An Impromptu Christmas Dinner

December 25, 2012.
Ice and snow welcomed the Christ child's birthday.

The boys and I were supposed to be on our way to my sister's, about 80 miles from here, however the weather made other plans for us. She had the turkey and all the trimmings. I had the desserts. Stuck at home with two boys and a mother next door to feed, what could I make from my pantry that would be special enough to call Christmas dinner? Here's what I came up with:
I had chicken breast. I had store bought stuffing. I did have crescent rolls. I had pretty decorations. How could I put it all together.......

First I took the chicken breast and beat them flat. I seasoned the inside before I filled with stuffing.

For the stuffing: my mom had cranberries. So, I took about a cup of cranberries and boiled with water, sugar and cinnamon. When softened, I removed the berries to cool. I added this to the stuffing, prepared per package directions, along with chopped walnuts.

I rolled about two spoonfuls of stuffing inside each breast and pinned with toothpicks. Season the outside with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme.

Our menu:
First course: broccoli and cheese soup

Second course: green salad

Main course: Chicken breasts with cranberry and walnut stuffing.
Fresh broccoli and cheese.
Crescent rolls.

Dessert: assorted cookies and hot chocolate.

All and all a good day and a good meal. I'm calling it, 'The Year I had my mom all to myself for Christmas!'

Christmas cookies and candies, Part 2

Round 2 of fun holiday ideas.

Christmas cookies and candies, Part 1

Hopefully these fun cookies and candies will inspire you. I use white and chocolate almond bark because its so easy to work with and forgiving. Just be careful not to over heat it. Just a few seconds in the microwave at a time. Questions or how to's, just ask.

Cupcakes Round 2

See some more of my creations. Hope you are inspired to bake!

Cupcakes

Cupcakes seem to be my latest passion. See some of my latest creations. Enjoy and be inspired!

Tomato, olive and basil crustini

A quick appetizer to wow your guests.

•Start with a good quality bread loaf. Some places, even Wal-Mart deli counters, will slice the loaves for you. I started with a loaf called everything Italian.
•Drizzle the slices with oil olive and either rub with fresh garlic or spread with minced garlic.
•Chop tomato, black olive and basil leaves. Mix in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and sea or kosher salt. Top loaf slices.
•Top mixture with mozzarella cheese and toast until cheese bubbles.
~~Enjoy!!

Breakfast casserole

A Saturday morning favorite and great to freeze the extra and have all week!

You can easily adapt this recipe to the number of servings you need. For my family of 3:

Potatoes ( hash browns, left over potato wedges, tator tots)
3 eggs
A splash of milk
3-4 slices of crumbled bacon
Shredded cheese

-In a greased loaf pan or glass baking dish, layer the potatoes along the bottom. Enough to cover about an inch thick.
-whisk eggs and milk together. Pour over potatoes.
- add crumbled bacon and cheese to the top. You can make this a single layer or layer multiple times.

Bake 10-15 minutes at 350•

Favorite variations: breakfast sausage, black or green olives, cheddar or other flavored cheeses, salsa, corn, scallions, the possibilities are endless.

Individual lasagnas

I've never liked to make lasagna because the process was such a chore and it always turned out soupy. However, I have a short cut that makes it so easy!

-Brown hamburger meat and drain. I season heavily with salt, pepper, garlic, italian seasoning and cumin.
-In a bowl, combine cooled meat, spaghetti sauce and a few tablespoons of sour cream and set aside.
-Break noodles in half and boil until tender. Drain and cool.
-cut the cooled noodle halves into thirds.
-In a greased muffin tin, layer noodle, meat mixture and mozzarella cheese twice. Top with shredded mozzarella.
-Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins or until bubbling.
-Allow the lasagnas to cool for a few minutes and they will hold together better for serving.

Freeze any left overs for a quick meal.

Cappuccino cupcakes with caramel macchiato cream

Football season always inspires me too cook and bake! I love cupcakes because their so easy and the frosting options are limitless. I started with a cream cheese based vanilla frosting and added two tablespoons of instant cappuccino powder. Add one shot of caramel macchiato creamer. You can also add the cappuccino powder and creamer to the batter if you want to intensify the flavors. With a piping bag, pipe the icing in long swirls. I added a half stick of candy bar and a basil leaf for garnish.