A Happy Fail

Making today's recipe was a fun trip down memory lane, but it was pretty much a "FAIL".  When I was growing up, it was always a treat when Mom made cinnamon rolls.  They were the crumbly Bisquick kind that were more sweet biscuits than the ooey, gooey rolls that we are used to now.  I found a recipe very similar to the ones Mom used to make while paging through my vintage Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook this morning.  I forgot all about the quick bread recipe I was looking for and set to work making a variation of these rolls for the family.  I wanted something a little orangey, but I probably should have decided between the orange and the cinnamon.

Now don't get me wrong - these were okay.  No one complained.  Next time, however, I would skip the sticky mess and just make a crumbly cinnamon coffee cake!  Maybe that can be another post....

Orange Spice Swirls

2 cups flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

6 Tbs. shortening (or coconut oil)

grated rind of 1 orange

1/3 cup orange juice, plus extra for sugar cubes

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

4 Tbs. softened butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

sugar cubes, halved

Preheat oven to 425*F.  In a blender (blenders are great for making biscuit dough smooth!), blend together flour, powder, salt, and shortening until mixture is all the same and shortening is well incorporated.  

In a medium bowl, combine rind, milk, juice, and vanilla; stir briefly.  Add dry ingredients to wet, stirring to make a soft dough.  Round up lightly on a well floured surface.  Knead lightly, about 30 seconds.  Roll or pat out to a rectangle about 1/4" thick.  Spread with softened butter.  In a small bowl, combine sugars and cinnamon.  Sprinkle mixture evenly over buttered dough.  Roll up tightly, as for a jelly roll, starting at the wide side.  

Cut roll into one inch slices.  Place cut side down on a greased baking sheet or in muffin cups.  Before baking, top each slice with half a sugar cube dipped in orange juice.  Bake for about 15 minutes.

Fantastic Fudge

When my mom was my age, my grandmother used to give out fudge to friends and neighbors for Christmas.  She would make individual tins and wrap them for teacher and service gifts as well.  Over the years she made many different varieties, but this was her go-to recipe for classic chocolate fudge.  It cooks very quickly, so you can make many batches in an afternoon.

Candy making of any kind can be a bit tricky, so don't get frustrated if it doesn't turn out perfect the first time.  My mom ruined 3 batches before she finally got the hang of it, but that is another story!

Grandma's Christmas Fudge

2 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup butter, plus extra for greasing pan

1 (5oz.) can evaporated milk

1 (7oz.) jar marshmallow fluff

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. vanilla

1 (12oz.) package chocolate chips

Generously grease a 9 inch square pan or dish*; set aside.  In a large saucepan, combine sugar, butter, milk, fluff, and salt.  Bring mixture to a soft boil over medium heat, stirring for 5 minutes.   You will notice traces of caramel color when stirring. This should bring the candy to the soft ball stage (235-245 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer).  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and then vanilla, stirring only until combined. (Over handling will change the texture of your fudge!).  Pour into prepared pan before it begins to cool.

*Note:  If you are making small tins to give out, you can pour directly into tins when ready.

If you want to decorate the top of your fudge right after it has been poured in the pan/tin,  you can top it with m&ms, nuts, or sprinkles! 

Ranch and Cheese Bean Dip with Homemade Chips

Hello everyone! As I was trying to figure out a recipe to post on the blog, I had the idea to make a bean dip with some homemade tortilla chips. I mixed together some things and came up with this amazing and very simple bean dip! This would make a good snack for when you have company. I hope you like it as much as my siblings and I did! Happy Eating! :) 

      Ranch and Cheese Bean Dip with Homemade Chips

          Bean Dip:
                       1 can of refried beans (12 oz.)
                       2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
                       1/2 package spicy ranch dressing mix

          Chips:
                      1 package small corn tortillas
                      oil, for frying

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the beans, cheese and dressing mix until the cheese is melted and the mixture is warm. 
Heat up some oil in a large pan, and cut the tortillas into quarters with a pizza slicer. Fry them in the oil until browned on both sides and crispy. 
Serve with the bean dip and enjoy! Yummy! 
                 
~Nutmeg
                                                                               

Luscious Lemon Bars

Hello!  Today's recipe is one of my favorites.  I LOVE lemon - lemon anything, in fact!  I was looking through cook books last night to find a recipe, and stumbled across one of my favorite cookbooks from when I was younger.  The book is a children's alphabet cookbook published by Gold Medal Flour.  Lemon Bars was listed under the L.  That is the recipe I am going to give you!

Lemon Bars

Crust:

1 cup Gold Medal all purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Filling:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel/ lemon extract

2 T. of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*.

Combine flour, butter and powdered sugar.  Press evenly into an ungreased  8x8 baking dish.  Press about 5/8 of an inch up the sides.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Beat remaining ingredient on medium until light and fluffy.  Pour over hot crust and bake for 25 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched lightly in the center.  Cool and cut.  Enjoy!

I have probably eaten about a quarter of the pan myself!  I hope you all have more will power than I do!

Mashed Potatoes

Hello!  While my aunt and uncle from Canada were visiting for Thanksgiving, my aunt made some wonderful mashed potatoes.  She made them for Thanksgiving in fact!  The potatoes have skins in them, and in my opinion, that is the best way to have mashed potatoes.  They were really delicious, so I thought I should share them with you all!

Mashed Potatoes

6 med. red potatoes

2 T. butter

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon garlic salt

2/3 cup sour cream

1/4 cup green onions (optional)

Directions

Remove potato eyes.  Cube and boil until soft.  Drain.  Mash with butter, milk, garlic salt, and sour cream until light and fluffy.  Sprinkle green onions on top for garnish.  Enjoy!

These potatoes are really delicious!  I hope you all enjoy the recipe! 

Eggnog Latte

Hello there! Because it is now December, I thought I would do a Christmasy kind of recipe. What says "Christmas" more than eggnog? I made this delicious eggnog latte the other day, and it was so good I thought I would share the recipe with you! I hope you enjoy this delicious drink! Happy Eating! :) 

                                     Eggnog Latte

            For the latte:
                           3/4 cup hot coffee 
                           1/3 third cup eggnog
                           sugar, to taste
  
            For the whipped cream:
                           1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
                           sugar, to taste
                           nutmeg, for sprinkling


Pour the hot coffee into a mug or cup of your choice. (I found this adorable Christmas glass, and it looked perfect for a latte.) 
Heat up the eggnog in a microwave safe bowl or cup for about 30-40 seconds, or until it's warm. Mix the eggnog and the coffee together and add sugar until it is as sweet as you like it. 
I decided to put whipped cream on this hot latte as well, simply because I liked the taste of it last time. Pour the whipping cream into a blender cup and add the sugar. Using a hand blender, whip it unit it is the texture you like. Carefully spoon it onto the coffee/eggnog mixture, and sprinkle nutmeg on it if you wish. Yum! 
I hope you liked this Christmas recipe! I will hopefully be posting more in the weeks leading up to Christmas! 

~Nutmeg

Christmas Cut Outs

Hello Everyone!   I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Now that we are in the month of December, I thought I would do a Christmassy recipe.  These are cut out cookies, and perfect for decorating!  They are also a hit with the kids!  We made these with my family while they were visiting for the holiday.  The original recipe for these cookies comes from my Dad's side of the family.  My Grandma used to make dozens and dozens of different cookies to enjoy throughout the month of December.  I am happy to share this one recipe with you all!

Christmas Cut Outs

2 cups softened butter

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

4 T. orange juice

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
decorations of your choice

Directions

Preheat oven to 400*.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy.  Pour vanilla and orange juice in and combine well.  In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder; add to wet ingredients.  Combine well.  Divide dough into two rounds.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate  for 1-2 hours.

Working with one half of dough at a time, remove from plastic wrap onto a well floured surface.  Roll dough out to 1/8-1/4".  Cut with cookie cutters into desired shapes.  (If you want to decorate with sprinkles, now would be the time to do it.)

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake on the center rack of oven for 6 to 10 minutes , or until just golden brown on the edges. (Cool if you want to decorate with frosting.)  Cool on wire rack.  Enjoy!  (Munch, munch, munch.)

I hope you all decorate these with your families!  After you finish, comment and show us a picture!