You're a mean (sweet "cookie") one... Mr. Grinch!

I have always loved the Christmas season. I love it so much that when my husband and I got married, it was a Christmas themed wedding.  I absolutely loved it - we had Christmas themed invitations with a bride and groom, we had wreaths sent in from Maine for centerpieces, the church was decorated with pointsettas and a nativity, the bridesmaids looked great in red halter dresses with rhinestones, and I had a faux fur white coat to go over my dress in between the ceremony and reception (it was absolutely freezing that day and I had a strapless dress.).

In addition to our anniversary, my birthday and Mike's birthday are also in December.  So, I guess you could say this is probably the busiest, but definitely one of the most celebrated, festive, and exciting time of year for us.  I know the Christmas season doesn't techinically end until January 6, but slowly but surely things are calming down (although the traffic for the malls hasn't - thats definitely something I could do without!) and a new year will be here in less than two days. 

So for those of you who want to hang on to some holiday cheer just a little longer, here are some Grinch cookies I made a few weeks ago.  I had a Grinch party with two of my nieces and baked these cookies for them while we watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  The recipe actually came from Pinterest (and I think ultimately from a Betty Crocker recipe), and although it's not a retro recipe, these cookies are honestly so ridiculously easy to make, look great, and taste amazing.  Everyone from my nieces, my husband, my sister and brother-in-law, and my parents were fighting over who got to eat the last ones.  Also, the Grinch is a retro movie, so I guess it still counts.  :)

Anyway, now the Grinch cookie recipe.  I found this recipe on Pinterest, if you look under my new and exciting recipes board you'll find the link to where I got the recipe from.  I followed the recipe exactly except for the very end - it called for 8-10 minutes in the oven.  I found that 10-12 would be better.

GRINCH COOKIES

*  1 pouch (1lb 15oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
*  1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
*  1/4 - 1/2 mint  tsp extract
*  8 drops food coloring (you can add a bit more if you want a really green cookie)
*  1 egg
*  1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
*  1 cup creme de menth baking chips (I found it impossible to find actual chips, so I got Andes Creme de Menthe Thins and made them into chips myself.)

Makes approximately 34-38 cookies.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease.  Set oven to 350 F.

Break the Andes chocolates into little chips and until you have a cup worth.

In large mixing bowl stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food coloring, and egg until a soft dough forms.

Stir in Andes chocolates and semi-sweet chocolate chunks. 

Using a small cookie scoop or a teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until set.  Cool 3 minutes and move to wire rack.

Serve warm (they're extra delicious that way) or cool completely (still pretty delicious!).  Store tightly covered at room temperature.  Enjoy!!

"Pound" Cake... Or a little more!

Long time, no talk!  It's been a few weeks since my last post and before I share my next retro recipe, I thought I'd show you all a glimpse into our Christmas Season 2011...

On December 9, Mike and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary by spending a few days in Punta Cana.  It was an amazing few days and we couldn't have asked for a better vacation of just relaxing and spending time together.  Here is a picture of Michael by the pool:

When we came home, we had a Christmas party at the firm where Mike works.  There were lots of people, dancing, and we had a great time spent with friends.  Here we are at the party:

A few days later we had Mike's birthday and then a few days later it was Christmas.  Here is our photo we used on our Christmas cards this year:

So, all in all it was a hectic (there were a few bumpy surprises over the past few weeks, but luckily they all worked out), but wonderful Christmas season spent with our friends and families.  Couldn't have asked for more!

And now on to my retro recipes - I have plenty to share, but for this post I am going to share one of my favorite recipes ever that my family has always had on Christmas Eve.  There are many traditions in my family for Christmas Eve dinner, such as the Feast of the Seven Fishes (We're Italian), but this retro recipe is always the perfect ending an amazing meal.  It's for this reason I don't have a book to share this cake's origin, but I can definitely tell you it's been tried and true.

Starting in the 1950's my grandmother made it for my dad and my uncles when they were little, and then my mom made it for us, and now I make it!  It's a 12 Egg Pound Cake.  Sounds intimidating, I know...  Thats why we only have it once a year!  However, it can be made any time during the year.  I know some people put a glaze or powdered sugar on their poundcakes, but honestly this can be served on it's own or with some fruit on the side.  The next morning it can be thinly sliced and very lightly toasted (or not) for breakfast. 

12 EGG POUND CAKE

*  4  1/2 sticks of butter, softened

*  12 eggs

*  3 tsp vanilla

*  1 tsp of orange, lemon, or anise extract (I prefer and always use the orange, but the other two work well too)

*  3  1/2 cups of flour

*  1 lb powdered sugar

Makes one pound cake.  Use a greased large tube pan (on lower rack in oven place a cookie sheet with a layer of tin foil just in case there is any leakage from the cake.).  Set oven to 350 degrees. 

Use six small bowls or cups and crack the eggs, two at a time in each.  This will make this recipe infinitely easier later.

Cream butter.

Add eggs, two at a time, while beating.

Add vanilla and extract, while beating.  Then spoon in flour and sugar, alternating each one, while beating.  Pour batter into tube pan.  Try to make sure it's as level as possible.  Put in the oven for an hour and half.

Let cool in pan for five minutes and then cool on cooling rack.  Cut into slices.  Serve and enjoy!

Hoping you all had a very Merry Christmas and that the rest of the season and New Year is just as fabulous!  Happy 2012!

















A Peanut Buttery Wake-Up Call

Love, love, love peanut butter.  I found a bunch of breakfast recipes that have peanut butter, but honestly I just wanted one that was easy and that called for very few ingredients that were most likely in my cabinets already.  So when I found this recipe last night I got really excited to try it this morning - it was delicious.  Only thing - it is super filling so if you have big plans for lunch, try this another day! 

Rarebit was pretty common in the 1950s and 60s.  It is usually made with a beer and cheese base and poured over toast - this recipe replaces the beer and cheese with peanut butter and milk.  I decided to take this recipe up a notch and put in in the oven for 5 minutes after it was finished, but that is totally optional.  As usual, original recipe will be at the bottom if you'd like to try it instead. 

PEANUT BUTTER RAREBIT:

*  2 eggs

*  1  1/2 cups milk

*  6 tbs peanut butter

*  1 tsp salt

*  4 slices buttered toast

Makes 4 servings. 

   *** If you are choosing to put it in the oven, you'll need to set the oven to 350 degrees and grease a medium casserole dish. ***

Beat eggs slightly.

Add milk, peanut butter, and salt.  Mix.

Cook in double boiler for 12-15 minutes. 

Pour over buttered toast. 

   ***  If you are sticking to a truer rarebit recipe and not putting it in the oven, you'd be finished here.  ***

Put in oven for 5 minutes and use spatula to dish out servings.  Enjoy!

Original recipe:

















Ricotta Cream Puffs... YUM!

Anyone ever try making cream puffs?  I tried a few years ago when Mike and I first got married.  Well, it was an absolute disaster.  They were gigantic and a complete mess to eat and clean up after.  I know I am a good baker, but I couldn't figure out what I did wrong.  So I just stayed away from them for a while.  Well, I finally got brave (sort of) a few weeks ago and asked my grandmother for some supervision while I made ricotta cream puffs - I figured she'd let me know if I was doing something wrong.  They came out amazing and I've made them twice since - now I've got it down to a science and have them done in no time!  Still have no idea what I did wrong with the ones a few years ago, but these are pretty easy and taste fabulous. 

These ricotta cream puffs come from the Poll-O Ricotta & Mozzarella cookbook from the 1950s that I mentioned last week.  I absolutely love this book and so excited that I found this recipe.  The ingredients are pretty few and most of them are ones that are typically on hand.  You may find you have some extra filling after you fill them - I made cookie sandwiches with chocolate chip cookies and plain chocolate cookies.  They too were a big hit!

P.S. - I did a few changes while making these cream puffs after the first round that just made them taste and look slightly better.  However, as usual the original is at the bottom of the blog incase you want to try that one.  :)

PUFFS:
*  1/2 cup shortening
*  1 cup water
*  1  1/2 cups flour
*  dash of salt (or slighty less than 1/8 teaspoon)
*  4 eggs

Set oven to 350 degrees.  Makes 16-20 puffs.  Line 2 cookie sheets or shallow pans with parchement paper, lightly greased.



RICOTTA FILLING:
*  1 lb drained ricotta
*  2 squares finely grated milk chocolate (you can add another square or two more if you like a richer taste)
*  1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract  (both work equally as well)
*  1 tbs grated citron (optional - some people either love it or hate.  I skipped on it because my husband isn't a huge fan)
*  3 tbs milk

Makes enough to fill 16-20 puffs and a little extra.


PUFFS:  Place shortening, water, and salt in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.

Add flour and mix well.  Cook two minutes, stirring constantly.  Put in mixing bowl and allow to cool.  (Immediately move pan into sink and let soak in soapy water.) 

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each egg is added with a hand mixer on medium-low.  Beat for another five minutes.  Drop by tablespoon pan or cookie sheet.  Round the bottom edges with your fingers to make the middle of the puff bigger.  You want the center bigger than the edges because this will make them easier to fill. 

Bake in oven for 30 minutes.  Remove to cooling rack.

When cool slit top with a sharp pointed knife.  Remove dough inside without cracking the outside. 

Fill with ricotta filling.  Cover with top outside piece of puff.

RICOTTA PUDDING:  Blend all ingredients thoroughly.  If necessary add milk sparingly to achieve custard like mixture.  Cool until ready for use.

Enjoy!

Original recipe:

Trim-It-Down Thursdays! Casseroles, sweet peas, and dessert... OH MY!

So as much as I love food from the past, unfortunately a majority of it wasn't made for the dieters of today.  It's because of this that I'd like to introduce to you "Trim-It-Down Thursday".  I'll follow a recipe as close as I can to the original, but with lower calorie options.  As usual, I'll post the original recipe at the end if you want to try it out.  Anyway, this week I decided to blog about the whole meal that the hubs and I had for dinner tonight...  Entree, veggie, and dessert.  :)

Casseroles were and still are popular entrees for a good reason - they usually hit the spot and make for a great meal.  They're definitely one of my favorites and only just realized how much my  husband likes them too - I had to beg him to stop eating so he would have enough to bring to work for lunch tomorrow.  The one I chose was from the early 1950s and is a Tuna & Mushroom Casserole...  (calling for a lot of potato chips inside and out).   What retro meal would be complete without a veggie?  So I also made some sweet peas (recipe I put together myself because I had heard somewhere that veggies were usually sweetened) and put out some low fat bakery rolls on the side. 

Finally for dessert I chose a recipe from a cookbook that was my grandmother's and after she pretty much could make all the recipes on her own she gave it to my mom, and not I'm in the middle of trying to get it from her.  The cookbook is also from the early 1950s and was printed from the "Polly-O" cheese company.  I chose to make an Applesauce & Ricotta pudding - it's super quick and easy. 

TUNA AND MUSHROOM CASSEROLE
*  4 tbs low fat butter (Land-O-Lakes Light Butter with Oil is a great one.  You can barely tell the difference between that and regular butter)
*  4 tbs flour
*  1/4 pepper (I used cracked pepper to give it a bit of a kick)
*  2 1/2 cups fat free milk
*  3 1/8 oz Baked Lays Original Potato Crisps
*  15 oz Light tuna in water, drained and flaked with a fork
*  8 oz  sliced cooked mushrooms

Set oven to 350 degrees.  Makes 6 servings.  Grease one medium sized casserole dish.


SWEET PEAS
*  1  can of sweet peas
*  1/2 tbs low fat butter
*  1 packet no calorie sweetener

Makes 2 servings.


APPLESAUCE AND RICOTTA
*  2 cups fat free ricotta
*  3 packets no calorie sweetener
*  2 cups natural unsweeted applesauce
*  1/2 tsp cinnamon

Makes 5 servings.


CASSEROLE:  Put potato crisps in a large ziplock bag and use the ball of your hand to crush crisps into crumbles.  Set aside. 

Spray a small pan with non-stick spray and stir mushrooms just until they start to become brown over medium heat.  Set aside.

Melt butter in top of double boiler; blend in flour and pepper; add milk gradually and cook until thickened. 

Combine 3/4 of potato crisp crumbs with fish, mushrooms, and sauce.  Pour into greased casserole.

Cover with remaining potato crisps.

Bake in moderate oven for 30-40 minutes.  I baked mine for 40 minutes and would recommend it because the top and edges of casserole came out with a slight crisp.

SWEET PEAS:  Mix ingredients together in a cereal bowl.  Put in microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir again and serve.

APPLESAUCE AND RICOTTA:  Combine all ingredients.  Blend thoroughly. 

Pour into serving dishes.  Or for better portion control pour into small gelatin bowls with lids.  Chill until ready to serve.

Original recipes for the casserole and applesauce mixture are below.  Enjoy!

You Put the Rum With the Coconut... Mix It All Together!

Not sure if anyone is as much of a coconut fan as I am, but I could definitely eat it with every meal of my day for a week straight and not get bored.  My grandmother always did a lot more baking during the Christmas season and Rum Balls have always been at the top of my list.  Apparently they were quite popular duing the 50s. 

Well, turns out they've been around a lot longer than 60 years - they date back to the Colonial times.  So as promised, I am trying out recipes from different centuries, as well as decades.  Those Colonists really knew what they were doing with the chocolate, rum, and coconut.  These were super easy to make and I brought them to my husband's family on Thanksgiving.  His aunt and I almost ate the whole plate.  Hope you and your loved ones enjoy them as much as I did!

We always went to Williamsburg, Virginia (which for those of you with children I strongly recommend! And Busch Gardens is a lot of fun too!) as kids and my mom happened to buy this book one year.  A few years ago I made a punch out of it for my sister's baby shower and it's been in my possession ever since.  ;)  It really has some pretty good recipes in it!  Anyway, I'm typing it below according to what I did, but you can find the original at the bottom.

TIPSY COCONUT SNOWBALL TRUFFLES
*  1 lb semisweet chocolate
*  1/2 cup heavy cream
*  4 tbs (1/2 stick) butter
*  1 cup finely ground PLAIN chocolate cookies
*  1/3 cup dark or golden rum  (I used Captain Morgan)
*  1 1/2 cup grated, toasted coconut
*  1/2 cup confectioners sugar (I found this to be optional.  They're very rich and sweet as it is and I didn't add it, but if you use a dark or bitter chocolate it might be needed)

Finely chop cookies similar to how you would an onion.  I had a heaping cup of chopped cookie and it worked out great.  Set aside.

Melt chocolate in a medium sized bowl over barely simmering water (double boiler).  In a separate saucepan warm the heavy cream over medium-high heat.  Add to melted chocolate.  Next add the butter to the chocolate mixture and mix until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Mix in cookie crumbs and rum.  Transfer to a small baking dish.

Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until mixture is firm.

Scoop out the truffle mixture with a melon baller, occasionally dipped into hot water, and form into balls.  Roll truffles in coconut and store the truffles in any remaining coconut.  Allow the truffles to set in a cool place for at least 2 hours. (I did it overnight and they were a good texture).  I found it made around 40 truffles, but I might have made them a little bigger.  Supposed to make 50 of them.  Enjoy!

Here is the original recipe from the book.