Peppermint Bark

This is so embarrassingly easy that it hardly counts as a recipe.  I’ve had several people ask me how to make it so I decided to put it here.  I usually only make it around Christmas and I have no idea why as it would be great any time of the year and I can find the ingredients all year long.

I use CandiQuik for the white chocolate.  There are many different brands of candy coating and any one of them will work.  CandiQuik looks like this:

It comes in vanilla and chocolate.

Here is another version of bark that I made a couple of years ago ~ Cranberry Nut Chocolate Bark

Peppermint Bark

1 pkg vanilla CandiQuik
1 bag hard, round peppermint candy

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Unwrap the peppermints and place in a ziplock bag. Smash all the peppermints in the bag with a meat mallet or a rolling pin until all the pieces are small.

Melt all the CandiQuik according to the package directions. At this point, I dump the melted chocolate into a bowl and then dump in the peppermints and mix well.

Pour over the parchment paper and let harden. If it seems to be taking a long time to harden, place in the refrigerator until hardened.

Break up into pieces with your hands.

Easy peasy!

Happy Cooking!

Lemon-Buttered Dill Stuffed Potatoes

I love potatoes and these are wowee awesome!

Making these potatoes are a little more complicated than just mashing but they are worth it.  Even Mr. Meat Eater liked them and he is not really a potato fan. Fresh dill and fresh lemon juice are a must.   Just be careful when scooping out the potato pulp not to split the shell.  It helps to leave a thin layer of potato on the shell to make it more stable.

I think these would be easy to freeze if you have leftovers or want to make them as a freezer meal.

Lemon-Buttered Dill Stuffed Potatoes

4 large potatoes, baked
8 tbsps butter, melted
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tbsps fresh dill, finely chopped
4 tsps fresh lemon
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tbsp onion, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste
paprika for garnish if desired

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out pulp, leaving the skin as a shell. It helps to leave a thin layer of potato still on the skin as it makes the shells more sturdy.

In a large bowl, mix potato pulp with 5 tbsps melted butter and remaining ingredients except paprika. Beat with mixer until smooth.

Scoop mixture back into the shells. Brush with remaining 3 tbsps of butter. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

COOK’S NOTE: Potatoes can be made up and refrigerated several hours or overnight BEFORE baking.

Makes 8 servings.

Adapted from Dining By Fireflies.

Happy Cooking!

Little Piggies ~ Hometown Harvest

The second recipe I chose to make from Hometown Harvest is really a retro recipe. These were a popular party food in the 60s, 70s, 80s. Well, I still like them and make them for parties occasionally. They are always the first to go. I’ve made them for lunch once in a great while for my kids when they were still at home. Cut up hot dogs can be used instead of the smokies. I use all beef smokies and spicy mustard.  I haven’t made them in years so that’s why I chose this recipe to try.

Don’t forget to comment on THIS POST (PLEASE CLICK HERE)  for a chance to win a copy of HOMETOWN HARVEST generously donated by Gooseberry Patch.  Also, read through the comments already posted as there are some great ideas for fall cooking and some wonderful memories of fall.

LITTLE PIGGIES
Submitted by Kendra Hull, Sterling, IL

2 (8 oz) tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
1 (14 oz) pkg mini smoked sausages
Mustard or condiment of your choice

Unroll one tube of crescents and separate into 4 rectangles. Pinch seams together. Cut eacy rectangle into 4 strips. Place a sausage on each strip and roll up. I do mine a little differently. I cut the rectangles into 6 or 8 strips and roll up. I only use 1 tube of crescents and have a few sausages leftover.

Place seam side down on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375º for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.

Serve with mustard or other condiment.

Makes 8-12 servings.

Happy Cooking!

NEW Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Giveaway!

A brand spanking new Gooseberry Patch cookbook, Hometown Harvest, is up for grabs.  Hometown Harvest is a great cookbook although I may be biased since fall is my favorite time of year.  This book has several wonderful chapters, Hometown Pancake Breakfast, Church Social Soup Supper, Thanksgiving Dinner to remember, Game Day Get-Together, Pumpkin Patch Sweets, Slow-Cooker Potluck Pleasers, and Over the River and Through the Woods.  All are chock full of wonderful recipes from home cooks like yourself.  I even have a recipe in this book ~ Buttermilk Pecan Waffles.  The last chapter is is full of  memories from readers and customers of Gooseberry Patch products.

After the recipe will be all the “rules” for this giveaway!

The first recipe I tried from this cookbook is Mini Apple Turnovers.  They are super simple to make and would be perfect for unexpected guests or for tea time.

Mini Apple Turnovers
Submitted by Robyn Stroh, Calera, AL

2 9-inch pie crusts, homemade or store bought
21 ounce can apple pie filling
1 egg white
1 tbsp water

Place one crust on a lightly floured surface. With a 3 inch biscuit cutter, cut out as many circles as you can. I used a slightly bigger cutter and got about 7 rounds from each crust.

Top each circle with 1 to 2 teaspoons pie filling, cutting up the apples if necessary. I placed my apples toward one side so it would be easier to close. Fold circles in half and crimp the edges wiht a fork dipped in water.

Place on lightly creased cookie sheets. Repeat with second crust.

In a small bowl, beat egg white and water together and brush over turnovers.

Bake at 425º for 8-12 minutes or until golden.

Makes 12-14 turnovers.

To enter the giveaway for ONE copy of Hometown Harvest all you have to do is comment on this post and tell me what your favorite food to make in the fall is. One comment per person. Very, very easy. The giveaway will run until October 3 at midnight. I will pick ONE winner on October 4 and I will email the winner! If you have any questions, feel free to email me at girard dot nancy at yahoo dot com.

Happy Cooking!

Guacamole Nachos

One of the foods I love most in this world is guacamole.  One of the foods Mr. Meat Eater hates most in this world is guacamole.  If I make guacamole nachos, I can also make nachos the way he likes them at the same time.  We are both happy!

This “recipe” is really a method I guess.  There isn’t much to it but it took me forever to hit on it so I thought that there may be others who haven’t thought of it yet.

My favorite tortilla chips are the new Tostito’s Thin and Crispy chips.  They taste just like the kind you get in Mexican restaurant.  Very, very good.  You will have to be careful with these chips since they break easy.  Use your favorite homemade guacamole recipe ~ here’s mine ~ Easy Guacamole.  However, I used Calvado Pico de Gallo Guacamole on these particular nachos.  Wholly Guacamole also makes really good guacamole.  I usually use taco cheese if I have it or sharp cheddar.

Guacamole Nachos

Tortilla chips
1 recipe guacamole ~ homemade or purchased
Taco or cheddar cheese, shredded
Sliced jalapenos, optional

Heat oven to 350º. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

Place chips on sheet. Place about a tbsp of guacamole on each chip. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Bake for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and chips crisp.

Before servings, add a slice of jalapeno on the top.

Makes as many as you want.

Happy Cooking!

Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole

I saw this recipe in my news feed last week posted by Cupcakes and Crinoline and I knew right away that I was going to bake it for Easter brunch!  It was the right choice and we all loved it.  It has made it’s way onto my permanent brunch list of recipes.

The cinnamon rolls that the recipe calls for were a bit hard to locate but I finally found them ~ they are different than the usual Pillsbury  cinnamon rolls we throw in a pan and bake.  These  are rolled up like homemade cinnamon rolls.

To get this delicious recipe, click on this link ~ Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole.

Julie’s Ranch Pretzels

Julie has a great blog called Julie’s Eats and Treats.  I came across her blog’s page on Facebook and she had posted these delectable goodies.  I was looking for a snack for Easter weekend and decided these would be perfect.

I made them as Julie posted on her blog and while they were a bit salty, we could NOT stop eating them.  In fact, my daughter took what was left for her get-together on Sunday night.  They are highly addictive.

Somehow, I don’t think Virginia is the hotbed of pretzels since it took forever to find them.  Mr. Meat Eater found them eventually.  Don’t use the skinny little pretzel sticks,  Utz brand makes a bigger stick pretzel ~ plain and buttery.

Click on the link to Julie’s blog for the recipe ~ Julie’s Ranch Pretzels

Happy Cooking!

Emeril’s Roasted Asian-Style Chicken Wings

Wow were these wings delicious!  I’m sorry to say I made them for the Super Bowl and it’s taken me this long to post them.  I can be a  terrible procrastinator!

These were not hard to make but did take some time and planning around the other things I had in the oven.  The only ingredient that might be difficult to find is the mirin.  My grocery store happens to have a well-stocked Asian foods section so it was easy for me to find.  If you can’t find it, I would just leave it out.

Emeril’s Roasted Asian-Style Chicken Wings

5 lbs chicken drummettes
1 tbsp Emeril’s Original Essence
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce (use low sodium if you can)
1/2 cup mirin
2 tbsps grated orange peel
2 tbsps minced garlic
2 tbsps minced fresh garlic
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsps minced green onions
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsps sesame seeds
2 tbsps chopped fresh cilantro (I left this out because it tastes like soap to me)

Preheat oven to 425º. Line a baking sheet with 1-inch sides with aluminum foil.

In a large bowl, season the wings with the Emeril’s Essence, salt and pepper. Toss to coat the wings all over. Place the wings evenly in the foil-lined pan and bake until brown, about 15 minutes.

While the wings are baking, in a large skillet, combine the orange juice, pineapple juice, sugar, soy sauce, mirin, orange zest, garlic, ginger, oil, green onion and red pepper. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves and the liquid has become syrup-y, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and cover the pan with foil.

Remove wings from oven and reduce temperature to 350º. Place wings in a large, heatproof bowl. Drizzle half the prepared sauce over the wings and set the other half aside. Toss the wings in the bowl to coat and toss with sesame seeds. Take the old foil off the baking sheet, reline with foil, place a wire rack on top of the foil, and place the coated wings on the rack. Return to the oven and bake 20-25 more minutes or until cooked through and crispy.

Arrange wings on a serving platter; top with cilantro.

Serve with remaining sauce for dipping.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Adapted from Emeril Legasse in Parade Magazine.

Happy Cooking!

Strawberry Mousse

I love any flavor of mousse but so many of them use raw eggs that I don’t usually make them.  Yes, I know I can use pasteurized eggs but  for some reason, I don’t.  Anyway, this recipe doesn’t have any eggs at all.  It tasted like fresh strawberries which I loved.  I hate when I can’t taste the flavor.  It is also very easy to make.

Strawberry Mousse

1 cup fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup hot water
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream

Place the strawberries and sugar in a blender and process until pureed. Let stand for 30 minutes.

In a bowl, soften the unflavored gelatin in cold water. Add the hot water and stir until the gelatin dissolves.

Add the gelatin mixture to the pureed strawberries and process in the blender to mix well. Add the whipping cream and whip for 5 minutes. The mixture will not whip up like whipping cream usually does.

Pour into 4 dessert dishes and chill for 2 to 3 hours or until set.

Makes 4 servings. I made 2 large servings instead of the 4.

Recipe adapted from Something’s Simmering

Happy Cooking!

Key Lime Meringue Pie

This pie was another key lime recipe I made for Mr. Meat Eater.  I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted it and had to have my own piece.  It was delicious and I’ll be making this pie again in the near future.

Now, the recipe for the filling called for 5 egg yolks and the meringue called for 4 egg whites.  I used 5 egg whites for the meringue ~ no sense in wasting that last egg white.  I also used Nellie and Joe’s key lime juice instead of fresh lime juice.  I also made my own graham cracker crust instead of using a bought one.  I just followed the directions on the box.  I always find the meringue on pies gets really sticky after the first day so it would be easier to cut the pie into slices before refrigerating for the night.

I’m sure I got this recipe from Pinterest and it is attributed to the Deen Brothers.

Key Lime Meringue Pie

Filling:
5 large egg yolks
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsps grated lime zest
1/2 cup key lime juice ~ I use Nellie and Joe’s
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 prepared graham cracker crumb crust

Meringue:
5 egg whites
6 tbsps sugar
1/2 tsp cornstarch
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325º.

In a medium bowl, mix together the yolks and condensed milk. Stir in the lime zest, lime juice, and cream. Pour into crust and bake for 20 minutes or until firm.

Increase oven temperature to 350º.

Meanwhile, using a mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the sugar mixture, a spoonful at a time, to the egg whites, beating between additions. Beat until sugar dissolves.

Spoon meringue over the hot pie filling. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the meringue is golden.

Serve pie warm or at room temperature.

Makes 8 servings.

Happy Cooking!