Croque Madame Muffins Special Breakfast Day

I am love with this new Cooking Channel show " Little Paris Kitchen" with Rachael Khoo. She made this awesome breakfast Croque Madame Muffins. I made them this morning with some fried potatoes for our "Special Breakfast Day." I think this would make the perfect Christmas morning meal! I made mine with regular store bought bread and instead of making a standard Bechemel white sauce, I made mine with cheddar cheese. It's the same sauce I make for my mac and cheese.

The sauce:
In a sauce pan mix 2 TBSP butter and flour. Mix with a whisk over medium low heat until it becomes light brown. Add 1 cup milk (we use skim), and bring just to under a boil. Stir to get out all the lumps. Also, if you let the sauce sit it will get lumps. Add 1/4 cup grated cheese *I used cheddar. Mix with the whisk until the cheese is melted. You want the sauce to thicken. Remove from the heat and add a pinch of Dijon mustard and nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

While that is going, take six slices of bread and butter both sides. I left the browned crusts on. Fit into muffin tins and be careful not to rip the bottom.

Add a slice of  ham to the bottom. To that place a egg over. Lastly top with a TBSP of the cheese sauce.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. We like our eggs a little more done so I increased the heat to 400 after 15 minutes and let it bake for another 5 minutes. We made two per person. You could easily make the whole 12. They were delicious!

Soda Stream Houseparty and 7 Layer Taco Dip

Today was my party for the Soda Stream system brought to me by Houseparty.com. I have done about 5 different parties for them but couldn't be more excited to get this party! I got my system on the 4th and it came with a ton of goodies. I got about 30 different flavors for us to sample. My family was instantly hooked! I am taking the money I was wasting weekly on buying soda and putting it towards Disney!

My guests needed something to eat. Houseparty gave me popcorn but I made this delicious 7 layer taco dip. It's sure to be a hit in your house!

Layer 1 and 2
Mix one package cream cheese(room temp_ and 1 container sour cream together with a package of taco seasoning. I also add 3-4 packets of Taco Bell hot sauce.  Spread over the bottom of a disposable platter or tray. Over that spread one can of refried beans. This makes two trays.
Layer 3 Guac.
Take two ripe avocados, a tsp of lemon juice, and a dash of Adobo(found in the Hispanic section of the grocery)and smash with a fork. The lemon juice will prevent the avocado from browning. Spread over the beans and cream cheese.

Layers 4-7 are the veggies of your choice and cheese. I used black olives, tomatoes, and cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and serve with your favorite chips.

White Chocolate Peppermint Bark

This will make the perfect homemade Christmas gift, White Chocolate Peppermint Bark. Wrap it in a cellophane bag and that's one gift down! I like this recipe because you can also take out your aggression with  a rolling pin. I also waited until my hubby was ready to go to sleep from 3rd shift. Payback!

First line a baking sheet with tin foil. Spray a medium sized glass/ microwave safe bowl with Pam. Add two bags of white Toll House chocolate chips. In a plastic bag, add 20 peppermints or Starlight mints. Pound them out within a inch of their lives with a rolling pin.

Microwave the 2 bags of chips in 25 second intervals  stir in between  I had to do this about 4-5 times. Don't burn or the mixture will get lumpy. It's ok to have a few whole chips. They will melt from the residual heat. Add 1/2 of the crushed mints and stir. Pour out onto the covered baking sheet. Top with the remaining mints. Chill in the fridge and fold over the tin foil to break the bark into pieces. Next, hide it from your family and enjoy!

Let the Cookie Making Begin! Peanut Butter Blossom and Mexican Cake Cookie

Here in Wisconsin it's been unseasonably warm. I just can't get into the holiday spirit without snow! Either the world is going to end in 20 days or we will make it to Christmas. I am betting on Christmas! One way to jump start my Christmas spirit is to begin baking Xmas cookies.

I have an affection for Reese's peanut butter cups and this recipe incorporates plenty of peanut butter flavor along with the delicious milk chocolate of the peanut butter cup. I use a mini muffin tin to make the perfect cookie. Not everyone may look perfect but those can be cooks treat! I store both my flour and cookies in a huge Tupperware "Thatsabowl." The cookies will keep for about 3 weeks in a sealed container if your family doesn't eat them all!

kinda looks like snow?

Reece's Peanut Butter Cup Blossoms Yields: 3 dozen cookies

You can either make this recipe the traditional way, with Hershey's Kisses smooched into the middle or this way.

1 pkg. Reece's mini peanut butter cups unwrapped
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 stick softened butter or 1/2 c.
1 tsp vanilla (or one cap full)
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar reserved for dusting.

Cream the butter, peanut butter, sugar,along with the vanilla and egg using an electric mixer. Gradually add in the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar into the butter and mix until incorporated.

Roll a teaspoon of the dough into balls and roll into the reserved sugar. Place the balls  into greased mini muffin tins.(no need to press down) Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and  push one peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie. You may have to push them down more than once. Use a spoon to help you remove the cookies from the tins.

Next I made the Mexican Wedding Cake Recipes. I prefer the Paula Deen recipe. It's the closest to what my Grandmother made. I like that she uses Pecans rather than walnuts.(walnuts make me itchy) I get my love of cookie making from my Grandmother. Each year she would spend weeks making cookies. I only wish she would have left me the recipes. She would make spritz cookies in the shape of Christmas trees and other shapes. That is my next task. I also plan on making peppermint bark. I will post that as soon as I make it.

Paula Deens' Mexican Wedding Cookies Yields 3 dozen      

1 cup of unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
1/2 c. confectioners sugar plus extra for dusting the cookies in
1 tsp vanilla extract (or one cap full)
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour *plus extra for dusting hands
1 cup pecans * I hit mine with a rolling pin a few times in a Zip loc

Preheat oven to 275. Baking time is 40 minutes.
Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together along with the vanilla. Add in the flour little by little. You may have to pull the mixer out of the dough and spin a few times to clear the beaters. Fold in the pecans with a spoon.
 Flour your hands and take one teaspoon of the dough. I roll mine into a circle first and then form into crescents. Try to keep the size consistent so they bake evenly. You don't need much room between each cookie since they will not rise. I use one baking sheet for all of them. Be sure to flour your hands between each cookie. After the 40 minutes sacrifice one of the cookies to check for doneness. *The dough is also safe to eat raw because there are no raw eggs in it! Let cool for a few minutes and roll in the reserved confectioners sugar.The cookies should still be warm, but not hot! Store in an air tight container.

Turkey Soup

The onion is cooks' treat

I like to make soup at least once a week during winter. Today I started a pot of turkey soup right before I had to go to school. Right after we carved our turkey, I put the carcass in some tin foil and off to the freezer. This morning I put about 8 cups water, the carcass, one onion whole, 2 stalks of celery, 2 carrots cut into coins, and one potato diced. It's ok to put in these veggies because they will retain their shape.

I let the pot boil on medium heat for about a hour and a half. I then remove the carcass and let it cool down so I could pick the meat off. I added 1 tsp salt and about 2 TBSP chicken soup base to the soup. I checked it for seasoning and added the meat back in. I added more water because of the turkey carcass being taken out. I then let the soup cool and put it in the fridge for my hubby to heat up for dinner. If I were home I probably would have made some dumplings to go in it. This soup is a holiday favorite.

Thanksgiving Next Day Dinner

We have been eating left over today starting with lunch. There wasn't much turkey left over from our 13 pounder. For dinner I decided to use the left overs to make a feast. Still the same ingredients, but it tasted different. I saw this cool recipe on Foodnetwork for coquettes. They are little potato pancakes that are dipped in bread crumbs and fried until golden. I adapted the recipe a bit because I am out of ingredients but they still turned out fantastic!

Potato Coquettes

Let me preface this and tell you how I make my smashed potatoes. This year I used yellow potatoes. Normally I use red. I peeled and cut them into 4th and boiled them in water until fork tender. I then mixed them with 1/4 package cream cheese and started to mix them with 1/4 heavy cream, and seasoned with salt and pepper.

3 cups cold mashed potatoes
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup Canola oil
salt and pepper
1 egg yolk
1 whole egg for dipping
a splash of milk

Mix the egg yolk in with the potatoes. Take a handful of mashed potatoes and make a patty with your hands. Set on a foiled tray and repeat until you have exhausted all of your mashed potatoes. I got about 9 patties out of this.
 Put the tray in the fridge to harden the mashed potatoes for about 5 minutes. Next dip the patties in the beaten egg and into the bread crumbs. Move into a frying pan and oil that has been heated. The oil should go mid way up the patties.
Fry for 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Let drain on paper towels and serve!


I then used the left over gravy and turkey and served that with the potatoes. It was delicious!

Coming Out of a Turkey Coma...

I hope you are enjoying your Thanksgiving with your family! I have been stuck sitting in the recliner for the past two hours trying to digest the huge dinner I laid out. I haven't roasted a turkey in the oven for about 8 years. My hubby had been deep frying it. Times are tough this season so I bit the bullet and decided to forgo the fryer this year.

I started out about 7:30A.M.  with the bird in the sink. I had had it in the freezer since Saturday but it was still a bit frozen. I finally got it thawed out and into the oven around 9. I rubbed it down with some softened butter, Rosemary, Thyme, and salt. I covered the breast and drumsticks with a foil triangle.

The next item on my list was to make the Deviled eggs. You can make these the night before, but they will not make it to the table in my house. These are a must in our house for any special occasion. I either have to hid them or not make them until right before the event. Older eggs work better in this recipe. They peel easier.


Easy Deviled Eggs

1 dozen eggs
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1 pinch Cayenne
salt and pepper
mayonnaise (start out with 3 TBSPs)
A pinch of Paprika for the top

Add the eggs to a medium sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a rolling boil for 11 minutes and shut off heat. Let them sit on the stove for 10 minutes more and cool by running cold water over them. Once cooled peel the shells and cut eggs down the middle. Use a fork to smash the yolks. Add mayonnaise, mustard powder, Dijon, and Cayenne. Use a teaspoon to fill the egg whites. Refrigerate until ready to serve in a well  hidden place.

While the turkey was roasting in the oven, I basted it every hour with melted butter. I also roasted my own sweet potatoes. I poked holes in them and rolled them in some oil on a baking sheet. I added them to the bottom rack and roasted them until fork tender for about a hour. I then used a beater to mash them. I normally would add about 2 TBSP brown sugar but was out. I added 2 TBSP syrup instead along with butter, salt and pepper. I used a spoon to lay them out into the casserole dish. I topped them with marshmallows  I didn't heat them until the last half hour when the turkey was out of the oven.

Lastly my favorite thing on the menu. To die for stuffing. This recipe came from my Grandmother Virginia, was passe on to my Mom, and I have been making it for the last 16 years. I tweaked it a bit and always make two huge baking dishes full. This is even better the next day for left over dinner! Save the giblets from the turkey for this one. I make my stuffing separate from the bird.

The Best Ever Stuffing!

2 Bags Stuffing with sage
2 stalks celery cut into 3rd s and diced
1 onion diced
1 apple cored and diced
1 stick of butter
1 carton chicken broth
the giblets cut into bite sized pieces and sauteed in butter

In a small stock pot add the chicken broth, celery, onion, and apple. Bring to just below a boil to soften. In a small frying pan saute the giblets. Add the stuffing cubes to a large bowl and begin stirring in the chicken broth. You may need to add a bit of water if you run out of broth. Add the giblets and continue stirring and adding broth until you get the consistency you are looking for.  It fills 2 9x13 pans. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes at 325 degrees. Serve with gravy.