Brown Sugar Kielbasa

Brown Sugar Kielbasa Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package kielbasa
1 pound bacon
1 cup brown sugar, or to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cut bacon into halves and wrap each strip around the kielbasa.
3. Arrange on a baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with brown sugar.
4. Bake until bacon is crisp and the brown sugar melted.

This was very good. Great with baked beans and it would be perfect for a BBQ.

Royal Shortbread Cookies

2 1/2 cups flour, sifted
3/4 cup superfine sugar
A couple pinches of salt
1 1/2 cups room temperature unsalted butter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Work in the butter with a fork or pastry cutter until the dough has the consistency of short crust. I ended up using my hands to make sure the dough was mixed well.

Sprinkle a board or your counter top lightly with flour. Turn the dough onto the board and knead until it's smooth. Refrigerate the dough for a couple of hours or overnight (I refrigerated the dough overnight but found that the dough was too cold and hard when I went to work with it).

Grease a cookie pan. Roll out the dough 1/8th inch thick and form the cookies how you want them. I cut them out into stars but I found the dough was a real pain to work with even with a ton of flour. Forming them into small flat balls probably would have been easier. Bake for about 15 minutes (watch them, they burn very fast as I discovered). Let cookies cool.

Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips in microwave. Dip half of each cookie in the chocolate and place on foiled cookies sheet. Let cool in fridge. Melt white chocolate chips in microwave. Use a small spoon to drizzle over the chocolate dipped half of the cookie.

New Year's Eve Cocktail

Ok so we were having some guests over for New Years Eve and I wanted to concoct a festive drink for the evening. I got a recipe from Gourmet that involved the word "macerate" and a lot of raspberries. We bought the raspberries and a whole lot of other food and by the time we got to the liquor store I was like, "Macerate? Do I look like frickin Martha Stewart?"

So this is what I ended up doing:
1/2oz. Chambered
Top with Champagne
Throw some raspberries in there

Done.

Refreshing and festive.

Ruth’s Christmas Cookie Recipe

I don't know who Ruth is but she has a great Christmas cookie recipe that has a nice bite of nutmeg in it. My mom would cook these every year and I would help decorate. This year was my first baking the cookies myself and they're not too hard to make. The cookies usually come out a golden cream color but I use whole wheat flour so they came out a darker, almost gingerbread color.

Roll out and decorate:
2 1/2 C. flour
1/2 tsp. Baking powder (not soda)
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 T. milk
3/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 C. butter, softened
1 C. sugar
2 eggs, well beaten

Directions:
Cream sugar and butter well. Add eggs. Sift dry ingredients and add along with milk. Mix well. Chill several hours.

Roll out (helps a little to knead each portion in some flour). Cut out with cookie cutters and place on greased sheet (I don’t grease). Bake 350° for about 8 min.

Frosting:
Combine 1 C. confectioners sugar and 1 egg white
If too runny, add more conf. Sugar (should flow freely).
Just before removing from mixer, add 1/2 tsp. Cream tartar. Mix.
Add color if desired and spread on cookies. Immediately decorate cookies before icing hardens.

Peanut Butter Bon Bons Recipe

MY FAVORITE!


Ingredients

2 C. peanut butter

1 stick butter or margarine

3 C. rice krispies

2/3 box confectioners sugar (approx. 2 2/3 C)

12 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate bits

Directions

In heavy pan, melt 2 C. peanut butter and 1 stick butter or margarine. Stir to mix well. Watch carefully—it catches easily. Set aside.

In large bowl combine 3 Cups rice krispies, 2/3 box confectioners sugar and peanut butter mixture and blend

with wooden spoon. Then, by hand, form into 1” balls (It’s easier if you put the dough in the freezer for an hour or so before forming the balls).

Melt 12 oz. Chocolate chips (microwave works fine). Dip balls into chocolate (not completely). Place on cookie sheet, lined and chill. Store in freezer for best results.

Carmelitas Recipe - Chewey and Gooey

 Crust
2 cups flour
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups margarine or butter, softened

Filling
1 (12.5-oz.) jar (1 cup) caramel ice cream topping
3 tablespoons flour
1 (6-oz.) pkg. (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9-inch pan. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, combine all crust ingredients; mix at low speed until crumbly. Reserve half of crumb mixture (about 3 cups) for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture in bottom of greased pan. Bake at 350°F. for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine caramel topping and 3 tablespoons flour; blend well.

Remove partially baked crust from oven; sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts. Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Return to oven; bake an additional 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until filling is set. Cut into bars.

Mint Sticks Recipe

My mom always makes these for Christmas so I made them myself this year for work. The recipe is very easy despite the three different steps. Just don't forget to grease the pan like I did . . . oops.

Ingredients
2 eggs
1/2 C. butter
1 C. sugar
2 sq. unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp. Peppermint extract
1/2 C. flour

Frosting:
1 C. confectioners sugar
2 T. butter, softened
1 tsp. Peppermint extract
Enough cream or milk to make into smooth consistency

Topping:
1 1/2 sqs. Unsweetened chocolate
2 T. butter

Directions
Melt chocolate and butter together. In medium bowl, beat eggs, add melted butter,
sugar and chocolate. Mix well. Add peppermint extract and flour. Pour into well greased
9x9” pan. Bake 350° for 20-25 minutes. Cool.

Frosting: Cream 2 T. butter, conf. Sugar and 1tsp. Peppermint extract. Moisten with
cream or milk. Add 1 drop green food coloring. Spread on cooled cake and place in fridge for 15 mins. Cover with topping.

Topping: Melt 1 1/2 sqs. Chocolate with 2 T. butter. Spread evenly over frosting.
Let it stand in fridge until firm. Cut into 16 small bars. You can double this recipe
and bake in 9 x 13 pan. These squares taste best made a day ahead.