Mindy's Holiday Baking List

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies - soft and chewy like cookies should be, these add a nice amount of spice and variety to your cookie plate.  (And I make this recipe with gluten and non-vegan.)

Pumpkin Mousse and Gingerbread - the mousse is light and fluffy, and the gingerbread pairs wonderfully with it to add more spice and snap.  We've made it as a pie, as mini cookie pies or just to dip the cookies in.  The mousse also makes great filling for crepes.

 

Pumpkin Souffle - like a crustless pumpkin pie, this is what I'll be having for Thanksgiving this week.

Sugar Cookies - these cookies are definitely not limited to Christmas.  We usually make them for most holidays, birthdays and just-because days too.

Fairy Bites - nothing fancy about tiny shortbread cookies with sprinkles on top, but they are requested each year.

Peppermint Snowballs - I made these for the first time in 2015 and instantly knew they would become a Christmas tradition.  These are a must-make every December.

Peppermint Meringue - I like to make these for my gluten-intolerant friend.  And they are yummy for me too, of course.

Rice Krispie Squares - no reason to include the recipe because it comes written on the box.  The only difference is we use peppermint marshmallows, or you could add 1 tsp of extract to make them minty.

Candy Cane Fudge - basically two ingredient fudge with crushed candy canes on top.  So super simple but you can't go wrong with chocolate!

Cookie Dough Fudge - after the first time I knew it would be made again and again.  I've included this recipe in my daughter's journal because I know she'll want it when she's older.  It does require more than just two ingredients, but worth the extra time (which still isn't long!).

Chocolate Orange Muffins - not just a Christmas-time muffin, but I love how these taste like the chocolate orange I always get in my stocking.  I like these best as mini muffins and will also make them as lime coconut or lemon poppyseed just by swapping out the zest and one ingredient. 

Recipe 37: Peanut Butter Cookies

I've had this recipe stuck on my fridge for months now, and even with a bunch of sewing projects on the go, I manged to squeak out enough energy to make these cookies.  Thankfully, not a lot of energy was required for these four ingredient cookies.  I got the recipe from Aaron's Grannie's recipe collection.

1 cup peanut butter (I used the real, refrigerated stuff)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
vanilla (1-2 tsp)

Mix all ingredients together.  Roll into balls.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

I was surprised they turned out as well as they did (except that I burnt half of them).  A crunchy, little, peanut buttery cookie that melts in your mouth.

Recipe 22: Lemon "Cuppins"

I found this recipe in an old book of Aaron's grandmother's - one of those community collections of recipes.  All things lemon sounds fabulous right now, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Lemon Buns
Cream together:
  1 cup sugar
  1/2 cup butter
Add:
  2 eggs
  1 cup milk
  rind of 1 lemon
Sift together:
  2 tsp baking powder
  2 cups flour
Add dry ingredients to wet and stir.
Bake in bun tins 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

The recipe called them buns, so I was picturing bread buns, but they are more like a cross between a muffin and a cupcake - very light and moist, with a nice lemon flavor.  I did swap out half the milk for some lemon yogurt, so that may have helped.

Because the directions were vague, I put half the batter in a lined muffin tin, and half in a sprayed one - they got a nice crust in the sprayed pan, which was nice when they were warm, but next time I'll just use cupcake wrappers (since I have a million of them in all patterns and sizes).

Recipe 16: Sunshine Muffins

I've posted orange muffin recipes before: here and here.  But these are completely different from either of those.  A lot more dense, almost the texture of cornbread.  I got this recipe from Aaron's Granny's collection of recipes - I think he got his love of cooking from her.

Sunshine MuffinsPut in the blender:
  1 orange cut into eight pieces (yes, the whole thing)
  1/2 cup orange juice
  1 egg
  1/4 cup oil
Blend until smooth.  Then add:
  1 1/2 cups flour
  3/4 cup sugar
  1 tsp baking powder
  1 tsp baking soda
  1 tsp salt
Blend.
Add optional ingredients:
  1/2 cup raisins
  1/2 cup chopped nuts
Pour into muffin tins and bake at 375 for 15 minutes.
Makes a dozen large muffins.


And if you've been keeping track of my recipe count, I've skipped a few numbers.  I've done the recipes, just haven't done individual blog posts for them all.  But I've got a list of them all right here!

many muffins

I've been on a muffin kick lately.  Last month I tried three new recipes, and within the last week I've tried five more recipes.  I tend to fail with sweet breads, never getting them to cook all the way through, so I'll stick with muffins.  They freeze well - I can pull out one or two, nuke it for a minute, and I've got breakfast.

Blueberry Applesauce Muffins - Specifically suggested for toddlers, my toddler did actually enjoy them.  Not something to add to my recipe box, but not bad.  Won't make them for a while again because my little one suddenly has decided she dislikes all muffins.

Peanut Butter Muffins - I honestly can't remember if I used this recipe or a different one, but either way the muffins just came out okay.  As much as I love the idea of a peanut butter muffin, the final product was a lot more rich than I expected.

Orange Muffins - After reading the comments I altered this recipe - switching the proportions of the liquids (one cup of orange juice and half cup of milk instead of the other way) and used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.  I added more zest - at least from two oranges if not more.  Lastly, I skipped the glaze - there is already plenty of sugar, I don't need to add more.  And they were delicious!  Very light and fluffy and orange awesomeness.  After the first batch I made a double batch a week later.  This recipe is a keeper.

Oatmeal Cookie Muffins - The first bite of every muffin throws me off, but really enjoy it by the time I'm finished.  Slightly different texture, but not as bad as straight oatmeal ones.  I added mini chocolate chips, raisins, and crushed pecans.  My husband won't eat them (he doesn't like chocolate, raisins, and there's banana in there too), but they are pretty tasty, and good for giving away (I think - I've only eaten them warm).  AND they can be made gluten free.

Peanut Butter Apple Muffins - The peanut buttery flavor was much better than the straight peanut butter muffins.  Maybe the apple balanced it out better.  Not sure how often I'd make these, but it's a good use for a couple leftover apples that no one is eating.  (And again, I didn't make the topping.)

Mini Coconut Orange/Lime Muffins - I really liked the texture that the coconut added - a slight crunch without being overwhelming.  Much faster than the straight orange muffins (no squeezing oranges), but yum!  I did make them semi-mini and find that size perfect.  And this morning I tried them with lime - it worked!

Spiced Carrot Muffins - Delicious.  Warm, spicy, carroty goodness.  I was very hesitant when I made the batter - half of it was the shredded carrot!  But it baked up beautifully.  Since I'm going to eat muffins anyway, the least I could do is include more vegetables sometimes.  I think I'll make these often during the fall and winter.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins -  Husband approved.  Following the baking instructions (425 for five minutes down to 375) made a nice crisp top with fluffy inside.  Light lemony flavor, that could be enhanced with the glaze, but tasty as is.

June Cooking

After creating a dinner database (a big list of everything I like/would like to cook for dinner) planning meals has been less stressful.  And if I have a plan, dinner actually gets made.  The month of June has been quite successful.  Tried out some new recipes, some that will end up in the regular rotation.

Pizza Rolls - based off a cinnamon roll recipe, but instead of cinnamon and sugar in the middle, it's pizza sauce and meat, with cheese melted on top.  I had zero experience making cinnamon rolls, so they got a bit messy, but I'll get better when I make them again.

Zucchini Lasagna - Aaron doesn't like zucchini or lasagna, so I made this recipe while he was out of town.  A bit more time consuming than I'd usually like to spend on dinner, but it was delicious.  I didn't miss the lasagna noodles at all!  Next time I'd love to add spinach to the sauce.

Smashed Potatoes - Nice change from our usual potato wedges.  Good as a side.

Orange Muffins - Yummy! Yummy!  Made them one week and loved them so much that I made a double batch the next.  They freeze well.  Not at all healthy, since there is a full cup of melted butter in there, but light and fluffy and delicious.  I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and one cup of (freshly squeezed) orange juice instead of a half, so I cut the milk down to half cup.  And lots of zest.

Banana Peanut Butter Muffins - had to use the rest of the Greek yogurt before we leave town, so tried these.  Much heavier and rich than the orange ones, but still pretty good.  Not something I'd make super often, but they also freeze well.

Baked Broccoli - someone posted it on Facebook.  I'm not usually a fan of cooked broccoli, but I've made this multiple times throughout the month.  *Do not rinse the broccoli immediately before preparing.  Chop your broccoli and toss with minced garlic, olive oil, and a little salt and pepper.  Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes at 375 degrees.  Easy and delicious!

And right now my husband is making a cherry cola BBQ sauce to go on some ribs for dinner tomorrow.  Should be interesting!

basic bread recipe

Because my punk children refuse to eat bread bought at the store, this is what I do to bake bread every 4 or 5 days. It says "basic bread" and I'm told it's "not basic." Whatever you think of the recipe and process to make it, the bread is the basic base I use to make peanut butter and jam sandwiches every day.

In a really large bowl:

- 3 cups "hand-hot" hot water - put your hand under the faucet and when it gets hot to the point that you can still put your hand under it but it's getting close to getting too hot, that's where you want it.

- 4 tsp yeast - I have no idea how many individual packets that would be. We don't buy the packets, we buy it in the little jars or bulk bags. Once your yeast is open, store it in the freezer to keep it fresh.

- 3/4 cup sugar

Stir them together and put in your oven - turned off, light on - for 10 or 15 minutes until the yeast is foamy.

Add to the bowl:

1 egg

1/3 cup veg oil

3 cups flour - if you're using a mix of wheat and white, add the wheat first.

3 tsp salt

Stir it together, then add another 3 cups of flour. The dough will still be pretty runny.

This is when we put it in the mixer for the kneading - we have a food processor with a dough blade (we're still wishing for a Kitchenaid), and we put it in a third at a time and add more flour about a half-cup at a time until the dough gets to the consistency that we want. It's usually 3 or 4 more cups of flour. Adam likes it a bit more sticky than I do. I just watch for it pulling off the sides of the mixer. This can be done by hand - it will just take a bit longer to get everything kneaded in.

We sometimes use a mix of regular white flour (unbleached, if that matters to you) and whole wheat flour. I use 2 or 3 cups of wheat flour and the rest is white. The more wheat flour you add, the lower it will rise and it will be a lot more compact. Doorstops, on occasion. If you like big poofy loaves of bread, don't use very much wheat flour. This particular set of proportions does not lend itself well to all-wheat bread. Find another recipe for that.

Another hint - sift every bit of flour through a sifter as it's added. We didn't at first but then read something online that suggested it. We tried it and sifting the flour has made a huge difference in how the bread turns out. It's a lot lighter through the loaf.

When all the dough is mixed and kneaded into the consistency that you want, let it rise in the oven, still with the oven turned off and the light on. I don't know why this works to create the appropriate warm temperature for rising bread, but it does. Do this twice - rise, punch down, rise, punch down. This will take a couple of hours.

After the second punch down, separate the dough into 3 loaves and put them in the pans to rise a 3rd time. When they get to the top of the bread pans, you're ready to bake - 400 degrees for 25-28 minutes. And then you're done! Wrap it in plastic wrap to put in the freezer if you want it for later.

This can take 4 or 5 hours with all the rising, so don't expect to have this ready for dinner if you're starting at 4 pm. This is something to start in the morning for lunch or dinner.

sneaky muffins

Okay, so about those 12 recipes I said I'd post this calendar year ...

I told my kids this morning that I was baking "chocolate chip muffins" because RG won't touch vegetables. This is what I did:

3 eggs
3/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup milk
1 cup brown sugar
3 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon (I think this should be cut to 2)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
lots of chocolate chips - I didn't measure, just dumped in most of a 12 oz bag.

Mix ingredients down to zucchini, then add all the dry ingredients, then add the chocolate chips.

Bake at 325 for 1 hour if doing 2 9x5 loaves, 20 minutes if doing muffins. I got 30 muffins out of it.

They've been out of the oven long enough to cool, and RG is already on her second one.

The original recipe is here. This is all my variation. No oil, half the sugar from the original recipe, extra zucchini, applesauce, and flaxseed. I have no idea how healthy these are, but a lot more than the original recipe would have been!

drop scones

I found a treasure a couple of weeks ago! Drop scones. I found them in The Joy Of Cooking. I love that book!

Dried Fruit and Buttermilk Drop Scones

Moist, light scones with a golden crusty exterior. Buttermilk produces a pleasantly tangy flavor that complements any dried fruit.

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl:

2 cups all-purpose flour, or 2 1/2 cups if using oil instead of butter
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Whisk together then add all at once:

1 large egg
1 cup low-fat buttermilk* 3 1/2 tablespoons warm melted unsalted butter or 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup raisins, or dried currants, blueberries, cherries, or cranberries, or chopped dried apricots or pears

Mix with a rubber spatula, wooden spoon, or fork just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter will be quite sticky. Use a soup spoon or ice cream scoop to drop the batter in mounds 2 1.2 inches in diameter at least 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with:

Cinnamon and sugar

Bake until the tops are golden brown, 12 o 15 minutes. Let cool on a rack or serve warm.

I don't usually have buttermilk on hand either, so what I do is put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in the bottom of a liquid measuring cup, and then put enough milk in to make a complete cup. Let it sit for 1 minute. And then you have a substitute for buttermilk.

I made this recipe three times the week I found this recipe(without the dried fruit). The kids love them, and so do I! Granted, they are a bit lighter than your classic scone. More like a nice sweet drop biscuit. But hey, I was wanting to find a recipe like that anyway! :)

our Christmas dinner

Friends, this dinner was noteworthy. Nirvana on a plate. Adam's a good cook but seriously. When it comes to Mediterranean food, something just really comes together for us.

We skipped the typical turkey and mashed potatoes for Christmas dinner, and went with a Lebanese theme.

We had roast using this meat rub that we used on lamb at Easter. We were told by a friend that we could use roast if lamb is too expensive - and it was this time - and it worked spectacularly. Adam cooked it in the crockpot and it was very juicy and fell apart when cut into. The smell in our kitchen was amazing.

Adam made pita bread using this recipe - it didn't work out so well as the first time. The rolls were not hollow. So we tore out the middle and used the bread chunks in our dips, and voila! The shell is a regular pita pocket! For our pita appetizers, we had tomato, cucumber, green olives, black olives, strips of bell pepper, goat cheese, hummus, and an eggplant dip called baba gannouj. If you are a fan of hummus, may I suggest a replacement. Baba gannouj is absolutely delicious, not to mention hilarious to say. 8000 times. Baba gah-NOOSH! It was, by far, one of the most casual and relaxed and FUN meals we have had in a long time.

We also had, but hardly worth mentioning after all that, asparagus with lemon and rice.

And then dessert. Please join me in singing the Hallelujah Chorus. We have a new Christmas dessert at our house: Buche de Noel. It's a French cake shaped to be like a yule log - it's a flat, flourless cake with mousse rolled in the middle and covering it over the top, and it's all chocolate.

the most amazing dessert EVER!

French Peasant Bread

Here's a great bread recipe to go with your favorite Italian meal. It has a nice texture and is so easy to make! It's another from Recipe Shoebox.


The ingredients:
1 Tbs. dry, quick rising yeast
2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 cups all-purpose flour ( I used half whole wheat and half white flour)

olive oil (for greasing the pan)
corn meal (for pan)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Place yeast, water, sugar, and salt in warm bowl and stir until dissolved. Add flour and stir until blended, but do NOT knead. Cover and let rise one hour or until double in size. Flour hands, remove dough from the bowl and place in 2 roughly equal rounds on an oiled cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal. Let rise an additional hour. Brush the tops and sides of the rounds with melted butter and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and cook an additional 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush tops and sides of rounds again with melted butter. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Brownie Time

Hey Treen - Just in case your were wondering, here are the brownies you at when we saw you last. They are from the Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book I bough back in our college days.

I usually triple it so that I can put it into a cookie sheet. We all love them, and I make them way too often for our own good!

EASY FUDGE BROWNIES

1/2 c. butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped (but I don't chop it. I am lazy that way)
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c all purpose flour
1/2 c chopped nuts (I don't usually add those)

Grease an 8x8x2 inch pan; set aside. In a medium saucepan melt butter and chocolate over low heat.(Try not to let it boil. They turn out better.) Remove from heat. Stir in sugar eggs and vanilla. ( make sure it has cooled a little bit so that the egg whites don't cook a little) Using a wooden spoon, lightly beat the mixture just until combined - don't over-beat of the brownies will rise too high then fall. Stir in flour and chopped nuts. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Brickle bars: Prepare as above, except omit the nuts. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and sprinkle 3/4 cup almond brickle pieces and 1/2 c miniature semisweet chocolate pieces evenly over top of batter. Bake. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Oatmeal Bake

I just found this recipe online. I went ahead and made it. While I was making it I went ahead and tweaked it a little though. The cinnamon made me think of apples so I added two small granny smith apples as well. I definitely would be a great breakfast item, or something to snack on. It does require a fork though.

I love it and will add it to my recipe arsenal!

Oatmeal Bake
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup canola oil (or can use applesauce or combo of)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
6 cups oats
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all. Grease a 9 x 12" pan. Bake 30 min.

self-rising flour

If you come across a baking recipe that calls for self-rising flour, you don't have to buy it. You can make it.

1 cup regular flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Voila!

date and apple squares

This is 5 for 50 ... the other cooking I've done in the past week or so has been stuff I've already made. I'll get a couple of those up as I have time.

1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
4 tbl light corn syrup
2/3 cup chopped dates (I used the dried ones that are by the raisins and craisins at the store.)
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 apples peeled and grated
1-2 tsp lemon juice
walnuts - halves or chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375, line an 8x8 pan with foil.
2. On stove, heat margarine, sugar, and corn syrup. Stir until margarine is melted.
3. Add dates and cook until softened. Work in oats, flour, apples, lemon juice.
4. Put mixture in pan. Put walnuts over the top.
5. Bake for 30 min, then lower oven temp to 325 and cook for another 10 min. until firm.

The recipe is from our Cookie cookbook, but it turned out more like a cake. It was also very, very mild in flavor - I could taste the wheat more than the apples and dates, which seemed to completely dissolve. I thought it was a good breakfast food because it's pretty healthy and not too sweet.