Christmas Gifts: Muddy Buddies

I'm sure everyone has had this at least once before or at least seen it. If you haven't where have you been? You really need to try this stuff. It's addicting. The kind of thing you sit down and watch a movie with and before the opening credits roll you have already eaten it all. Sweet and a little bit salty from the peanuts, you need to make a lot becuase it will go fast.

Muddy Buddies (aka: Puppy Chow)
* Makes 18 servings (1/2 cup each)

9 cups Chex cereal
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.

In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.

Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Christmas Gifts: Rum Cake

My family loves liquor. And a dessert that combines liquor and cake? A dream come true! So it should come as no surprise that rum cake is a staple at our holiday gatherings. I have tried several different recipes, from Emeril to Martha, but the best cake by far is the one that my Aunt Katherine makes-- A recipe that she learned from her aunt. And here I am sharing this beloved family recipe with all of you. Well, turns out this recipe isn't so secret... The beloved rum cake recipe is the one on the Bacardi Rum website. Oh well, it's still delicious!

I made mini versions of these cakes for my friends and wraped them in plastic wrap and put them into festive red boxes with tissue paper.

Bacardi Rum Cake

1 cup chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts
1 (18-1/2) ounce yellow cake mix
1 (1-3/4 ounce )instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum
---Glaze---
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum

 

Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of pan. Combine all cake ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool in pan. Invert on serving plate. Prick top with fork. Drizzle glaze over top of Bacardi Rum Cake. Use brush or spoon to put extra dripping back on cake. 

 

Glaze: Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Note: The rum will cause steam. Be careful not to burn yourself.

The longer this cakes sits, the better the taste and it freezes beautifully.

Christmas Gifts: Homemade Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows

Homemade marshmallows are delicious, light, and fluffy. They are relatively easy to make too and look precious in little giggly square shapes.  However, unless you are a marshmallow snob or an over-enthusiast baker it might be better just to buy them. It seems to me like a lot of extra work for something that tastes exactly the same as the mass produced blobs.

They really are pretty easy to make though, if you have some free time go on a make some. They look very impressive and all your friends will be in awe that you actually made marshmallows.

Oh, by the way, if you do go though all the trouble to make them, you MUST dip the tops of them in chocolate! It is divine, in fact I have eaten 2 chocolate  dipped beauties just while writing this post.

Homemade Marshmallows

3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup ice cold water, divided
12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Nonstick spray
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.


Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary.


Melt chocolate in microwave until smooth. Dip ends of marshmallows in chocolate. Allow to cool and chocolate to harden.


Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Christmas Gifts: Snickerdoodles

This is Martha Stewart's recipe, because, well, the woman can make a good cookie.

Snickerdoodles

*Makes 4 dozen

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup pure vegetable shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus more if needed
2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.

Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, shortening, and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a small (1 1/4-ounce) ice-cream scoop to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after 5 minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Snickerdoodles - Martha Stewart Recipes

Christmas Gifts: Rice Krispies

This Christmas, for the girls I work with, I put together a bag full of homemade treats. The bags were simple tote bags I bought from Michael's and I ironed on images of leaves, birds, and trees. They seemed to really like present. Here are the recipes to the snacks I put inside.

Homemade Rice Krispies

3 Tablespoons butter
1 package (10 oz) Marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
1/2 cup milk chocolate

In a large sauce pan over low heat melt butter. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

Add Rice Krispies. Stir until well coated.

Using a buttered spatula press mixture into a 13x9x2 inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into rectangles.

Melt chocolate in microwave for about 20-40 seconds. Stir until smooth. Pour into a plastic bag, cut the tip off and drizzle over bars. Allow chocolate to set. Wrap in celophane.

Chicken and Dumplings

This dish was delicious. It filled my belly and the house with an amazing, mouth-watering smell. My boyfriend Nick complained that the only thing bad was that there wasn't enough dumplings--- but he could eat truck-full of dumplings, so you might not want to take his opinion. For an average family of four this made plenty.

Chicken and Dumplings
*Note: The original recipe called for a whole chicken cut into pieces. I used chicken breasts because that's what I had on hand.

1/4 cup unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Handful baby carrots
4 chicken breasts
6 cups water
6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
5 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs, plus 1 tablespoon chopped leaves
Small bunch parsley stems, plus 1 tablespoon chopped leaves
2 fresh sage sprigs, plus 1 tablespoon chopped leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 stalk celery, trimmed and halved crosswise
2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

Directions

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, melt 1/4 cup butter and lightly saute the onions and garlic, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, chicken, water, and stock, making sure liquid covers meat. Tie the thyme sprigs, parsley stems, and sage sprigs together and add to the pot along with the peppercorns, and celery. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the chicken until it is tender, about 30 minutes, skimming off scum as it simmers. Remove the chicken from the pot to a cutting board and let cool. Remove the herb bundle and the celery and discard. Reserve the stock. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull it from bones and cut into bite-sized pieces.

In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups of flour with the remaining chopped herbs and the tablespoon of salt. Make a well in the middle and pour 1 cup of the reserved chicken stock, including fat, into the well. Using a fork, slowly stir the stock into the flour. Repeat, adding more flour and/or stock until a soft, doughy consistency is reached. Add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if it gets too sticky. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to slice the dough into 2-inch squares, then cut the squares in half on the diagonal into triangles.

Return the stock to a simmer and slowly add the dumplings, allowing some excess flour to remain on the dumplings to increase the body of the broth. Be careful not to let the dumplings touch as they are added to the pot. Cook until the dumplings rise to the surface. If the broth does not thicken to your liking, mix together 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon flour in a small bowl with a fork. Slowly add the mixture into the broth to help thicken the soup. Stir in the reserved chicken and ladle into serving bowls.

Iced Oatmeal-Apple Cookies

These cookies are full of flavor, soft, chewy, and they stay that way-- they don't turn into bricks the next morning. They are one of my favorite go-to cookies and the only way to make an oatmeal raisin cookie.

Iced Oatmeal-Apple Cookies

*Makes about 2 dozen

4 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large apple, peeled and grated

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup golden raisins

For glaze

1 cup confectioners sugar

3 Tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix butter and sugars together. Add egg and grated apple. Mix until well blended. Mix in oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix in raisins.

Scoop onto a greased cookies tray. Bake for 7-8 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. That them out when they start to turn golden brown but aren't quite set. Let them cool completely.

For glaze, whisk together sugar and syrup until liquidy and smooth. Drizzle over cookies, let set.