Egg Nog

A holiday tradition at my house- Mom makes the nog and we trim the tree. I am going to have to whip me up some this year.....

3 eggs, separated
2 T sugar (I think Mom puts in about 1/4 cup of sugar- make it to taste)
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 c milk
1 1/2 c half-and-half
Fresh nutmeg

1. Beat the yolks with sugar until well blended. Stir in the vanilla, milk, and half-and-half.

2. Beat the egg whites and fold them in thoroughly. You don't need to be too gentle; they should lighten the drink but not be discernible. Top with grated nutmeg and serve.

From: How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Easy Hot Fudge

This is the notorious hot fudge recipe that caused me great problems when I tried making the sweetened condensed milk from scratch. But it is FABULOUS if you don't try to be Fran the Food Storage Queen- just BUY the stuff from the store.

For 1 pint:

3oz semi-sweet chocolate* (3 squares of baking chocolate, or about 1/2 C chocolate chips

1/4 C butter (that's a half of a stick folks. Admit it, at least one of you didn't know that)

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

*I wouldn't use milk chocolate for this, it's way too sweet, however both dark and bittersweet are awesome

1. If you're using baking squares, chop them up into small pieces so they melt easier. I chop the butter up into small chunks too.


2. Okay, it's not rocket science. Put it in a pan on medium heat and melt it all together till it's smooth, creamy, and just looking at it gives you happy thoughts.

3. If you have leftovers (but let's be honest, you'll have to quadruple the recipe to have leftovers) then put it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will harden into a soft, gooey fudge like consistency.


From: ourbestbites.com

Shrimp Pasta in a Foil Package

UPDATE: Obviously I didn't use white wine. (I hope it's obvious!) I used 1/4 c water and 1/4 c apple cider vinegar. Enjoy!

Yummmmm!!!!!

Ingredients

• ½ cups Olive Oil
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3 whole 14.5 Ounce Cans Diced (or Whole) Tomatoes
• 1/4 c water
• 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
  
• 2 pounds Jumbo Or Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
• Salt And Pepper (to Taste)
• Fresh Parsley, Minced
• 1 pound Linguine, Uncooked
• Red Pepper Flakes (to Taste)

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta for 1/2 the recommended cooking time. Pasta should still be very firm.

In a large skillet or pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for a minute. Dump in the tomatoes and wine. Stir the mixture together, season with salt and pepper, and allow to cook for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a large parcel of heavy duty aluminum foil. It should be large enough to hold the entire pasta dish.

Throw the shrimp on the top of the pasta sauce. Throw the drained pasta over the top, then pour the whole dish onto the foil. Tightly wrap the foil into a parcel.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and keep warm until serving.

Open the foil parcel right before serving. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over the top. Squeeze on lemon juice, if desired.

From: The Pioneer Woman

Eggnog Bundt Cake

1 yellow cake mix (preferably with pudding in the mix)
3 T. flour
2 c. eggnog
¼ c. butter, softened
2 eggs, slightly beaten
¼ tsp. rum extract
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Beat until smooth and creamy. Pour into greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. Dust lightly with powdered sugar for presentation.

Caramel sauce:
½ lb brown sugar (~1 1/8 c.)
½ lb butter
½ lb powdered sugar (~2 cups)
½ T. cinnamon
½ qt. rich vanilla ice cream

Melt together over medium heat. Pour warm over individual servings immediately before serving.

From: The Sisters' Cafe

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

Ingredients
2 (14-ounce) packages gingerbread mix (or 1 box spice cake mix)
1 (5.1-ounce) box cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
1 (30-ounce) can pumpkin pie filling
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping
1/2 cup gingersnaps, optional

Directions
Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar, and cardamom into the pudding. Crumble 1 batch of gingerbread into the bottom of a large, pretty bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping. Sprinkle of the top with crushed gingersnaps, if desired. Refrigerate overnight. Trifle can be layered in a punch bowl.

From: Amanda Wilkinson

Peppermint Marshmallows

1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 1/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. crushed peppermint candy canes (about 6)
1/8 tsp. salt

*Tip: to crush your candy canes, break them up in large pieces, then seal them in a Zip Loc bag. Put your bag on a sturdy cutting board and use a hammer to smash them into a powder. The finer the powder, the better.

1. Into a small bowl, sift together powdered sugar and cornstarch. Line a 9x13" pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Sift 2 Tbsp. of the powdered sugar mixture into pan and tilt to coat all sides. Leave excess in pan.

3. Place 2/3 c. water in a large bowl and sprinkle with gelatin. Let soften 5 minutes.

4. In medium, heavy-bottom saucepan, heat sugar, corn syrup, candy cane, and salt over medium heat until completely dissolved (about 7 minutes).

5. Pour into bowl with gelatin mixture and beat on high speed with electric mixer until light and fluffy (10-15 minutes).

6. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Smooth top and dush with powdered sugar mixture. Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.

7. Lift from pan with foil. With a small, wet cookie cutter, cut shapes and dip sides in sugar mixture. Cut up remaining marshmallows into small, irregular pieces (these are the ones I let my kids and husband eat!). Or, using a wet knife, cut into 6 large squares and dip sides into powdered sugar mixture. Then cut each of those squares into 9 pieces and dip in sugar mixture.

8. Store at room temp, loosely covered.

From: littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com

Starbuck's Peppermint Brownies

Here's a great one for the holidays (or anytime you want, really). It's a mint chocolate brownie with peppermint buttercream frosting on top and creamy chocolate frosting on top of that. And to simplify the cloning process a bit, we start with a common fudge brownie mix. By changing the required ingredients listed on the brownie mix box and adding some other modified steps, we can improve on the finished product. Rather than oil, use a stick of melted butter in your brownies for a richer, better flavor. And cook the brownies at a slightly lower temperature so that they come out moist and chewy. Since this recipe is for peppermint brownies, adding just a bit of peppermint extract will do the trick. The peppermint brownies from Starbucks have red and white frosting drizzled lightly across the top. To save time, buy premade red and white colored frostings that come in little cans (with tips included).
	Brownies one 19.5-ounce box fudge brownie mix (Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix works great) 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 1/4 cup water 2 large eggs 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract Peppermint Buttercream Frosting 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1 tablespoon milk 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract Chocolate Frosting 1/3 cup whole milk 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter one 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup powdered sugar Decorative Icing 1 can white frosting (with fine tip) 1 can red frosting (with fine tip)
	1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, then prepare a 9 x 9-inch baking pan by spraying it with a light coating of nonstick spray. Cut a piece of parchment paper or nonstick aluminum foil to the same width as the bottom of the pan, but make it much longer than the pan so that the left and right ends go up and out of the pan on the left and right sides. This will create a "sling" that will help you lift the brownies out of the pan after they've baked. 2. Make the brownie batter by first sifting the box of ingredients. This will destroy any clumps. Add the melted butter, water, eggs, and peppermint extract and mix the batter by hand just until all the dry stuff is mixed in. Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and bake it for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Allow the brownies to cool before frosting. 3. Make the peppermint buttercream frosting by beating together 1 cup of powdered sugar and the softened butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. Mix in another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, then add the milk and the peppermint and vanilla extracts. Mix for about 1 minute to make the frosting smooth. Add an additional 1/4 cup of powdered sugar if the frosting is too thin and light. You want a frosting that can be spread easily, yet it should be firm enough to hold up the layer of chocolate frosting that's coming next. When the brownie has cooled, use a spatula to spread the frosting evenly over the top. Put the brownie in the fridge to firm up the buttercream frosting. 4. Make the chocolate frosting by bringing the whole milk and butter to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour the chocolate chips into a heat-safe bowl. When the milk and butter comes to a boil, pour the mixture over the chocolate chips and let it all just sit there in the bowl for a couple minutes. Add the vanilla to the mixture and whisk until smooth. Use an electric mixer to beat in the powdered sugar until the frosting is smooth. Spread the chocolate frosting over the white frosting on the brownie. 5. Add the decorative red and white icing by first applying the white icing to the top of the cake in a sweeping motion diagonally across the top of the entire cake, then add the red icing over the white in the same sweeping motion in the same direction. 6. Stick the brownie back in the fridge for about an hour before removing it from the pan and slicing it into 9 equal portions. The leftovers will keep well for several days covered in the refrigerator. From: topsecretrecipes.com

Homemade Egg Noodles

First you need eggs- I use nine because there are nine of us in this household. If it were me....I'd use close to that (about an egg per person) because if you don't have left overs the Natives get very very cranky.

Oil and salt- 1/3 cup oil and 1 TBL. salt. I know! It sounds like a lot of salt but don't worry.

Throw the eggs, oil, and salt into you mixer. Any mixer or by hand if you've the biceps. Give it a good whirl.

Flour- This part is a bit tricky. Most people add too much flour to their baking. You want your dough to be sticky. Don't be afraid of sticky. Sticky is your friend when making bread....rolls......noodles.....cinnamon rolls....

Generously flour your counter top, your kitchen table, your kitchen floor if it is clean enough......where ever you are going to roll out your dough.

Dump your dough onto your floured surface area and roll your dough in the flour. Don't knead it! Just cover your dough in flour. We're going to take care of that sticky.

Roll out your dough about an 1/8th inch thick and then drown your dough in flour again. Cover that sucker in flour. You need a good amount of flour for the next step.

Now you are going to roll your dough like you would cinnamon rolls. We don't want the dough sticking together so make sure you have enough flour on top of the dough and under it as you roll.

Now, grab you a serrated knife and start cutting your noodles. I like mine about a 1/2 inch wide.

Now for the fun part. Try to keep as much flour as you can on the noodle as you drop them into the soup. The flour becomes your thickener.

Mmmm, now stand back and watch the magic happen. Watch as the noodles take on a life of their own and grow so big you run scrambling to find another pot as noodles wriggle over the sides of your stock pot. True story!

From: Rachel Rubow