Winter Salad

This salad is soooo fresh and delicious tasting.  The only reason I can think of why it's called a Winter Salad is because it is red and green...like Christmas. :-)

This makes salad for a large crowd.  For just 2 or 3 people, make only 1/3 of the recipe--1 heart of romaine.

SALAD

3 hearts of romaine lettuce
2 crisp apples, diced
2 pears, diced (crisp but ripe--I use asian pears)
1/2 c dried cranberries OR 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
3/4 cup cashew halves OR toasted almonds
1 cup grated Swiss cheese (I use baby Swiss OR TJ's Swiss and Guyère)
1/2 small red onion (or less) thinly sliced


DRESSING (make ahead and chill)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar (I probably put about 1/3)
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 c vegetable oil
1 T poppy seeds, added at the end

Make in blender.  Chill well.  Dress salad just before serving.

Peppermint Whipped Cream

• 6 red and white peppermint candy canes or 24 red and white mini peppermint candy canes
• 2 cups of whipping cream

1. Unwrap your candy canes and place them in a blender or foodprocessor. I like to break them into pieces as I add them to the blender.
2. Process until the candy canes util they are a fairly fine powder.
3. In another bowl, whip cream until firm. No need to add sugar. The sweetness will come from the candy canes.
4. Fold in the candy cane powder in the cream. Use immediately to top you cocoa if you like little pieces of crunchy candy cane in it (This is the way I like it). Or place in the refrigerator for 2 hours and allow the candy canes to completely dissolve.

Marshmallow Whipped Cream

• 1 cup of whipping cream
• 1-2 Tbsp powdered sugar (I like it sweet so I use 2 Tbsp)
• dash of vanilla
• 1-2 cups mini marshmallows (I use 1 1/2 cups)

1. In a bowl, whip cream until firm.
2. Blend in sugar and vanilla.
3. Fold in marshmallows.  Use immediately to top cups of hot coca if desired.  Or place in the fridge for a few hours and the marshmallows will puff up and soften.  This is the way I like to use it.

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 16 mini cinnamon rolls

Ingredients:
1-8oz tube crescent roll dough
2 Tablespoons butter
cinnamon
brown sugar

For the maple icing:
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 Tablespoon skim milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven according to crescent roll dough package directions. Layout half the dough (4 triangles) and pinch all the seams together. Flip over and pinch the seams on the back side together too.
2. Using a rolling pin, smooth the seams and roll the dough into a square about 1/4″ thick. Brush with half the butter, and sprinkle with as much cinnamon and brown sugar as you want. Roll into a log and cut into 8 pieces.
3. Place mini cinnamon rolls into a non-stick sprayed mini muffin tin. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the other half of the crescent roll dough. Bake according to package directions.
4. Meanwhile whisk together maple syrup and milk in a bowl. Add in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls.

You can get them ready to go the night before, cover with saran wrap and put them in the fridge. Bake the next morning. Don't use too much brown sugar or they take a long time to cook and end up caramalizing on the bottom.  

http://iowagirleats.com/2011/11/23/8-minute-mini-cinnamon-rolls/

Chocolate Mousse Pie

Crust (PLEASE NOTE:  I use a regular flour crust, because I feel like the Oreo crust is too overpowering)

• 21 chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature

Mousse

• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate (We used Guittard--did not chop)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 3 3/4 cups chilled whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar

• Chocolate shavings (optional)

For Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Finely grind cookies in processor. Add butter and process until mixture is evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan to form thin crust. Bake crust 5 minutes. Transfer crust to rack and cool completely.

For flour crust, bake and let cool completely before adding mousse. 

For Mousse:

Simple Instructions:

Bring 1 cup cream to boil in heavy small saucepan.

Add chocolate, vanilla and salt to cream. 

Transfer mixture to large bowl. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Beat 2 cups cream and sugar in large bowl to stiff peaks. Fold into chocolate mixture. 

Pour mousse into prepared crust. Chill until set, about 6 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)

Kristin's confusing instructions:

Combine chocolate, vanilla and salt in processor. (I do not use a food processor--I like the small chunks of chocolate that don't melt all the way when you just boil it--gives it a nice texture) Bring 1 cup cream to boil in heavy small saucepan. (At this point I just add the bag of chocolate chips and vanilla and salt to the sauce pan of boiling cream.  After it's pretty much melted, then I transfer it to a separate bowl and follow the rest of the recipe) With processor running, gradually pour hot cream through feed tube and process until chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Beat 2 cups cream and sugar in large bowl to stiff peaks. Fold into chocolate mixture. Pour mousse into prepared crust. Chill until set, about 6 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)

Beat remaining 3/4 cup cream in medium bowl to firm peaks. Transfer to pastry bag fitted with medium star tip. Pipe rosettes of cream around edge of cake. Garnish with chocolate shavings. 

For comments from others about making this pie, go to the epicurious site: 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Mousse-Pie-2687

Christmas Wassail

1 qt water (4 cups)

1.5 cups sugar

8 allspice berries

10 cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

1 (6 ounce) can frozen OJ [alternate OJ]

1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade

64 ounce bottle cranberry juice

Boil sugar and water 5 minutes. Put spices in spice/tea ball and place in syrup. Let stand 2-3 hours. Add remaining ingredients PLUS 3 OJ cans of water. Serve hot OR over ice. Store in fridge.

Frozen Chocolate Velvet Pie

Frozen pie crust

3/8 c white corn syrup

1 1/2 T water

1 1/2 T vanilla (yes, Tbs)

1 bag semi-sweet choco chips (use the best you can find....I like Guittard)

1 c chilled sweetened condensed milk (don't forget to put in fridge ahead of time)

1 pint heavy whipping cream

Cook pie crust and set aside. (I found that the cheap thin crust works better for this pie than the better thicker crusts) Barely boil corn syrup and remove from heat. Add choco chips, water, and vanilla and stir till melted. Let cool for a few minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add milk and cream. Blend on low until well mixed and then on med/high until soft peaks form. Pour into pie crust and stick in the freezer. Take it out a few minutes before you cut it.

There ya go!

Dark Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 bars (8 ounces) bittersweet chocolate baking bars, broken in ¼ inch pieces, recommended: Ghirardelli

6 TBS unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate and butter. In a medium sized skillet, bring 1/2 inch of water to a slow simmer. Set the saucepan in the skillet over low heat. Stir mixture just until chocolate has completely melted. Remove from heat. Pour the chocolate mixture into a shallow bowl. Cool, cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Pour the cocoa into a pie plate. Line an airtight container with waxed paper. Dip a melon baller or small spoon into a glass of warm water and quickly scrape across the surface of the chilled truffle mixture to form a rough 1-inch ball. Drop the ball into the cocoa. Repeat with the remaining truffle mixture. Gently shake the pie plate to coat truffles evenly. Transfer truffles to the prepared container, separating layers with additional waxed paper. Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 3 months.

Layered Peppermint Bark

Ingredients

• 17 ounces good-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Baker's), finely chopped

• 30 red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies, coarsely crushed (about 6 ounces)

• 7 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

• 6 tablespoons whipping cream

• ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions

Turn large baking sheet bottom side up. Cover securely with foil. Mark 12 x 9-inch rectangle on foil. Stir white chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water) until chocolate is melted and smooth and candy thermometer registers 110°F. (chocolate will feel warm to touch). Remove from over water. Pour 2/3 cup melted white chocolate onto rectangle on foil. Using icing spatula, spread chocolate to fill rectangle. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup crushed peppermints. Chill until set, about 15 minutes.

Stir bittersweet chocolate, cream and peppermint extract in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until just melted and smooth. Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Pour bittersweet chocolate mixture in long lines over white chocolate rectangle. Using icing spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate in even layer. Refrigerate until very cold and firm, about 25 minutes.

Rewarm remaining white chocolate in bowl set over barely simmering water to 110°F. Working quickly, pour white chocolate over firm bittersweet chocolate layer; spread to cover. Immediately sprinkle with remaining crushed peppermints. Chill just until firm, about 20 minutes.

Lift foil with bark onto work surface; trim edges. Cut bark crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips. Using metal spatula, slide bark off foil and onto work surface. Cut each strip crosswise into 3 sections and each section diagonally into 2 triangles. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Chill in airtight container.) Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.

**I didn't cut the bark, just broke it into pieces

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Layered-Peppermint-Crunch-Bark-5739

Old fashioned fudge

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup milk*
4 TBS butter**
1 tsp vanilla

Grease an 8x8 square pan
Combine sugar, cocoa and milk in a medium saucepan. Stir to blend and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer. DO NOT stir again.
Candy should reach 238 degrees F or the soft ball stage. Soft ball stage means you put a small drop of the candy in cold water and instead is dissipating, you are able to form a squishy little ball in between your fingers, kind of like a melty tootsie roll.
Remove from heat and let cool to 110-115 degrees (or just wait a few minutes if you don't have a thermometer).
Add butter and vanilla and beat with a wooden spoon until it loses it's sheen. This may take a long time. Do not under beat.
Pour into prepared pan and let cool.
Makes approximately 60 pieces.

Adapted from here

To be dairy free:
*full fat coconut milk
**earth balance

Hashbrown Casserole

30 oz shredded frozen hash browns

12-16 oz Velveeta (or 3-4 cups blend of cheddar and mozzarella)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 onion

8 oz sour cream

2 cups corn flakes crushed and slightly browned in butter

Saute the onion and mix in the velveeta, sour cream and cream of chicken until it's all melted and mixed together.
Mix that with the hash browns, dump in a 9x13 dish, top with the corn flakes. Pretty simple!

Bake 350 for 40 min.