Friday, December 21, 2012

Bring on the food!


Hi all! Today I'm going to share some Christmas "food gifts" that I made this year.  Each one was easy, gorgeous, and perfect to package up for a gift.  Enjoy!


Door County Cherry Biscotti

3 eggs
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
3-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons shortening, divided
4 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped


Separate one egg; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 eggs and reserved egg yolk. Beat in extract. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
Turn onto a floured surface. Knead in cherries and almonds. Divide dough in half; shape each portion into a 12-in. x 3-in. rectangle. Transfer to a greased baking sheet. Beat reserved egg white; brush over dough. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 350° for 28-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes.
Transfer to a cutting board; with a serrated knife, cut each rectangle diagonally into 18 slices. Place cut side down on greased baking sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm and crisp, turning once. Remove to wire racks to cool.
In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over both sides of cookies. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set.
Melt white chocolate and remaining shortening at 70% power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth.
Drizzle over both sides of cookies. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 3 dozen.

Sorry, I know this picture doesn't show the mix at all!


Taco Seasoning

1/4 cup dried minced onion
1/4 cup chili powder
3 tablespoons salt
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

To make:
3/4 cup mix
1 pound ground beef
1/3 to 1/2 cup water




Dilly Pretzels

1 package (14-16 oz) mini pretzels
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 envelope (.4 oz) ranch dressing mix
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Spread pretzels in an ungreased 15 by 10 inch baking pan.  Combine oil, mix, and seasonings; pour over pretzels and mix well.  Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.  Cool.  Store in airtight container. 

I put these in cute Chinese food boxes from Michaels. 



Pancakes from the Pantry

Mix (makes 8 cups mix):
4 cups quick cooking oats
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons baking powder
5 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

To make:
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups pancake mix
1 cup water








Peppermint Hot Cocoa

Found this wonderful, cute recipe from Erin at Living in Yellow.  She even had printable labels! Go check her out. 

1 comment:

  1. YUM!!! My post is so much more serious... I love the peppermint hot cocoa mix! AND THAT BISCOTTI! oh my. :)

    ReplyDelete