Recipe Snapshots: Christmas Cookies

Because work and life have been very busy this December, I haven't had the opportunity yet to back any Christmas cookies.  This pains me.  But it will be remedied soon, when my husband and I head to Kentucky to visit my mom and step-dad for Christmas.  My mom and I plan to get our bake on!  Seeing that many of you may wish to do some baking this weekend, here are some of the recipes I used last year, most of which are likely to be repeated this year!

Peanut Butter Kisses:  We all remember these from childhood, right?  Well, I had to make them myself, and they were easy and delicious.  The recipe made about 93847587583 cookies, though, so keep that in mind.  I also made a slight upgrade to the basic recipe: I used the dark chocolate kisses.  Yum!

More recipes (and pictures!) below the cut!

Step-by-Step Recipe: Spaghetti all' Elsa and Roasted Sausages with Peppers and Onions

The holiday season is busy for many of us.  This week in particular, I have a lot going on at work, in addition to trying to make the holidays happen (Christmas shopping, decorating, and working on Christmas cards).  In these situations, I love a recipe that will make a lot of leftovers.  These recipes do just that--they will make about 6-8 servings, depending how generous you are.  Which is fantastic!

I'm not always the biggest fan of Rachael Ray, mostly because I find her a little irritating on TV.  But I've made a few of her recipes that were all pretty good...so I will try to be more kind in my assessment.  Of the recipes I've tried, Spaghetti all' Elsa and Roasted Sausages with Peppers and Onions are probably my favorites.  (FYI, I skip the cheesy bread part of that second recipe, as this already makes SO MUCH food.  Maybe if I were feeding an army I might try it...)  The other great thing about these recipes is that they aired together on a episode of "Thirty Minute Meals."  I've never actually managed to make this meal in 30 minutes, but it doesn't take much longer than that.  A great help on a busy Monday night!

Recipes and photos below the cut!

Recipe Snapshot: French Chicken

This recipe is known in our home simply as "French chicken."  I think it has a real name, but being that I found the recipe in French (with its French name), I find it's simpler to stick with "French chicken."  I love this recipe.  It's easy, delicious, and impressive.  I've made it for guests, including a special birthday dinner for a friend this past fall.  I also made it last night on an ordinary Tuesday, because I happened to have all the ingredients on hand, and I felt like it.  What else makes it great?  It tastes, somehow, French, without being fussy or complicated (unlike the traditional boeuf bourguignon that I made that took nearly 7 hours to complete).

I often serve this chicken with haricot verts (fancy-sounding French words for skinny green beans) and some kind of potato.  Last night I served it with a green salad and some spaghetti squash.  I love that it has come out perfectly every time I make it.  And like I said above, it just tastes "French."  I think it's the Dijon (must use real Dijon, not plain yellow mustard or the grainy stuff) and the herbs.  If my guess is right, this is actually pretty healthy, as well.  Think about it--the only real fat is the Parmesan and the pine nuts.

Recipe is below the cut.

Thanksgiving Tidbits

My apologies for being a neglectful food blogger.  My husband and I took a long weekend last weekend to visit my undergraduate alma mater and attend a football game.  There was no cooking to be done.  And since our return, I seem to have picked up a head cold, so the only cooking going on in our house has been microwaved soup.  I hope to pick things up again after Thanksgiving--so many Christmas recipes to dream about!

Nevertheless, Thanksgiving is next week.  My husband and I will be visiting his parents in New Jersey for the holiday, so I won't be cooking.  Part of me is relieved, but a bigger part is actually sad not to be hosting.  I've made Thanksgiving dinner a couple of times in years past, and with careful planning, it's actually been pretty fun!  And being the control freak that I am, I LOVE planning menus.  But such is life!

For those of you who have not yet planned out your Thanksgiving menu in full, I thought I'd share a couple of recipes I've really enjoyed--high on flavor, low on effort.  I can't share my favorite recipe (mashed potatoes), because it's a family secret.  Well, not really--mostly I don't follow a recipe.  I cook potatoes and mash them up with butter, milk, and sour cream.  And voila, mashed potatoes.  Anticlimactic, isn't it?

Fresh Herb Stuffing from Real Simple magazine: I also sauteed some sliced mushrooms and added those to the mix when I made this. I like this recipe because you can completely control how moist your stuffing is.  I prefer mine to be soft but not soggy (all the better to cover in gravy), but I know my husband likes his much drier.  (I give him the crustier edges.)  I like this recipe because it's easy, has a traditional flavor, and it shares many of the same ingredients as other dishes, so it's low stress.  I enjoy a fancy sausage stuffing as much as the next girl, but really, if you're making dinner by yourself, why make it more complicated than it needs to be?

Cranberry and Dried Cherry Relish from Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine: Could this be any easier???  No!  And that's why it's perfect.  You can spice it up with some cinnamon and/or ginger if you'd like, but this is also good as is.  And the fact that you could make it in your sleep doesn't hurt!

Please promise me that you'll make your own gravy.  Promise?  It's really quite easy, and it seems a shame to waste the juices from the gorgeous turkey you roasted.  If you've been to scared to try it in the past, just follow these steps.  Classic Gravy from Real Simple.  If you don't have wine on hand, you can just use more broth.

Also note that if you've got a smaller group to cook for, go ahead and roast a turkey breast rather than a whole turkey.  Because you're only cooking the breast meat, it will cook faster and more evenly, and it will be the juiciest turkey you've ever had.  Trust me!  Because the breast is leaner, you'll have fewer juices in the pan for gravy, FYI.

Best of luck, everyone!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Step-by-Step Recipe: Cinnamon Apple Crepes

I woke up Saturday morning with the urge to make crepes for breakfast.  This has never happened before, as I usually have the urge to let my husband make me an English muffin and some coffee.  But I went with it.  I had seen a recipe for pumpkin spice crepes a while back, and decided those could be easily adapted.  (I might try the pumpkin version later, though.)

Believe it or not, I've never really made crepes before, despite my francophilia.  These took a little getting used to, but after a couple disasters, I got the hang of it!

Step-by-Step Recipe: Creamy Pumpkin Soup

I feel like a bad food blogger.  It's been too long, and I know it.  But in my defense, it's been a crazy week.  Last weekend was a bit of a whirlwind, and then on Monday and Tuesday, I traveled to Portland, Oregon for work.  Yes, 5,600+ miles in less than 48 hours.  And so I've been...wrecked...since then. Then yesterday I had a medical procedure that required anesthesia, so I wasn't allowed to do much in the kitchen when I got home. All I have cooked in the last week has been a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches.  Hopefully that will change today!

In other news, my dark chocolate cupcakes with pumpkin cream cheese frosting won the Halloween Bake Sale/Contest at work in a couple of categories--Most Wicked and Most Haunted; I came in second for Most Creepy, and tied for third for Best in Show.  So that's good, right?

Last weekend was Halloween, and despite the fact that I needed to wake up at 3 in the morning on Monday to make it to the airport to catch my flight, I did want to "celebrate," even if in a small way.  We only had a few trick-or-treaters (anyone want a Kit-Kat?  We have lots!), but luckily that gave me time to whip up a little something for the holiday: creamy pumpkin soup.

I've been making this recipe for years, and have shared it with several friends.  I think it could be a perfect first course at Thanksgiving dinner, but it's also perfect for a simple Sunday supper on Halloween, especially when accompanied by the perfect grilled cheese sandwich (which it was this past Sunday!).

I originally found this recipe online at AllRecipes.com, but I have made some alterations.  First, I don't make the cinnamon croutons; second, I use much much much less cream, as the soup doesn't need it.

More below the cut!

Step-by-Step Recipe: Apple Cider Braised Pork with Onions and Leeks (sort of)

I really like braising meat, as I believe I've said before (braised short ribs)  It's pretty much the easiest thing you can do that delivers such amazing results, though admittedly it takes a while.  The good news is that most of that time is hands-off from you.

This isn't quite a true step-by-step posting, as I had guests over for dinner, and then I got a tiny bit flustered,
and then I didn't take pictures.  It happens.  Sorry!

More below the cut.