Best of 2014

To recap this year, we moved from Maine to North Carolina. The kids had to start a new school. My sister came to visit me twice. My Dad came down to visit me once. I've been back to Maine to visit twice. We were fortunate and went to Disney early this year plus took a week vacation in Vermont. I was lucky to return to Disney with my sister. Overall, this year was crazy. I could live at Disney but I'm sure they would deny my request. I hope you had a wonderful year and not as crazy as mine.  To recap our favorite recipes, they are:

Favorite Breakfast:

Pineapple Syrup

Favorite Meat:

Bourbon Bacon Burger

 Favorite Bread:

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

 Favorite Cookie:

Lemon Cream Cookies

Favorite Dessert:

Profiteroles

Best of 2013
Best of 2012
Best of 2011

Did you already know.................
-Per Amazon, Happy by Pharrell Williams was the best selling song.
-Their best selling book was StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath.
-Per Box Office Mojo, the highest grossing U.S. movie of 2014 was Guardians of the Galaxy.

See you next year! 

Happy New Year!

Zuppa Toscana

Alright, I will admit I have never had the Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup. I always pick minestrone especially in the winter time. So, I can not personally say this recipe taste like the restaurant's version. All I can say is I liked it. It is creamy. It is filling. The kids liked it. It has a vegetable in it. It is an easy dish to make. It is a great soup. I served biscuits with the soup.

Olive Garden Copycat Zuppa Toscana
4 bacon stripes 
1 lb. Italian sausage
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 quart water
2 large russet potatoes, cut inot 1/4 inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups swiss chard, chopped
1 cup light cream

Directions:

1. In a large pot, brown the bacon until crisp.
2. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside onto a paper lined plate.
3. Add the sausage and brown.
4. Add the garlic and onion. Saute for a couple of minutes. 
5. Add the chicken broth and the water. 
6. Add the potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
8. Simmer for 10 minutes. 
9. Reduce heat to low. Add the swiss chard and cream.
10. Cook for a few minutes until the soup is heated.

Recipe adapted from Food.com.

One year ago.............................I made No Bake Peanut Butter Bars.
Three years ago.........................I made Penguin Cupcakes

Did you already know................
-In 1982, the first Olive Garden opened in Orlando, Florida.
-Olive Garden is the third largest restaurant chain.
-Olive Garden's parent company is Darden.

Honey and Nut Clusters

Alright, I admit I like nuts. I like cookies with nuts. I like my chocolate with nuts. My husband isn't nuts about nuts. So, these bars aren't for him. When I saw this recipe, I actually thought it would harden like peanut brittle. They are gooey and chewy. I guess I could have tried to freeze them but why? I could easily break off a little piece. I could taste the honey and the nuts. These clusters are very rich. I guess if you want a recipe which isn't so gooey then maybe dipping them into chocolate.

Honey and Nut Clusters
1 cup almonds, toasted
1 cup walnuts, toasted
2 egg whites
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup fine sugar

Directions: 

1. Roughly chop the almonds and walnuts. Set aside. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff. 
3. Gently, stir in the chopped nuts. Set aside.
4. In a small pot, combine the honey and sugar.
5. Bring the honey and sugar to a boil. 
6. Stir in the nut mixture and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
7. Add the mixture into a baking dish and evenly level. 
8. Cover the mixture with a piece of parchment paper. 
9. Place several cans of food on top of the parchment paper to weigh it down. 
10. Allow the mixture to chill for at least 2 days to set before serving.

Recipe adapted from The Cookie and Biscuit Bible Cookbook.

Two years ago...........................I made Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies.
Three years ago........................I made Snowman Sugar Cookies.

Did you already know.........................
-Since 7000 B.C., the walnut is one of the oldest tree foods known to man.
-Walnuts begin to be harvested in August.
-It takes at least five years for a walnut tree to produce walnuts after the planting of a walnut tree sapling.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Walnut Biscotti

Biscotti is one of these recipes I've been meaning to make but just hadn't. When I told the kids I was going to make these cookies, they had no idea what I was making. Biscotti? Biscotti, what? I told them they would like these cookies especially to dip them into their hot chocolate. I'm surprised the kids could actually dip anything over the amount of marshmallows they had floating in their cup. Isn't that what having hot chocolate is about? How many marshmallows can you fit without any spilling over? These cookies are the typical biscotti recipe. They are crunchy and sweet. I really liked them even without a side of hot chocolate. 

Walnut Biscotti
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 
8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
1 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cornmeal. Set aside.
4. In a large mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. 
5. Add the eggs one at a time and blend until incorporated. 
6. Add the vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.
7. Slowly, add the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated. 
8. Fold in the walnuts.
9. Transfer half the dough onto one side of the prepared baking sheet.
10. Shape the dough into a 12 inch log about 2 inches wide. 
11. Form a second log into a log parallel to the other log.
12. Bake the dough for 25 minutes or until the log is light golden but still soft. 
13. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
14. With a long serrated knife, cut the dough into 1 inch slices. 
15. Space the slices about 1/2 inch apart. 
16. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until golden and firm. 
17. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

Recipe adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. 

Three years ago......................Melted Snowman. 

Did you already know.........................
-Biscotti are twice baked cookies.
-Biscotti originates from Italy.
-The cookie was ideal for travels since it lasted a long time.

Spinach and Artichoke Macaroni and Cheese

Since my daughter loves macaroni and cheese, she elected for me to make this dish. Now, I like spinach and artichokes. I just didn't know how I would like this dish. Well, my husband even liked this dish. My husband doesn't eat artichokes. It is creamy. It is delicious and the kids ate the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Spinach and Artichoke Macaroni and Cheese
8 oz. elbow noodles
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
2 shallots, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Italian cheese blend, shredded
1 cup baby spinach leaves, chopped
1 (9 oz.) artichoke hearts, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Cook the elbow noodles per package to al dente. 
3. While the noodles are cooking, heat a medium pot over medium heat.
4.  In the pot, heat the olive oil and butter.
5. Add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Sprinkle the flour over the shallot and garlic. Stir to combine. Heat for 1 minute.
8. Whisk in 3/4 cups of the pasta water to the pot with the milk. Whisk for a couple of minutes. 
9. Stir in the sour cream, 3/4 cups mozzarella cheese, the Swiss cheese, and the Italian cheese blend.
10. Add the spinach, artichoke hearts, and cooked pasta. Stir until incorporated.
11. Transfer the macaroni and cheese into a baking dish.
12. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. 
13. Broil for about 2 minutes or until golden.

Recipe adapted from Food Network Kitchen.

One year ago.................................I made Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls.
Two years ago...............................I made Sables.
Three years ago............................I made White Chocolate Covered Oreos.

Did you already know.....................
-Artichokes are the flower buds before they bloom into a purple flower.
-One artichoke plant can produce 20 artichokes a year. 
-In 1947, Norma Jean (Marilyn Monroe) was crowned the first official California Artichoke Queen.