You knew it was just a matter of time before my inner cookie monster started talking about Easter cookies. I swear, I could bake and eat cookies all day, every day. The cookie cutters below are beyond adorable and would create some real works of art. I can’t figure out which one I want most, so you know what that means! I think I just heard my husband groan…
These premium cookie cutters are made of copper, meaning they’ll be around for years and years and years. As a matter of fact, copper cookie cutters make gorgeous, thoughtful heirlooms to be passed from generation to generation – along with the memories of using them. But we’re getting way ahead of ourselves, let’s focus on this Easter and spring! I’m from the school of living out loud and making every moment count double – maybe even more so on holidays. Taking extra special time in the kitchen to create beautiful treats for your family makes every holiday extra, extra special and memorable.
In fact, when you get right down to it, taking special time and effort in the kitchen makes any day feel like a holiday. The kitchen is more than just a room, after all, it’s the heart of the home. It’s the place where we write beautiful love letters to our family – one meal and treat at a time!
One of my favorite human beings, let alone Presidents was President Ronald Reagan. He was one of a kind and I’m not sure there’ll ever be another like him. The country fell in love with him and for good reason. His charm, personality, and sense of humor made him a force to be reckoned with and they made him always appear to be larger than life.
The recipe below is reportedly a favorite of this great American and would be perfect for a President’s Day supper – or any day for that matter… it sounds delicious!
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish.
Add macaroni to 2 quarts of boiling salted water and cook for 10 minutes.
Drain well in a colander. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
Stir in butter and beaten egg. Add 2-1/2 cups of the grated cheese.
In a small bowl, combine milk with salt, mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
Spoon macaroni and cheese into the prepared casserole. Pour milk mixture over and sprinkle top with the remaining cheese.
Sprinkle with paprika. Bake on middle shelf of preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until macaroni is firm to the touch and the top is crusty and browned.
Serve at once, either as a light entree accompanied by a hot green vegetable and a crisp salad, or as a side dish with Hamburgers or Meat Loaf.
According to Monticello.org, this muffin recipe was often used, and loved, by Thomas Jefferson and his family. This would be a wonderful recipe to make tomorrow morning – very fitting for President’s Day, wouldn’t you say?
If you’re a history buff like me, you’ll definitely want to click the link above and visit this very informative and beautiful site.
Recipe for Monticello Muffins
4 cups of flour
1- 1/2 packets of yeast
1 -1/2 cups water
cast iron griddle
Silver flatware Jefferson brought from France; photograph by Edward Owen Mix flour, yeast, and water. Dough will be very sticky. Coat your hands in flour before kneading the dough. While kneading, continue to add small amounts of flour to the dough until the stickiness disappears and the dough becomes more solid. You may find you add as much as 1/2 cup more flour during this process.
Put the dough in a large bowl, cover with a towel, and leave in a warm place overnight. The dough should more than double by morning. The underside of the dough may be a bit sticky — if so, knead it a bit more. Using your hands, shape the muffins into small golf-ball sized balls. Set the muffins aside, cover with a towel, and let rise for an hour.
Preheat ungreased griddle over medium heat. Add shaped muffins to griddle and cook for about five minutes on each side.
The muffins will look like biscuits on the outside and English muffins on the inside. Serve immediately. Makes two dozen small muffins.
Monday is President’s Day and what better way to celebrate than by making a dessert or dish named in honor of a president?! I’m going to post a series of recipes over the next few days with President’s Day in mind. I’m beginning with someone who has possibly served our country even better after leaving the White House than the time he was in it.
President Jimmy Carter is what I like to refer to as a “quality human being.” His dedication to serving and helping others is an inspiration to everyone the world over. This recipe is for Jimmy Carter Pudding – an outstanding dessert for President’s Day or any other day.
Jimmy Carter Pudding Recipe
1st Layer:
1 cup flour
1 stick butter
2/3 cup salted, chopped peanuts (where the dessert gets its name!)
Mix and press into 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool.
2nd Layer:
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup whipped cream
Mix and spread over cooled baked crust.
3rd Layer:
3 oz box instant chocolate pudding
3 oz box instant vanilla pudding
2-3/4 cup milk
Combine and gently spread over the 2nd layer.
4th Layer:
Spread a layer of whipped cream over the pudding mixture and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
Yum!
Speaking of quality human beings such as President Jimmy Carter, Random Acts of Kindness Week begins on February 15. There is a heart-warming movement gaining momentum that involves seniors. I hope you’ll read more about this Random Acts of Kindness for Seniors on my Self Help Blog. It’s a wonderful idea and the more people that take place, the more hearts will be touched.
I’m a sucker for all holidays and embrace them like a 2 year old embraces her favorite teddy bear. Valentine’s Day is a favorite – how could it not be? It’s all about chocolate, love, stuffed animals, chocolate, beautiful flowers, hearts, and chocolate. I’ve rounded up some beautiful kitchen gadgets and what-nots below just in time for this very special holiday. Yes, I said holiday… on account of the chocolate.
These would make very special valentine’s day gifts. Needless to say, they’d also make very special “self to self” gifts. You gotta love those.
When it comes to making and serving turkey – your reputation as a cook is riding higher than ever! If it’s tasteless, dried out, and lacks any resemblance of moistness, you’re toast! However, if you serve up a nice, juicy, flavorful turkey – you’re everyone’s hero. If you wouldn’t mind achieving this sort of hero status and want to serve a turkey that’ll have them raving all year long, try soaking your turkey in a brine solution overnight.
Brining a turkey is probably the simplest and easiest way to add flavor to any holiday meal. Here are the basic tools and utensils you’ll need to brine a turkey:
large 10+ quart cooking pot
chest cooler bigger and deeper than your turkey
large wooden spoon
And here are the ingredients you’ll need to brine your turkey:
2 cups kosher salt
2 tbsp peppercorns
5 bay leaves
2 cups brown sugar
1 bag of ice
1 6-12 lb turkey
6 cloves fresh garlic peeled
How to brine a turkey
Make sure you make your brine mixture 2 days before you’ll actually be cooking your turkey!
First of all, fill up your large cooking pot with at least 2 gallons (8 litres) of cold, fresh water and put it on the stove on the highest setting. Now pour in your kosher salt and brown sugar. A general rule of thumb is to add one cup of each per gallon of water used.
Next throw in your bay leaves, peppercorns and garlic cloves. Then bring the whole thing to a boil while stirring occasionally. Boil the brine mixture for about a half hour to make sure the pepper, bay leaves and garlic have had a chance to infuse the liquid nicely.
Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for a couple of hours before putting it in the refrigerator overnight.
The next night before you go to bed, wash off your turkey under the faucett and remove anything from the inside, like the neck and giblets. Put your turkey in the cooler and pour in your brine mixture, making sure that the entire turkey is covered with liquid. Then pour in the bag of ice and place the cooler in a cool place like your garage or basement. Leave it in the brine solution for about 9 or 10 hours and no more or it could be damaged beyond repair.
Then take the turkey out of the brine mixture and dry it completely with paper towels, inside and out. Place it into your roastpan and keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to put it into the oven.
Be sure to clean and disinfect all the tools and utensils immediately after using them and don’t forget to wash your hands thoroughly after touching raw meat of any kind, especially poultry.
Of course, there are many variations you can use when cooking just about anything. As a rule though, one cup of kosher salt and a cup of sugar per gallon (4 litres) of water is best. The other ingredients of the brine mixture are optional and can be experimented with depending on what your tastes are.
Video: How to brine a turkey – by someone who isn’t associated with me or this site in any way. But what skills!
Remember in the last post (Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole), I told you how much I love green bean casserole? Well, this ought to prove it. I’ve spent the past 30 minutes searching for the perfect casserole dish to serve it in this Christmas! When you shop FOR a favorite recipe, you know it’s not just love – it’s crazy love. Oh well, it isn’t my first, or last, brush with crazy… so I’ll just show you what I’ve found!
These colorful Casserole and Lasagna Dish sets would make STUNNING presentations for Green Bean Casseroles, as well as any other. And can you just picture lasagna served in one of the blues? Wow. Click on your favorite(s) to take a closer look!
But, for Christmas, can you really do any better than red?!?!?….
2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) Campbell’s® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or Healthy Request®)
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 cups cooked cut green beans
2 2/3 cups French’s® French Fried Onions
1. Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 1 1/3 cups onions in 3-quart casserole.
2. Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining onions.
3. Bake 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.
TIP: Use any of the following – 2 bags (16 to 20 ounces) frozen green beans, 4 packages (9 ounces each) frozen green beans, 4 cans (about 16 ounces each) green beans or about 3 pounds fresh green beans for this recipe.
Extra Tips!
For added crunch, add ½ cup sliced almonds to the onion topping.
For bacon lovers, add 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, to the bean mixture.
For a festive touch, stir in 1/2 cup chopped red pepper with soup.
For cheese lovers, stir in 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese with soup. Omit soy sauce. Sprinkle with an additional 1/2 cup additional Cheddar cheese when adding the remaining onions.
For Golden Green Bean Casserole, substitute Campbell’s Condensed Golden Mushroom soup for Cream of Mushroom soup. Omit soy sauce. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped red pepper with the green beans.
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I LOVE Holiday traditions. My family can certainly attest to that. There are certain things we eat each Thanksgiving, each Easter, each Christmas, New Years, etc. On Thanksgiving morning, for example, I make delicious cream puff pastries. New Year’s Day always means a new soup recipe and our traditional New Year’s Punch. Every holiday meal features a family favorite: Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole. I was trying to think how long I’ve been enjoying this remarkable casserole and, guess what, I can’t remember ever NOT having it at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. Even before I was old enough to cook, my mother and grandmothers fixed it.
We all look forward to this casserole each holiday. We certainly aren’t the only ones who love Campbell’s® Green Bean Casserole with a passion. In fact, after 54 years it has not only become synonymous with the Christmas season, it is expected to be part of the holiday meal on nearly 30 million tables across the U.S.
The traditional Green Bean Casserole recipe includes a creamy, crunchy combination of green beans, Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup and French’s® French Fried Onions. Over the years, holiday hosts have added their own custom touches, including garlic, red pepper, hot sauce, bacon, almonds or cheese. No matter how you choose to serve it, this is one side that generates rave reviews each and every time.
And Cream of Mushroom soup is not just for Green Bean Casserole! This year, Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup has reached a true milestone – 75 years of helping America’s cooks create memorable meals. This versatile ingredient can also help transform holiday leftovers. Two easy recipes to try are Turkey & Stuffing Casserole and Turkey & Broccoli Alfredo. For these and other great tasting recipes, visit www.CampbellsKitchen.com.
This beautiful, delicious, and surprisingly guilt-free dessert is JUST the thing health-conscious cooks are looking for this Christmas. We want to serve beautiful and yummy desserts, but we don’t want to fall off of the healthy bandwagon we’ve been fighting so hard to stay on! Think of this Key Lime Pie recipe as a rope to hang on to.
CRUST
2 cups Fiber One® original bran cereal
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
FILLING AND TOPPING
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1-1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
4 oz (half 8 oz. package) 1/3-less-fat (Neufchâtel) cream cheese, softened
4 containers (4 oz each) Yoplait® Fiber One™ Key lime pie yogurt
1/2 cup frozen (thawed) reduced-fat whipped topping
2 teaspoons grated lime peel
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and finely crush with rolling pin or meat mallet until cereal looks like graham cracker crumbs (or finely crush in food processor).
2. In medium bowl, mix crust ingredients until blended. Press crust mixture evenly and firmly in bottom and up side of 9-inch glass pie plate. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until firm. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
3. In 1-quart saucepan, mix water and lime juice. Sprinkle gelatin on lime juice mixture; let stand 1 minute. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved. Cool slightly, about 2 minutes.
4. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add yogurt and lime juice mixture; beat on medium speed until well blended. Fold in whipped topping and lime peel. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
Nutrition Info:
1 Serving: Calories 180 (Calories from Fat 100); Total Fat 11g (Saturated Fat 7g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 25mg; Sodium 180mg; Total Carbohydrate 16g (Dietary Fiber 9g, Sugars 4g); Protein 4g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 10%; Vitamin C 6%; Calcium 10%; Iron 15% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Love chocolate candy? Well, of course you do – you’re on one of my websites, aren’t you? I have an automatic filter on my sites that detects non-chocolate lovers and bans them to a black cyber hole, auto-mat-ically. The way I see it, if you don’t love chocolate, I’ve got nothing for you.
So, you obviously love chocolate candy.
I’m pretty sure you also love chocolate chip cookie dough too – who doesn’t? Now, hold onto something, you’re about to feel a tremor: Someone with a deliciously brilliant mind has blended the two together and the beautiful outcome is pictured above. It’s also right in front of me, but you can’t see that. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites are wonderful and you simply must try a box today. The thing is, you’d better buy more than one, because these tend to disappear fast.
When you first pop one into your mouth, you’re instantly hit by the taste of delicious chocolate. The texture and size will remind you of chocolate-covered raisins or peanuts. But when you take a bite… chocolate chip cookie dough – but without the eggs so your mom’s “Don’t eat that, it isn’t good for you!” doesn’t apply.
You can find these scrumptious Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites in Wal-Mart, Walgreen’s, Best Buy, and K-Mart. I’m certain they’re available in other stores as well, these are simply the places I, myself, have encountered them. And what wonderful encounters they are! They’re the type of encounter that leave you with only one option…. cue the music… you gotta do your happy chocolate dance.
Word to Santa: These would make killer stocking stuffers.
by H. Haller and V. Aronson
