A Box of Christmas Goodies

Remember how I was making homemade goodies for my guys this year? Well, these are what they look like! This box contains Holiday Biscotti, Mrs Field's Chocolate Chip Cookies, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Lemon Drops and Brownie Bites. For a special touch, I also added recipe cards so they can make them at home whenever they wanted to!

My First Shot at Making Steak...

...and it turned out GREAT! Greg's been on a steak kick recently ever since he had the Cajun Spiced Ribeye from Morton's while traveling. I don't have much experience with steak but I thought I'd give it a shot. (You know how I love to try new recipes!) I guess a big slab of meat is a bit intimidating to me and my biggest fear is over-cooking it like I tend to do with pork chops. I found this recipe for Ribeye in Mushroom Gravy and it sounded simple and just perfect! All I can say is WOW! I mean, why in the world did it take so long for me to make steak? The meat was seared perfectly in the pan and then slowly cooked through to a medium rare in the oven. I think what made this dish even more amazing was the fact that I marinated the Ribeye in a mixture of Pinot Noir, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and black pepper for over 24 hours. (I actually meant to only marinate it for a few hours but we ended up going out to dinner on Saturday.) The mushroom gravy was also super simple using a packet of gravy mix and some sour cream added at the end. I served the steak over some left over Mushroom Risotto and a sprinkle of fresh parsley at the end. It was the perfect Sunday night dinner!

Entertaining the Barefoot Contessa Way

I don't make a lot of Ina Garten's recipes but she's got some great ones for entertaining! A few of my girlfriends are coming over for an early Christmas celebration next week so I was searching for ideas. I found this recipe from Blue Cheese and Walnut Crackers that sounded really interesting. These aren't really traditional thin crackers, but more like savory shortbread cookies. The crushed walnuts on the outside looked a bit messy so I just added some to the dough instead. OMG they smelled SO good coming out of the oven and tasted even better! The texture was a bit cakey and the crunch from the walnuts was a great addition. The best part about this recipe is that you can make these way in advance or even freeze them for later. I'm sure my girlfriends will like these!

Coq au Vin on a Pizza?

We have a LOT of chicken left from my slow cooked Coq au Vin so I decided to be creative. I also had some sliced Swiss and Provolone Cheese in the fridge that needed to be used up so Coq au Vin Pizza was born! I just can't get over how convenient it is to have Boboli Crust on hand cuz you you can really have a yummy dinner ready in 15 minutes! I also added mushrooms and Mozzarella (of course!) and this pizza was GOOD!

Can't Go Wrong With Mrs Field's

The second batch of cookies I baked were Chocolate Chip Cookies cuz who DOESN'T like those right? I debated which recipe to use and settled on the one from the Mrs Field's Recipe Book that Greg's mom gave me a couple of years ago. (Well, I was going ga ga over it at her house so she said I could have it!) They came out great and super quick too. Hum...if I leave this plate out, do you think Santa will show up early? ;)

Ingredients: (3 dozen cookies)


2-1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 c white sugar
1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c chocolate chips


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 300F


2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.


3. Cream together sugars and butter in a stand mixer until mixture resembles a grainy paste. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.


4. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Stir in chips and vanilla.


5. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.


6. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Holiday Biscotti

For the holidays this year, I decided to give out boxes of homemade goodies. I've discovered a few favorites from my Cookie Fridays and one of them is Biscotti. I thought Cranberries and Pistachios would make them look very festive! I found this recipe from one of my favorite baking sites, Joy of Baking, and added some white chocolate chips. They came out SO good with just the right crunchiness (and thank goodness I didn't burn them like I usually do!). The tart cranberries, nutty pistachios and sweet chocolate were just perfect together! I'm sure my guys will LOVE their edible gifts!

Coq Au Vin Take 2

I totally forgot that I've made Coq Au Vin before (thanks blog) but I guess it's been a year so I forgive myself! This time I ran out of mushrooms but you hardly notice since they get so soft after hours of cooking and pretty much disappear. I also cooked the bacon in the oven this time to omit the mess I usually create on the countertop when I fry bacon. The house still smelled like yummy pork fat but I didn't have to clean up all the grease! I used the left-over Pinot Noir from the duck I made earlier this week and it was just perfect! I just LOVE the slow cooker cuz you just basically throw all the ingredients in the night before and wake up to the most amazing smell EVER!