Here is a recipe that I found on Pinterest that I had been salivating over for so long. I had planned to make these for our neighborhood holiday party but husband pooh-poohed that idea. I ended up making them for myself because I couldn’t wait for another event to make them. Turns out this is a great way to use up some extra chicken. I’ve made these on 4 separate occasions and it worked out great because I could make just enough for one person and it was super easy. Husband is such a party-pooper sometimes and would not try even a nibble. I knew the kids wouldn’t be able handle the hot sauce so I didn’t offer these to them. I think that these would be a great party food and I’m definitely going to bring them to the next party I’m invited to just because I know other people will love them too.

Baked Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls

(adapted from Can You Stay for Dinner?)

• Egg roll wrappers (you can usually find them near the Tofu at the store)
• Shredded chicken (I used leftover, rotisserie chicken.)
• Frank’s Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
• Broccoli slaw
• Mild cheddar cheese, grated (Andie uses blue cheese which is the natural pairing for buffalo chicken.)
• Canola oil in a spray bottle (Pampered Chef sells a great oil sprayer.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the chicken in a small bowl. Pour the hot sauce over the chicken, more or less to taste, and toss to coat evenly.  On a clean work surface or plate, lay out an egg roll wrapper. Pinch a desired amount of broccoli slaw and place in the center of the wrapper. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of chicken mixture on top of the slaw and sprinkle some cheese over that.

Fold up the egg roll wrapper. There will be illustrated instructions on the back of the wrapper package.  Seal the wrapper with a small amount of water and place egg roll on a wire rack set on a baking sheet.

When all the egg rolls are sealed and on the rack spray them with canola oil on all sides. I held each egg roll in one hand and sprayed with the other to ensure that all sides were coated.  You don’t need much oil to get the wrapper to bubble and crisp the way it’s supposed to.

Bake for 15 minutes flipping once until browned on all sides.

Serve with either ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing for dipping. I skipped the dip and loved them just the same. Since egg roll wrappers usually come in a quantity of 50 you can freeze the extra in a sealed plastic bag. Just thaw in the fridge before using them.

I rate this recipe  5 stars because it’s so easy to make and delicious.

This post is mostly to prove that we don’t eat cookies all day long around here. Though it seems like it sometimes. After the holiday feasting, I made a deal with the kids. If the three of us can have a fruit or a vegetable for our afternoon snack after school for 20 times, then I would take them to play mini-golf at the mall.  I’m keeping track on the calendar and so far this month we’ve done it 5 times. Much less than I’d hoped for at this point but some of it is because one of us has a fruit or vegetable and the others don’t. Too often the afternoon snack is whatever anyone can grab that’s readily available. The big glass jar on the counter full of cookies is much too tempting most times.

These celery sticks were my attempt at introducing some vegetables into our deal. The snacks are heavily skewed towards apples and pears at this point. One of my best techniques in getting my son to try a new food combination is to make it for myself and then tell him that it’s only for me and that he can’t have any. This does not work on my daughter who is much too wise for her own good sometimes but my son always gets a mischievous look in his eye and snatches whatever I have for himself.

“Bugs on a Log” Celery

• celery sticks
• peanut butter
• yogurt-covered raisins (or chocolate-covered raisins)

Spread peanut butter over celery sticks , garnish with raisins and serve immediately. So easy!

The verdict on this recipe was mixed. My son started out liking them but after a little while needed to spit out some of it. It was definitely the peanut butter stuck to the roof of his mouth phenomena. I will make this again someday soon and cut back on the peanut butter and use chocolate-covered raisins instead.

This deal is all part of a bigger plan to get us eating 5 servings of fruit or vegetables every day. It would be too shocking for my family to just jump right into that plan so this is the start. Hopefully, once the CSA starts up again this spring our appetites will be ready to consume that delicious produce every day.

This blog is starting to become a “Cookies ‘R’ Us” style blog, don’t you think. I did promise to share this recipe though. Last month was a cookie extravaganza at our house and this was another new recipe that I tried after my success with the Cranberry Almond Biscotti. This chocolate biscotti was a huge hit with the kids and I’ll definitely make this recipe again.  On the trying new foods front, I’m happy to report that my daughter tried potato latkes last month and loved them. It happened at school and the other kids were excited about them so she decided to try them. Sometimes peer pressure is a positive thing.

Double Chocolate Biscotti

(adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies)

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs; beat on low speed until well combined. Add flour mixture and stir together with a wooden spoon to form a stiff dough. Add the chocolate chips and mix until just combined.

Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet and form into a slightly flattened log, about 12 by 14 inches.

Bake until slightly firm, about 25 minutes. Cool about 5 minutes. Reduce oven to 300°F.

On a cutting board, using a sharp, serrated knife, cut biscotti diagonally into 1-inch thick slices. Arrange cut sides down on baking sheet, bake until crisp but still slightly soft in center, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week. We kept them in a sealed contained in the freezer and allowed them to thaw at room temperature for a few minutes before dipping into a glass of cold milk or cup of hot tea. 

Husband didn’t try any of our delicious biscotti but that was his loss and our gain. The kids and I rate this recipe  5 stars.

Before I made these cookies, I was not a huge fan of biscotti in general. They seemed too much like old stale crusts of something that wished it were a cookie. Was I wrong or what? The description of this recipe in the Martha Stewart’s Cookies cookbook said that they were sturdy enough for shipping and I wanted to ship some cookies. With the theme of this blog in mind I decided to try out the recipe even though I already had preconceived notions of these cookies.

It was such a pleasant surprise that I liked these cookies that I’ve been having one with my breakfast tea every day this week. Though I must remember my original purpose is to share these with friends and family. It will be difficult to part with them but I know that I can do it because the recipe is really very easy and I’ll make the next batch just for me.

Cranberry Almond Biscotti

(adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies)

• 1 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup amaretto (almond-flavored liqueur), plus more if needed
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs (3 whole, 1 lightly beaten)
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped blanched almonds
• 3 Tbsp coarse sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 325° F. Heat cranberries and liqueur in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until cranberries have softened, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons liquid. If liquid equals less than 2 tablespoons, add enough liqueur to make 2 tablespoons.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. In another large bowl mix together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Mix in 3 whole eggs, one at time. Mix in reserved cranberry liquid, almond extract and vanilla. Reduce to low speed and gradually mix in flour mixture. Stir in cranberries and almonds. If your dough is dry enough you can turn out onto a floured surface to shaped into 2 logs. My dough was much too sticky for that so I shaped the logs right onto the lined baking sheet. Brush logs with beaten egg; sprinkle with the sanding sugar.

Bake 35 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Transfer to wire racks to cool, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300° F.

Transfer logs to a cutting board and use a large knife to cut each log diagonally into 16 to 18 pieces. Place cookies cut side down on the cooking rack and set the cooling racks on your baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes; flip. Bake 8 minutes more. Let cool until crisp.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week or in the freezer for 1-2 months. Serve with hot coffee or tea. The biscotti are best when dipped into a hot beverage.

The rest of my family did not try these because of the inclusion of almonds though I also made some chocolate biscotti that the kids love dipping into a cold glass of milk. I’ll share the recipe for the chocolate biscotti next week. I rate this recipe 5 stars.

I’ve been asked by Foodie Blogroll to test out and review a new website that helps you keep track of your favorite restaurants. So I signed up for Smorgie.com and have been playing around with adding some places to a few lists. Perhaps I’m not the target audience for this type of website because I rarely go out to eat and when I do it’s when I’m traveling. With that being said I think that Smorgie will be a great place to research new restaurants for when I travel to new places. There are several “road warriors” in my office who always have the scoop on the best places to eat and I would love to see their lists on Smorgie. The best thing about the Smorgie idea is that I’d be able to connect with friends for their suggestions rather than reading random reviews on other websites. I definitely take online reviews with a grain of salt because you never know if a bad review is written by someone having a really bad day or if the great reviews are by people who are too easy to please. With Smorgie, you’d know who’s making the suggestions and you can match up your tastes with those people.

Smorgie.com is currently a beta site so they’ve also asked for some feedback and suggestions on their site. I would personally make some changes if I were part of the team developing the Smorgie.

1. Make the searches more comprehensive. Currently you can’t do an open search within a specific city or town. I would want to be able to search for all the restaurants somewhere before I travel there.
2. Show all the Smorgie users who have added the same restaurants as you. Maybe you’d be able to use that to follow someone who has similar tastes.
3. Add some more visuals to the listings. I’d like to be able to upload a photo of a great meal and add notes with suggestions on the menu.
4. Automatically add the restaurant’s website to your listing.

Now that you’ve heard about it from me… go check it out. Smorgie.com – Make and Share lists of Yummy

I’d like to know what you think about it too and if you choose to try it out. It’s so new that it needs more people using it before it can really be great.

Disclaimer: This sponsorship is brought to you by Smorgie.com who I have partnered with for this promotion.

This recipe gives you a deliciously beautiful centerpiece for holiday dinner. Last year my family all tried these cranberries but I was the one who ate most of them. I find them totally addictive because they are sweet but tart. I…COULD… NOT… STOP. Admittedly my teeth hurt the next day but I didn’t regret it.

Sparkling Cranberries Edible Centerpiece

(adapted from Catherine Newman)

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• peel from half a scrubbed orange, in large strips
• 12-ounce bag cranberries, washed, picked through, and drained
• Splash of Grand Marnier liquor (optional)
• More sugar

Place cranberries into a large bowl, preferably one with a cover. Stir together 2 cups of sugar, the water, cloves, and orange peel in a small pot and heat to simmering until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat then allow to cool for a minute before pouring it over the cranberries then stir in the liquor if using. Cool for another 10 minutes, then cover the bowl and refrigerate the cranberries overnight.

Drain the berries, reserve the syrup if you wish to and place the berries back into the bowl. Using a slotted spoon or a dry sieve toss large spoonfuls of the berries into the additional sugar. Toss the berries until coated and then turn out onto a baking sheet. Leave the berries to dry for 2 hours or longer.

Sprinkle with some additional sugar and turn to coat any spots that are still sticky. Display in a clear glass vase or bowl. Serve same day.

I think I’ll declare that it’s “eggnog week” at my house. Last week I baked eggnog cake but forgot to add the nutmeg so this weekend I baked another eggnog cake with nutmeg and also made a batch of eggnog cookies. This came to be because I bought the wrong kind of eggnog and now have a half-gallon that we’re trying to use creatively since I went out and bought another half-gallon of the “right” eggnog. I personally am not a fan of eggnog because I feel like I’m drinking a cup of melted ice cream when I’ve had it but the rest of the family loves it. They practically have a party when it first appears at the store around this time of year. I’ve even got another recipe lined up for eggnog cookies just to use up the wrong eggnog and we’re planning on having eggnog french toast for dinner on Friday night.

Though I don’t enjoy a nice cup of eggnog I think it’s great for baking. These cookies were a huge hit with the kids and the recipe makes enough to have some now and freeze some for later. It’s always good to have some back-up treats around this time of year.

Eggnog Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup eggnog
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• granulated or raw sugar for rolling

In a large bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar and eggs. Stir in eggnog. Measure flour, baking soda and salt on top of the eggnog/butter mixture and briefly mix dry ingredients with a fork. Stir until completely incorporated. Cover bowl and chill for at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Make teaspoon-sized balls of cookie dough and roll in sugar before placing on parchment-lined (or lightly-greased) baking sheets. Bake for 7-8 minutes, or until the cookies bounce back when lightly touched.

Cool completely on wire racks and store in an airtight container. Make about 6 dozen cookies.

These are cookies have a cakey texture and the sugar coating adds some crispness to them. I also made some as drop cookies without rolling them in sugar and the kids seem to prefer those ones. They were arguing about who liked these cookies better as they gobbled them up yesterday afternoon.  We all rate these cookies  5 stars.

It was the day before Thanksgiving and I had the day off. Not a creature was stirring… because the kids were at school. What luxury to have the whole house to myself and how pathetic that I take that time to clean the house from top to bottom. That’s the life of a mom isn’t it? I remember one day that I took the day off from work to spend at home and what did I do? I cleaned the dishwasher. It was an all morning thing and one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen. Now, I’m really getting off topic.

Last Wednesday during my Thanksgiving preparations I felt that I needed another side dish and started flipping through the vegetables section of my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I narrowed it down to two recipes, Parsnip Puff or Sweet Potato Swirls. I went with the sweet potatoes because I thought it would be more universally appealing and I could prepare it in advance. Somehow I got the names of the recipes mixed up and called them Sweet Potato Puffs when they were served. In my opinion my guests were delighted with this fun side dish. It would also be great to serve as an appetizer.

Sweet Potato Puffs

(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook)

• 6 medium sweet potatoes or yams (2 pounds)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt & pepper to taste

Peel and quarter potatoes. Cook potatoes, covered, in a small amount of boiling water for 25 to 35 minutes or till tender; drain.

Mash potatoes with a potato masher or beat with an electric mixer on low speed. Beat in the 1/4 cup butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cayenne pepper then beat in the milk to make the potato mixture fluffy. Cool slightly. Beat eggs into the cooled mixture. Using a pastry bag (or gallon-sized zip-top bag with a corner snipped off) with no tip or the largest star tip that you have, pipe potatoes into small mounds on two well-greased baking sheets.

To bake, drizzle the potato mounds with the melted butter. Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

To make ahead cover with plastic unbaked mounds with plastic wrap and freeze up to one month. When ready to bake, discard plastic wrap and bake as directed above.

I rate this recipe  5 stars for it’s simplicity and for my guests reactions. Am I being immodest when I say they loved them? I am definitely making these again. You could even do this with leftovers.

My favorite bird is a chickadee. Back in Northern Ontario I used to be able feed them right out of my hand. They were my inspiration for making these ornaments. At the risk of ruining the surprise for some of my family members since I’m sewing these for Christmas gifts I’m sharing these with you now so you can make them for the holidays too.

You can whip one of these up during an evening of watching television. I’ve put together a printable template so you can start sewing these as soon as you’ve got the materials.

Chickadee Ornament Pattern

Yesterday I had a happy moment… I called my house and the answering machine picked up. Strange thing to be happy about right? I was happy because that meant my house was receiving electricity again after the Nor’easter that hit New England on Saturday night. We stayed with my in-laws in the meantime and the kids were thrilled with our little “camp-out” in the grandparents’ living room.  Lucky for us we didn’t have any major damage to our home but a very large oak tree fell into our backyard.

I made these cookies on Saturday afternoon before the storm hit.

Vanilla Malted Cookies

(from Martha Stewart’s Cookies cookbook)

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plain malted-milk powder (like Ovaltine)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped and reserved
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together flour, malted-milk powder, baking powder, and salt.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy. Mix in sugar and vanilla seeds (reserve pod for another use). Add egg and vanilla extract, and combine. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture and mix to combine.

Transfer dough to either a pastry bag or a cookie press fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip. (I used the cookie press and it worked out wonderfully.) Pipe 2 1/2-inch strips onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.

Bake until bottom edges are golden brown, 11 to 15 minutes.

Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

I would make them again in a heartbeat because they were delicious and fun to make. I was especially happy that the kids loved these cookies and this recipe made plenty to share with our extended family while we camped out this week. We rate this recipe  5 stars.