It's a Winter Wonderland......

Snow.....Snow......and more snow:)Happy New Year to you all:)

Foodie Friday ~ Simple Sweet Scones

I served these scones at my Christmas Tea and Cookie Exchange December 5th. These would be great for Christmas morning breakfast. Fast and easy to make:)

Recipes:

Simple Sweet Scones

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons or stick cold unsalted butter

1/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons Lavender (McCormick)

Wilton white sparkling sugar

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Put flour, baking powder and salt into large bowl. Stir to mix well. Add butter and cut in with pastry blender or fingers until the mixture looks like fine granules. Add sugar and lavender, toss to mix. Add milk and stir with fork until soft dough forms. Form dough into a ball, put onto lightly floured surface and give 10-12 kneads. To make round scones, roll out dough and cut with 2" round cutter. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Bake 12 minutes or medium brown on top. Put on wire rack. Cover with cloth, cool completely. Serve with Mock Devenshire Cream and Lemon Curd.

Mock Devenshire Cream

1 cup whipping cream

1 tablespoon confectioners sugar

1 cup sour cream

In a chilled bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Add sugar. Fold in sour cream and blend. Keep refrigerated. Serve with scones.

Foodie Friday is presented by Gollum at
"Designs by Gollum"
visit her site for more fabulous recipes:)

Deck the Halls ~ with Poinsettias

Such a colorful time of the year. Lights sparkling and snow softly falling.

Soon it will be Christmas:) Check out Susan from

"Thoughts from over the Rainbow"

for more holiday fun.

Foodie Friday ~ Cranberry Liqueur

Tis the season for cranberries! This recipe will keep well for about a year. Wash and put cranberries in a large mason jar.

Orange vodka.

Simple syrup with added lemon and orange peel.

Measuring 2 cups vodka.

This is what it looks like when you start.

This is after one week.

Cranberry Liqueur Recipe

1 pound cranberries (fresh, washed, chop or leave whole)

2 cups orange vodka

1-1/2 cups simple syrup (see below)

1/2 orange peel (grated) and juice

1/2 lemon peel (grated) and juice

Combine all ingredients into a large sterilized jar, topping with the hot simple syrup last. Shake or stir well, then seal.

Allow to steep for 3-5 weeks, shake or turn jar over each day. Strain and serve. I am keeping my jars in the refrigerator.

Simple Syrup Recipe

1-1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cups water

Bring to a boil until sugar is completely dissolved. Add orange and lemon peel and juice. Top with a cinnamon stick. Allow to cool for about a minute before using.

Foodie Friday is presented by Gollum at

"Designs by Gollum"

visit her site for more fabulous recipes:)

Christmas Tea & Cookie Exchange

You are invited to the Tenth Annual

Christmas Tea

&

Cookie Exchange

Date: Saturday, December 5, 2009

Time: 4:00 PM

Place: Judy's

Each guest will bring Seven dozen of your favorite cookie.

Include your recipe with each dozen. You will go home with Six

dozen fabulous cookies.

One dozen from each guest will be for sampling.

Bring a beautifully wrapped Christmas Tree Ornament for exchange.

Turn the fireplace on cause I am expecting my guests.

Everything is looking just fine.


We put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving.


I made Dried Fruit Cookies. This recipe is from
Ina Garten
Dried Fruit Cookies
1/2 pound fried figs
1/4 pound raisins
2 ounces candied cherries, coarsely chopped
2 ounces dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 ounces chopped pecans
Kosher salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cups superfine sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 extra-large egg
2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
Snip off the hard stems of the figs with scissors or a small knife and coarsely chop the figs. In a medium bowl, combine the figs, raisins, cherries, apricots, honey, sherry, lemon juice, pecans, and a pinch of salt. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight at room temperature.
In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, cloves, superfine sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the egg ad mix until incorporated. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt just until combined. Don't over mix! Add the fruits and nuts, including any liquid in the bowl. Divide the dough in half and place each half on the long edge of a 12 by 18-inch piece of parchment or waxed paper. Roll each half into a log, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4-inch thick, making an 18-inch-long roll. Refrigerate the dough for several hours, or until firm.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
With a small, sharp knife, cut the logs into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place the slices 1/2-inch apart on ungreased sheet pans and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden.

Here are all the cookies..........yum they all look good:) It is always so much fun to see what everyone has made.

Here is Cara with baby Kelsey. She was such a good baby. We were all waiting for Kelsey to finish her bottle so we could have our ornament exchange.

Look I made.........Individual Rotisserie Chicken Pot Pies. Added a tea pot with extra dough for the tops.

(I bought the Tea Cup cutters from the Pineapple Tea Room)

Lavender scones and Lemon curd.

I had so much fun with the table.

Switched it up a bit.

Well..........how does it look?

Hand dipped pretzels. They were so much fun to make.

Shrimp cocktail and Crab dip......and of course Champagne with a cherry.

I served a fruit salad. Apples, celery, red grapes, pomegranate, nuts mixed with miracle whip and nutmeg.

Individual Rotisserie Chicken Pot Pies, Italian Olives, Cranberry Relish.

Christmas Tea Green (french tea) was served with dinner.

Everyone sampled the cookies we all made.

Christmas Tea White (french tea) was served with dessert.

Everyone went home with a bag of.........

"Magic Reindeer Food"

On Christmas Eve, sprinkle this wonderful

Reindeer Food on your lawn. The moon will

Make it sparkle bright. The smell of oats will

guide Rudolph to your home. And when you

awake on Christmas morning you will find

the gift left from Santa Claus.

~ Merry Christmas ~

Recipe:

1 part oatmeal

1 part birdseed

1 sprinkle red glitter

I buy the small bags (by the cookie bags) from Michael's craft store. Then I type out my tag (put a picture of a reindeer on it) and staple it together. It's so much fun:)

I am a little late for Foodie Friday, but I was so busy with the prep of my Christmas Tea.

Foodie Friday is presented by Gollum at
"Designs by Gollum"
visit her site for more fabulous recipes:)

Check out Susan from
"Thoughts from over the Rainbow"
for more holiday fun.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas~

Just the beginning of more to come.

Check out Susan from

"Thoughts from over the Rainbow"

for more holiday fun.

Fun with Family at the Farm

A great time was had by all. Nikos went paint balling for the first time. We visited all the animals and enjoyed some great food.

Foodie Friday ~ Happy Thanksgiving

And here it is.........my 20 pound bird! Delish:)

Foodie Friday is presented by Gollum at

"Designs by Gollum"

visit her site for more fabulous recipes:)

Foodie Friday ~Italian Mellocello

Back in September I started this drink. Remember when I posted about it back in October. Well my drink is finally complete. Back in September this is what I did.....

Italian Mellocello

20 Lemons

2 (750 ml) bottles Everclear

5 vanilla beans

6 cups water

4 cups sugar

For this recipe you also need a 2-3 litre glass jar with a sealed lid. The jar should be washed and rinsed very well or sterilized in the dishwasher. You will also need the bottles you want to put the final brew in. I ordered my online with corks and sleeves.

Step 1

Wash and dry the lemons. Only use the ones without blemished peels or pare off any spots and the stems ends. Remove the peel from the lemons with a sharp peeler, carefully avoiding the bitter white pith. If any white pith remains on the back of a strip of peel, scrape it off. If you get any of the white part in the batch, the Mellocello will be bitter and you don't want that!

Put the peels in a glass jar and add the Everclear. Split and scrap the vanilla beans and add to the jar. Seal tightly. Leave the jar to steep in a cool, dark place until the peels lose their color, at least 2-3 months. Every week swirl the peels around in the jar to mix up the oils in the alcohol.

Step 2

Mix 4 cups sugar with 6 cups water in medium sauce pan. Bring to boil. Let cool, then add to step 1 mixture.

Strain out the lemon peels and vanilla through a coffee filter or cheesecloth and pour the Mellocello into another container. Press down to remove all the vodka and oils that you can from the peels before tossing them in the trash.

Stir the liquid with a clean plastic or wooden spoon.

Put the liqueur in clean bottles, seal tightly and leave the finished bottles for a least 1 week before using.

For best flavor and drinking it straight, store the Mellocello in the freezer. It won't freeze because of how much alcohol is in it and it's wonderful ice cold.

Wash and dry 20 lemons

Remove the peel with a sharp peeler. Be careful not to take any pith.


Split vanilla beans and scrape out seeds.

Two bottles of Everclear

Put all in a bottle. I put my bottle in my pantry. Once a week I gave it a shake.

Add sugar water.

Clean bottles are ready.

Place cheesecloth on the top and strain out the liquid into another jar.

Ready to bottle.

Here is my finished product. I made my own labels. Put the cork on and used a hair dryer to put the sleeve on. Place it in the freezer because you want to drink it ice cold. I am so glad it is ready to drink for Thanksgiving.

It's a good batch this year:)

Foodie Friday is presented by Gollum at
"Designs by Gollum"
visit her site for more fabulous recipes:)

Foodie Friday ~ Bacon & Egg Breakfast Pizza

I got this recipe from the Food Channel recipes. The original recipe was called "Applewood Smoked Bacon & Egg Breakfast Pizza". I changed it around and this is what I came up with. Hope you like it as much as we did:Make your dough.
Roll it out.
Get your pans ready with cornmeal.
Fit the dough into the individual pizza pans.
Add ingredients and bake.

Add the eggs.

Add the cheese.

Ready to eat and so much fun to make.

Bacon & Egg Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:
Betty Crocker Pizza Crust Mix
Cornmeal for dusting
Olive oil, as needed
½ cup Fresh Tomatoes - chopped
1 cup Fresh Spinach – optional
9 Slices Bacon – crumbled (baked in a 350 degrees oven for 20-25 minutes)
3 Green onions – sliced
3 – Eggs
Cheddar Cheese
Pepper
½ cup Fresh Tomatoes – chopped
Directions:
Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Make pizza dough per package. Divide dough into 3 pieces; roll or hand stretch each into a 7-inch crust. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal and arrange cornmeal side down, on individual pizza pans.
Combine butter and spinach in small nonstick skillet and sauté over medium heat for 30 to 60 seconds, stirring constantly, until just wilted; reserve. (I didn’t have spinach at the time so I skipped)
Spread olive oil lightly on the dough. Sprinkle bacon, onions and tomatoes around outer edge of each pizza (leaving center open for egg). Bake for 4 minutes. Remove pizza from oven.
Gently pour cracked egg in center of each pizza. Cook until eggs are the way you want them. About 5 or 6 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven until cheese is melted. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Foodie Friday is presented by Gollum at

"Designs by Gollum"

visit her site for more fabulous recipes:)

Foodie Friday ~ Pulled Pork Barbecue ~ Baked Pumpkin ~ Pumpkin Pie Bites

This is what I made for Halloween Dinner. It was fabulous. I put the pork butt in the oven at 6:30 am Saturday morning. It made the whole house smell wonderful!

Pork Roast in the oven and then shredded.

I used the "Slider" buns from Pepperidge Farm. This is the first time I saw them. I have been looking for them for months. Very yummy and perfect for my sandwiches!

Pulled Pork Barbecue
Recipe courtesy ~ Tyler Florence
Dry Rub:
3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
3 tablespoons coarse sea salt

1 (5 to 7 pound) pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt

Cider-Vinegar Barbecue Sauce:
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup yellow or brown mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pan drippings from the pork

12 hamburger buns
1 recipe Cole Slaw, recipe follows

Mix the paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub the spice blend all over the pork. cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hours, or up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Put the pork in a roasting pan and roast it for about 6 hours. An instant-read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the pork should register 170 degrees F, but basically, what you want to do is to roast it until it's falling apart.
White the pork is roasting make the barbecue sauce. Combine the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently, stirring, for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Take it off the heat and let it sit until you're ready for it. When the pork is done, take it out of the oven and put it on a large platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While it's resting, deglaze the pan over medium heat with 3/4 cup water, scrapping with a wooden spoon to pick up all of the browned bits. Reduce by about half. Pour that into the saucepan with the sauce and cook 5 minutes.
While the pork is still warm, you want to "pull" the meat: Grab 2 forks, Using 1 to steady the meat, use the other to "pull" shreds of meat off the roast. Put the shredded pork in a bowl and pour half of the sauce over. Stir it all up well so that the pork is coated with the sauce.
To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom half of each hamburger bun, and top with some slaw.

Cole Slaw:
1 head green cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, grated
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 green onions (white and green parts), chopped
1 fresh red chile, sliced
1 1/1 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cups Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
Pinch sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Several dashes hot sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine the cabbage, carrots, red onion, green onions, and chile in a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar. pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss gently to mix. Season the cole slaw with the celery seed, hot sauce, salt, and black pepper. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

I just loved my Halloween flowers. They had sparkles on the purple flowers. As you can see.......I also made homemade Carmel Corn. If you are interested my Carmel Corn recipe is from a past post.

This is the homemade slaw to go on top of the pulled pork.

Pie pumpkins cut in fourth. Add butter, brown sugar, nuts and pumpkin pie spice. Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes.

These are "Pumpkin Pie Bites". I got the recipe from Bakerella.

Pumpkin Pie Bites

2 refrigerated ready-to-roll pie crusts

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Use circle cookie cutter to cut 12 pumpkins shapes from each pie crust. You will need to roll the dough thinner than it comes out of the box.

Press dough shapes into a 24 cup mini muffin tray. (Make 12 at a time, alternating cups to make sure pie crust don't overlap each other.)

Apply egg whites from one egg to the top edges of each pie.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, remaining 2 eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until thoroughly combined.

Spoon mixture into each pie crust.

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Remove pies to cool and repeat with second pie crust. Place the muffin tray in the freezer to cool it quickly for re-use.

Makes 24 pies. Keep refrigerated.

Then I added whipped cream on top.

Foodie Friday is presented by Gollum at
"Designs by Gollum"
visit her site for more fabulous recipes:)