Hot Cocoa

Mmmmmm. Hot cocoa. Is there anything that warms the heart and body better on a cold winter day than hot cocoa? I got this recipe off a Nestle Toll House cocoa box and saved it because it is awesome! My daughter off begs me to make this cocoa, but it's so simple she could actually do it herself.

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa (sifted)
4 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
dash of cinnamon (if desired)
whip cream or marshmallows to top

Sift cocoa and mix with sugar in medium saucepan.

Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of milk and blend to make a smooth paste.

Add remaining milk and stir/whisk until combined.

Warm over medium heat, stirring constantly until desired temperature is reached. Do not boil milk.

Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and cinnamon if using. Top as desired, and enjoy!

Cranberry Relish

With my cranberry phase in full swing last month, I decided to offer to make the cranberry relish for Thanksgiving. I found several recipes, and decided to try this one I found for Cranberry Sauce on Pinterest with only a few minor tweaks. Even though I don't care for sweet meats or vegetables, which means there's no way in the world I'll put cranberry relish on my turkey, this sauce did taste quite delicious all on its own. The spices were very subtle, and the apple gave a nice contrast to the tangy cranberries.

2 12-ounce bags fresh cranberries
Zest and juice from two navel oranges
1 tart apple, peeled, cored and shredded
2-3 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp dry ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp dry cardamom
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds



In a medium sauce pan, bring all ingredients to a boil.



Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until thick. Stir often.

Remove the cinnamon sticks from the mixture. Stir in pomegranate. Pour into a serving dish and refrigerate to chill, at least 4-6 hours.

Zimtsterne

While I haven't quite perfected this recipe, I've decided to go ahead and share it for one of the Soldiers I work with. His wife is always on the lookout for gluten-free recipes, and this one definitely fits the bill. The cookie reminds me of my childhood in Germany. It's an almond-based cookie that is slightly sweet with just a touch of lemon and cinnamon. The cookie is called Zimtsterne, literally translates to "cinnamon stars." I made this batch a wee bit thick, and a maybe a wee-bit dry, but even so, they were quite delicious! This isn't the easiest recipe I've blogged, but it's not super difficult, so don't be afraid to try it. I found this version of Zimtsterne on Pinterest, of course.

2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more for rolling
10 ounces sliced almonds, with skin, (for finely grinding)

5 ounces sliced almonds
1 1/4 tsps ground cinnamon
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 tsps finely grated lemon zest

Sift the confectioners' sugar.

Put 1/2 cup of the sifted confectioners' sugar, 10 ounces (3 heaping cups) of the almonds and all the cinnamon in a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely ground, with just a few larger pieces.

Whip the egg whites in a large, clean bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until they hold soft peaks, about 1 minute.

 

Gradually add the remaining confectioners' sugar while whipping, until the whites are thick, creamy and somewhat stiff, about 2 minutes more. Set aside 2/3 cup of this meringue for topping the cookies.

Fold the ground almond mixture and the lemon zest into the remaining meringue to make a stiff dough.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Lay a sheet of parchment or waxed paper on the work surface and lightly dust with confectioners' sugar. Turn the dough out onto the dusted paper, flatten and dust with more sugar as needed, and then lay another sheet of parchment or waxed paper on top. Roll the dough between the papers until it is about 1/4-inch thick.

 

Flip the dough over and gently peel off a sheet of the paper. For ease when cutting, lay the paper back on the dough, flip again and gently pull off the other side of the paper so that the dough is fully released from it.

Cut cookies with a 3-inch star cutter and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (Excess dough can be rerolled.)

 

Use a small spoon, brush or offset spatula to spread the reserved meringue over the top of each cookie, taking care not to let the meringue drip over the sides. Press or sprinkle remaining sliced almonds in a decorative pattern into the meringue.

Bake cookies until bottoms are light golden brown and meringue is set and crisp, about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door to release heat and dry cookies out in the oven for 10 more minutes.

Busy baker's tips: The dough can be frozen between the sheets of paper for up to 2 weeks. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

Cranberry, Orange, Pecan White Cake

Another cranberry recipe for you lovely folks. I found this recipe for Cranberry Layer Cake on Pinterest, and while I loved the flavor ideas of the cake, I was not about to buy boxed mixes so I went in search of a solid white cake recipe that I could use for this and for any other needs. This search led me to this blog for White Cake Taste Test. I decided to go with the butter version, and oh my gosh, it was delicious. 

Adding the cranberries, orange and pecans from the original recipe makes for one mouth-watering cake. Slather it in cream cheese icing with orange zest and this cake becomes out of this world. The only other changes I made were making this cake three layers instead of two, which required more icing - definitely not a bad thing, right?

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature
2 tsps almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 tsps baking powder
1 tsp table salt
12 Tbsps unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted (I didn't toast mine)
1 Tbsp finely shredded orange peel

For icing

3/4 cup butter, softened (or 1 1/2 sticks)

12 oz cream cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1.5-2 lbs confectioner sugar

1-2 tsp orange zest

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two (or three) 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper rounds. 

Either use a food process to lightly chop cranberries or use a knife. Unfortunately, my knife skills are not that good, so I went with the  food processor.

Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended.

Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed.

Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining. 

Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes.

Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer. 

Add cranberries, orange zest and pecans and fold into batter.

Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans; using rubber spatula, spread batter to pan walls and smooth tops.

 

Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23-25 minutes (18-20 mins if you use three cake pans). Let cakes rest in pans for 3 minutes.

Loosen from sides of pans with a knife, if necessary, and invert onto wire racks. Reinvert onto additional wire racks. Let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

To make the icing, cream together butter and cream cheese. Add extracts. Gradually blend in confectioner sugar until icing is creamy and the desired consistency. Add orange zest.

 

Frost each layer of the cake carefully, and then smooth frosting.

Enjoy this delicious creation!

Hungarian Goulash

A big pot of something warm simmering on a cold day lifts my soul and makes everything better. I make some soups and beans, but I didn't have a huge amount of recipes for cold day meals, so when I came across this Slow-Cooker Hungarian Beef Goulash recipe on Pinterest, I knew it was one I needed to try. The final product reminded me of the Hungarian Goulash that I remember from my childhood in Germany. It was rich and thick and aromatic, and warmed the body and the soul. Add a nice warm slice of the Rustic No-Knead Bread that I just blogged and is pictured above and you have an amazing meal!

2 lbs beef stew meat, trimmed and cubed
2 tsp caraway seeds
2 Tbsp sweet or hot paprika (or a mixture of the two)
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups reduced sodium beef broth
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Dice beef into bite size pieces, and place beef in a 4-quart slow cooker.

Crush caraway seeds with a mortar and pestle (or you can use the bottom of a saucepan or meat tenderizer). Add paprika, salt and pepper, and stir to combine.

 

 Sprinkle the beef with the spice mixture and toss to coat well.  

Add onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire sauce and garlic to slow cooker. 

Place bay leaves on top. Cover and cook until the beef is very tender, 4-1/2 to 5 hours on high or 7 to 7-1/2 hours on low.

Discard the bay leaves. Add the cornstarch mixture to the stew and cook on high, stirring 2 or 3 times, until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle fresh diced parsley over goulash before serving.

Rustic No-knead Bread

There isn't much better than a warm, fluffy piece of bread. It is amazing. And being able to make your own bread so that you can eat it warm right out of the oven is even better. So, to add to the decadence, here is another bread recipe. I found it on Pinterest as Fast No-Knead Bread. It's a rustic, no-knead bread with a very simple recipe. You really CAN do this, so give it a try!

3 cups bread flour
1 packet (1/4 ounces) instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Oil, as needed

Combine yeast and about a teaspoon  of sugar in a large bowl with the 1 1/2 cups water. Whisk lightly until blended.

Add flour and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy.

 

Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold it over on itself once or twice.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes more.
At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-to-8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under dough and put it into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.

Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes.

Remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Cranberry Breakfast Cake

Cranberries, cranberries, cranberries! I may have possibly been going a little overboard with cranberries the past five weeks. See, here's the deal. Back over the summer, I had found a cranberry citrus sorbet recipe that I wanted to make for my daughter. So I went in search of cranberries. While I didn't expect to find fresh ones, I couldn't even seem to find frozen cranberries. Publix was not even able to order any frozen cranberries. 

So what's a mom to do? Well, when those bad boys come in season, a good mom buys dozens of bags and freezes them, right? Well, that 's what I did anyway. In all, I think I've bought about 30 bags of cranberries since right before Thanksgiving. I froze 15-20 bags, but I've been on the hunt for all kinds of fresh cranberries recipes, and I've been very lucky in the recipes I've found. They have all been really good. This one included. I found it on Pinterest as Cranberry Christmas Cake, but since I didn't make this for Christmas and since it is a light slightly sweet cake without icing, I decided to call it a breakfast cake instead. The addition of almond extract and cinnamon extract raises this cake to a new level that you must try!

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/8-1/4 tsp cinnamon extract (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
2 cups flour
12 oz fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with baking spray, then line with parchment paper. Lightly spray the parchment as well. This will keep the cake baking more evenly and make for very easy removal.

With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip this step. This mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.

Add the butter, vanilla and almond extracts; mix two more minutes. Stir in the flour and cinnamon until just combined.

Add the cranberries and stir to mix throughout. Spread in a prepared 9x13 pan. Lightly sprinkle with 1-1.5 Tbsps of sugar.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into small slices.