Christmas ideas!

I’ve been gleaning ideas from TV cooking shows and magazines!

From Rachel Ray’s Christmas cooking show....2 recipes:





Snowball macaroons

2 egg whites, beat til thick
1/3 c sugar, beat til stiff peaks form

Fold in gently:
1 1/2 c sweetened coconut (start with half, then add rest)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 T flour
1 tsp almond extract

Use an ice cream scoop for good sized cookie piles onto parchment paper lined pan. Bake for 12 minutes at 350. Cool on wire rack and decorate with melted chocolate chips and candies.

Italian bread pudding

Half a loaf of pantone (or sweet bread or cake) cut in cubes, put in large mixing bowl.

Whisk together:
3 eggs + 3 yolks
2 cups half and half
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Pour over bread cubes in mixing bowl. Let sit for a few minutes. Scoop into greased muffin tins. Place muffin tin into larger baking dish with an inch of water in it under the muffin tin. Bake til lightly browned on top. The water underneath keeps the puddings moist.

I didn’t hear how long to cook these (she got to the bake time when I was away helping Maggie turn off the water in the shower), so I’m just going to wing it, but they sound wonderful!


I saw Martha Stewart on a morning show and she did this:

Dip rim of holiday coffee cups into melted white chocolate, then into crushed peppermints. Fill with eggnog or hot cocoa! (I think you could use it for coffee too.)


crickl's scalloped potatoes:

4-6 large russet potatoes
1/4-1/2 sweet onion
Butter
Coarse salt, cracked pepper
Dried or fresh rosemary
Garlic cloves (1-3), crushed
1 cup milk

Grease a 9x13 baking dish (a stone dish really makes crispy edges!). Use a slicing plain set on thin setting or hand slice potatoes as thin as you can. Do this also with the onion…long, thin slices, not in chunks. Melt butter (amount is up to you) and put the crushed garlic in the butter. Layer potatoes and onions in dish, sprinkling each layer with spices and melted garlic butter. When top layer is in place, pour milk around the edges. (It will be soaked up by the end of baking.) Cover with foil and bake at 375 for an hour. Take foil off and bake uncovered for about 15 minutes or until the top is crispy and browned.

This is really good with ham or meatloaf. If you add cheese into the layers, it is almost a meal in itself with a salad or asparagus.