Cranberry Crockpot Meatballs

For the past 20 years, my parents have hosted an open house on Christmas Eve. It's a day I always look forward to. Every single year, my mom makes crockpot meatballs. She usually uses grape jelly with cranberry sauce, but this year I wanted to change things up a bit. I wanted to make the recipe a little more festive, so instead of using grape jelly, we used cranberry sauce. As always, the meatballs were a hit at the party and gone by the end of the night. 

Did I mention that these take no time to make. They're a simple appetizer, which makes them a must for holiday parties.  Enjoy! 

Ingredients: 

1 26 oz bag of frozen meatballs (fully cooked)

1 jar of chili sauce (14 oz) 

1 can of jellied cranberry sauce (12 oz) 

Directions: 

Pour meatballs into the crockpot. 

In a large bowl mix together cranberry sauce and chili sauce. 

Pour sauce mixture over meatballs in the crock pot. 

Cook on low for 4 hours. 

Almond Cherry Double Chip Cookies

Christmas time is here and I can be found n the kitchen baking away. This year I had a few new cookie creations on my list of things to bake. First up were these almond cherry double chip cookies. If you're a fan of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream, you must make these cookies. The flavor is similar with the mixture of the cherries and the chocolate.  These cookies have a little crisp on the outside and a sweet, soft center. They will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth and will be the perfect addition to your holiday cookie platters. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS: 

1 cup butter, softened 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 package vanilla instant pudding mix (3.4 ounces)

2 lg. eggs

1/2 tablespoon almond extract

2 1/4 cups flour (all purpose)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup white chocolate chips 

1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

1  cup dried cherries, chopped

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking soda, then set aside. 

2. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Next, mix in pudding mix. 

3. Then add in the eggs, and almond extract. Mix well. 

4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until dough is formed

5. Stir in the dried cherries, white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

6. Using a medium cookie scoop, drop dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown. Remove cookies from oven. Let them cool on baking sheet for one minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely and store in an air tight container. 

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

A staple side dish over the holidays is potatoes.  They can be made so many different ways.  I'm sure I've tried hundreds over the years.  For this Christmas, I was looking for something that I could prepare ahead of time.  Something that would serve my entire family and that the mini would like.  I decided on this twice baked potato casserole.  I would actually call this mashed potato casserole. You can't go wrong with mashed potatoes.  You definitely can't go wrong with mashed potatoes mixed with cream cheese, sour cream and cheddar cheese topped with bacon and chives!  The dish was easy to prepare ahead of time and pop in the over when the time was right.  The entire family (along with the mini) gave this recipe two thumbs up! 

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Courtesy of Six Sisters' Stuff 

Ingredients:

• 5 lb russet potatoes
• 10 sli bacon
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 0.5 c unsalted butter, melted
• 1 c sour cream
• 0.25 c chives, minced
• 2.5 c cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 t kosher salt
• 0.5 t pepper

---

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender and easily pierced with a paring knife, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain; return to pan, cover, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp and browned, turning once. Transfer to paper towels to drain; let cool, and crumble into pieces.
3. Using a fork, mash the potatoes in pan until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream, and stir until combined and smooth. Add the chives, 2 cups cheddar cheese, half the bacon, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
4. Transfer to a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Bake until top is slightly golden and potatoes are heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; garnish with remaining bacon. Serve immediately.

Brown Sugar and Bacon Green Beans

This side dish was a part of our Christmas dinner.  For Christmas, my family has steak, potatoes, stuffing and a vegetable.  I was in charge of the sides this year.  This recipe looked amazing.  And lets be honest, who doesn't like bacon and a little sugar with their veggies?

The dish was easy to make and was as good as it looks.  It's a perfect side dish for the holidays.  Enjoy! 

Brown Sugar and Bacon Green Beans

Courtesy of Six Sisters' Stuff

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) package frozen green beans
6 pieces bacon, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
garlic salt, to taste

Directions:
In a large skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat until done (but not quite crisp).
Drain off grease and add butter and brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until the brown sugar has dissolved.

Place the green beans in a pot and fill with about 1 inch of water. Bring water to a boil and then place the lid on the pot. Steam the beans over medium heat until cooked through, about 5-8 minutes. Drain the water from the beans, season with garlic salt, and stir in the sugar and bacon mixture. Serve immediately.

If the brown sugar mixture starts to go hard, you can quickly reheat it before pouring it over your beans.

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Breakfast Ring

I always try to plan out all of my recipes for Christmas a few weeks in advance.  I like to have a list of the things we're going to make and bake for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  After that, a grocery list is made.  This year, due to traveling I wasn't on top of my lists.  Thankfully, I was able to throw together a menu and list this past Monday thanks to Pinterest.  I went through my Breakfast, Christmas, Appetizer and Drink boards and made my menu.  

I have a handful of tasty recipes to share with you over the next few weeks.  I'm happy to report that all of the recipes I chose for the holiday were a success.  The first one I've decided to share was the Christmas breakfast recipe.  My dad always makes bacon and eggs.  I decided this breakfast ring would be the perfect final touch for the meal.  Who doesn't like something sweet along with their bacon and eggs?!?  

I used a bunt cake pan to make this ring.  I used Pam instead of butter.  I honestly felt the recipe would be just as good with half the butter.  I also didn't use all of the pudding mix.  Those are the only suggested changes I would recommend.  It was easy to make.  My icing was running because I didn't wait long enough for the cake to cool, but it was really good warm.  The entire family gave this recipe two thumbs up.  They even suggested I make it again next year.  This would also be a great recipe for a brunch or coffee date.  Enjoy! 

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Breakfast Ring

Courtesy of Pillsbury 

          Ingredients

1/2

cup butter, softened

2

(12.4-oz.) cans Pillsbury® Refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls with Icing

1

(3.4-oz.) pkg. vanilla pudding and pie filling mix (not instant)

1/2

cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4

cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Using 1 tablespoon of the butter, generously butter 12-cup fluted tube cake pan. In small microwavable bowl, microwave remaining butter on High 1 min or until melted when stirred.

2. Separate both cans of dough into 16 rolls. Cut each roll in half crosswise; place half of roll pieces in pan. Sprinkle with half of the dry pudding mix and half of the brown sugar. Drizzle with half of the melted butter. Repeat with remaining roll pieces, pudding mix, brown sugar and melted butter. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

3. Bake 24 to 28 minutes or until rolls are deep golden brown and dough appears done when slightly pulled apart. Cool in pan 2 minutes. Place heatproof serving platter upside down over pan; turn platter and pan over. Remove pan. Cool 15 minutes.

4. Remove lid from icing. Microwave icing on High 10 to 15 seconds or until of drizzling consistency. Drizzle icing over ring. Cut into wedges to serve.

Favorite Christmas Cookies

When looking for Christmas cookie recipes this year, I went through all of the recipes I made over the past years.  Some have been a huge hit and others, not so much.  I decided to make a list of all of my favorites to share with you all today.  The best part about these cookies is they are simple and easy.  The only one I would say is more difficult is #5 the White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread.  The reason I included that one is because they are worth the extra time they take to make.  They won best cookie at my cookie exchange two years ago and are  a huge hit on Pinterest! 

1-3 Gingersnap Cookies   / Coconut Crunch Cookies  / Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies 

4-6 Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies  / White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread  / Brown Sugar Cinnamon

7-9 Cowboy Cookies   / Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Spice / Peppermint Chocolate Chip 

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cookies

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

They're all over my kitchen.  

Many have been boxed and given to friends. 

But many are still hanging around. 

Which means, hubs and I are eating them. 

These are probably one of my new favorites.  

If you love cinnamon (like me), you'll enjoy these. 

Part of me wanted to add chocolate chips to the recipe, but I'm glad I didn't.  

They were perfect (and EASY) just the way they are! 

If you're looking for a recipe to bring to a cookie exchange, these would be a hit!

Enjoy.

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cookies 

Courtesy of Lemons for Lulu 

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened

1 ½ cup brown sugar

1 egg

2 ¼ cup flour 

2 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt 

¾ teaspoon cinnamon *I doubled the cinnamon*

1 10 oz bag Cinnamon Chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl of a mixer, combine butter and sugar and beat until creamy. Add the egg and mix well. Place the four, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Carefully add flour mixture to butter mixture-scraping bowl as necessary. Continue to mix until well blended. Stir in cinnamon chips.

2. Drop dough by tablespoons onto cookie sheets. Bake just until edges are set, about 8-10 minutes. Let cookies cool for 1 minute on baking sheets before removing to a cooling wrack.

*Makes 48 cookies*

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Christmas is almost here, which means Christmas baking is in full swing around here.  
I'm off to a bit of a late start this year due to a nice long week of sickness in our house.  Thankfully everyone is on the mend, lets hope it stays that way for the rest of the month!

Each year I try to make a bunch of different Christmas cookies. 
I give them to neighbors, friends and send them to work with hubs. 

This year I searched through my Pinterest board for different recipes.  
I came up with a list of 10 new cookies I want to make.  

First up were these peppermint chocolate chip cookies.  I love peppermint with chocolate, especially over the holidays.  These cookies were the perfect mix of the two.  They weren't too pepperminty, nor did they have too much chocolate. Hubs isn't even a peppermint fan and he enjoyed them. They would pair well with a nice hot peppermint mocha from Starbucks!  Enjoy! 

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Adapted from Lil' Luna 

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/2 cup butter (softened)

- 1/2 cup oil

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 1 cup sugar

- 2 eggs

- 3 cups flour

- 1 tsp. baking powder

- 1 tsp. baking soda

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. vanilla

- 1/2 tsp. almond extract

- 2 cups of chocolate chips 

- 1 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch Pieces

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cream butter, oil and sugars in your mixer.

2. Add eggs and beat until fluffy. Add almond and vanilla extract, mix again.  

3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt to a separate bowl and mix well. 
Add to wet ingredients and mix well.

4. Add chocolate chips and peppermint crunch pieces.   Mix well.

5. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

*I used a medium cookie scoop for these cookies*

The Best Carrot Cake

I'm extremely late in posting this recipe. This was one of the desserts we enjoyed Christmas Day. 

I have to give credit to the husband for finding this recipe.  Since I'm unable to eat dairy I was very limited to a lot of our traditional holiday desserts.  I wasn't thrilled about this and after complaining to hubs, he went in search of a dairy free dessert.  He emailed this recipe to me asking what I thought.  All I had to do was look at the picture before I gave him the A-Okay.  

Results: Hands down the best carrot cake I've ever made. The cake was moist and every single bit was full of flavor.  It was a BIG cake, so one little sliver satisfied my sweet tooth.  When I make it again (and I will) I'll use a 9x13 pan and do more of a sheet cake.  I will also cut the oil in half and add applesauce.  

Courtesy of All Recipes

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups grated carrots 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup raisins 4 eggs 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a medium bowl, combine grated carrots and brown sugar. Set aside for 60 minutes, then stir in raisins.
2.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 10 inch cake pans.
3.	In a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Gradually beat in the white sugar, oil and vanilla. Stir in the pineapple. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, stir into the wet mixture until absorbed. Finally stir in the carrot mixture and the walnuts. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
4.	Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. When completely cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting. *You can make your own frosting. I used the frosting from a can because it's dairy free*

Oven Roasted Potatoes

Happy New Year.  I have high hopes for 2013, I hope you do as well. 

I have a lot of recipes I made over the holidays that I can't wait to share with you.  This first side dish recipe was made for Christmas dinner this year.  When planning the menu, I set out in search of dairy free recipes. It was much harder than I anticipated.  So many things have butter, cheese or cream...especially the traditional holiday sides.  I chose this one because even thought the original recipe calls for parmesan cheese, I thought it would be good without.  I knew the husband, father and brother would like it because it had bacon.  So, I decided to add it to the Christmas dinner menu.  

Results: The bacon was the most time consuming part of the recipe.  But, it's also the part that added the most flavor.  The potatoes were really good.  It was the perfect amount of seasoning and crispiness on the outside.  I didn't find myself missing the cheese at all.  The family approved as well, there weren't any leftovers.  Enjoy!

Oven Roasted Potatoes

Courtesy of Adventures in the Country 

Ingredients: 

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 lb hickory smoked, thick sliced bacon

3 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated

coarse salt

fresh ground pepper

fresh parsley

Directions:
Scrub potatoes and place in a large pot.  Fill pot with water until potatoes are covered by 2-3 inches of water.  Bring water to a boil and cook for 12-15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.  My potatoes were fairly large, so this took close to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, partially freeze bacon for easier cutter.  (Ten minutes in the freezer works well.) Slice bacon strips in half, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces.  I like to cut my bacon prior to cooking.  It’s easier to work with in the skillet and easy to drain with slotted spoon.

Cook bacon in a skillet until golden, but still flexible.  You don’t want it crunchy.  Remove cooked bacon onto a plate lined with paper towels.  Reserve the bacon drippings.
Check potatoes and if fork tender, drain and allow to cool.  If making this recipe again, I would peel the potatoes before I boiled them or try leaving the skins on all-together.  Yukon Golds have a relatively thin skin, so I think this would have added a nice look and texture to the potatoes.

While potatoes are cooling, preheat the oven to 425° and mince the garlic and parsley.  

Also, grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Next, prepare the baking sheet by brushing 1 tablespoon of olive oil and half the bacon drippings on the bottom of the pan. I used a fairly large cookie sheet for this and it worked well.

Once the potatoes are cool, peel and cut in half, or quarter if potatoes are large.

Place cut side down on prepared pan and sprinkle with course salt and fresh ground pepper.   Place in 425° oven for 35-40 minutes.  Rotate potatoes halfway through the baking time to ensure an even color.  I did not do this and some of mine were more golden than others.

Reduce temperature to 375°, turn potatoes over and sprinkle with the bacon, garlic, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Add more salt and pepper if desired.  Return to oven for an additional 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are evenly browned and cheese is melted.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh parsley.  

Makes 4-6 servings, depending on serving size.

 Serve immediately!

Merry Christmas!

5 minute fudge

My mom made this recipe last weekend for her work Christmas party and recommended it to me.  I decided to make it for hubs to take to work.  I've been sending in something special everyday this week for his team to enjoy. I've made my fair share of cookies, so this was the perfect "something different" to make. This recipe may be titled five minute fudge, but it took me about 15 minutes to make. Unfortunately, the little one has a milk protein allergy, so I couldn't enjoy this treat.  

My official taste tester (hubs) gave this two thumbs up.  

Five-Minute Fudge Wreath

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate morsels
• 9 ounces (3/4 of a 12-ounce bag) butterscotch morsels
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (8-ounce) can walnut halves
• 1/2 cup (a couple of handfuls) currants
• 8-inch cake pan, lightly greased with softened butter
• Candied cherries, red and green, for garnish, optional

Directions

Place a heavy pot on the stove and preheat it over low heat. Add chips and milk and stir until chips are melted and milk combined. Save the empty condensed milk can. Stir in vanilla and remove fudge from heat. Add nuts and currants and stir in immediately.

Cover empty condensed milk can with plastic food wrap and center it in the greased cake pan. Spoon fudge into pan around can, making sure to recenter can if it drifts.

The fudge will set up almost immediately. Garnish can only be added in the first minute or 2 the fudge is in the pan, so work quickly. Decorate your wreath with "holly" made from cut candied red and green cherries. A wreath left plain can be garnished with a pretty fabric bow when serving. Chill covered in the refrigerator and slice fudge very thin when ready to serve, a little goes a long way

.

Cherry Chocolate Kisses

I chose these cookies to make for my 2nd annual cookie exchange this year. I didn't put as much time into searching for the perfect cookie this year like I did last year.  I came across this recipe from one of those "The Best Christmas Cookie" pins.  I loved the cherry cookies I made last year, so I decided to stick with them again this year.  Loved the cherry pieces in this cookie but I didn't love my red fingers after chopping them.  There isn't anything I would change about this recipe.  They were delicious and not your typical Christmas cookie. 

Cherry Chocolate Kisses

Courtesy of The Curvy Carrot

Cherry Chocolate Kisses

Servings: approximately 36 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened, but still cool*****very important!

1 cup powdered sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons maraschino cherry “juice”

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped

Granulated sugar, for sprinkling the cookies

36 milk chocolate kisses, unwrapped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.

3. Reduce the speed to the lowest setting and slowly add the powdered sugar and salt.

4. Add the cherry juice and the almond extract until combined.

5. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

6. Increase the mixer speed to medium and add the cherries.

7. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, and place the balls on a baking sheet, approximately 2 inches apart.

8.  Using your thumb, gently press each cookie in its center until the cookie is about 1/2-inch thick.

9.  Sprinkle each cookie with a little granulated sugar.

10.  Bake the cookies until the bottoms are lightly browned, about 14 minutes.

11. Once removed from the oven, immediately press a chocolate kiss into each cookie’s center.

12.  Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Baby Reindeer Footprint Craft

Of course, this craft was inspired by Pinterest! 

This craft took no time to create and will be a cherished decoration for years to come. 

Done on a small canvas using acrylic paint and Sharpie paint pens.  

Easy Lemon Crinkle Cookies

First, I have to say this picture is horrible.  I will be replacing soon, but I had to share this recipe. 

 I know a lot of you are baking away and I definitely think you should add this is cookie to your Christmas cookie list.  I always make a lemon cookie for Christmas.  I like to have a variety of cookies to share.  I'm not a huge lemon fan, but my mom and best friend's dad are.  Mom gave this recipe two thumbs up. This recipe took no time to make and were actually really good.  They were soft and chewy which is how I like my cookies.  Enjoy!

My inspiration for this recipe was my red velvet crinkle cookies. 

Ingredients:                                                                                  Directions:  

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 box lemon cake mix
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Melt butter; set aside to cool. Place powdered sugar and cornstarch in shallow dish. Mix with a fork to blend.
2. Place cake mix, cooled butter, eggs and lemon zest in large mixing bowl. Mix by hand until well blended and a dough forms.
3. Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll in powdered sugar. Place on cool, ungreased baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
4. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in center of oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
5. Store in airtight container with wax paper or parchment separating layers.