmas morning, my Mom does not wake up early to bake. The night before she gets the recipe to the point where the rolls are cut and on the cookie sheet and puts them in the fridge with plastic wrap sprayed with pan so it doesn’t stick to the rolls. Then she pulls them out on Christmas morning and allows them to rise. This will take a little more time because they are cold. You’ll finish the recipe as instructed.
Unbelievable Cinnamon Rolls by Ann Ishmael
Ingredients:
- 2 c. scalded milk
- 1/2 c. shortening
- 1/2 c. warm water
- 2 pkg. yeast
- 2 slightly beaten eggs
- 1 c. sugar
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 c. mashed potatoes (can use dehydrated potatoes if you don’t have mashed potatoes already made)
- 7 c. flour
- 1 c. raisins (if desired)
Icing:
- 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 c. butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 to 4 c. powdered sugar
- milk
Pour milk over shortening and allow to cool to lukewarm. Soften yeast in the 1/2 cup warm water. Add to milk mixture with eggs, sugar, salt, mashed potatoes and 4 cups flour. Beat with mixer until smooth and well blended. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft but still slightly sticky dough. (Dough should be at just about right when it pulls off the edges of the bowl) Cover and allow to rise until double. Divide dough in half and roll in rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Spread with softened butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll up and cut into 1 inch slices. Place on greased cookie sheet and cover. Let rise until almost doubled. (Rolls will rise in oven as well) Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Ice.
Icing: Cream the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add powdered sugar. Use milk to thin. Add vanilla. Ice the rolls while they are still a bit warm, so the icing will melt into all the crevices.
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What foods remind you of your childhood? Create a scrapbook page about food and childhood memories. To help you, we’ll give one winner our 12 Days of Christmas collection. To enter, simply leave a comment on this blog post by midnight, December 25, 2011.
