Winter 2015 #Holiday Fun with Our Bloggy Friends #Christmas2015

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a fun weekend! 

Have you finished your Holiday shopping yet?

I need to finish or else I'm going to need to get my 

hustle bustle on, and not wait until the last minute!

Today is one of my favorite posts, where a group

of bloggy friends get together and share delicious and

yummy recipes for the Holiday Season!

I hope they inspire you, if you are looking for 

that perfect dessert or treat for your Holiday parties 

or for your Holiday Menu! 

If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Holiday Fun with Our Bloggy Friends. We would love to have you! 

I Say Nomato: Apple Cider Cupcakes With Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Tornadough Alli: Slow Cooker Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

Cherishing a Sweet Life: Sticky Toffee Pudding

Love My Messy Messy Mess: White Trash Treat

Cooking With Carlee: Orange Cranberry Charlotte Russe

I Say Nomato: Panettone French Toast

Love My Messy Messy Mess: Santa Sprinkles + Free Printable Tag

Cherishing a Sweet Life: Brandied Apricot-Ginger Fruitcake

Tornadough Alli: Salted Caramel Ginger Poke Mug Cake

Cooking With Carlee: Honey Cinnamon Marshmallows

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Until next time! xo,

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Vanilla Crescents {Vanillekipferl}

Happy Weekend! This weekend has been fun! 

Pulling out the Christmas decorations,

singing Christmas Carols, decking the halls!

What better way to start the first Holiday Weekend, 

than baking cookies and sipping Hot chocolate!

Part of my love for baking, is my love of powdered sugar, especially vanilla infused powdered sugar. Vanillekipferl are an Austrian, German and Hungarian small, crescent shaped biscuits, that are usually made with ground almonds or hazelnuts, and flavored with vanilla, with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar. Traditionally, they are made at Christmas. They are said to have been created in the shape of the Turkish crescent to celebrate the victory of the Hungarian army over the Turkish in one of the many wars between the nations.

(affiliate link) The Art & Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet,

 that inspired me. The only note I would add to baking these cookies, is not to wait until these cookies are completely cooled to roll them in the vanilla powdered sugar. I waited until they were warm enough to handle, but act fast, because they did cool down very quickly.

And here I am blogging with a hot cup of cocoa, and taking a bite of these delictable, buttery cookies. They have just the right amount of sweetness, with a wonderful vanilla flavor.

Vanilla Crescents {Vanillekipferl}
Adapted from Food & Wine - Cindy Mushet

2 sticks Unsalted Butter, softened
1/2 cup Confectioners' Sugar
2 tablespoons pure Vanilla Extract
2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
pinch of Salt

Vanilla Infused Powdered sugar for dusting

• Preheat oven to 325℉.


• In an electric mixer, combine the butter and confectioners sugar for 5 minutes.


• Add vanilla, flour and salt just until combined.


• On a floured surface, spoon out tablespoons of the dough and roll into 3-inch strips. Form the strips into crescent shapes.


• Place cookies on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes (switching oven position halfway), or until the bottoms are golden and the tops are pale blond.


• In a small bowl , add the remaining half of the powdered sugar, (adding more as necessary), and roll warm cookies in it to coat.
• Set cookies aside to cool completely.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Until next time! xo,

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Churro Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese frosting and Caramel filling

Happy Day before Friday! 

My apologies for not making the rounds this week, 

I'm playing catch up today!

Monday, was fun! Lindsay had a school field trip to the Casa Grande Ruins! This Native American 4 story building was built over 650 years ago. We visited the compound, watched a short movie, and toured the museum. I'd heard of the ruins, but when you see it in person, you marvel at ingenuity of the culture that had no modern tools or equipment to build such a building of this magnitude.

Tuesday, my son had a doctors appointment, with a kidney specialist that was an interesting visit. He's had tests that are at first thought look like mild kidney damage from living with Type 1 diabetes for almost 15 years....{how time flies}, and when the kidney specialist runs a simple test in the office, there appears to be nothing wrong with his kidneys! I'm always fascinated with science! Looking at my son he's growing fine {finally}, starting to put serious weight on, because he's eating me out of house and home. The doctor explained his condition happens to non-diabetic teenage boys alike, and athletes that run marathons, and that it could quite possibly be nothing, 

but all the same, she's not ruling anything out!

Then yesterday, I had some insurance details to take care of, that anyone who's dealt with insurance companies knows the run around game. I had eight different people telling me something different, and even the fax number they gave me wasn't the right one, so now I have to email the documents. 

So I am excited to share with you today, something my daughters helped me make for our Thanksgiving brunch, Churro cupcakes. We had the pumpkin, apple, cherry pie twice for Thanksgiving, so I asked the girls what kind of cupcakes they wanted to make, and  I was surprised when they didn't pick anything with chocolate in it! These Churro cupcakes were all the rave and were gone in a flash. Everyone agreed the girls did an amazing job, I just supervised and made the caramel!

If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know that my twelve year old daughter just recently attended a mock Shark Tank for her school, where the students presented their small business ideas to a panel of judges who offered financial assistance and advice to get their businesses up and running.

Now, Katelyn's new idea involves baking, so she has me addicted to watching Cupcake Wars on Netflix. There was this one cupcake company that stood out to me out of all the 99 episodes I watched.

It was Kastle Kreations , a cupcake Food Truck up in Anchorage, Alaska. They were the Season 9 winners, and her cupcakes were simply the most adorable aquatic cupcakes I'd ever seen.

One of her winning cupcakes, was a Churro cupcake. Who doesn't like Churros? 

Whenever we go to the fair, or Costco, the kids and I love to share one or two or three!!

I only adjusted a few things, but these cupcakes are incredibly delicious!

Churro cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream cheese frosting, 

and Caramel filling (adapted from Kastle Sorensen)

Ingredients: 

Cake Batter:

3 cups all-purpose flour 

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon cinnamon, plus more for dusting

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cup sugar, plus more for dusting

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for brushing

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup whole milk

Filling:

2 cups sugar

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream, room temperature

Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

8 ounces cream cheese

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 to 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbls. Milk

1/2 Tbls. cinnamon

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions: 

For the cake batter: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixing speed to low. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk. Beat until combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

For the filling: Combine the sugar and 1 tablespoon water into a medium bowl over medium-high heat. Constantly stir until the sugar dissolves into a liquid form. The sugar will dissolve and start to turn brown. Once the sugar and water have completely dissolved, add in the butter and vanilla. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream. Let cool for 10 minutes. Refrigerate for 1 hour to let the caramel thicken before using. { I put mine in the freezer for about 20 minutes}

For the frosting: Beat the butter and cream cheese until light and creamy. Add in the vanilla and cinnamon. Add in the powder sugar, 1 cup at a time, incorporating fully before next addition. Add milk as needed if the frosting is too thick. Place the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, make a well in the center of the cupcake by scooping out the center about halfway down the cupcake, making sure to leave the bottom in tact. Melt down the butter. Mix together some cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Using a rubber brush, brush the melted butter onto the cupcakes, then roll the tops of the cupcakes into the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Fill the cupcakes with the caramel sauce. Frost cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, dust with more cinnamon and sugar. If you choose, drizzle the cupcakes with leftover caramel sauce.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Until next time! xo,

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Brandied Apricot-Ginger Fruitcake #FoodieExtravaganza

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays or cook and bake together with the same ingredient or theme each month. This month - I am hosting - I invited bloggers to come up with their favourite Christmas Fruit Cake as December is national Fruit Cake month. .

We hope you all enjoy our favourite festive fruit cakes this month and come back to see what we bring for you next month.







At first for this month's prompt, when I saw that it was Fruitcake, I was this close to passing it up, because I just didn't want to make anything remotely related to fruitcake. I am a professed fruit cake hater. As much as I love my grandmother, I seriously gag on her fruit cake. I am not lying. Could be the walnuts, or the spices she uses, even the type of alcohol. It could also be the combination of dried fruit, just the sight of it, makes me want to throw it away. I take one bite and I want to spit it out.

Ok, I'm sure you get the picture.

I love caramel, I love chocolate, but

 please anything but fruit cake 

{except okra, or turkey flavored ice cream}!!

Then I got this crazy idea, what if I make a fruit cake with ingredients I do like.

I like apricots and candied ginger.

I like pecans,

and I like brandy!

These sound like ingredients that would go great with each other.

The search was on to find that perfect fruit cake recipe, and I found a transcript

from an Alton Brown episode for his fruit cake! Here it is, it is as funny to read it 

as much as it is to watch his show.

Alton Brown's Fruit Cake Transcript

So, that's what I did, instead of a whole bunch of different dried fruits,

 I only used apricots,

 and substituted the rum with brandy!

You know, it didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would.

The only other thing I would change in this recipe that would make

it perfect for me, would be to eliminate the allspice. 

It's one spice neither my husband or I like.

Other than that, it got my approval,
as something that 

I would make each year for the Holidays!

Brandied Apricot-Ginger Fruitcake (adapted from Alton Brown)

Ingredients

1 cup golden raisins

1 cup currants

2 cups dried apricots, chopped

Zest of one lemon, chopped coarsely

Zest of one orange, chopped coarsely

1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped

1 cup brandy

1 cup sugar

5 ounces unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks)

1 cup unfiltered apple juice

4 whole cloves, ground

6 allspice berries, ground

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1/4 to 1/2 cup toasted pecans, broken

toast in 300F oven for 5 minutes

Brandy for basting and/or spritzing

Directions
.
Combine dried apricots,currants, raisins, candied ginger and both zests.

Add brandyand macerate overnight, or microwave for 5 minutes to re-hydrate fruit.

Place fruit and liquid in a non-reactive pot with the sugar, butter, apple juice and spices.

 Bring mixture to a boil stirring often, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from

 heat and cool for at least 15 minutes. (Batter can be completed up to this point, then covered and 

refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before completing cake.)

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients and sift into fruit mixture. Quickly bring batter together with a large 

wooden spoon, then stir in eggs one at a time until completely integrated, then fold in nuts. Spoon 

into a 10-inch non-stick loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Check for doneness by inserting toothpick into 

the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not, bake another 10 minutes, and check 

again. Remove cake from oven and place on cooling rack or trivet.

Baste or spritz top with brandy and allow to cool completely before turning out from pan.

When cake is completely cooled, seal in a tight sealing, food safe container. Every 2 to 3 days, feel 

the cake and if dry, spritz with brandy. The cake's flavor will enhance considerably over the next two

 weeks. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Until next time! xo,

Sharing at these Parties!

 You can follow me here!

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Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out HERE.

• Aussie Boiled Fruitcake by Food Lust People Love
• Brandied Apricot-Ginger Fruitcake by Cherishing a Sweet Life
• Chocolate Fruit Cake by Baking in Pyjamas
• Cinnamon Apple Cake by Fearlessly Creative Mammas
• Dried Plum Stollen by Caroline’s Cooking
• Festive Kid Friendly Fruitcake Muffins by A Day in the Life on a Farm
• Fruit (Pan)cakes by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Irish Spiced Fruitcake by Making Miracles
• Lemon Berries Bundt Cake by Cookin and Craftin

Follow Cherishing A Sweet Life's board #FoodieExtravaganza :Fruit cake on Pinterest.

Homemade Holidays

Pumpkin, Brown Sugar and Cashew Biscotti Recipe

I love holiday shopping. The decorations, the buzz in the air, the required pit stops for cocoa — it all serves to put me in the mood for sharing presents with my loved ones! And once the crowds get to be a bit too much for me, I head home to my kitchen and really get to work on the gift-giving season.

You see, one of my favorite things is to give DIY Chirstmas gifts, especially the homemade and edible variety. I like to personalize them to my friends’ taste preferences (last year I gave one cookie-dough fanatic a tub of egg-free dough) and try new things to keep it interesting for everyone involved.

Making gifts from the kitchen is extra-special because you took the time to craft something just for them! It doesn’t matter how easy it is; from cookie mixes to soft caramels, your recipients will be thinking of your tasty treats long after the wrapping paper has been hauled to the curb.

First on my list this year? This delectable Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, a better-for-you version of that popular spread. Learn how with this short video. 

Edible Homemade Happiness

• Tie up bundles of baked goods with holiday ribbon, or add a cheerful scrap of fabric screwed onto to canning jar lids.
• Use our printable gift tags!
• Keep a stash of gifts handy for unexpected guests or last-minute party invitations. Items that last longer, like jams or flavored salts, are ideal, just in case you don’t give them out!
• Have a gift-making party where you and your friends create multiple kinds of homemade gifts. Split projects between attendees, and let everyone take home a few of each kind for maximum gift-giving potential!
• Be sure to list ingredients and note if the gift is appropriate for those who are vegan, gluten free or nut free. Keeping the special diet gifts separate will help!
• Let your recipient know if there is a “best by” date. Homemade vanilla sugar lasts forever, but chocolate-covered fruits don’t!

Here are just a few of my favorite homemade gifts from the kitchen.

Molasses Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

Toasted Coconut Caramels Recipe

Walnut-Rosemary Oat Bread Mix Recipe

Homemade Fennel Mustard Recipe

Holiday Oatmeal Cookie Mix Recipe

Sweet Potato Apple Dog Treats Recipe

Get more recipes for gifts from the kitchen and find inspiration in our online holiday guide.

Source:

Weekend Notes: Christmas Cookies, Roses, and Bruschetta

Happy Weekend! 

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend so far! 

Yesterday was a really fun day! It started Friday night when I baked 

4 dozen Cherry Blossoms for Katelyn's Rummage/Bake Sale. For the holiday's it's my tradition and a way to remember my father who passed away when I was in my early twenties, that we would enjoy a box of Anne's Choclate covered cherries, and this recipe didn't disappoint. It was almost as if  I was biting into one of those chocolate delights.

After the rummage sale, Lindsay and I went to go see the 'Peanuts' movie. Love Snoopy, and Charlie Brown and the Whole gang. It was wonderful to see a cartoon I grew up with continuing on for the next generation. 

In the afternoon, I spent several hours at my first Rose Convention at the Pacific Southwest Rose District, which included  Southern California, Arizona, parts of Nevada, New Mexico, and 

West Texas. I found myself surrounded by the most gorgeous blooms I have every seen.
One rose, that I found particularly beautiful, especially for this time of year, is named
'Hot Cocoa'. It is the loveliest shade of brown, that looks just like a cup of hot cocoa.

source

'Hot Cocoa' is a  floribunda rose, with a burnt orange. The rose I saw was more on the light brown side with smoky edges.

What I have planned for next week, more baking, and suprisingly I'm baking something, that I'm really interested in finding out if I like it or not. It's one of those foods that I just don't find mouthwatering at all. I strongly dislike this as much as I dislike okra. It has Brandied Apricots, so it can't be that bad!! Right?!

Also, I will be sharing a review on Giada de Laurentiis's new cookbook. It's going to be a non-stop week next week, but I am Thankful to be able to spend it with and get together with the ones I love.

Easy Thanksgiving Crostini Appetizers via Country Living -

 My favorite, easiest appetizer, is Crostini with Bruschetta

Nine Healthy Snacks- If you need an energy boost to help you with all the hustle and bustle of this coming Holiday Season here are some healthy snacks to give you that extra boost!

Until next time! 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

xo,

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 You can follow me here!

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