We are quickly coming to the close of our Holiday Hoopla celebration posts. Sad. We aren’t sure about you, but at this point, we don’t want to start anymore last minute projects (we’re still finishing the ones we’ve already started *wink*). That being said, we wanted to share with you some of our favorite holiday recipes and the traditions associated with them! Today, we have favorite recipes from Jana Eubank, Laura Vegas and Lisa Spiegel.
S’mores Toffee from Lisa Spiegel:
During Hanukkah, families often celebrate the miracle of the oil lasting 8 nights by eating foods fried in oil. Potato Latkes and Donuts are the most popular choices, but our family has created our own tradition with our dessert of S'mores Toffee.
S'mores Toffee is so decadent and yummy...and so easy to make...your family will be asking for "S'more", too!!
Ingredients
1.5 Sleeves Graham Crackers
1 Stick of Butter
1 Cup of Brown Sugar
2 Cups Chocolate Chips
1.5 Cups Mini Marshmallows
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with baking spray. Layer graham crackers to fit entire baking sheet with no crackers overlapping.
Cook butter and sugar over medium high heat to a rolling boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Immediately pour evenly over graham crackers. Bake at 350 until bubbling. Let cool 1 minute and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the crackers. Allow to melt a minute or two then spread the chocolate evenly over the crackers. Sprinkle the marshmallows over the top and lightly press into the melted chocolate. I like to add some crushed graham crackers to the top as well. Refrigerate 1 hour, then break the toffee into pieces and serve. Get ready to make S'more because it's SO good!!! Happy Holidays everyone!!
Lisa
Gingerbread cookies from Jana Eubank:
Every year we make Gingerbread cookies as a family. I love this recipe because it is very mild and makes soft cookies. We especially like to eat them when they are frosted with Cream Cheese frosting. Actually, I would probably eat anything that had Cream Cheese frosting on it . . . Mmmmmm!
Gingerbread Cookies
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. shortening (butter flavor)
3/4 c. light molasses
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 egg
6 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. baking soda
4-1/4 to 4-1/2 c. flour
Beat sugar, shortening, molasses, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and egg. Mix in 6 Tbsp. water and soda. Mix in flour until like soft dough.
Roll out on floured surface to 1/4-inch thick (for soft cookies); thinner than 1/4-inch for crispier cookies.
Cut into shapes and bake at 375 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes. Eat plain or frost (we like cream cheese frosting).
This recipe is a MUST in our family. It's just not the Christmas season until we spend a day making these as a family!
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Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. powdered sugar
Frosts 9-in. X 9-in. cake.
Turkey from Laura Vegas:
photo credit: rachaelray.com
"I have never actually cooked an entire turkey before. The thought of it scares me, even though I hear it's very simple. I got the idea from Rachael Ray, a few years ago, to cook turkey breasts, instead of an entire turkey. They only take about 45 minutes to cook, and there is hardly any mess at all. I have the butcher take the bones out, so that I simply have to slice them up and serve them. I usually cook 2-4 breasts, depending on how many people I'm serving. I'm all about making the cooking simple and easy, so that I can spend more time visiting with family and friends, and this has been a huge help in making that happen."
Roast Turkey Breast with herb Butter (Rachael Ray)
Ingredients
6 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
Zest of 1 lemon
1 stick butter, softened
Salt and black pepper
2 boneless, skin-on turkey breasts (about 5 pounds each)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
In a medium size bowl, mix together the thyme, lemon zest, softened butter, salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.
Loosen the skin of the turkey breasts by gently working your hand between the skin and the meat. Rub the herb butter under the skin, season the outside with salt and pepper and transfer to a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons EVOO and transfer to the oven. Roast until deep golden brown and cooked through, 45-50 minutes.
We’ll share more of our favorite recipes with you tomorrow! Do you scrap your favorite recipes? We think recipes are a wonderful addition to your scrapbooks.
To help you scrap your favorite holiday recipes, 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.
