Christmas Tree 2011

Anyone who knows me knows about my Christmas trees.  Each year I do a different theme and they are on a 6 year rotation.  It all started with a Boston College themed tree which is maroon and gold with a maroon angel on top.  Next is the Candy Cane theme of red and white.  Next is the blue, white and silver tree that is topped with a silver glittered faux deer.  After that is the Woodland theme which is topped with a bird house and has greens, browns and lots of creatures. Following that is the Patriotic Tree of red, white and blue with American flags as the topper. The final theme is this year's of Bright Colors- pinks, blues, greens and purples. The top of this tree is a wreath made of bells.  There are round balls, large and small snow flakes and elongated ornaments. The fillers are various items from the craft store.

I frequently use ribbon as garland as it comes in so many colors and textures, thicknesses and the wired version can be manipulated to hide holes in the tree.  Another thing I do is to go to the local craft store and buy items from the floral department.  I buy stems of flowers in the theme colors, sprayed branches or even picks used in wreaths.  These items can be less than $1 each.  Here are some photos from this year:

You can see the wreath topper, ribbon garland and ornaments

You may think that this is an expensive endeavor, but its not.  I go to the department stores, craft stores and discount stores after Christmas and can find these items for 90% off.  I keep the items organized by putting all the items in the theme in a plastic storage tub and label it. This way I have all the items for a theme in one place and need only pull out the theme I need for that year.  I also have a bin of sentimental and family ornaments that go on the tree no matter what, so the family history stays alive each year.  If you are interested in this idea, get out to the stores now because the deals are going fast.  Maybe you will find a theme I don't have yet.  I do have room for more themes.  Let me know what you find.

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Every chain restaurant serves a version of this dip.  It is usually served with corn chips and is always a crowd pleaser.  If you would like to take a dip to a holiday party that is sure to impress, make this.  Everyone knows it as something you only get at a restaurant and now you can make it.  It is not a low fat dish but you can lighten it up with low fat mayo and cream cheese. 

Ingredients:

2 8 oz. bricks cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayo
1 14 oz. can Artichoke hearts, chopped
1 10 oz. box chopped frozen spinach, thawed and liquid removed
1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra for garnish
1 garlic clove, minced

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the cream cheese and mayo to a mixer and beat until well combined.

Into the mixer

Well beated and combined

Add remaining ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.

Artichokes from the can

Roughly chopped

Spinach thawed and squeezed the water out

Everything in the bowl

All mixed together

Pour into a medium sized casserole dish. Place some extra cheese on top in a thin layer.

Into the dish, cheese on top

Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, until the center is hot and the top is just starting to brown.

Serve with corn chips.

Christmas Baking 2011 Dilemma

I usually begin baking on Veterans' Day each year.  For me, that is when the holiday season begins.  I started that day and continued into the weekend.  I made four kinds of cookies that long weekend.  The next week was hectic so I was unable to bake.  The Sunday before Thanksgiving I did a marathon baking session, with the help of my sister in law.  We made four more kinds of cookies.  By the end of that weekend the total number of cookies totalled over 1000...it was 1600. 

The weekend after Thanksgiving started with shopping but, I knew I had to keep going.  I was running low on butter and eggs so I made a trip to a big box store to replenish.  After all, by now, I have used 12 pounds of butter, 20 pounds of flour, 5 dozen eggs, 20 pounds of white sugar, 10 pounds of brown sugar and 10 pounds of chocolate.  So this weekend I made 2 more kinds of cookies and I now have 2000 cookies baked, 10 types complete.  Herein lies the problem, I am adding more kinds of cookies to the repertoire and have upped my goal to make 17 types of cookies.  Based upon this, I am just halfway done.  But, I have no freezer space left.  I have filled a small chest freezer and 2 kitchen sized freezers.  I am on a roll and want to keep going but have nowhere to put the cookies. 

Is anyone out there willing to let me use freezer space? 

Christmas Cookies - Sugar

Sugar Cookies are a plain looking cookie with a lot of flavor.  They are crisp and delicate and a classic cookie. They have sugar in them, but are not overly sweet. If you want a cookie that has basic ingredients that you already have in your pantry, try making these.

Yields 60 cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cut shortening
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Combine the butter and shortening in the bowl of a mixer.  Mix for 30 seconds.

Shortening and butter in the bowl

Butter and shortening mixed

Add the sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.  Beat until well combined.

Sugar, cream of tartar and salt in

Sugar, cream of tartar salt mixed

Beat in egg yolks and vanilla until full incorporated.  Scrape down the bowl as needed. 

Stir in the flour.

Flour in

Shape the dough into 1 inch balls.  You can use a 1 inch cookie scoop or your hands to do this.
Place them 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper.


Ready for the oven

Bake for 16-18 minutes until the bottom of very light brown.

Done and ready for eating

Cool on a wire cookie rack.

Baked Brie with Brown Sugar and Walnuts

This recipe sounds fancy and looks impressive when made.  However, it is easy to make and is always a hit.  The warm melted brie inside a puff pastry crust allows you to serve this alone or with crackers.   The warm gooey brie melts into the brown sugar and nuts to make a sweet and savory dish.

Ingredients:

1 Puff pastry sheet, defrosted
1/2 cup walnuts, whole
1 8 oz. brie wheel
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place some flour on the counter and put the puff pastry on top.  Roll it out to remove the creases and make it just 2 inches larger.

Rolled out pastry

Place the walnuts in a dry pan on medium heat.  Toast for about 5 minutes, do not burn.

Remove the nuts from the pan and chop them.

Slice the brie wheel horizontally.  Open it like a sandwich.

The brie wheel

Cut in half

Place the brown sugar on top of the inside of one of the pieces and spread evenly.

Brown sugar added

Place the nuts on top of the brown sugar and spread evenly.

Nuts added

Sprinkle the cinnamon on top of the nuts.

Cinnamon added

Place the top half of the wheel on the mixture, like you are putting it back together.

Closed up

Place the brie in the middle of the puff pastry sheet.

Scramble the egg in a small bowl and add 1 TBS of water, to create an egg wash.

Ready to scramble

Close up the puff pastry using the egg wash as the glue to hold the puff pastry to itself.  Close up all the sides.

Half closed, with the egg as glue

All closed on the bottom

Turn the pastry over to make the seam on the bottom.

Place it on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.

Egg wash the entire pastry. 

Pastry egg washed

Bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is light brown all around.

Remove and serve.

 

Thanksgiving Dinner Table 2011

Last year I had a lot of tips for you.  Those ideas are still great and you should check them out to see some ideas for setting the table, preparing ahead etc.http://homemadeonli.blogspot.com/2010/11/thanksgiving-dinner-tips.html.

This year, I have a few ideas for you to add to last years tips.  I decided to use gold as my color scheme.  Since my chargers and flatware are gold, it only made sense.  I found some cute napkins in gold and had to have them.  Paired with a gold napkin ring, the napkin is elegant and the embroidered turkey adds some whimsy to the table.  The table cloth contains gold colors and the china has a gold rim.  The table really sparkles as the candles light up the shiny gold on the table.

To get this look, simply grab the napkin from the middle and pull it through the ring.  Place it on the plate with the turkey sitting straight on the plate. 

Candles are more than just candlesticks.  This year I am using floating candles in large cylinders filled with water to add something different.  Glass beads or fresh cranberries could be added to the water as well.

I am serving Cranberry Wine along with the usual choices.  I found it in Vermont on a recent trip to the Quechee Gorge Village.  It is made by Putney Mountain Winery using Cape Code Cranberries.  I saved it just for Thanksgiving.  While this wine is not Long Island local, I did find it on a trip and brought it back with me.  On your next trip to Vermont, pick some up for next Thanksgiving dinner.

I also bought a wire bread basket in the shape of a turkey.  I place 2 napkins in the basket, one on the bottom to sit the bread on and another to cover the bread with in order to keep it warm.  Use the same napkins in the basket as on the rest of the table to keep the theme going and a coordinated look.  This basket is made by Better Homes and Gardens.  It is also a whimsical piece for the table. 

For the center of the table I used the candles from above, some faux carved pumpkins.  The one pumpkin is a turkey and the other says "Give Thanks."  With some battery operated tea lights, they bring the look of the harvest to the table with some twinkling light.  The centerpiece is a floral arrangement placed in a wood and wire holder I use every year and have filled with fall colored flowers.  Here is this year's version:

The table is set for 6 this year.  I have a small crowd but that does not mean that I am skimping on style.  Here is what this year's table looks like:

 In the day or in candle light, the table looks warm and welcoming. Use this ideas as well as last years, to make your table look beautiful.

Thanksgiving Dinner - Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

The typical Thanksgiving pies are pumpkin and apple.  Some people also make pecan.  But I am not a big pie lover so I was looking for something different to add to my table this year, that I will actually eat.  I decided to make pie with the perfect combination - chocolate and peanut butter!  This is not my recipe, it is from Food and Wine Magazine, but I have included it here because it is so delicious I had to share it.  This recipe is good for any time, not just Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:

Chocolate Crust:

4 oz semi sweet chocolate, chopped, or use chips
1/2 stick butter (4 TBS)
8 oz. chocolate wafer cookies, such as Oreo, finely ground, about 2 cups

Peanut Butter Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup heavy cream, cold
3/4 cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped

Chocolate Topping

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

Here's how:

Make the chocolate crust:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate and butter and cook for 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted.

Chocolate melted

Stir in the crumbs and mix until incorporated.

Ground crumbs.  I use the food processor to do this.

Crumbs mixed into the melted chocolate

Press the mixture into a 9 inch spring form pan, going up the sides 1 1/2 inch.  Make sure the crust is even and there are no holes.

A spring form pan

Crust into the pan

Place the crust into the oven and cook for 10 minutes.

Make the Peanut Butter Filling:

Combine the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla in a mixer bowl. 

Everything into the mixing bowl

Mix until fully incorporated.

Fully mixed

In another bowl, whip the heavy cream until firm.

Cream

Cream into the bowl

Cream all whipped

Add 1/3 of the cream to the peanut butter mixture and fold in.

Folding in the 1/3 of cream

Fully incorporated

Add the remaining 2/3 of cream and fold it in.

Ready to fold in the last 2/3 of the cream

Pour the mixture on top of the crust and smooth.

Filling in the crust

Lightly bang the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles.

Cover with 1/2 cup of the peanuts.

Ready for the fridge

Refrigerate for 3 hours, until set.

Make the Chocolate Topping:

In a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate and heavy cream.

Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.

Let the chocolate sit on the counter to cool, until barely warm, stirring occasionally.

Spread the chocolate over top of the peanut butter filling and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Ready for the fridge

Sprinkle the remaining nuts around the edge of the pie.

Use a knife to loosen the crust from the pan.  Release the spring form pan and remove.

Ready to eat

Cut and serve.