WARNING: This is one long blog but that's because I have a lot of recipes to cover. Hang in there!
Date I made these
recipes: Week of November 26, 2012
100 Best Classic Tapas
Published by: Love Food
ISBN: 978-1-4454-0388-5
Recipes:
Salted Almonds – p. 14; Sautéed Garlic Mushrooms – p. 22; Oven-Baked
Tortilla (omelet) – p. 142
Good Housekeeping Appetizers – Delicious Dips,
Spreads, Finger Foods & More
by Good Housekeeping Magazine (purchased at Arc’s Value Village Thrift Stores)
Published by: Hearst Books
978-1-57215-705-7
Recipe:
Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip – p. 17
Perfect Party Food: All the Recipes and Tips You’ll
Ever Need for Stress-Free Entertaining
by Diane Phillips
Published by: The Harvard Common Press
ISBN: 13: 9781558322608
Recipes: Bruschetta Bar: Artichoke Topping; Herb-Roasted Tomatoes;
Wild Mushroom Spread; Oven-Roasted Caponata (Sicilian eggplant mixture) – p.
127-128
Cake Balls
by Robin Ankeny and Charlotte Lyon of The Cake Ball Company
Published by: Running Press Cooks
ISBN: 978-0-7624-4576-9
Recipes:
Chocolate Toffee Cake Balls – p. 40; Coconut Cream Cake Balls – p. 79;
Gingerbread Cake Balls – p. 97
Nestle Best-Loved Cookies by Nestle
Published by: Nestle
ISBN: 0-696-20637-4
Recipe: Mini
Morsel Meringue Cookies (a HUGE hit!) – p. 14
Bonus recipe: Pomegranate Guacamole from Food Network Magazine pull-out 50 Easy Appetizers, November 2012
“Tis the season for
holiday entertaining and this year, I found some great recipes to make that are
sure to please any party guests. In
fact, so far two of my husband Andy’s male friends have contacted him for recipes
so that’s saying something, especially since one of them wanted a cookie
recipe!
Over the years, I have
started adding magazine recipes to cookbook recipes for a couple of
reasons: one, food magazines often publish
issues specifically related to holiday entertaining; two, I am reasonably
certain that the recipes I choose will be successful as many of them were
created by well-known, trusted chefs and third, there’s the ease of locating
recipes via online searches if I have questions. Sure, I always start stocking up on cookbooks
related to party treats early in the year but to go through the other cookbooks
in my collection to look for party recipes would take me all the way up to my
next soiree a year from now. When it
comes to holiday entertaining, simple is better.
Before I get to the
recipes, let me share some observations and tips about party planning:
- “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” (From the
movie, Jaws) Sadly, our house is small and our
potential guest list is huge. Can
the rental of the
- My friends like to tease me about my
organization skills but I have planned everything from huge charity galas
to small dinner parties and organization is the key. I have spreadsheets of everything from
party guests to ingredients to a calendar showing what day of the week I
can start cooking. I also have a
list of post-event notes so that I can refresh my memory the next year
when it comes to what I purchased and where. (Favorite local shopping
venues this year: Bachman’s
(decorations); Arc’s Value Village (tableware, decorations); Bed, Bath
& Beyond (serving pieces); Rainbow Foods, Trader Joes, Target and
Whole Foods (groceries).
- The French kitchen concept of mise en place
(everything in place) is essential; I chop herbs in advance, put them in
baggies and label them; I measure out dry ingredients for cookies and bars
in advance, label them and then put them aside so that when the baking
starts, we are halfway there.
Anything you can do to reduce the kitchen time (like baking all
items at 350 before moving on to recipes baking at 375) will keep you
sane. I generally start making food
the weekend before and freeze items if possible for later reheating.
- Many recipes “exaggerate” the yield that you
can expect. I’ve had recipes call
for 2-4 cups only to eek out a measly 1 cup, and I’ve had recipes that
promised less only to end up with twice the amount. I doubled down on only a few recipes
this year, many of them after seeing the “output” from round one. If you have time, make a second batch if
needed.
- The best time to start stocking up on basics
like condiments or baking items is the day after your event!
With that in mind, let’s
look at the menu and where to find the recipes (those in bold are included in
this blog):
- Chicken Meatballs with Sweet Peanut Sauce –
from the magazine Everyday with
Rachael Ray (go online at www.rachaelraymag.com
to search for recipes). I bake
these meatballs at 400 degrees for 25 minutes rather than pan-fry.
- Chafing Dish Meatballs (the ones with chili
sauce and grape jelly) – from Betty Crocker’s Hostess Cookbook; Collectible Cooking Blog Post 12/9/2009
or click the Tag “Appetizer.”
- Oven-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes (Google to
find several roasted potato recipes to suit) with Horseradish-Dill Dipping
sauce from the cookbook The Roasted Vegetable Cookbook. Information on The Roasted Vegetable
Cookbook can be found on my blog post from 11/4/12.
- Blue Cheese Dip with Chives from Delicious
Dips; Collectible Cooking Blog
Post 12/8/2011 or click the Tag “Appetizer.”
- Pomegranate Guacamole from Food Network Magazine, November 2012
(this was in a pull-out booklet “50 Easy Appetizers.” This recipe was VERY popular but due to
a bad batch of avocados (from two different stores!), it made less than I
hoped and the bowl was licked clean.
Go to www.foodnetwork.com
and under recipes, search for “50 Easy Appetizers;” the guacamole is
number 9! (Ann’s Note: Ah, what the
heck, it’s Christmas. I posted this
as the last recipe on this blog – see below!)
- Edamame Hummus from Bon Appetit Magazine, December 2011. Go to www.bonappetit.com and enter
“Edamame Hummus” in the search field.
- Herb Coeur A La Crème (Cheese Spread) by Ina
Garten, published in Food Network
Magazine, September 2012.
Recipe also available online at www.foodnetwork.com. Guests loved the lemon in this recipe.
- Roasted
Red Pepper and Walnut Dip – Good Housekeeping Appetizers Cookbook (new
cookbook this year). (This was very tasty and a last minute addition
seeing as how I bought the book days before the party!)
- Rye Crackers (with or without caraway) – StarTribune newspaper, November 7,
2012, (Taste Section), from my friend and uber baker, Kim Ode.
- Seedy Crisps (crackers) – StarTribune newspaper, December 28, 2011, (Taste Section)
- Salted
Almonds from the book 100 Best Classic Tapas (new cookbook this year)
- Sauteed
Garlic Mushrooms from 100 Best Classic Tapas
- Oven-Baked
Spanish Tortilla (omelet) 100 Best Classic Tapas
- Bruschetta
Bar with Four Toppings (Artichoke; Herb-Roasted Tomatoes; Wild Mushroom;
Oven-Roasted Caponata) from Perfect Party Food: All the Recipes and Tips
You’ll Ever Need for Stress-Free (new cookbook this year)
- Mini
Morsel Meringue Cookies from the Nestle Best-Loved Cookies Cookbook (new
cookbook this year)
- Coconut
Cream Cake Balls; Chocolate Toffee Cake Balls; Gingerbread Cake Balls from
the Cake Balls Cookbook (new cookbook this year)
- (The Barefoot Contessa i.e. Ina Garten) Lemon
Bars – Barefoot Contessa Parties! Cookbook or Collectible Cooking Blog Post 12/8/2009
- Almond Bon Bons – Betty Crocker Christmas
Cookbook or Collectible Cooking
Blog Post 12/8/2010
Whew!
So let’s tackle the new recipes
from cookbooks I used this year for this shindig.
Salted Almonds
(Note: Recipes from this cookbook, 100 Best Classic Tapas, do not list
specific quantities because all serving sizes say “serves X-Y as a tapas meal. Well, I don’t know how many tapas are in a
meal because they don’t say! So let the
quantity of ingredients be your guide!)
8 oz/225 g whole almonds,
blanched or in their skins – BUT NOTE:
buy blanched if at all possible.
I tried blanching them and then removing their skins and it was
one.big.mess. I went out and bought
blanched almonds and called it a day!
4 T olive oil (Spanish if
you have it)
Coarse sea salt
1 tsp paprika or ground
cumin (optional) (Ann’s Note: I thought
the taste with paprika was bland so I added cumin. It was better but I’ll look for a new recipe
for next year)
Preheat the oven to
350. Fresh almonds in their skins are
superior in taste, but blanched almonds are much more convenient. If the almonds are not blanched, place them
in a large bowl, cover with boiling water for 3-4 minutes, then drain and
plunge them into cold water for 1 minute.
Drain them well in a strainer, then slide off their skins between your
fingers. Dry the almonds on a paper
towel. (Ugh – never again will I do this!
Buy blanched!)
Place the olive oil in a
roasting pan and swirl it around so that it covers the base. Add the almonds and toss them in the pan so
that they are evenly coated in oil, then spread them out in a single layer.
Roast almonds in the
preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until they are light golden brown, tossing
several times during the cooking. Drain
the almonds on paper towels, then transfer them to a bowl.
While the almonds are
still warm, sprinkle with plenty of sea salt and paprika, if using, and toss
together to coat. Serve the almonds warm
or cold. The almonds are at their best
when served freshly cooked so, if possible, on the day you plan to eat them. However, they can be stored in an airtight
container for up to 3 days.
Sauteed Garlic Mushrooms – Makes about 2 cups
1 lb button mushrooms
5 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely
chopped
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper
4 T chopped fresh parsley
Wipe or brush clean the
mushrooms, then trim the stems. Cut any
large mushrooms in half or into quarters.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottom skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds – 1
minute, or until lightly browned. Add
the mushrooms and sauté over high heat, stirring frequently, until the
mushrooms have absorbed all the oil in the skillet.
Reduce the heat to
low. When the juices have come out of
the mushrooms, increase the heat again and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring
frequently, until the juices have almost evaporated. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and season to
taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the
parsley and cook for an additional minute.
(Note: If you want to serve this as a tapa meal, then garnish with lemon
wedges and serve piping hot or warm, accompanied with crusty bread to mop up
the juices.)
Oven-baked Tortilla – makes 70 1-inch squares (Ann’s Note:
in Spain
4 T olive oil (Spanish if
you have it) plus extra for oiling
1 large garlic clove,
crushed
4 scallions, white and
green parts finely chopped
1 green bell pepper,
seeded and finely diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded
and finely diced
6 oz potato, boiled,
peeled and diced (roughly 1 large baking potato)
5 large eggs
Scant ½ cup sour cream
6 oz cheese, grated
(Spanish Rocal, Cheddar or Parmesan – we used Parmesan)
3 T snipped fresh chives
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to
375. Line a 7 x 10-inch baking sheet (or
pan) with foil and brush with a little olive oil. Reserve.
Place the olive oil,
garlic, scallions, and bell peppers in a skillet and cook over medium heat,
stirring, for 10 minutes, or until the onions are softened but not
browned. Let cool then stir in the
potato.
Beat the eggs, sour cream,
cheese, and chives together in a large bowl.
Stir the cooled vegetables into the bowl and season to taste with salt
and pepper.
Pour the mixture into the
baking sheet and smooth over the top.
Bake in the preheated oven 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown, puffed,
and set in the center. Remove from the oven
and let cool and set. Run a spatula around
the edge, then invert onto a cutting board browned-side up, and peel off the foil. If the surface looks a little runny, place it
under a medium broiler to dry out.
Let cool completely. Trim the edges if necessary, then cut into 48
squares (Ann’s Note: we cut into 70
1-inch squares). Serve on a platter with
wooden toothpicks.
Ann’s Note: I made this recipe the night before. I also precut all the onions, peppers, etc.
the night before that, reserving only the potato to cook the same day I prepped
this recipe.
Roasted Pepper and Walnut Dip – makes about 2 cups
4 medium red bell peppers
½ cup walnuts
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 slices firm white bread,
torn into pieces
2 tablespoons raspberry or
balsamic vinegar
1 T olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red
pepper (cayenne)
Toasted pita bread
triangles
Ann’s Note: This recipe calls for you to broil the
peppers to roast them but since I have a gas stove, I prefer to put them on my
stovetop, right over the burner, and char them that way. It takes a little longer but with the same
results (and then I don’t have to clean a pan!).
Preheat broiler. Line broiling pan with foil. Cut each red pepper lengthwise in half;
remove and discard stems and seeds.
Arrange peppers, cut side down, in prepared pan. Place pan in broiler, 5 to 6 inches from heat
source. Broil peppers, without turning,
until skin is charred and blistered, 8 to 10 minutes. Wrap peppers in foil and allow to steam at
room temperature 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Ann’s Note:
If you roast on your stovetop, do not cut the peppers. Keep turning the pepper until the entire
pepper is blackened. Place the blackened
pepper in a paper bag, seal the bag and remove the pepper(s) after 15
minutes. The skin will peel right off!
Meanwhile, turn oven
control to 350. Spread walnuts in metal
baking pan and bake 8 to 10 minutes, until toasted. In 8-inch skillet, toast cumin over low heat
until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove
from heat. Remove peppers from
foil. Peel skin and discard. Cut peppers into large pieces.
In food processor with
knife blade attached, process walnuts until ground. Add roasted peppers, bread, vinegar, olive
oil. Cumin, salt and ground red pepper; puree until smooth. Transfer to serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before
serving. Serve with toasted pita
triangles. (Ann’s Note: Trader Joe’s has
mini pita breads – regular and whole wheat- that we bought and then cut in
half. They were the perfect size for
serving. And speaking of Trader Joe’s,
they also had bags of mini peppers – red, yellow and orange – that, when cut in
4’s, were the perfect size for dipping into the party dips I made. I LOVE Trader Joe’s!)
Bruschetta Bar with Four Toppings: Artichoke, Herb-Roasted Tomatoes, Wild
Mushroom and Oven-Roasted Caponata (Eggplant)
Here’s an important point
you need to know right off the bat:
Bruschetta toppings are meant to be chunky but I like them “pulsed” a
bit in the food processor to make them easier to serve and to increase the
yield if need be. The Artichoke Topping yield should be two
cups but instead it made double that (and the recipe itself was only
“okay”). The Herb-Roasted Tomatoes should have yielded 4 cups but I’ll be damned
if it didn’t make just one lousy cup so I made the recipe again, this time
achieving about 2 cups (and it was outstanding!). The Wild
Mushroom Spread yields about 2 cups if you make the entire recipe but I
halved it and it yielded a generous 1 cup and that was fine – some people are
“meh” when it comes to mushrooms. The Oven-Roasted Caponata yields 3 cups and
that is more than I wanted but I forgot to halve the ingredients. No worries on my part—my family loves
Caponata and used to go through jars of it over the holidays. It’s a Sicilian thing for sure!
By the way, those
expecting a creamy artichoke dip topping (like many restaurants serve) will be
disappointed as this is meant to be a fresh spread with no baking involved;
don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Artichoke Topping – makes 2 cups
Two 6-ounce jars marinated
artichokes, drained and coarsely chopped
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine
vinegar
¼ cup pine nuts
½ cup freshly grated
Parmesan cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh
Italian parsley
In a medium size bowl,
combine all the ingredients. (That’s it!)
This recipe can be made
and refrigerated for up to 4 days; bring to room temperature before serving.
Herb-Roasted Tomatoes – makes about 4 cups (Nope, not if you don’t double it! Even then, it yields about 2 cups and that is
if you pulse it in the food processor—and you should!)
Two 28-ounce cans peeled
whole tomatoes, drained and juice reserved (Ann’s Note: you can toss the juice as you won’t need it
at all.)
½ cup extra virgin olive
oil
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
leaves, crushed
½ cup chopped red onion
6 cloves garlic, coarsely
chopped
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper
Preheat the oven to
350F. Line a jelly roll pan with a
silicone liner or aluminum foil.
Cut the tomatoes in half
and put in a large glass bowl. Stir in
the olive oil, basil, rosemary, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, being careful
not to tear the tomatoes. Pour onto the
prepared pan, spreading it out in a single layer. Bake until the tomato liquid is absorbed and
the tomatoes have firmed up and turned a deep red color, 1 to 1 ½ hours,
checking to make sure that the tomatoes and garlic don’t brown.
Transfer the tomato
mixture to a clean glass bowl and let it mellow at room temperature for about
six hours.
Ann’s Note: I pulsed each batch (I made two) in the
Cuisinart until it was of a chucky consistency (not quite tomato paste, but
close) and the crowd went wild!
This recipe can be made
ahead and refrigerated for up for 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Serve at room temperature.
Wild Mushroom Spread – makes about 2 cups
2 pounds assorted fresh
wild mushrooms, such as shiitake, oyster, porcini, Portobello, or cremini,
stems removed or trimmed and caps halved or quartered, depending upon their
size
¼ cup extra virgin olive
oil
3 tablespoon balsamic
vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons freshly
ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh
rosemary
Preheat the oven to
400F. Put the mushrooms on a baking
sheet lined with a silicone liner or aluminum foil.
In a small bowl, combine
the remaining ingredients. Pour over the
mushrooms, toss to coat well, and roast for 20 minutes. Let cool, then, using a slotted spoon,
transfer the mushrooms to a food processor and pulse a few times to chop
coarsely.
This recipe can be made
and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Bring
to room temperature before serving.
Oven-Roasted Caponata – makes about 3 cups
2 medium-size purple
eggplants (about 1 ½ pounds), ends trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
¼ cup extra virgin olive
oil
6 cloves garlic
½ cup coarsely chopped
onion
½ cup coarsely chopped
celery
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes
(optional)
2 tablespoons each
balsamic vinegar and firmly packed light brown sugar (or you can make Balsamic
Vinegar Syrup found on page 480 and use ¼ cup for the recipe in place of the
brown sugar and vinegar)
One 15.5 ounce can crushed
tomatoes
2 teaspoons chopped fresh
basil
½ cup drained and chopped
pitted green olives
¼ cup drained and chopped
capers
½ cup chopped fresh
Italian parsley
Preheat the oven to 400F
and line a baking sheet with a silicone liner or aluminum foil.
Drizzle the cut side of
the eggplant with a little olive oil, and lay, cut side down, on the baking
sheet. Place the garlic on the baking
sheet and drizzle with some of the oil, serving the remainder for the next
step. Bake the garlic and eggplant until
the eggplant is tender, 25 to 30 minutes; a knife should pierce the skin
easily, with no resistance. Remove from
the oven and allow to cool. Then peel
off the skin of the eggplant and coarsely chop the flesh.
In a large skillet, heat
the remaining olive oil over medium heat and add the eggplant. Squeeze the garlic from its skin into the skillet
and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing to coat with the
oil. Add the onion, celery, salt, black
pepper, and red pepper flakes if using and cook, stirring, until the onion and
celery begin to soften a bit, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the balsamic syrup, tomatoes, and basil and simmer the mixture for
20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat and
stir in the lives, capers, and parsley.
Allow the caponata to cool to room temperature, then taste and adjust
the seasonings.
You can make and
refrigerate this recipe for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before
serving.
Mini Morsel Meringue
Cookies – makes 5 dozen cookies
4 egg whites (*Note: we substituted Deb El “Just Whites,” dried
egg whites and they worked perfectly)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups (12-ounce package)
NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels
*Egg whites can be tricky
to work with and rather than cross my fingers and hope for the best, I
suggested my husband (enlisted into being Mr. Baker for this party) use dried
egg whites that I had on hand and they whipped up perfectly. I don’t know as I’d make this recipe any
other way after that!
Beat egg whites (or the
dried egg white equivalent) and cream of tartar in small mixer bowl until soft
peaks form. Gradually beat in granulated
sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently
fold in morsels, 1/3 at a time. Drop by
level tablespoon onto greased baking sheets.
Bake in preheated 300F
oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until cookies are dry and crisp.
Let stand for 2 minutes;
remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Store in airtight containers.
Makes about 5 dozen cookies.
Ann’s Notes: I checked online and found I could make these
up to 2 days ahead of my party so I did.
That said we are still enjoying these over a week later. They were the hit of the party and some
gluten-free friends were grateful that I made something they could eat.
Cake Balls (general instructions)
If I printed out all the
instructions for the three cake balls we made for our party, I’d be here all
night. These are not necessarily hard to
make but they do take some time. So in
general, here are some tips before I give you the three recipes:
Bake the cake as directed in the recipe (and on the
box if using a box mis), allow to cool then crumble until you don’t see any
cake lumps. Add the frosting as directed
in the recipe, form into balls and freeze for two hours. Melt the chocolate needed per the recipe and
taking a toothpick, dip the chocolate and let dry and set. Cover the toothpick hole with additional
chocolate. Decorate as indicated.
Due to time, I used boxed
cake mixes and canned frosting rather than creating my own cake and frosting
mixes from scratch. If you want to make
the cake and icing from scratch, then please see pages 30-34 of the book, Cake Balls.
For this party, we made
Chocolate Toffee Cake Balls; Coconut Cream Cake Balls and Gingerbread Cake
Balls. Each recipe makes about 45-50
cake balls so be prepared! The authors suggested
using candy paper cup liners (just like muffin cup liners only smaller) for
serving and not only were they tres elegant but I was able to plate them
without having to deal with the cake pop stick!
I’m all for ease in serving.
Chocolate Toffee Cake Balls
For cake and icing
1 (18.25-ounce) box
vanilla cake mix (or from-scratch cake mix – see p. 31)
½ to ¾ cup cream cheese
icing (from a can or from scratch – your choice)
1 cup English toffee bits
For coating and
decorating
24 ounces milk chocolate,
for coating
About ½ cup English toffee
bits, for decoration
Ann’s Notes: chocolate is expensive but the authors say
that you can melt a candy bar if you’d like or chocolate chips if you’d like or
high-end chocolate if you’d like – your choice.
I bought a huge bar of chocolate from Trader Joe’s and it worked out
great. Just be careful when you melt it
to not scorch it (especially if you use a microwave which I don’t recommend) or
get water in it or it will seize.
If using a box cake,
follow the directions on the box; if from scratch, see page 31 of the book.
While the cake is cooling,
prepare the cream cheese icing (p. 34) or open your store-bought icing.
After the cake has
completely cooled, follow the cake ball method instructions (page 17 of the book
or see above). After the cake balls are dipped in milk
chocolate, drizzle them with fine lines.
Do one at a time and sprinkle with toffee bits to add more crunchy
toffee flavor. (Andy skipped the chocolate lines and just added the toffee
bits.)
Coconut Cream Cake Balls
For the cake and icing
1 (18.25) box vanilla cake
mix or basic vanilla cake (p. 31)
1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut
milk (see the Asian section of your grocery store)
1 ½ cups sweetened flaked
coconut
½ to ¾ cup basic vanilla
icing (p. 33) or store-bought vanilla icing
For coating and
decorating
24 ounces milk chocolate,
for coating
About ½ cup sweetened
flaked coconut, for garnish
Mix together the
ingredients for making a vanilla cake, substituting the coconut milk for water,
if using the box version, or for the milk, if making the cake from
scratch. After the ingredients are fully
combined, stir in the flaked coconut.
Follow the instructions
for baking the cake (per box, if using a mix) and while the cake is cooling,
open the store-bought frosting or make your own if desired. (Scratch cake directions are on page 31;
icing on page 33).
After the cake has cooled,
crumble, add frosting, freeze, etc. as stated above. Dip the balls in milk chocolate, drizzle them
with fine lines of chocolate and sprinkle with flaked coconut.
Gingerbread Cake Balls
For the cake and icing
1 (18.5) ounce box yellow
cake mix or basic yellow cake (p. 34)
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup molasses
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ to ¾ cup basic vanilla
icing (p. 33) or store-bought vanilla icing
For coating and
decorating
24 ounces white chocolate
for coating (*this does not melt very well.
I almost considered using almond bark even though it’s not the same
thing)
About ½ cup crushed
gingersnap cookies for garnish
Mix the ingredients for
the yellow cake (as directed by the box or using the from-scratch instructions)
then add sugar, molasses, ginger and cinnamon.
Bake the cake as directed,
prepare your frosting, make the cake balls (see above) then after all that is
done, dip the cake balls in white chocolate, drizzle them with fine lines of
chocolate and top with the gingersnaps (or use candied ginger, candied orange
peels, cinnamon candies, etc.).
Upon further review…even though it is not from a
cookbook, this recipe was a huge hit so here’s the recipe for Pomegranate
Guacamole from Food Network Magazine, November 2012:
Cook 3 tablespoons peptias
(pumpkin seeds) in 1 T olive oil until toasted; season with salt Mash 2 avocados with ½ cup chopped cilantro,
¼ cup finely chopped onion, the juice of ½ lime, 1 finely chopped jalapeno and
¼ teaspoon salt. Top with pomegranate
seeds and the toasted pepitas. Serve
with tortilla chips. (The biggest challenge you will have is to find fresh avocados
that haven’t gone south on you.)
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