National Cookie Day

When I first saw it was National Cookie Day, I thought to myself,  "Self, you have so much on your plate this year, are you really going to make a ton of cookies like last year?" My first reaction was "Of course I am! I love blaring Christmas music throughout the house while baking up a storm in my kitchen. I do it every year!"

And then my chest started palpating and anxiety started to set in. When would I make these cookies? Which new ones am I going to make, photograph and share? How many commitments do I have in the next month?

And there it was in black and white. "How many commitments do I have in the next month?". 

$600 Visa Gift Card Holiday Cheer #Giveaway

Can you believe it's December already? Thanksgiving is over and Hanukkah is under way; which also means that it's officially shopping season! In fact, today is Cyber Monday, the busiest online shopping day of the year. So I rallied some of my favorite food bloggers together and we decided to give someone a little extra spending money this holiday season. A little? Heck...we decided to give away $600! After all, we truly appreciate and love all of our readers!

All you have to do is enter through the Rafflecopter link below and tell us what you would do with an extra $600 this holiday season. Once you comment, you will have over 50 other chances to enter. The giveaway runs from December 2-15, 2013 and one winner will be chosen and notified on December 16, 2013. Please read the complete Terms & Conditions as this giveaway is only valid for U.S residents only (Sorry, rules of the gift card company prohibit us from offering this outside of the U.S.).

Good Luck and Happy Holidays from
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen, Ally's Kitchen, Basilmomma, That Skinny Chick Can Bake, Lauren Kelly Nutrition, Moore or Less Cooking, Chocolate Chocolate and More, Food Done Light, Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen, Cupcakes & Kale Chips, Recipes for My Boys, Knead to Cook, The Fountain Avenue Kitchen and Amee's Savory Dish. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Favorite Pinterest Halloween Finds

If you've been following my blog for a few seasons, then you know that though I enjoy Halloween and Trick or Treating with the kids, I don't necessarily get into this holiday with food and decorations. So over the last month or so, I and some of my food blogging friends have been "Pinning" away on my Halloween Pinterest Board to find some fun things to share with all of you. 

Here are some of my favorites for those of you without a Pinterest account:

Happy Pumpkins (made with fruit) from Kiddie Foodies

Jack O' Burgers

Roasted Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds from Greg's Kitchen

Candy Corn Popsicles from Full Belly Sisters

Mummy Meatloaf from The Knead 4 Speed

Frankenstein Rice Krispie Treats

BandAid Strips from Katherine Marie's

Skeleton Crudite & Dip

Homemade Caramel Apples from Knead to Cook

Banana Ghosts and Clementine Pumpkins

For a complete list of all of my fun finds, check out my Halloween Pinterest Board!   

Did you know that Americans purchased 600 million pounds of candy last year for Halloween? According to an article in the Huffington Post, here are the Top 12 candy sellers. Which one is your favorite?  

1. Reeses

2. Starburst

3. 3 Musketeers

4. Nerds

5. Kit Kat

6. Bottle Caps

7. Twix 

8. Pop Rocks

9. Nestles Crunch

10. Skittles

11. Snickers

12. Butterfingers

If you find yourself with an excess of Halloween candy, check out Operation Gratitude. Operation Gratitude annually sends 100,000+ care packages filled with snacks, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions, to their children left behind and to Veterans, First Responders, Wounded Warriors and their Care Givers. Each year, they work with dentist offices around the country to collect unwanted, extra candy and ship them to our service men and women. Visit HalloweenCandyBuyBack.com for participating dentists in your area!

Recipe Rerun: Fresh Berry Tart

Fresh Berry Tart

The July 4th holiday is only one week away, can you believe it? This year is really flying by! I don't have many festive recipes for this holiday; however, I did make this delicious, beautiful Fresh Berry Tart a few months ago using raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries so I guess this would count. :)

I really enjoyed this dessert not only because it was light and easy (I don't like to make complicated desserts for all of you new to CEK), but because it wasn't overly sweet. Click on the name to be taken to the original post and if you're looking for more fun food and craft ideas for the July 4th holiday, check out my Red, White and Blue Board on Pinterest!

I'll be taking the next week off to spend some time with family and friends, as well as making our first college visit for the summer (Yikes!). If you're new to the blog or haven't stopped by in while, grab a cup of your favorite beverage, have a look around to see what you might have missed and leave me a comment letting me know you were here. I just love company!

Shopping List

 Enjoy and I'll be back July 8th with some 

new recipes to share with all of you. Happy 4th! 

Blueberry Pistachio Chocolate Bark

Several years ago, we went snow tubing with the family of my youngest daughters pre-school friend. We met at our house since we lived closer to the resort and the mom brought us some dark chocolate bark laced with dried cranberries and pistachios. It was INCREDIBLE! So much so that I just had to get the recipe for my husband (who I now have to make this for once a year around the holidays as it's one of his favorite treats!).  It's really quite simple to make, don't let the number of steps fool you below. Melt the chocolate. Mix in the berries and nuts. Refrigerate. And in an hour (sometimes less if you spread the chocolate thinner!), you will have a sweet and salty dessert that everyone will rave about. Trust me. I decided to make this last minute to bring to a friends Christmas party (seriously, I made it and had it plated for the photo in less than an hour!) and everyone devoured it. You can break the pieces as small or as large as you wish. 

Blueberry Pistachio Chocolate Bark
12oz. Chocolate
8oz. White Chocolate
1 c. Dried Blueberries
1 c. Pistachios, shelled

Directions:
1. Melt the milk chocolate over a double boiler; stirring until all the chocolate has melted. 
2. In another pot, melt the white chocolate over a double boiler; stirring until all of the chocolate has melted.
3. Add half of the blueberries and pistachios to the milk chocolate and mix well. 
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, spread the chocolate mixture  about 1/2" thick; then drop the white chocolate by spoonfuls over the milk chocolate. 
5. With the tip of a knife, swirl the chocolates together to create a marbled effect; then sprinkle the remaining blueberries and pistachios on top. 
6. Refrigerate bark for about 1 hour or until firm, then break it into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month. Makes approximately 2lbs. 

*Nutritional Information per Ounce (based on 2lbs): Calories 125, Carbs 16.4g, Fat 6.9g, Protein .9g, Fiber 1.2g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into CalorieCount and may not be 100% accurate.

Enjoy! 

*You can use dark, semi sweet or milk chocolate as your base depending on your personal preference. For this recipe, I used milk chocolate. 

Walnut Crescents

Here it is, Recipe #12 for the Holiday Baking theme. I have many favorites around the holidays and this one has been a favorite of mine since I first ripped it out of the pages of Parents Magazine back in 1998. I mean, this is so old after many internet searches, I still can't find the exact recipe online which was created by Penny O'Connor from Waterloo, Iowa. 

They are SO easy to make and like she says, they truly melt in your mouth and disappear quickly from my cookie platters as well.  I hope you enjoyed my baking theme the last few weeks. Tomorrow I'll be back to savory recipes; which are more my forte. :)

Walnut Crescents
2 Sticks Butter (I used salted, but she calls for unsalted), room temperature
1 1/4 c. Confectioners Sugar (aka 10x sugar or powdered sugar)
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 tsp. Water
2 c. All-Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp. Salt (I omitted since I used salted butter)
1 c. Walnuts, finely chopped (you can also use pecans)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Add the butter and 1/4 cup of sugar to a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy; then add in vanilla and water. 
3. With the mixer on low, gradually add in the flour (and salt if using unsalted butter); beating until well blended. 
4. Stir in the nuts with a wooden spoon. 
5. With lightly floured hands, roll dough into 1 1/4" balls, then shape the balls into crescents (or moon shapes). 
6. Arrange 2" apart on ungreased baking sheet and bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned (my oven tends to be set higher so I cooked mine on 350 for about 12 minutes). 
7. Remove from oven and while cookies have cooled slightly, toss the cookies into the remaining 1 cup of sugar to coat; then cool on wire racks completely. Makes 33 cookies

Enjoy! 

Hazelnut Biscotti

I know. You're probably tired of my variations of biscotti, but this is the last one...well for 2012 anyway! I just love adding different nuts to biscotti and this hazelnut version brings us to Holiday Baking recipe #11. Besides, I had to find more uses for that Frangelico my brother in law gave me recently. ;)

Hazelnut Biscotti
2 c. All-Purpose Flour
1 c. Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 tbsp. Frangelico (hazelnut liquor)
3 Large Eggs
1/2 c. Hazelnuts, chopped
Cooking Spray


Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda until well blended. 
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, Frangelico and vanilla. 
3. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix well until all of the ingredients have been incorporated.  
4. Next, fold in the hazelnuts. 
5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is no longer sticky, then form two, 12” long log shapes and flatten down so that it is no higher than 1”. 
6. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, add the dough and bake at 325° F for 30 minutes.  
7. Remove from oven and let cool, then slice diagonally into 1/2" thick slices and put them back on the baking sheet. 
8. Bake an additional 8-10 minutes per side, then remove from the oven. Let cool and allow to harden before serving. Makes 2 1/2 dz.

Enjoy! 

Baklava

I normally don't like overly sweet desserts, but I'll always make an exception for Baklava, which is our Holiday Baking recipe #10.  I couldn't go another year without trying to make it myself, especially since visiting Greece and Turkey last summer, where this is a common sweet treat and found at EVERY local  bakery. 

Baklava is a sweet pastry layered with phyllo dough, chopped nuts, then topped with syrup or honey. Though the origin of Baklava is uncertain, many believe that it was first created in Turkey and there are many different variations to this recipe. The recipe I chose to follow was one I found several years ago in the Food Network Magazine   and was created by Michael Symon. It was a Greek version which has 33 layers of dough; one for each year of Christ's life. This baklava was DELICIOUS, but here are some changes I'd make next time. 

1. His recipe calls for either zwieback crackers or breadcrumbs, I used Panko breadcrumbs.
2. I would prepare the syrup the same; however, I wouldn't pour it all on top of the cooked baklava. It was a little too sweet and wet for my taste.
3. He also states to let it soak for 6 hours after pouring the syrup over the warm baklava; I couldn't wait and according to several of my Facebook readers, they don't wait the full time and it's fine. I would have to agree...3 hours was enough for me to wait to dig into these beauties! 

Enjoy! 

Cappuccino Chocolate Biscotti

I had such a good time on Around the Kitchen Sink radio show with Heather Tallman (aka Basilmomma) last week. If you missed the podcast, you can listen to it here. 

Today is recipe #9 on the Holiday Baking list for these Cappuccino Chocolate Biscotti. They're so crunchy and go perfectly with your favorite hot beverage. 

Cappuccino Chocolate Biscotti
2 c. All-Purpose Flour
1 c. Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
3 Eggs
3 tbsp. Brewed Espresso (or you can use coffee)
1/2 c. White Chocolate Chips
Cooking Spray



Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda until well blended. 
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, espresso and vanilla. 
3. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix well until all of the ingredients have been incorporated.  
4. Next, fold in the chocolate. 
5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is no longer sticky, then form two, 12” long log shapes and flatten down so that it is no higher than 1”. 
6. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, add the dough and bake at 325° F for 30 minutes.  
7. Remove from oven and let cool, then slice diagonally into 1/2" thick slices and put them back on the baking sheet. 
8. Bake an additional 8-10 minutes per side, then remove from the oven. Let cool and allow to harden before serving. Makes 2 1/2 dz.

Enjoy! 

Anise Biscotti

One of my all-time favorite desserts is Anise Biscotti or Anisette Toast. And in my younger years, that would be my favorite nighttime snack with a cup of tea or coffee. I hadn't made these in a while and was so glad I added them to this years baking theme because I just love the simple licorice flavor of anise in this light, crunchy dessert.  

Here is Holiday Baking recipe #7...

Anise Biscotti
2 c. All-Purpose Flour
1 c. Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp. Anise Seeds
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
3 Large Eggs
Cooking Spray

Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and anise seeds until well blended. 
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. 
3. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix well until all of the ingredients have been incorporated.  
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is no longer sticky, then form two, 12” long log shapes and flatten down so that it is no higher than 1”. 
5. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, add the dough and bake at 325° F for 30 minutes. 
6. Remove from oven and let cool, then slice diagonally into 1/2" thick slices and put them back on the baking sheet.
7. Bake an additional 8-10 minutes per side, then remove from the oven. Let cool and allow to harden before serving. Makes 2 1/2 dz.

Enjoy! 

Chocolate Walnut Bars

I hope you are all enjoying my Holiday Baking theme so far. This week, I'll have four more desserts for you to try.

I can't tell you how long I've had today's recipe in my recipe box or even where I originally got it from, but I can tell you that I never even made them! You know how it goes. You copy a recipe down, think to yourself "Self, I'm going to make these next year for sure", and then, Christmas comes and goes and you forgot. Well, at least that's what happens here (or maybe it's just because I'm over 40!) Anyway, for the longest time, especially when my kids were younger, I went YEARS without baking for the holidays at all...who had time! I was lucky enough if I had time to buy a 5lb. tub of refrigerated sugar cookie dough so that I could roll it out for the kids to decorate the cookies they leave for Santa on Christmas Eve (a yearly tradition in our home). 

So here is #5 on the list--Chocolate Walnut Bars. Like I mentioned last week, I like to cut my holiday cookies smaller than usual so this does make quite a bit, but they are so rich and chocolatey and nutty that a small taste is all you need! 

Chocolate Walnut Bars
1-13oz. Box Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 1/2 Sticks Salted Butter, melted
1-14oz. Cans Sweetened Condensed Milk
24oz. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
3 c. Walnuts, chopped

Directions:
1. Combine the graham crackers with the melted butter and mix well. Press the mixture firmly onto a non-stick baking sheet; then bake at 325 degrees for 8-10 minutes until the edges start to turn a light brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. 
2. Next, add the milk, chocolate and vanilla to a pot and melt; stir constantly so that it doesn't stick. 
3. Pour the chocolate mixture over the crumbs, carefully spreading it out without releasing the crumbs from the pan. 
4. Top the chocolate with the nuts and gently press down on them. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting. Makes 4 dz. 

Enjoy!

I put pan in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes after the pan was cool enough to make sure they were really cooled as the first time I made these, I don't think I used enough butter or my pan was too deep and the crust never set. 

Garlicky Stuffed Mushrooms

As promised, I'm saving Friday's for savory recipes for the next couple of weeks while we're on our Holiday Baking theme. And since it's the season for holiday parties, I wanted to share an easy appetizer. 

I hadn't made stuffed mushrooms in a while so I decided to make them as an appetizer for Thanksgiving. I was going to make a version I had made already, but realized that I hadn't made a basic stuffed mushroom with breading yet. I mean, I've made them over the years, but I never posted it here on the blog. I know. I know. Never make a new recipe for a holiday. But, in actuality, I made these the day before and took a picture when no one was home so it's all good. :) 

These are so easy to make and I like that you're utilizing all parts of the mushroom. If you don't have Ritz crackers, you can use breadcrumbs, but I like the extra buttery-ness that they give to this recipe. As for the garlic, well that part was kind of an accident, a good one at that. My cloves were pretty large so it really took on the garlicky flavor. If you don't like garlic, you can omit it and they'll taste just as great. 

Garlicky Stuffed Mushrooms

2-10oz. Packages White Button Mushrooms

1 Scallion, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

42 Ritz Crackers

2 Sprigs Thyme, removed from stem

2 tbsp. Butter, melted

Cooking Spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Rinse mushrooms to remove any dirt, then destem the mushrooms by holding the base and tilting the stem from left to right until it snaps out. 
3. Chop the stems using a knife or put them in a food processor. 
4. Heat the oil in a saute pan and add in the chopped mushroom stems, scallions, garlic and thyme. Saute until the mushrooms soften. 
5. Next, crush the Ritz crackers either by using a food processor, blender or putting them in a bag and using the back of a glass; then add the crackers and melted butter to the mushroom mixture and mix well.
6. Stuff the mushroom caps, line them on a baking sheet, spray the tops with cooking spray and bake for 25-30 minutes until the mushrooms are lightly brown. Makes approx. 28 pieces.

Enjoy!

Note: I breaded, covered and refrigerated them the day before. Then, when ready to serve the next day, I removed them from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking so that they would come to room temperature.

Ritz Crackers has come out with handy packaging called Fresh Stacks. I love this new packaging as they are less likely to get stale. They're packaged in 8 packages of 14 crackers. For this recipe, I used 3 packages of 14 crackers. 








*Ritz Crackers did not compensate me in any way for this post. It is based on my own personal opinion.