Christmas Gifts

My family caught on that I have the cooking bug, so cooking/baking gear seemed to be the popular gift theme this year!

1. Healthy whole wheat pancake mix from Lehi Mills
2. Oxo multi-measuring cup
3. (inside measuring cup) Cocktail/Party forks, for entertaining
4. Cyclone whisk from Wilton
5. Kochen: a German cookbook with every kind of cuisine
6. Dessert spoons!

Festive Ginger Snaps

Combining the best of two Christmas worlds-- ginger and sugar cookies-- is a snap!  Simply dipping your ginger snaps in red and green sugar sprinkles gives some life to the ginger snaps without making them too sweet.

First, the recipe:
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar (I added between 3/4 - 1 cup)
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
additional sugar (or sprinkles!)

Cream shortening and sugar then beat in egg and molasses until smooth.  In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.  Gradually add flour mixture into creamed mixture, mixing thoroughly.  Roll dough into teaspoon (or double) size balls and lightly dip into sugar mixture.  Place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes until crinkly.  Repeat baking until dough is gone, should easily make 3-4 dozen (if they aren't too big!)

The more the merrier!

Merry Christmas!

Too festive to be legal!  I thought about this idea {sprinkles} early this morning, while trying to wake up.  This is part of Thomas' Christmas gift, and I know he'll love 'em!

Untraceable source for recipe. 

Salmon Patties

I've been making these for two years now.  This is my easy Omega-3 meal.  Every time I make them, they are different.  It's so hard to decide on one official recipe.  There are many to choose from too.  It's fun to have a slightly different recipe every time-- you never know exactly how they'll taste!  The are very versatile and taste good with any coordinating combination.

2 cans salmon
2 eggs
1 tsp Dijon mustard, or yellow mustard (to taste)
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Parsley
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt
lots of black pepper (to taste)
I've also used: {Italian} bread crumbs, crushed saltines, sour cream or mayo.

The trick is to have a good ratio because wet and dry when mixing.  I tend to only use bread crumbs, for example, if I add sour cream in addition to eggs.  You could also just add one egg and sour cream or mayo, but eggs are important for binding or they will be difficult to keep intact while cooking.

Mix together all the ingredients, simply with a fork.  Lightly grease a frying pan and turn the stove's heat to medium.  Form salmon mixture into patties, sometimes I use the fork to help.  Cook in the frying pan until brown and flip over to the other side, by using a spatula.  I cook three to four patties in the pan at a time.

Made on November 17th

I like the thickness of these

Made on December 20th.  I like to serve Salmon Patties with rice and green beans, but suppose a salad is good, too.

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Flipping through my old recipe index cards, I came across No Bake Cookies.  Making them was easy, I even put in extra oatmeal.  Did I miss something?  After I spooned them onto parchment paper they were soft for hours.  They were (still are) soft the day after although after cooling for 24 hours, they taste like I remember.  I have just been searching online at other recipes and one suggests a cooling time of two hours and to let the chocolate mixture boil rapidly for a minute.  In the spirit of Christmas time, let's call these Reindeer Drop Cookies-- hehe!

1/2 cup margarine or butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt (or less?)
3 T cocoa
3-4 cups quick rolled oatmeal
Extra add-ins: 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter, coconut or nuts

Combine butter, sugar, milk, vanilla, salt and cocoa in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, stir in oatmeal and extras.  Spoon onto parchment paper and let cool. 

*untraceable source of origin

Peppermint Bark Popcorn

I had to try this recipe.  Candy canes, peppermint extract, popcorn and chocolate, how could I not try it?  Needing a big bowl to combine the almond bark and popcorn is an understatement.  You'll need two big bowls!  This tasty Christmas treat comes from Our Best Bites.

To begin, unwrap candy canes and crush them to make 1-1/2 cups or so.  Pop 20 cups of corn.  Melt 1 pound (I used 1-1/4 lb) of almond bark according to the package instructions.  When mostly melted, add 2 tsp. peppermint extract.  You can also use peppermint oil, just three drops.  Pour candy cane bits with the popcorn in a huge bowl or two big bowls.  Combine popcorn and almond bark.  When it's mixed well enough, arrange the popcorn onto baking sheets with parchment paper.

Then the fun part.  Melt 3/4 cup of dark chocolate (I found this amount to be too much) and drizzle onto the popcorn.  Wait for the popcorn to harden before eating or putting into a container.

Drizzling was the fun part!

{Notes: for future reference, 2/3 cup popping corn and 2 tablespoons oil makes enough popcorn for the recipe.  Six crushed candy canes equals 1/2 cup.}

A Becky "Breakfast" Casserole

Last night for dinner I wanted to use up the 1/2 pound of Jimmy Dean's Natural sausage.  I was reminiscing about a delicious [fattening] egg casserole that my mom would sometimes make with sausage, hash browns, and of course egg.  I was also thinking back to the frittata that I made for my brother and his (at the time) fiancee from the top of my head.  Here is a picture of what I made them:

Frittata, Sunrise drink and orange crescent rolls

Ah-- memory lane!  I can't believe that was almost four years ago.

So I love doing egg casseroles and frittatas! When I started making my dinner creation, I had no idea what the end product would be.  I first browned the sausage in a skillet.  Then I started to think about adding either bread or potatoes.  I remembered how much I love potatoes with egg (as seen as above!), so I put four red potatoes in the microwave.  After the potatoes finished cooking through, I took them out of the microwave.  I was going to grate them, but both my graters aren't with me right now.  So I came to the conclusion of just cubing the potatoes and frying them with the sausage.

Add salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning as you fry the sausage and potatoes. 

Onto the egg mixture.  I used five eggs, but if you're feeding a larger group, you'll need 10 to 12 eggs and a 9x13 baking dish.  I whisked five eggs, splash of milk (at least 1 T), Dijon mustard (2 tsp), parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, pepper and 1/4 bag of frozen vegetables (using  my favorite California blend).  I've turned into a "dash" of this and a "pinch" of that kind-a-cook, so sorry for not having exact measurements.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease an 8x8 pan with nonstick spray.  Transfer the potato-sausage mixture into the baking dish. 

Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and potatoes. 

Sprinkle cheese (mozzarella) on top.  Bake for 45 minutes or until egg is cooked through. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my egg casserole.  It was reminiscent of my favorite egg casserole or frittata without as much work.  Loved it!

Becky "Breakfast" Casserole
8x8 pan
nonstick spray
1/2 pound sausage (like Jimmy Dean)
4 red potatoes
chopped onion, optional
at least 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Salt, dash
Black Pepper, to taste
5 eggs
1 T milk (at least)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Add about:
1 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. salt (at most)
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 bag of frozen vegetables, optional
1/4 cup shredded cheese

Lightly spray an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick spray.  Cook 4 potatoes in the microwave.  In the meantime start browning sausage and onion.  Add chopped potatoes and fry together.  Sprinkle Italian Seasoning, dash of salt and black pepper over mixture until potatoes and sausage have a nice covering of seasonings over them.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, mustard (Dijon), paprika, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and frozen vegetables.  Transfer meat and potatoes into the baking dish.  Pour egg mixture over the sausage and potatoes.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until egg is set.

An original Becky recipe

Walnut Top Muffins

This is banana bread in a muffin!  These are so tasty and sweet.  They turned out great even though I forgot basics from my cooking class.  I mixed the batter with a hand mixer through the entire recipe.  Muffins aren't supposed to be over stirred. After I put in the dry ingredients, I should have used a wooden spoon.  Instead of applying an icing or glaze of the muffins, I topped them with walnuts before baking them.

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1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2-3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Grease muffin tin.  Cream shortening and sugar together.  Mix egg and beat until smooth.  Add mashed bananas and vanilla; mix thoroughly.  Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.  Fill muffin tins half-way or more, afterward sprinkle walnut pieces onto the unbaked muffins.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Recipe adapted from McClelland, Katherine.  "Jumbo Caramel Banana Muffins". Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2007. Ed. Michelle Brett.  Greendale, WI: Taste of Home Books, 2006. 104-105.