Peppermint Fluff

I love the retro look of this dessert. My friend Sue made it this last summer for a get together and I knew right away that I wanted to make it for Christmas.  If you're making this for a smaller crowd, half the recipe. I used the amounts below and had plenty of leftovers.  Thanks for the recipe, Sue!

PEPPERMINT FLUFF

• 1 pound peppermint candy
• 1 cup light cream
• 1 envelope (1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin
• 4 tablespoons cold water
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 2 (9 ounce) packages chocolate wafer cookies * (see note below)

NOTE:  The wafer cookies I used come in a yellow box and are Nabisco brand.  They are called Famous Chocolate Wafters.  

Crush peppermint candy. I unwrapped the candies, put them in a plastic bag, and used a hammer to pound the crud out of them.


Heat crushed candy and light cream on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until candy is dissolved. This takes about 15-20 minutes.  Use a rubber spatula to make sure that the candy is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.  


While cooking the cream and candy, mix the gelatin and cold water in a small bowl and set aside.


Remove cream and candy mixture from the heat and add gelatin.  Stir to combine.  Chill until partially set.


Carefully fold in whipped cream.


Place a layer of wafers in the bottom of the pan and stand wafers around outside.  If you're halfing this recipe and using a small pan, break the wafters in half before placing them around the outside.


Spread half of peppermint mixture on top of wafers.


Top with a 2nd layer of wafers.


Spread remaining peppermint mixture and top with one last layer of wafters.


Chill for 12 hours.


Source:  Sue Jobst

Buttermilk Potato Rolls

This is my last Thanksgiving post, at least for 2014.  I really wanted to enjoy some delicious homemade rolls for Thanksgiving this year. Especially since I had recently done a gluten free stint to try and figure out some minor health issues. It's good to have gluten back in my life and thank goodness that it's not the culprit.

These rolls were light and fluffy and not horribly labor intensive. They do require some cooked potatoes; I just threw a few in the oven and baked them while I was preparing other Thanksgiving dishes. Oh, also you'll need a potato ricer. Maybe buy your own and make it a good sturdy one instead of borrowing your friend's. You know, in case it ends up a mangled mess.

You might want to think about making these at some point this holiday season.

BUTTERMILK POTATO ROLLS

The potatoes should be warm when using them.  Either use freshly cooked potatoes or warm them slightly before using.  I used 3 medium-sized baked potatoes that were warm out of the oven, removed the skins and put them through a potato ricer.  You can try mashing them as much as possible if you don't have a ricer; be sure to get them as smooth as possible!

As with all yeast doughs, don't worry about the exact flour amount called for in the recipe; instead mix the dough until it clears the sides of the bowl and is soft and smooth without being overly sticky.  The original recipe called for bread flour and whole wheat flour.  I used bread flour (luckily I could find some!) and all-purpose and thought the result was really good.  

I used active dry yeast, but instant yeast can be used as well.  No need to activate the yeast as you would normally do when making bread.  Add it in with the other ingredients, just as the recipe states, and all should be just fine.  

• 1 1/2 cups mashed or riced cooked potatoes (see note above)
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) butter, room temperature
• 2 cups buttermilk, room temperature (use this make-at-home version if you so desire)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant or active dry yeast
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt 
• 4 cups all-purpose (or whole wheat) flour
• 3-4 cups bread flour

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the warm potatoes and butter and mix until the butter is completely melted.  

Add the buttermilk, yeast, eggs, sugar, salt, and 2 cups of flour.  Mix well. 

Continue adding the flour (both all-purpose and bread) until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and is soft and smooth.  It may leave a slight residue on your fingers, which is okay, but shouldn't be so sticky that you have dough covered fingers.  

Add more flour if needed, taking care not to over flour the dough.  It should give easily when pressed with your fingers.  

Place the dough onto a floured surface or a silpat and knead for 5-7 minutes.   

Place the dough into a large, lightly-greased mixing bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap.  

Let the dough rise until doubled, about 1-1 1/2 hours.  

Lightly punch down the dough and roll it into 24 equal balls (about 3.2 ounces per ball, depending on how much flour you used).  Place the dough balls evenly on a parchment or silpat-lined large, rimmed baking sheet, 4 across, 6 down.  Or use two 9 x 13 dishes with 12 rolls in each pan.  

Cover the rolls with greased plastic wrap and let them rise until doubled, about an hour.  

Bake at 375 degrees for 18 minutes until golden on top and baked through.  

Brush the tops with butter after removing from the oven.      

Source:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe 

Fluffy Cranberry Salad

Thanksgiving away from home and family is definitely a little different.  It helps to make a few familiar favorites.  My sister-in-law Britney introduced our family to this fluffy goodness when she joined the family a good long while back.

This is one of those "salads" that can hardly be classified as such.  It's really a nice segue between Thanksgiving dinner and dessert.  And is super tasty for breakfast in the days that follow.  Make it ahead of time and let the marshmallows get nice and soft.  So good.  

FLUFFY CRANBERRY SALAD

• 12 ounces cranberries
• 2 cups Granny Smith apples, grated
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 bag (16 ounces) mini marshmallows
• 2 cups whipping cream

Puree cranberries in food processor.  

Grate apples in food processor or use a box grater.  

Combine cranberries and apples with sugar and marshmallows.  Let sit as long as possible.  

When ready to serve, whip the whipping cream and combine with salad.  Mix well.   

Source:  Britney Porter 

Chocolate Silk Pie

This recipe is a repost.  I shared it a long while back, but made it for the millionth time this past weekend for Thanksgiving and thought it deserved another shout out.  I made it in actual pie form this time although it can also be made in individual servings like I did here.  This is always a hit and oh so easy, especially if you have a stand mixer.  

CHOCOLATE SILK PIE

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups cocoa
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 eggs
• pie crust (see recipe below for graham cracker crust)

Combine butter, sugar, cocoa, and oil in a mixer and beat for a significant amount of time.  


NOTE:  I usually turn on the mixer and walk away.  The sugar will not be dissolved even after a significant amount of time.  Don't be alarmed.  


Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time.  Beat well after each egg and scrape the bowl several times.  Mixture will get lighter and fluffier as you continue to beat.  


Put mixture in pie crust and chill for as long as possible, a few hours at minimum. 


Note on Crust:  You can use a traditional pie crust or a graham cracker crust.  I personally prefer a graham cracker crust (see recipe below).  


Serve with whipped cream and top with chocolate shavings if so desired.


Source:  Marsha Porter

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  


Combine graham crackers, sugar, and butter in a bowl


Press mixture into a 9-inch pie pan making sure the sides and bottom are an even thickness.


Note:  I like to use my hands and a tart tamper to get the graham cracker crumbs evenly spread and pressed. 



Bake for 10 minutes.  Allow to cool completely.  


Source: Ina Garten

Sweet Paprika Chicken

Have you ever seen the movie The Mirror Has Two Faces?  I actually don't remember anything about it except for that Barbra Streisand's character is incredibly passionate about food and loves to make every bite "the perfect bite".  She carefully loads her fork and thoroughly enjoys each tasty morsel.  I get it; I love good food this much too.

This little dish reminded me of Barbra because the ingredients create a pretty fantastic flavor explosion.  And, if you have the patience to form the perfect bites, with a little lime rice, sweet and spicy paprika chicken, and fresh mango, you'll be a very happy camper.  Such a great combo.

SWEET PAPRIKA CHICKEN

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
• fresh mango slices 

Place chicken breast between two sheets of parchment paper and pound out the chicken until it is about a half an inch thick.  You can also cut the chicken breast into two thinner pieces if they are thick enough.  

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  

Pat chicken dry with paper towls and then spread spice mixture onto the chicken breasts.  Use your hands to rub the mixture into the chicken to create an even coating. 

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium heat until hot and rippling.   

Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, depending on how thick the chicken is.  The chicken will register 160 degress on a thermometer when fully cooked.    

NOTE #1:  You may need to cook the chicken in separate batches.

NOTE #2: The chicken will darken quite a bit due to the brown sugar in the spice rub.  Adjust the heat as necessary, but be careful not to overcook it because nobody likes dry chicken.   

Let chicken rest for 5 or so minutes.  

Serve with lime rice and fresh mango slices.  

Source:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Glazed Salmon

I've made this three weeks in a row.  It makes me feel a little more confident in my fish-cooking abilities.  I did almost set off my apartment building's fire alarm last week, but even that didn't shake my confidence.  Because after aggressively fanning the smoke alarm with a cookie sheet, the smoke cleared out, and the salmon tasted amazing.  And, as an added bonus, I think I've figure out how to avoid previously mentioned smoke.  See notes below! 

  












GLAZED SALMON

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce 

Preheat oven to broil and move rack to the second level from the top.


Whisk all ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium heat, just until better melts.  Whisk until smooth.  


Line baking sheet with foil.  


Spread sauce on fish and broil 8-12 minutes in oven.  Do not turn over.  


Cook just until fish flakes easily with a fork.   

NOTES:

• I reduced the amounts above because it felt like I was wasting a lot of sauce.  If you're cooking a big piece of salmon, you'll probably want to double the sauce.  
• I find that brushing the sauce on works best.  When there is excess sauce on the foil it tends to smoke and burn.  Brush on as much sauce on top of the filet as you can without too much of it running down to the foil.  

Source: A Bountiful Kitchen

Granola

My friend Gina passed this recipe along to me and now it's my latest breakfast fave. I made yet another batch today.  I've tweaked it a bit to include only ingredients that I like (no thank you on pumpkin seeds) and are easily accessible to me. Feel free to adapt this recipe in any way that makes sense to you; it really is quite versatile.  As for dried fruit, I think cherries are a must. I love this with milk and especially appreciate the fact that it fills me up for much longer than my other breakfast options.  Enjoy!

GRANOLA

• 3 cups oats
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut chips
• 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• dried fruit 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 

Line a rimmed backing sheet with parchment paper.  

In a large bowl, combine oats, seeds, coconut, nuts, and salt.  Stir to mix. 

Add maple syrup and coconut oil and stir until well blended.  

Spread mixture in an even layer on the baking sheet.  

Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until the granola is brown and toasted, about 45 minutes.  

Cool completely. 

Add dried fruit.  

Store in an air tight container.  Glass jars work nicely.

Source: Emily Cavanaugh