Another Fun Christmas with my Mommy!

For the past few years, my mom has stayed with me during Christmas and we always have the best time! It always involves LOTS of yummy food, chick flicks and laughs and this year was no different. We kicked things off with Paula Deen's 3 Cheese Artichoke Dip Friday afternoon. I mean, anything with cream cheese, parmesan AND mozzarella can't possibly be bad right? It was SO good and we basically snacked on it the entire night and were both way too full for dinner! (Of course, we did save room for a box of Godiva Chocolates cuz hey, it IS the holidays after all!)

We woke up pretty hungry Christmas morning since we didn't really have a real dinner so I made us a special treat, Stuffed French Toast with Apple-Pecan Syrup. It's a very simple but VERY yummy recipe. (All the recipes will be at the end of this post.) The savory ham and cheese paired just perfectly with the sweet apple and honey. My mom loved it so much she almost licked the plate clean!

We wanted to go out to a movie but it was so wet and windy outside that we decided to stay in. We'd both been wanting to see Eat, Pray, Love so we got comfy on the couch and ordered it. My mom really liked it but I thought it was just ok. It was definitely a fun chick flick to watch together though! After the movie, we were ready for more food so I made some Gralicy Biscuits. It tasted like Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits, which we both just LOVE!

We were still pretty full from the brunch and biscuits but it was Christmas so we couldn't skip dinner! We decided to have something a bit lighter with a Thin-crust Shrimp Pizza and Salad. The pizza tasted amazing with the roasted tomatoes and extra large shrimp! The Salad was also really tasty with crunchy apples, candied pecans, cranberries and blue cheese. Even though it was a pretty light meal, we both felt very stuffed from a full day of eating and fell into a nice food coma for the night! I hope everyone had as nice of a Christmas as we did!

Stuffed French Toast with Apple Pecan Syrup


Ingredients: (2 servings)


1 apple, diced
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp chopped pecans
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp butter
1 egg
1/2 c whole milk
1 small bread roll sliced into 4 (1-inch thick) slices
2 slices Provolone cheese
2 slices ham


Prep:


1. In a small saucepan, combine the apple, honey, pecans and vanilla extract; cook over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes.


2. In a shallow bowl, whisk the egg and milk. Top 2 slices of bread with 1 slice of the cheese and ham each and remaining bread slices. Dip the sandwiches into the egg mixture, turn and make sure all sides are coated well. Let sandwich soak for 2 minutes.


3. In a skillet melt butter over low heat. Place sandwiches on top of the melted butter and cook until the bread is browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn the sandwiches and cook until 2nd side is browned and cheese is melted, about 3 minutes longer.


4. Transfer the sandwich to servings plates and top with the apple syrup.


Garlicy Biscuits


Ingredients (9-10 biscuits)


2 c Bisquick
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2/3 c whole milk
1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp dried parsley


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.


2. Mix Bisquick, milk, and cheddar cheese until soft dough forms; beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Drop 1/4-cup biscuits onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.


3. Mix melted butter, garlic powder, and dried parsley; brush generously over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm.


Thin-crust Shrimp Pizza


Ingredients:


2 flour tortillas
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 c grape tomatoes, roasted
2 Tbsp fresh basil, cut into strips
6 large shrimp, cut into chunks
1/2 c Italian cheese blend


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 450ºF.


2. Lightly brush entire topside of each tortilla with butter. Stack 1 on top of the other. Sprinkle garlic powder and Parmesan cheese on top. Add tomatoes, basil and shrimp on top. Sprinkle Italian cheese on top.


3. Brush a pizza pan lightly with vegetable oil and sprinkle lightly with ground black pepper and salt. Place pizza on pan and cook 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan and cut into wedges.


Blue Cheese Apple Salad with Candied Pecans and Cranberries


Ingredients:


Candied pecans:
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
1/2 c raw pecans


Maple-balsamic dressing:
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp maple syrup
Salt and black pepper


2 c salad mix
1 apple, sliced
1/4 c Blue cheese
2 Tbsp dried cranberries


Prep:


1. To make the candied pecans, set a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the butter and sugar and once it has melted toss in the pecans and continue to toss to coat and cook evenly, about 1 minute. Transfer to a sheet tray lined with waxed paper (use 2 forks to separate pecans) while you prepare the salad.


2. Make the dressing by combining the Dijon and balsamic vinegar in a mixing bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while you whisk to emulsify. Add the maple syrup and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.


3. Assemble salad by tossing greens and apple slices in a large mixing bowl with maple-balsamic dressing. Top with Blue cheese, cranberries and candied pecans.