Treat #2

I ended up making Miniature Golden Fruitcakes for my book club cookie exchange. I had never attempted any type of fruitcake recipe before, and regardless of the bad rap fruitcake traditionally gets, this recipe looked good. And, to my surprise, it also tastes good. Give them a try...or just come over and try some of mine. The recipe was supposed to make 4 dozen but it made 6. I'll have fruitcake forever!

Miniature Golden Fruitcakes
From Everyday Food

6 c. finely dices mixed dried fruit, such as dried apples, pears, apricots and golden raisins (I used everything but pears)
1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts (5 1/2 oz)
1 3/4 c. brandy
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 c. packed light-brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 c. flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamom (I didn't have this, was going to buy it, but ouch, it's expensive...substituted 1/4 tsp. ginger)
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 c. apricot jam, warmed, for topping

In a large non-reactive bowl, combine dried fruit, walnuts and 1 1/4 c. brandy. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand 8 hours (or up to 1 day), stirring occasionally.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs in two additions, scraping down bowl in between. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and spices. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture in two additions, scraping down bowl in between. Fold fruit mixture into batter.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two mini muffin pans with paper liners. Fill each liner with about 1 TB of batter. Tap pans to settle batter (I couldn't get my batter to settle - I wet the tips of my fingers with water and pressed it down gently...not much though as they don't change shape really at all while baking).

Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and edges are light golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Rotate pans halfway through.

Brush cakes immediately with 1/2 c. brandy; transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Just before serving, brush with jam.

They will keep covered and in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Christmas Inspiration

I've been feeling a little humbug this year. I'm not sure why, since I love Christmas and all that it entails. In fact, one of my favorite things about Christmas is making different candies and goodies and sharing them with friends. But even thinking about that hasn't put me in the mood. Instead I'm feeling a bit "grinchy" about the whole thing.

Today I was thinking about what to do to get out of this funk. I've seen several blogs that have declared a "Cookie Week" or "12 Days of Cookies". And I think I need to get in on the action to get back the Christmas spirit. I've decided to put my own spin on it, though.

My goal is to do 12 Days of New Tasty Treats (don't really want to be limited to cookies). I've seen several new recipes I want to try and am hoping this is just the kick in the pants I need to get after it. And, I really need to come up with something to take to a cookie exchange next week.

So, tonight was the kick off. First up, Skibo Castle Ginger Crunch (sounds a little out there, doesn't it?) from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. I was intrigued by this recipe and had everything but the Lyle's Golden Syrup it calls for (and apparently, there is no good substition). Fortunately, Lyle's Golden Syrup, native to England, can be found at World Market...and I went there today. So, I threw these simple cookies together and put them in the oven while we ate dinner.

Delicious! They are not your typical cookie. It's a very thin shortbread, topped with a delicious icing with a hint of ginger. See Peabody's blog for her beautiful pictures.

Confession: my goal was to share some of these with my co-workers tomorrow. I don't know that there will be enough left to share. Oops.

If you want a tasty new treat to try, here's 1 of 12 that I hope to post here. (Of course, it may end up being the 3 Days of Tasty New Treats...we'll just see how things go). Hoping this brings back my Christmas mojo.

Skibo Castle Ginger Crunch
For the shortbread:
1 1/4 c. flour
3 TB sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

For the icing:
6 TB unsalted butter
1 TB Lyle's Golden Syrup (find it at World Market)
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. vanilla (I didn't realize I was out of vanilla, so mine were missing this.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch metal baking pan.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, ginger and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender or your fingers, work it until it resembles coarse crumbs. Press evenly in bottom of pan. It will be thin. Bake on the center rack until golden (but not browned) and crisp for 20-25 minutes.

Shortly before the shortbread is done, make the icing. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Heat to a boil and simmer, stirring, for 30 seconds.

Remove shortbread from oven and pour the topping over it, tilting pan to cover shortbread evenly. Cool in pan on a rack. Then, enjoy!

Please note: if you don't like a cookie that isn't gooey or chewy or super sweet, these aren't for you. In fact, I read that they are more of an adult cookie...but CJ gave them 2 thumbs up.

Cheesecake

I make a pretty mean cheesecake. And, I mean the real deal New York Style...more packages of cream cheese than should be legal, the springform pan, the water bath, etc. Most of the time I can even manage to keep the top from cracking. And, it's delicious. And it's usually for my husband.

He LOVES cheesecake. And I like to make it for him. But, given its rather complicated nature, I don't do so nearly as often as he would like.

Well, yesterday was his birthday, and our weekend was just packed. I knew I wanted to make him a cheesecake, but I didn't have nearly enough time for the "real" version. I turned to my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook and found a much quicker recipe, and I crossed my fingers and hoped it would be delicious. It went together in a matter of minutes (plus chilling the crust in the fridge briefly). It came out of the oven looking great. And, unfortunately, it had to chill overnight, so I couldn't yet determine how it tasted right away.

The verdict: it was fantastic. It wasn't so tall and pretty as the original. It didn't feed an army. But, it tasted good, and it's something I could throw together with ease most anytime. I guarantee my husband would take that anyday. (He's not big on complicated.)

I also put together a quick topping that was super yummy.

Here are both of those recipes:

Cheesecake

Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (about 20 squares) - I might use a little less than this next time. The crust was fairly thick.
1/4 c. sugar
6 TB butter

Mix together crumbs, sugar and butter. Press firmly and evenly against the bottom and sides of an ungreased pie pan. Cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes or until firm.

Filling
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl on medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Pour the cheesecake filling into the crust and spread evenly. Bake about 40 minutes or until filling is nearly set (It was just a bit jiggly in the center still). Place pan on cooling rack. Let cool 30 minutes. Chill overnight in the refrigerator.

Triple Berry Topping
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
1 pint strawberries, sliced - I didn't quite use the whole pint, but you could.
1 small container (6 oz, I think) raspberries
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients. Chill until ready to serve cheesecake. I would recommend making this the same day you plan on serving the cheesecake, so that the berries will still have the right texture and not water down the sauce.

Enjoy!

A Fall Favorite

Today's meal is not for everyone. In fact, you may have to have some German in your blood to enjoy. But, at our house, we're always excited when the weather cools off enough to enjoy this dish. Life as Mom is hosting a Fall Recipe swap today. Head over there to check out other fall favorites.

This meal doesn't require any recipe. It's just a combination of ingredients. The one requirement: you have to like sauerkraut. If it's not your thing, come back another time. :)

Sausage, Sauerkraut, Mashed Potatoes
1 lb. kielbasa sausage, sliced and browned
1 can sauerkraut, warmed on the stove
Some mashed potatoes, made just the way you like them.

Put a pile of mashed potatoes on your plate. If calories aren't a concern, add a nice-sized pat of butter. Top with hot sauerkraut. And top that with the sausage. Eat and enjoy. I have loved this meal for a long time. I was so glad when I married a man who liked it too. And to top it off CJ is a BIG fan (the kid loves anything with cabbage...is that weird or what?).

Super Yummy Get-well-soon Chicken Tortilla Soup

I just put this recipe on my blog. It's perfect for a cold fall night when you only have about 5 minutes to make dinner!!!

www.tawtieanddobie.blogspot.com

May was my last post?

What is wrong with me? I can't believe that it's September and the last time I posted on here was May. I have made some things that were good to eat since then but obviously didn't record any of them here.

Most recently, we enjoyed Chaos in the Kitchen's Stuffed Pepper Soup, yummy, easy, and not too bad for you. We loved stuffed peppers and this had all the flavors and none of the hassle. Check it out.

Last night, we had an old standard and one that we didn't eat for about a year because CJ isn't a big fan of eggs. However, in the last few months, he has changed his mind about eggs in this dish...what we affectionately refer to as "Breakfast Scramble".

Breakfast Scramble - all amounts can be adapted to use what you have...I'll list what we used last night, which serves 3-4, especially if you serve something with it, muffins, pancakes, scones, etc.
1/2 lb breakfast sausage
Frozen hashbrowns
7 eggs, beaten with a little milk and salt and pepper
1 can Rotel, drained - you can use mild if spicy food isn't your thing
Shredded cheese - whatever you've got

Brown sausage in large skillet (non-stick makes clean up easier). Add a layer of hashbrowns. Cover and cook until just cooked through. (Stir occasionally so that the sausage doesn't burn). Push sausage and hashbrowns to one side. Add eggs to empy part of skillet and scramble. Gently mix with sausage and hashbrowns. Stir in Rotel. Heat through. Top with cheese, cover and let melt. Stir together and serve.

I even ate the leftovers for lunch today. Delicious, easy and fast.

Anyone can do this

Not many things make our menu on a regular basis. Well, there are some exceptions to that. Since Phil and CJ cook on Monday nights, it's usually a rotation of spaghetti, breakfast for dinner or something else easy. So those things do make a regular appearance.

Most of the time, though, I enjoy trying out new recipes. Lately, though, we found one that is a "repeater". It's fast. It's easy. It's delicious. And it's cheap. You just can't beat that. And, it doesn't really even require a recipe. But, I'll give you one anyway, because I like recipes.

I first saw this recipe on Chaos in the Kitchen (make her chicken fajitas!) and then Dine and Dish posted about it as well. The recipe is so basic it sounded too good to be true. Let me tell you, it's good and that's true.

Baked Chicken Legs
4 lbs. chicken legs (about 20 legs, enough for 3-4 per person) - I use about half that, since there are just 3 of us and we eat about 2 legs a piece, if they're large
Salt, pepper, seasoned salt (or whatever seasonings you like - I used paprika, garlic powder and onion salt...in addition to salt and pepper)
2 TB olive oil
Hot sauce (like Frank's Red Hot), optional
Or, Parmesan cheese, optional

Heat oven to 475 degrees. Dry chicken legs with paper towels. This helps the spices to stick. In a large plastic bag, toss chicken with salt, pepper and spices. Add oil and toss until well coated. Spread legs onto 2 (or 1 if you halve the recipe) baking sheets and place in oven. Cook, turning occasionally with tongs, for 40 minutes or until meat easily separates from bone. Then, you can broil them briefly to crisp the skin, but I've never needed to. By the time they've cooked for 40 minutes, the skin has been pretty crispy. Remove from oven. If desired, brush with hot sauce OR sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (I don't think I'd do both.).

We've never tried the hot sauce, but they are delicious with Parmesan and without.

Serve with smashed potatoes or homemade Rice-a-roni (from the same site) and broccoli. Yum. Wish we had some right now.