Hogmanay Steak Pie

If you're not familiar with Hogmanay, it's a Scottish word for the last day of the year and it's basically the celebration of New Year's Eve. It's usually the beginning of a celebration that can last for days! It is believed the Scots inherited the celebration of Hogmanay from the Vikings and their celebration of the shortest day but many believe that as Christmas was virtually banned and not celebrated in Scotland from the end of the 17th century until the 1950’s, New Years Eve was a good excuse for some revelry and the excuse to drink whisky and eat good food. Hogmanay involves parties and festivals across Scotland with the largest and most famous public party in Edinburgh.
 How's that for a bit of history??? Anyway, being a Scot herself, Claire was the first to bring Hogmanay to my attention and she asked me if I would make her a traditional steak pie to celebrate the beginning of the new year. Sounds good to me!! So, I looked up several recipes, and as is often the case, I decided to take what I like from a few different recipes and make them into one.
 And here we are! This is my version of a traditional Scottish Steak Pie. It's warm and comforting and savory and delicious! Serve it up with some mashed potatoes and turnips (tatties and neeps!) and you're ready to go. Even if it's not the last day of the year, I highly recommend making it! As the Scots would say "Lang may yer lum reek", which means "Long may your chimney smoke!"
Happy Hogmanay!

2 lbs beef cubes
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
4 or 5 ribs of celery, roughly chopped
1 lb button mushrooms, sliced
 Big pinch dried thyme
Big pinch dried rosemary
2 or 3 bay leaves
1/4 cup flour
2 cups beef broth
1 cup red wine
salt
lots and lots of black pepper
Frozen puff pastry
1 egg


Heat oven to 325F.
In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, add a few tbs oil or butter. Pat the beef cubes with paper towels to make sure they're dry, then add them to the pot in one layer. Do this is batches if you need to. Resist the urge to stir them about. Just let them sit and brown. Turn them over and do the same thing on the other side. Remove them from the pot and set aside in a bowl.
 Add the celery and onions to the pot. Let them saute until they begin to soften. Add the mushrooms, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves, and continue to cook for a few minutes. Add flour. Cook and stir for a few minutes longer. Add broth, wine, salt and pepper. Add the beef back into the pot along with any accumulated juices, and give it another good stir. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for about 2 hours. When the beef falls apart, it's ready. Remove from the oven and let it cool.
 Increase oven heat to 400F.
 Place the cooled stew in a baking dish. Cut strips of the puff pastry and place them around the edges of the dish. (Moisten the underside of the strip to make sure it sticks to the dish) Now cover the entire pie with a sheet of pastry. Press it down on the edges to seal. Trim the excess and crimp to make a decorative edge. Brush the top with a bit of beaten egg mixed with a few drops of water or milk. Make a few slits in the top to allow steam to vent. Place in oven for about 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Tips:
Instead of beef broth, you can use 2 cups of water and 2 beef bouillon cubes. Just reduce the amount of salt that you add. Actually, you could probably omit it altogether since there is quite a bit of sodium in the bouillon.
You can make the stew in advance then assemble the pie and bake it when you're ready to serve.
Traditional Steak Pie is usually just beef with onions, but I added celery and mushrooms because I like them! Add anything you like! If you're not a fan of turnips, feel free to serve it with just regular mashed potatoes.

Oh..one other thing...
This is NOT my picture. I borrowed it from a blog called Kittens in the Kitchen. I figured maybe they wouldn't mind if I were to borrow their picture just until I can take a few pictures of my own. As soon as my pie is finished, I'll swap out their picture for my own. I just wanted to hurry up and get the recipe posted in case anyone wanted to make it for New Year's Eve!

Hot Corn Dip

So, if you're one of my regular readers, you've probably noticed by now that I've been trying a lot of Trisha Yearwood's recipes lately. I guess I do this a lot, whenever I discover someone new, whether it's someone on TV or maybe in a cookbook that I've read. I just think it's fun to try different styles of cooking, don't you? Of course, I'm always drawn to cooks who make home style comfort food that you imagine someone's Grandmother would make. That's the type of recipe that TY usually does. And she doesn't seem fake while you watch her cook and tell her family's stories. She's probably the same off camera as when she's on. I love that. And her recipes are always really simple.
 This recipe is a perfect example. It's warm and yummy and simple to throw together. Make it for your next party and your guests will love you for it!


Cooking spray or butter, to grease
Two 11-ounce cans Mexican corn, drained
Two 4.5-ounce cans chopped green chiles, drained
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 8 ounces)
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup mayonnaise
Corn chips, for dipping

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9- 13- by 2-inch casserole dish.

In a medium bowl, mix the corn, chiles, cheeses and mayonnaise until fully combined. Spread the mixture in the prepared casserole dish and bake, uncovered, until bubbly around the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve the dip warm from the oven with corn chips.

Tips:
-One of the great things about this recipe is that you can make it ahead of time and then just pop it in the oven just before your guests arrive.
-This dip is not spicy at all, but if you'd like to turn up the heat a bit, add some diced jalapenos or other spicy peppers, or any kind of hot sauce. Add as much as you like!
-Mexicorn is simply canned corn with added diced red and green bell peppers. If you can't find it, just use regular corn and add the peppers, if you like. Or you could just leave the peppers out.
-I like to serve it with the Scoop type of tortilla chips. They just make it easier to dip!

Cannoli Dip

 I first heard of this recipe from my brother, Denny, who got it from Rick's niece, Barbie. I'm not sure where she got the recipe, but like I always say "Since she's the one who brought it to me, she's the one that gets the credit for it!" As Denny says "She's like the Cuneo Family dip queen. She always has really easy and really good stuff." That works for me!!
 I always love a good party food recipe, and when it's as easy as this one, well, what could be better? Seriously, this is crazy stupid easy. Just stir everything together! What could be easier than that? And it's just as delicious! You might wanna make a double batch because your guests will devour it!
Thanx Den! And Thanx Barb!

2 cups ricotta cheese
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 1/2 cup 10x powdered sugar (do they still call it 10x?)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix together and chill (both you and the mixture).
Serve with cannoli chips, broken pizzelles, broken waffle cones, or strawberries.

Tips:
When I first tried it, Aniell and AJ and Kelsie were here for the sampling, and we tried a few different dippers. Our favorite was the cinnamon sugar coated pita chips. The sweet cinnamon made it SO yummy! Oh! And the strawberries were pretty amazing too!

Other dipper options:
Graham crackers broken into sticks.
Fresh pineapple, cut into wedges.
Tortillas, or won ton wrappers, cut into triangles, deep fried and then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

Easy Sugar Cookies

 If you ask me what the quintessential Christmas cookie is, I'd say it's a tie between my Mom's Butter Cookies, and straight up classic sugar cookies. The only problem with sugar cookies is that, often times, you have to wrap up the dough and chill it for an hour or two, then you have to roll it out and cut it into various shapes with cookie cutters, then chill the leftover dough, reroll it, and on and on. Well, frankly, I'm not that patient. I want to be able to throw together a quick batch, pop 'em in the oven, and be done. Well, this recipe lets you do just that!
 It's PERFECT! No chilling, no rolling, no cutting. You just mix it up, drop them onto cookie sheets, sprinkle with sugar and boom, you're set! And they taste EXACTLY like how you'd expect a good sugar cookie to taste. Awesome vanilla flavor and perfectly sweet. You should definitely add this one to your repertoire!

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, then roll in colored sugar and place onto ungreased cookie sheets. Or you can roll into balls, make a dent on the top of each one, and then sprinkle colored sugar over the top. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Tips:
Use a small cookie scoop when dropping the dough onto the cookie sheets. (it looks like a miniature ice cream scoop) It makes the job so much easier and it also insures that all of your cookies will be the same size.

Usually, when I bake cookies, I like to under bake them slightly, just to make them a little more chewy. With these cookies, however, I like to bake them for the full 10 minutes. They're still chewy, but they get just a little crispy around the edges. LOVE that.

Peanut Butter Balls

 Ok this is an easy one. You just stir everything together, shape into small balls and then let them set. They're SUPER simple and HIGHLY addictive!!!  I discovered the recipe while watching Trisha Yearwood (who is quickly becoming one of my favorites!). These are a definite MUST for all of the peanut butter lovers in your life. They're also the perfect treat to munch while you're decorating the trees!! Thanx again to Kate, Kate, and Kait!

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 white corn syrup
2 cups crunchy peanut butter
4 cups rice cereal  

In a large saucepan, stir the sugar and the syrups together over medium heat. Remove from the heat and quickly add the peanut butter, continuing to stir until the mixture is fully combined. Add the rice cereal and mix well. Shape the mixture into palm-size balls with your hands. Transfer to waxed paper. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Tips:
Just as with cookies, I used a cookie scoop to measure them into balls. It insures that they'll all be the same size.
Also, I think it's cute that the directions tell you how to store them in a container for up to two weeks...as if they'll last that long... hehehe. That's funny.

Peanut Brittle

I recently saw Trisha Yearwood making this and it looked so yummy and caramelly that I thought "Hmm..I'm gonna have to try this.." (caramelly?) Then I saw on FB that my friend Abbe was about to make peanut brittle so I texted her that Trisha Yearwood has a good recipe, and she responded "That's the one I'm making!" Great minds, huh? So of course, I asked her to take a picture of her final product, and here we are!
 Just like I said, it's yummy and caramelly and so festive! But you don't have to wait until the holidays to make it. Make it any time!
Thanx Abbe!

1 tbs vanilla extract
1 tbs baking soda
1 tbs salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
3 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
3 cups shelled raw peanuts

 Measure the vanilla into a small bowl and set aside. Combine the baking soda and salt in another small bowl and set aside. Butter 2 cookie sheets with sides or jelly roll pan liberally with 1/2 stick of the butter. Set aside.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, attach a candy thermometer and cook over medium-high heat until the syrup spins a thread when poured from a spoon or reaches 240 degrees F on the thermometer. Stir in the peanuts and continue cooking and stirring until the candy becomes golden brown or reaches 300 degrees F.
Remove from the heat immediately and quickly add the remaining 1 stick butter and the vanilla, baking soda and salt. Stir only until the butter melts, and then quickly pour the brittle onto the cookie sheets, spreading the mixture thinly. When the brittle has completely cooled, break the candy into pieces and store in a tightly covered container.

Tips:
Instead of buttering the baking sheets, you can also use silicone baking mats. Nothing sticks to 'em!
Be sure to take the time to measure out the ingredients and put them in small bowls before you start, just as the recipe directs. Once you reach 240 degrees, things go very quickly and you don't want to spend the time measuring things.
 And one other thing... I know I don't have to say it, but I'll say it anyway. This gets VERY hot so PLEASE be careful and make sure your little ones aren't around when you make this! There. I feel better now.

Red Velvet Cookies

It seems to me that you can say "red velvet" anything, and people seem to go crazy! Whenever I make Red Velvet Cupcakes they're always GONE in a matter of minutes, and a Red Velvet Cake always bring lots of OOOOs and AAAHs when you bring it to the table. Is it because it's red?? Is it the mounds of cream cheese icing? I'm thinking its probably a little bit of both! So the idea of making a red velvet COOKIE clearly has BRILLIANCE written all over it. (No, this isn't my recipe. It's slightly adapted from a blog called Amy Bites.) At first, I thought these cookies would have cream cheese icing sandwiched between them, but no! These have a swirl of cream cheese running right through them!! Like I said, brilliant! So give these a try. Not only are they delish, but they'll make any tray of holiday cookies look all the more festive! Love.

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon red food coloring
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
4 tablespoons Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
.
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy and well-combined.
Beat in egg and vanilla, then beat in food coloring.
Add flours, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder and mix until just combined.
Add cream cheese in pieces to dough and mix briefly until just swirled.
Portion out by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets.

Tips:
These cookies are VERY chocolatey and not as sweet as you might expect. I usually think of a red velvet cake as being just lightly chocolatey (there are usually only a couple tbs of cocoa in the whole cake). So, as much as I love a rich deep chocolatey cookie, I think they're better when you add just half of the cocoa. But if you want the deeper flavor, go for it!
When you add the cream cheese, just cut it up into chunks and gently fold them in by hand, instead of using the mixer. This will give you nice bright swirls of white.
The original recipe called for only a cup of AP flour + 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. I didn't have any whole wheat, so I just used all AP flour.
.

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

 I've been looking for a really good orange cookie for AGES and now I'm happy to say EUREKA! I've discovered it! I suppose I could have developed my own recipe, but I've found SO many fun and new recipes while searching for this one that it was definitely worth the trip. It's actually just a basic cookie recipe with the addition of fresh orange zest and white chocolate chips. Now why didn't I think of that?? Sometimes the simplest things are the best! I saw this on Pinterest from a blog called The Girl Who Ate Everything, who got it from a blog called Baked Perfection. Sharing is caring!!
 This is the perfect cookie for friends like Jerry and Angel who aren't particularly fond of chocolate. (I know, I know, it makes no sense to me either....)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange zest
2 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture until combined. Stir in orange zest and white chocolate chips.
Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Do not flatten cookies; it will make them dry. Bake 8 – 10 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Do not overcook! Cookies will be plump. Cool for several minutes on cookie sheets before transferring to rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Tip:
To make them even more orangetastic, add a couple drops of orange extract to the batter. Yum!

Caramel Drizzled Apple Cider Cookies

 

 As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I wanted to try it. Right off the bat, they had me at caramel, but more than that, I wanted to try it because I had never heard of it! As much as I love all the favorite classic cookie recipes, I'm always up for trying new ones! So here we go. I found this recipe on a blog called Under the Table and Dreaming, whose author found it on another blog called Scrambled Henfruit, whose author slightly adapted it from a recipe on another blog called The Cooking Photographer. It kinda makes me wonder how many other blogs this recipe will find after this one!!! Don't you just love technology? LOL

  Ok, so, here's the thing...the original recipe was not for cookies drizzled with caramel...it was for cookies STUFFED with caramel. Yummy, right? Well, here's what I found...

 When you make them, you put a caramel in the center of a ball of cookie dough and bake. Then you remove them from your parchment and turn them upside down to cool, giving the caramel time to set (otherwise the caramel oozes out from the bottom of the cookie). That's fine, but it seemed to me it would be much easier to just bake the cookies without the caramel, let them cool, and then drizzle with melted caramel. It's much easier, must faster, and every bite gets a little bit of the caramel instead of just the center. Plus, you don't have to worry about the upside down cooling, etc. You do have to let them sit until the caramel sets, but I think this is the lesser of two evils. To melt the caramels, just unwrap them, place them in a bowl with a couple tbs of milk or cream, then microwave 30 seconds at a time until they're melted, then whisk it all together.

 I've posted the original directions as I first read them, just in case you'd like to do the stuffed cookies, or you can do them as I've stated above. The only down side to the drizzling is that the caramel stays kinda gooey. So, you'd have to store them in layers with parchment in between, but seriously, I'm thinking gooey caramel isn't the worst thing in the world! 

  Whichever way you make them, they're still amazingly delicious and fun and new and you'll still love them!

 

 3 cups all purpose flour

 1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (Find this in your grocery store near the hot chocolate mixes.)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

 Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment!) 

In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside. With your mixer (or an energetic spoon) cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well. Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined. Refrigerate for about an hour. (If you're really impatient you don't have to do this, but it makes it so much easier to work with.) When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels. Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over-bake! Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.) If you forget about them and they cool too much and stick to your parchment, put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off. 

Tip:

You definitely need to let these sit for a couple minutes before removing them from the pan because the caramel needs time to set. If you're drizzling instead of stuffing, be sure to let them cool completely before drizzling, then let them sit out for a good long while until the caramel sets.

For an extra added little something, add about a teaspoon of kosher salt to your melted caramel.  

You could also leave the caramel out of the picture altogether and sandwich some vanilla ice cream in between the plain apple cider cookies. It tastes like apple pie a la mode in the form of a cookie!!

Instead of using parchment paper, I used a silpat, which is a silicone baking mat the fits right into a half sheet tray. Nothing sticks to it!!

Eggnog Fudge

Here's a fun and festive recipe that screams holiday yumminess. I got the recipe from my friend, Helen, who posted it on Facebook because she had seen it on Pinterest from someone who found it on Recipegirl.com, who adapted it from recipezaar.com. So basically I have no clue who came up with the idea in the first place, but I'm certainly glad they did!!
  Frankly, I've never met anything eggnog that I didn't like and this recipe is simple and delicious. It's the perfect thing to make if you want to give a little gift without breaking the bank. And everyone always appreciates a home made gift, right? Just wrap up little squares of fudge in parchment, place them in small boxes tied with ribbon, and everyone will think you're Martha Stewart. Of course, you could always keep the whole batch for yourself..... decisions ....decisions!!!

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup dairy eggnog
10.5 oz white chocolate bars, chopped into small pieces
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, plus a little more for the top of the fudge
1 7oz jar marshmallow creme
1 tsp rum extract

1. Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with foil and let it hang over the sides. Butter the foil.
2. In a heavy, 3-quart saucepan combine sugar, butter and eggnog. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat or until a candy thermometer reaches 234°F, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.
3. Using a wooden spoon, work quickly to stir in chopped white chocolate and nutmeg until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in marshmallow creme and rum extract. Beat until well blended and then pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle a little freshly ground nutmeg on top. Let stand at room temperature until cooled. Refrigerate if you’d like to speed up the process.
4. When completely cool, cut into squares. Store in a covered container. Keeps for several weeks in the freezer.

Tip:
You can use brandy extract instead of rum extract. That's what I did (only because that's what I had on hand) and it was delicious!
I chose to use a 9" square pan because I didn't want the pieces of fudge to be so thick, but use whichever pan works for you.
If you don't have foil, you can use parchment paper to line the pan.

Whole Jar of Peanut Butter Cookies

 I guess I never realized how divided people seem to be about peanut butter. Some people absolutely LOVE it, can't get enough of it, and eat it with a spoon right out of the jar.... and then there are others who simply don't care for it, (which, btw, makes absolutely no sense to me).  Clearly, I'm in the first group!
 So here's another fabulous treat for all of my friends who worship in the house of peanut butter. Actually, I think this is now my "go to" recipe for peanut butter cookies. You know how some peanut butter cookies are kinda dry? Well, these cookies stay moist and chewy, just like cookies were meant to be! I got the recipe from my niece, Kristin, whose motto is "the peanut butterier, the better." I totally concur! And you know how I'm always going on about a recipe which only uses a tiny bit of the key ingredient. More is More!!!! So you can imagine how excited I was to get a recipe that uses a WHOLE jar! You just KNOW they're gonna be awesome!! oh, btw,...... Kristin gave me this recipe a while ago, (actually about a million years ago) but it has taken me forever to get to it because I kept eating the peanut butter, which would leave me with less than a whole jar.....not enough for the recipe....time to go buy some more! ...Better get a gallon of milk while I'm there!
Thanx Kristin!

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 (18 ounce) jar peanut butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped peanuts

	In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, yolk, and vanilla; mix until fluffy. Stir in peanut butter. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Finally, stir in the peanuts. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours.
	Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
	Roll dough into walnut sized balls. Place on the prepared cookie sheet and flatten in a criss cross pattern with a fork dipped it flour. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies should look dry on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to cool completely on a rack. These cookies taste great when slightly undercooked. Tips:  This makes an extremely soft cookie dough, so you really need to chill it in the fridge for two hours before you bake. Keep that in mind when you're planning your baking. Maybe make the dough ahead of time, and keep the dough covered in the fridge. Then you'll be all set when you're ready to bake.  Also make sure you let them cool on the tray for a few minutes when you take them out of the oven. They need that extra time to set up. Otherwise, they may break apart when you attempt to transfer them to a cooling rack.  I didn't add the chopped peanuts because I didn't have any on hand, so, I guess they can be an optional ingredient. Just sayin'.  Instead of greasing the cookie sheet, try baking your cookies on a sheet of parchment paper. You can use the same sheet of paper for the whole batch of cookies and they make for easy clean up when you're finished! You can also use a silpat, which is a silicone baking mat. It fits right into a half sheet pan, and nothing sticks to it!