Panettone French Toast

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Panettone loaf

Every year, we mark the close of Christmas with a Panettone French Toast breakfast.

Panettone is an Italian sweet bread loaf.  It is traditionally served at Christmas in Italy and contains candied fruit. Think fruit cake, but in my opinion much more light, fluffy and delicious.  You can find panettone just about anywhere now during the holidays.  I've seen it at Target, World Market, BJs and Sam's Club. 

Panettone French Toast is made just like regular french toast, but uses panettone bread instead. 

Ingredients:
1 loaf of Pannetone
6 eggs
3/4 cup of whole milk
1/4 cup of sugar
cinnamon and nutmeg
butter for cooking

Directions:
(1) Remove the baking paper from the Pannetone and cut it into thick square slices (about 1 to 1.5 inches thick).

(2) In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and sugar until well mixed.

(3) Melt about 1 tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Give a quick dip on both slides to the slices of panettone into the egg mixture.  Grill the panettone slices until they are golden brown and firm, about 4 minutes per side.

This bread is already sweet so the finished product doesn't need much syrup.  I prefer mine without syrup, but with just a light sprinkle of powdered sugar and a small dollop of whipped cream.  If I made cannoli the day or 2 before - I have put a dollop of the extra cannoli filling on top instead.... that is delicious!

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*This recipe is part of my Holiday Series of recipes
http://www.christineiscooking.com/p/holiday-recipes.html

Copyright 2011 christineiscooking.com This is an original recipe. You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a direct link back to the article on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

Cranberry Mojito (Pitcher Recipe)

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I made this for a few neighbors and it was a hit.  I will definitely be adding this Cranberry Mojito cocktail to my regular holiday repertoire.

The measurements are approximate and can be changed to suit your tastes and the size of your pitcher.

Needed:
4 fresh limes
1/4 cup of sugar
15 fresh mint leaves
2 cups white rum (I use Bacardi)
2 cups Cranberry Juice Cocktail (I use Ocean Spray)
Soda Water
A few cranberries for garnish (this is optional, but really makes it pretty)
A muddler or long wooden rolling pin
Ice

(1) Slice your limes into wedges and place them in your pitcher along with torn mint leaves and sugar.   

(2) Muddle (i.e. crush) the mint, lime and sugar together for a minute or so. 
This is a very important step for flavor.**

(3) Add equal parts rum and cranberry juice.

(4) Fill your pitcher about 3/4 of the way up with soda water and give the drink a taste test for sweetness and rum content.  If the ratio is to your liking, fill the rest of the pitcher with ice and stir.  Garnish the pitcher with fresh cranberries.

Tip:  If you don't have a muddler - you can use the end of a rolling pin or something similar.

Lets talk about cooking!

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Copyright 2012 christineiscooking.com This is an original recipe. You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a link back to the original recipe on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

How to Cook Perfect Prime Rib

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I have used this recipe for years and it always comes out perfect.  You need to prepare this the night before you plan to cook it.  You will also need a meat thermometer to ensure this is cooked perfectly.  It is great for all holidays and special occasions.

Ingredients:

3 to 4 pound center-cut prime rib roast.  Be sure to leave a layer of fat on top to keep it moist and flavorful. 

 8 fresh large garlic cloves sliced in half

pepper

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (you can substitute regular salt if needed)

How to Make Au Jus Sauce for Prime Rib or Roast Beef

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Ingredients:

Juices from 1 cooked / roasted Prime Rib or Roast Beef

1/2 cup white wine 

2 cups prepared good beef stock (I use the Better then Bullion brand)

Directions:

(1) Place all of the juices and all of the brown bits from the pan your meat was roasted in into a sauce pan over high heat.
(2) Add the white wine and cook for 8-10 minutes.

(3) Add in the beef stock; cook and reduce the sauce by half (this might take about 20 minutes).
(4) Add salt and pepper to taste.

I usually serve some of the Au Jus over my meat and additional in a gravy boat.

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*This recipe is part of my Holiday Series of recipes
http://www.christineiscooking.com/p/holiday-recipes.html

Copyright 2011 christineiscooking.com This is an original recipe. You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a direct link back to the article on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

Easy Cannoli (10 Minutes to Make)

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Cannoli are a Christmas tradition at our house.  I buy the shells from a local bakery, but stuff them myself.  The end product seems pretty fancy for something that only takes a few minutes. 

Makes Approx: 16 mini cannoli or 6 regular cannoli

Ingredients
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 cup mascarpone cheese 
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup of chopped chocolate (I chop mine by putting it in a Ziplock and hitting it with a mallet)
1 cup of chopped pistachios or almonds

 

Directions
(1) Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees
(2) Toast the nuts in a glass pan in the oven for 10 minutes or until just slightly lightly brown
(3) Let the nuts cool and slightly chop them
(4) Process the ricotta cheese in a food processor to smooth any chunks.  Add the mascarpone cheese and mix together.
(5) Transfer the cheeses to a medium sized bowl and mix in the powdered sugar and a few tablespoons of the chocolate and a few tablespoons of the cooled nuts (the total amount is really to your tastes). 
(6) Using a pastry bag, fill the cannoli shells from each end with the cream.
(7) Mix the remaining cooled chopped nuts and chopped chocolate together on a plate.  Press each end of the cannoli into the nut/chocolate mix.  Dust the finished cannoli lightly with powdered sugar (if desired)

These should be made no more then a few hours before serving

 

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Copyright 2012 christineiscooking.com  This is an original recipe.  You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a direct link back to the article on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

I always take my own photos, but in this case - we ate the cannoli before I could snap a pic.  To be updated soon...

photo credit: mattwunderle via photopin cc

Peanut Butter Seven Layer Bars

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I like traditional seven layer bars, but I find they can be a little too sweet for my tastes.  This is my twist on the magic cookie bar.  In addition to several other tweeks, it has a thicker graham cracker crust and uses peanut butter chips instead of butterscotch.  I don't add nuts to mine, but you can if you prefer them. 

We make these cookies every year at my house. You can make these ahead of time and freeze them if you need to. 

Ingredients:
4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chunks

1 1/2 cups of peanut butter chips 

3/4 cup flaked coconut

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350°F (325°F for a glass baking pan).
(2) Spray a 9x13 pan well with non-stick spray
(3) In small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave.  Add the graham cracker crumbs and mix. 
(4) Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan using your hand.
(5) Layer the chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips and then coconut
(6) Press down firmly
(7) Pour condensed milk evenly over bars.

Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and then cut into bars. 

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My 2011 Cut-Out Christmas Cookie Album

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Just wanted to share the cut-out cookies I made this year.  I really enjoy decorating these. 

I used this shortbread cookie recipe

http://www.christineiscooking.com/2011/11/christines-shortbread-cut-out-cookies.html

and frosted them with this buttercream frosting recipe

http://www.christineiscooking.com/2011/11/buttercream-frosting-oamc.html

I used Wilton bags and decorating tips for all of the decorating



This recipe is part of my Holiday Series of recipes
http://www.christineiscooking.com/p/holiday-recipes.html

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Copyright 2011 christineiscooking.com This is an original recipe. You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a direct link back to the article on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

Easy Homemade Spider man Cake

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Making this Spiderman Cake was simple and looked great.  I bought the Spider man figure at a bakery for a few dollars and I'll be reusing it many times.

I used boxed chocolate fudge cake, but made my own fantastic buttercream frosting.  You can find the frosting recipe here:  http://www.christineiscooking.com/2011/11/buttercream-frosting-oamc.html

All I needed to do was add red food coloring to it.

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Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies / Snowball Cookies

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This is my husband's favorite cookie.  Many variations of this recipe exist, however, I prefer this one.  The cookies are baked at a very low heat and that keeps the cookie delicate.

It is important not to overcook these cookies.  The cookies are done when the bottoms are just slightly lightly browned. 

Makes approx. 2 dozen cookies.  This recipe can be doubled.
If need be, these cookies can be made ahead of time and frozen. 

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter (softened at room temperature).

1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for coating cookies once they come out of the oven

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups flour

1 cup pecans, crushed into fine pieces*

Directions:
(1) Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
(2) Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla with a mixer.
(3) Gradually add in the flour.
(4) Mix in the crushed pecans with a spoon.
(5) Roll cookies into small balls (approx. 1/2 inch) and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
(6) Bake for 20 minutes or just until the bottoms are lightly browned. When cool enough to handle but still warm, gently roll in a bowl of additional powdered' sugar.**

Tips:
*I crush my pecans by placing them in a large Ziplock bag and hitting them with a wooden mallet or the back of a pan.

Lets talk about cooking!

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Copyright 2012 christineiscooking.com This is an original recipe. You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a link back to the original recipe on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

How to Make Your Own Treat Tower for $5.00 or less

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I make a lot of Christmas cookies.  I prefer to display them on a stackable tower to give me more table space (and it just looks cute)!  I couldn't find any that I wanted to buy, so I made a few of my own this year with some cute vintage plates and wine glasses I got from Goodwill.  You can do this for any occasion or holiday.



This was an easy project.  I was able to purchase each component for less than $1.00

You could put these together with plates and glasses from any thrift store or dollar store. 

Needed:
Plates and/or trays of different sizes
Glass wear
Glue (the type of glue will vary depending on the type of material the plate is made out of and if you want it to be permanent). I used super glue on some and a hot glue gun on others. 
knick knacks to put in the glasses (if you want to).  I used ribbon and bows I had. 

All you do is glue the cups inbetween the plates.  The possibilities are endless. 

The components I used  (total cost of materials for me was $8.60). I already had the ribbon and glue.

Pictures of the end result (I put ribbons in the glasses).  Candy canes would also be cute.

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Copyright 2012 christineiscooking.com You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a direct link back to the article on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

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These were nice and simple with a cute red color for the holidays.  If you want to make these ahead of time, you can bake them and freeze them (unfrosted) using these directions: http://www.christineiscooking.com/2011/07/freezer-burn-saving-your-food-without.html

Makes approx 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 ounce red food coloring

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cupcake / muffin pans with paper baking cups. 

In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and eggs with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, baking soda and vinegar. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt and then stir into the batter just until blended. Spoon the batter into the baking cups filling 1/2 way (filling these 1/2 way will make them rise just to the top which is perfect for frosting)

Bake in the preheated oven for 18 minutes. Frost after completely cooled.  I always use this frosting recipe and added a package of cream cheese as indicated. http://www.christineiscooking.com/2011/11/buttercream-frosting-oamc.html 

I frosted these cupcakes as shown above using a #32 wilton tip with a disposable bag and wilton red sugar sprinkles (shown below). 





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Copyright 2011 christineiscooking.com This is an original recipe. You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a direct link back to the article on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

Christine's Stupid Chicken (4 ingredients)

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It has been one of "those days".... but I still managed to cook some dinner for everyone in less then 5 minutes. I threw this all together by chance... Don't tell anyone, but I liked the sauce it made so much, I licked the plate... ;  ) 

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
(1) 6 ounce dry packet of zesty Italian salad dressing (I used Good Seasons)
(1) 16 ounce container of your favorite salsa
(1) 8 ounce brick of cream cheese

Salt and Pepper

Crock Pot Directions: Combine all ingredients and cook on High for 3 hours or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  Remove the chicken to a plate.  Dump the sauce in a small sauce pan and cook on high for 5 to 10 minutes or until it is reduced to your liking.  Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste and serve over the chicken.

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Copyright 2011 christineiscooking.com This is an original recipe. You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a direct link back to the article on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

Dark Chocolate Covered Oreos (No Bake) Mint or Regular

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Who doesn't love chocolate covered Oreo cookies? 

Why they charge so much for them in the Chocolate Shops; I'll never know.  They are so easy to make. 

Ingredients:
1 package of Oreo Cookies
1 cup of dark chocolate chips
1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon of mint extract (optional)
mint sprinkles (optional)

Directions:
Cook chocolate in the microwave until just melted (do not overheat). For mint chocolate oreos, stir in 1/4 teaspoon of mint extract.  Dip Oreo Cookies into the chocolate mixture. Place on wax paper and sprinkle on mint sprinkles while the chocolate is still hot.

Tip: I usually like to do 1 mint batch and 1 plain chocolate batch.  You can tell the difference by the mint sprinkles on top of the mint ones. 

If you like this recipe, check out my similar No Bake Thin Mint Recipe:
http://www.christineiscooking.com/2011/12/thin-mint-cookies-no-bake.html

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Thin Mint Cookies (No Bake)

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These are my favorite no bake cookies!  The salt from the crackers, the chocolate and mint combine for just pure yummy goodness.  These are so simple!

Ingredients:
2 Sleeves of Ritz Crackers
1 Cup of Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1 Cup of dark chocolate
1/2 teaspoon of mint extract
mint sprinkles

Yields Approx. 16 Cookies

Directions:
Cook chocolate in the microwave until just melted (do not overheat).  Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of mint extract.  Take 2 Ritz Crackers; put together and dip into the chocolate mixture.  Place on wax paper and sprinkle on mint sprinkles while the chocolate is still warm. 

Lets talk about cooking!

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Copyright 2012 christineiscooking.com You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a link back to the original recipe on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

Queso Cheese Dip (Tijuana Flats Copycat) Crock Pot or Microwave

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I recently had some awesome tasting Queso Dip at a party catered by Tijuana Flats.  It was so delicious that I wanted to try and recreate something similar at home.  It took a few go arounds, but I came up with a good homage to the flavor and consistency of their queso.  I absolutely LOVE this cheese dip and will be serving it at my parties. 

You can make this in your microwave or a small 2 quart crock pot.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb Velveeta Queso Blanco
1 cup Shredded Colby Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup half & half
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 can of Rotel (well drained) I use the original mild. I press it in the strainer to drain it well.

Microwave Directions:
Chop the Velveeta Queso Blanco into 1 inch cubes. Add it and the shredded cheese to your bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir.  Microwave until hot and melted; stirring occasionally.

Crock Pot Directions:

Chop the Velveeta Queso Blanco into 1 inch cubes.  Add it and the shredded cheese to your crock pot.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir.  Cook on low in the crock pot until melted (stir the ingredients occasionally while cooking. Once melted turn the crock pot to warm or off).   

Tip: Mild Rotel will add a small amount of heat to this queso. If you prefer no heat at all to your queso, you may try replacing the Rotal with 1 cup of well drained mild salsa.

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Copyright 2013 christineiscooking.com You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a direct link back to the article on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com

Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Coffee (Copycat Recipe)

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I LOVE the Starbucks Peppermint Mocha!

 

When I can't get to Starbucks, I make this copycat version at home.   I enjoy serving this to my friends and relatives during the holidays.

 

A large bottle of peppermint syrup contains about 66 tablespoons and costs around $8.00

You can make a lotta latte's with that $8.00 bottle! 

 

I often find the peppermint syrup at Target.  If not, my local Starbucks will usually sell me a bottle.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons powdered baking cocoa 

3 tablespoons warm water 

2 tablespoons Starbucks peppermint syrup

4 ounces of espresso or very strong coffee

12 ounces steamed milk (you can use warm milk if you don't have a steamer)

Whipped cream
Red Sugar Sprinkles
Hershey's Syrup Special Dark

*You can change this recipe using more or less syrup and change the coffee to milk ratio to suit your tastes.

 Directions:

(1) In a 16 ounce mug, combine the baking cocoa and warm water.  Stir it together into a syrup.

(2) Add the espresso and stir well again.

(3) Add the peppermint syrup and stir.

(4) Steam or warm your milk and add it to the top of the cup and stir.

(5) Top with whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate syrup and red sugar crystals.

My favorite inexpensive way to make strong coffee is to use a French Press using these directions http://www.christineiscooking.com/2011/10/how-to-make-perfect-coffee-in-french.html

Lets talk about cooking!

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Copyright 2012 christineiscooking.com This is an original recipe. You may repost this recipe and its directions only if it is accompanied by a link back to the original recipe on my site. You must be given my express permission for any other use. You can contact me at admin@christineiscooking.com