Restaurants
are our specialty. We adore wining and dining at some of the best restaurants
in our city and beyond -- and keeping our readers in the know. Don’t write us
off though when it comes to dabbling in the kitchen. We have our own stash of
recipes and traditions that sing holiday-time to us, and we’re happy to share. Eat, drink and be
merry, from our kitchen (and bar) to yours.
Alex: Turtle cookies will
bring anyone out of his or her shell to obtain several before the cookie tray’s
empty. It’s hard to give these up at a cookie exchange.
Turtle
Cookies
(Makes
about 30)
Cookie
1
cup all-purpose flour
1/3
cup cocoa powder
1/4
tsp. salt
1
stick butter (1/2 cup), softened
2/3
cup sugar
1
large egg, separated, plus 1 additional egg white
2
tbsp. milk
1
tsp. vanilla extract
1
1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
Caramel
Filling
14
soft caramel candies (like Kraft Traditional Caramels)
3
tbsp. heavy cream
Chocolate
Drizzle (optional)
2
oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1
tsp. shortening
Prepare
the Cookies:
Combine
flour, cocoa and salt; set aside. With electric mixer on medium-high speed,
beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk,
milk and vanilla; mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour
mixture until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until
firm, 1 hour.
Preheat
oven to 350ºF. Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy. Place chopped
pecans in another bowl. Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls, dip in egg whites
and then roll in pecans. Place balls about 2 inches apart on a baking
sheet. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center
of each dough ball. Bake until set, about 12 minutes.
Caramel
Filling
Microwave
caramels and cream together in a small bowl, stirring occasionally, until
smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Once
cookies are removed from the oven, gently re-press the indentations. Fill each
indentation with about 1/2 teaspoon of the caramel mixture. Cool on the pan for
10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate
Drizzle
Place
chocolate and shortening in a small zip-top plastic bag. Set bag in a bowl
of warm water to soften. Gently knead the chocolate with your fingers until
melted and smooth, placing back in the warm water for a minute or two as
needed. Snip a very small hole in the corner of the plastic bag. Drizzle
chocolate over the cooled Turtle Cookies.
Amy: These cheese
potatoes remind me of my grandma and Christmastime. They are the perfect side
dish with a HoneyBaked ham.
Grandma’s Easy Cheese Potatoes
2 lbs. frozen potatoes (Ore-Ida diced hash brown potatoes work best)
1 standard can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup
1 standard can Campbell’s Cheese soup
1 pint sour cream
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Mix all ingredients
together in pan. Bake for 1 hour. Take foil off and cook 1 more hour.
Brandon: Chocolate peanut
butter no-bake cookies are
my favorite cookies ever! They’re
fast and easy for a quick fix and downright delectable.
Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
2 cups sugar
4 tbsp. cocoa
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp. vanilla
3 cups oatmeal
Waxed paper
Emily: After we open
presents on Christmas morning, my family heads to Waffle House for breakfast.
We always bring the staff a box of homemade cookies. This recipe is from my
great-grandmother and is always a hit with our favorite Wa-Ho waiters.
Tea
Time Tassies
1
3 oz. package cream cheese
1½
lb. butter
1
cup flour
1
cup brown sugar
1
tsp. vanilla
1
egg
1
dash salt
1
cup nuts (pecans, chopped)
Blend
cream cheese, 1 stick of butter (½ cup) and 1 cup flour over low heat. Put in
refrigerator for 1 hour*. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Pinch off balls of pastry and
spread with fingers into small muffin tins. Beat 1 lb. soft butter, brown
sugar, vanilla, egg and salt; add nuts. Spoon mixture into pastry shells. Bake
about 25 minutes or until light brown.
Erin: December means
layers and bulky sweaters. Thus, there’s no better time to indulge yourself.
Ditch the diet, have a few too many pieces of Texas sheet cake and promise
yourself you’ll exercise that gym membership in the new year.
Texas
Sheet Cake
Serve
with a scoop of ice cream. Serves 12. Easy and freezable.
Cake
2
sticks (1 cup) margarine
1
cup water
4
tbsp. cocoa
2
cups sugar
2
cups flour
1/2
tsp. salt
2
eggs
3/4
cup sour cream
1
tsp. baking soda
Preheat
oven to 375ºF. Bring margarine, water and cocoa to a boil. Remove from heat and
add sugar, flour and salt. Beat in eggs, sour cream and soda. Mix very
thoroughly in a mixer. Pour into greased and floured 10”x15” jelly roll pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until sides of cake pull away from pan.
Icing
1
stick butter (1/2 cup)
4
tbsp. cocoa
4
tbsp. milk
1
lb. confectioners’ sugar
1
tsp. vanilla extract
While
cake is baking, put all ingredients in heavy saucepan. Over medium-low heat,
allow butter to melt, stirring ingredients together with wire whisk. Do not
allow to boil. Keep warm over low heat until cake is baked. Pour icing over
cake immediately after removing from oven.
Gretchen: Spinach balls roll
some festive greenery onto a holiday table. A yummy epiphany led me to set each
ball on a slice of tomato and provolone cheese before baking, and I’ve never
looked back.
Spinach Balls
10
oz. package chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2
cup herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing, finely crushed
1⁄2
cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2
tsp. garlic powder
1⁄2
tsp. black pepper, ground
1
tsp. Italian seasoning
1⁄2
cup butter, melted
3
eggs, beaten
Optional:
tomato slices and provolone cheese slices
Mandy: This is a new
family favorite since we are always looking for delicious ways to use up
bananas that are getting too ripe. It's sweet but still feels wholesome enough
for a holiday breakfast.
Banana Gingerbread Muffins
(adapted from a Chiquita Bananas recipe)
1 tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. very finely ground fresh pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. ground flax seed
3/4 tsp. baking soda
2 egg whites
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
3 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1/4 cup molasses
Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray a muffin tin
with nonstick baking spray or insert paper muffin liners. Add spices and salt
to a bowl with baking soda and flour and set aside. Beat egg whites in a large
bowl until frothy. Add in sugar and oil and beat a little more. Stir in mashed
bananas and molasses and beat for 1 minute more. Add in dry ingredients and
stir until combined. Spoon into muffin tin and bake for approximately 25
minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean.
Melissa: I have never made my friend Gretchen’s Awesome, Amazing, Addictive Sugar Cookies, but I have
inhaled many. I’m claiming this recipe as my holiday favorite and hear Santa is
partial to them, too.
Gretchen’s Awesome, Amazing, Addictive Sugar Cookies
Cookie Dough
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 egg
3 tbsp. whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. of lemon extract or other flavored extract
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Combine sugar, butter, egg, whipping cream, vanilla and lemon extract. Beat with mixer until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt and gradually mix into the bowl of wet ingredients until a firm dough forms. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
On floured surface, roll out dough and cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place about 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, until edges are a light golden brown.
When cookies have cooled completely, ice the cookies with Royal Icing (recipe below) and decorate as desired. Allow to dry completely, before stacking (approximately 8 hours).
Royal Icing
1 lb. confectioners’ sugar
3 tbsp. meringue powder
4 tbsp. warm water
Food coloring
In a small bowl, mix meringue powder with warm water. Let set for 15 minutes.
In a large bowl mix confectioners’ sugar and meringue mixture to desired consistency. If you prefer a thinner icing, add water 1/2 tsp. at a time. Divide icing in small bowls and stir in food coloring for desired colors.
After icing the cookies, keep cookies flat/untouched to air dry. Icing will take approximately 8 hours to harden for stacking.
Tuan: Holidays mean
family time. Sometimes that’s all the more reason to have a drink in hand.
Cheers!
Family
Time Cocktail
1
lowball glass
2-3
whiskey stones, chilled
3
oz. Woodford Reserve bourbon
Place
2-3 chilled whiskey stones into lowball glass. Pour 3 ounces of Woodford
Reserve bourbon into glass. Find a relaxing chair by the Christmas tree and a
roaring fireplace. Drink, relax, repeat.
Audrey: My mom and I have
been making Gooey Dessert Bars together since I was very young. Anyone who’s
notorious for eating cookie dough before baking will find these hard to resist.
For a festive spin, swap red and green M&M’S for the chocolate chips.
Gooey
Dessert Bars
1
18.5-oz. box yellow cake mix
1
cup firmly packed brown sugar
1
stick (½ cup) butter or margarine, softened
2
large eggs, lightly beaten
2
tsp. vanilla extract
1
6-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
