Homemade Irish Cream

Sipping an Irish Cream by the fire  is always a delight at the holidays.

I love to pour a little in my coffee, or over ice cream!

My Brother and sister-in-law make homemade Irish Cream every year at Christmastime.

I always make Homemade Kahlua, so I get the best of both worlds!

This year I made BOTH!

I did a housewarming basket full of fun things for my brother and his family in early December, and it had coffee, Kahlua and Irish Cream, homemade hot cocoa, with mugs and towels that all matched.

I found these cool black bottles to use, and just added a tag to the front of them.

I brought some as a hostess gift to my Aunt and Uncle's, too.

This ones was easy!

A little printed cellophane under the lid of a quart sized jar, some tulle and a tag, and 

Ta-Da! 

I even make a non-alcoholic version for those who don't want the alcohol, or so the kiddos can sip some of their own! 

Homemade Irish Cream

1 cup whiskey

1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract

1 - 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 Tablespoons chocolate syrup

2 Tablespoons instant coffee

1 pint Half & Half

(I used fat free SC Milk and Half & Half)

Leave whiskey out for non-alcoholic version.

Blend together.

Stays good until date on Half & Half when kept in the refrigerator.

Potato Cheddar Soup

I have made this recipe for YEARS!
I cut it out of some flyer that I received in the mail, and have long since forgotten where it came from.

I was never a fan of potato soup as a kid, but this one had me sold.
I think it's the tang of the cheese and sour cream that makes it different?
That and I LOVE celery!

Serve it with some crusty sourdough bread and life just.got.good.

Enjoy!

Potato Cheddar Soup

4 stalks of celery, chopped

1 cup Julianned carrots

2 small onion, diced

4 potatoes, cubed

4 Tablespoons butter

32 oz Chicken broth or a little more, make sure you cover the veggies

3 cans cream of potato soup

16 ounces sour cream

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded, divided

salt and pepper to taste

In your soup pot, melt butter.  Add the celery and onion and saute for about 5-7 minutes.

Add potatoes and carrots, cover with chicken broth, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until your veggies are your desired tenderness.  ( I like mine a little firmer)

Add to this your cream of potato soup and sour cream, combine.

Add 1 cup of cheddar, stir.

Soup is done!

Top with more shredded cheddar, and serve with a warm piece of crusty sour dough bread!

I have made this in the crock pot.  Cook veggies in broth on low all day, add cream ingredients when you get home, stir and serve!

Broccoli, Rice and Cheese Casserole

My Mom makes this every year for Christmas dinner.  

I know there are many variations, but this one is BY FAR my favorite!

I love making this when we have ham, it just accompanies it so well!!

The recipe you see above is a doubled version of the one I am posting.  We had it for a big family dinner and served it with steak and a salad.  Yum!!

Broccoli, Rice and Cheese Casserole

2 boxes of chopped frozen broccoli

1 onion finely chopped

1 8 ounce jar of cheese whiz

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 soup can of milk

1 cup uncooked minute rice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat all of the ingredients over the stove and pour into a greased caserole dish.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Chocolate Peppermint Stirring Spoons

I am one of the room moms for our twins' 5th grade class, and this Friday is their Christmas party.

My kids are lucky, they still get Christmas parties... I have talked to many friends, and their kids have "winter" parties.  I LOVE singing Christmas Carols and singing the kids all dressed in their Sunday best at their programs.

I am thankful my kids go to a Catholic school.

We are doing this cute craft I found on Pinterest

and having a hot cocoa bar!

My daughter and I made these cute Chocolate Peppermint Stir Spoons!

They couldn't be easier to make and so good in hot cocoa!!

Want to make your own cocoa mix?

CLICK HERE

Chocolate Peppermint Stirring Spoons

48 plastic spoons

6 candy canes crushed

2 cups chocolate chips

2 teaspoons crisco

Crush your candy canes.

Line cookie sheets with waxed paper. Rest spoons on edge of cookie sheet.

Melt chocolate chips in microwave for about 1 minute and then 30 second intervals until you can stir them smooth, add crisco and stir until incorporated.

**I used a glass 2 cup measuring cup ... worked great to pour the chocolate into the spoons!**

Pour chocolate into spoon well, and tap the spoon to make the chocolate pool evenly in the spoon.

Add crushed peppermints and place in the refrigerator to set up.

Swirl it through some hot cocoa and Relax....

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

I made a housewarming gift basket for my brother and his family last weekend, and it turned out super cute!

I'll blog about it AFTER the holidays ... but the cute basket included this homemade hot cocoa.

I searched Pinterest, and read different recipes, but found this one from a blog that I love called wonkywonderful.com   You have seen recipes from Nicole on my facebook page, she shares there every now and then, and her stuff is always AMAZING.

So hers it was!

rich and thick and stirred into hot milk ... no water here, friends!  

Do you have a Tuesday Morning where you live?  I love going in that store, it's sort of like digging for buried treasure.  It's where I found this "Chalk it up" Glass jar.  I love how it looks like a barrel.

This is one of my favorite mugs, given to me by my dear friend, Traci.

(aint that the truth??)

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

wonky wonderful

1 cup cocoa

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup instant coffee creamer

1/2 cup Ovaltine

Combine and store in an airtight container.

Add 3-4 Tablespoons to a an 8 ounce cup hot milk and stir.

Chocolate Mint Candy Cookies

These are my contribution to my cookie exchange this year.
I made a "test batch" about 2 weeks ago, and they lasted all of 10 minutes, I swear!!

My sister-in-law, Karen, used to make these every year.
They are my niece, Leah's favorite cookie.

You don't have to sprinkle the candy canes on them, but I thought it made them more festive!

St. Patty's Day Version

Chocolate Mint Candy Cookies

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 Tablespoons water

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 teaspoons soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 packages Andes Mints

Crushed Peppermints or candy canes (optional)

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook sugar, butter and water, stirring occasionally until butter is melted.  Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips until melted. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

In your mixer, pour the chocolate batter.  Add and beat each egg one at a time.  Stir in flour, baking sod and salt.  Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Roll dough into walnut sized balls and place two inches apart.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. 

DO NOT OVER BAKE.

Place one Andes Mint on top of each cookie, let sit for about a minute to let it get all melty.

Swirl with the back of a spoon.

Top with crushed peppermint if you desire.

Pecan Pie

Honestly?
I have never really cared for pecan pie.
Many may gasp, but I didn't grow up with it, and pecans were never my favorite.
Gimme peanuts and chocolate or ooooo...cashews...but pecans?
Not so much.

So when I took pie orders for Thanksgiving, I had to do a little research, and asked for Pecan Pie loving
TASTE TESTERS.
I had quite a few takers.

This pie got RAVE reviews.  I found it at a blog that I have always had wonderful luck with recipes
 "Gimme Some Oven" --  first off, what a clever name!  and when I read her post on this pie, it made my heart happy.  It was all about her grandma, this is her grandma's pie recipe.

I hope you enjoy it as much as the pecan pie lovers in my life did!

Pecan Pie

Gimme Some Oven

1 pie crust PRE-BAKED < --find how to here

1 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 eggs beaten

1 stick of salted butter

2 cups pecans

Pre-bake your crust (click here for instructions)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees for pie.

In a medium bowl whisk together sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, salt and cinnamon.  Add eggs and whisk until smooth.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and heat for about 4-5 minutes, until butter becomes brown and fragrant.  Stir often.  Pour butter into the sugar mixture and whisk to combine.  Stir in pecan and pour into prepared crust.

Bake for 50-60 minute or until center is set.  If your crust edges begin to get too brown, you can remove pie and cover crust with foil.  I didn't have that problem with mine at all.

Cool pie on rack for 3-4 hours before slicing and serving.

Lemon Kiss

How about jazzing up your holiday toast with a little something new?  

Try this Lemon Kiss while toasting under that mistletoe or maybe at midnight on New Year's Eve?

It's easy to make...and you can even make your own Limoncello!!

Lemon Kiss

1 ounce chilled Limoncello

4 ounces chilled Prosecco

5 fresh blackberries

Place berries in the bottom of a champagne flute, top with Limoncello and Prosecco.

Have you ever made homemade Limoncello?  

Here's a recipe!

Eggnog Fudge

One of the first bloggers I ever "met" was Joan from Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate.
Her blog is full of amazing sweet, most times chocolaty, goodness.
This recipe for eggnog fudge she posted last year is no exception.
 I wanted to make it then, but found I ran out of time!

It was on my holiday MUST BAKE list, and we are all happy that I did! :)
Make sure you pop over and see what Joan has baking in her kitchen, you will always be glad you did!

Eggnog Fudge

Chocolate, Chocolate and More

1/2 cup butter

2 Tablespoon heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup eggnog minus 2 Tablespoons

2 cups sugar

1 - 10 ounce bag white chocolate chips

1 - 7 ounce jar marshmallow fluff

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Line a 9x9 baking dish with foil and butter well.

In a medium saucepan combine butter, eggnog, cream and sugar.  Bring to boil over medium heat stirring occasionally.  When it boils, reduce the heat and continue cooking until candy thermometer registers 234 degrees. (soft ball stage)  Remove from heat and stir in white chocolate chips.  Stir until combined, add marshmallow, nutmeg and vanilla, stir until smooth.

Spread into prepared pan, garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top.

Let cool at room temperature and then place in refrigerator.

Store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

How to: Pre-bake a Pie Crust

Ever made a recipe that called to " pre-bake your crust" and you made the crust, put it in the pan, baked it, and it slide down the side of the pie pan into the bottom.
So, you maybe cussed a little, then sprinkled it with cinnamon and sugar and baked it the rest of the way,  ate it to heal your ego, bought a pre-made crust and used it instead?

No?

Errrrrr..... me either?

Now... in case you need to pre-bake a crust, here's the super easy way to do it correctly!

How To: Pre-Bake a Pie Crust

Lay your pie crust in your pie plate and form the crust edge.

Lay a large piece of heavy duty foil over crust and form to cover.

Bake at 450 degrees for 4 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for 2 minutes more.

Cool.

Fill with whatever your pie loving heart desires!!

Almond Joy Brownie Bites

My Mother-in-law has a facebook page, and my father-in-law says he doesn't need one, because he just uses hers!!

Like most of you, if you're reading this. you love when people post recipes online.

(I love it even more when you all post MINE!! )  *grin*

My Father-in-law, Denny, loves sweets, even more, he loves coconut and chocolate.
My kids always give him all of their Almond Joy bars from their Halloween candy bag.

When he was perusing facebook and actually REQUESTED I make these, how could I resist?
I hit the jackpot in the Father-in-Law department, after all!

If you don't ever read Confessions of a Cookbook Queen's blog, you really should check it out.
I speak her language of sarchasm and mommyisms, and always enjoy her posts.
That is where I found the recipe for these Almond Joy Brownie Bites!

Almond Joy Brownie Bites

Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

1 - 9x13 size bow brownie mix (or your own homemade)

4 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1 -14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 package of chocolate almond bark or chocolate candy quick

4 dozen almonds

Prepare mini muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray.

Prepare brownie mix according to the package instructions, and fill muffin cups about 1/2 full.

Bake according to package directions.  Mine took about 25 minutes.

Remove from tins and cool on counter.

My mix made exactly 4 dozen.

In a bowl combine sweetened condensed milk and coconut.
Stick an almond in the top of each brownie.

Place a ball of coconut on top of each brownie, and put in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate candy according to package instructions.
Dip the tops of the brownies in chocolate and place on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper, place in the refrigerator to set.

Cake Batter Puppy Chow (Muddy Buddies)

I have been on a serious snack mix/puppy chow kick the last month!

I mixed up Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow before Thanksgiving, and I ALWAYS make this Candy Coated Crispix Mix for Christmas. 

The other one I tried was Double Chocolate Peppermint Puppy Chow!  

If you want the links to these, here is where you will find them:

double chocolate peppermint

crispix mix

candy coated popcorn

pumpkin spice

I whipped up this Cake Batter Puppy Chow to have at our twins' 11th birthday party.  It was loved by 20 boys and girls who were hungry from swimming and playing in the gym at our local community center!

Cake Batter Puppy Chow

8 cups rice Chex cereal

6 squares white almond bark

4 Tablespoons oil

1 1/2 yellow cake mix

1/2 cup powder sugar

sprinkles

Pour cereal into a big bowl. 

Combine cake mix and powdered sugar in a small bowl.

Melt almond bark and oil in microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring in between until smooth.

Pour melted almond bark over cereal stirring gently to coat.

Dump powdered sugar/cake mix over the top and continue stirring until coated.

Top with sprinkles, combine.

Store in an airtight container.

Double Chocolate Peppermint Puppy Chow

My kids love puppy chow, but my husband hates it!
He hates peanut butter... (I KNOW RIGHT?!? --- gasp!)
So this fall I made some Pumpkin Spice Muddy Buddies and they were a hit!  I started thinking about other ways to make puppy chow for the holidays.  Then I saw the White Chocolate Peppermint Kisses and M&Ms and the idea came to me.

Double Chocolate Peppermint Puppy Chow

2 cups white chocolate peppermint kisses, melted

1 - 14 ounce box of chocolate chex cereal

2 cups powdered sugar

1 package white chocolate peppermint M&M's

Melt kisses in the microwave in 30 second intervals until you can stir them smooth.

They are so pink and pretty! :)

Pour over cereal in a big bowl and stir to cover completely.

Top with powdered sugar and stir to coat.

Add the bag of Peppermint M&Ms!

Pumpkin Spice Muddy Buddies

I saw a recipe for these over a year ago on Pinterest, and I pinned it, thinking I would make them LAST year.

Well, all of the recipes that I found contained Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses.

So, for one second, allow me to vent about the fact that after Halloween, there is NOTHING fall in the candy aisle. EVERYTHING is Christmas.

It really chaps my chicken that we skip right over Thanksgiving anymore.

Maybe I don't WANT green and red M&M's for Thanksgiving??

Okay...I'll stop.

The guy that manages the grocery section at my Super Target did make me feel a tad bit better when he told me that they haven't been shipped Pumpkin Spice Kisses for a year.

Time to improvise.

I picked out the yellow, brown and orange M&M's from a regular package. 

(I guess because I am just that stubborn!)

I used about 1/4-1/2 cup was all, merely for color, they were so good, I didn't think it needed anything else!!

Pumpkin Spice Muddy Buddies

8 cups of Cinnamon Chex Cereal

6 squares of vanilla flavored Almond bark

4 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups powdered sugar

3-4 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice (I used 4)

M&M's (optional)

Pour cereal in a big bowl.

In another bowl combine sugar and spices with a fork.

Melt almond bark in oil, in 30 second intervals, in your microwave. Stirring until smooth.

Pour over cereal and stir (gently) but well until completely covered.

Nutter Butter Acorns

We made these the last couple of years, I don't know why I never took pictures of them?

I think they are ADORABLE.

And 

so.darn.tempting.

They are so little you can just pop 'em in your mouth!

Perfect blend of peanut butter and chocolate.

I think you should make some of these up for the kids at Thanksgiving...

or anytime really?

NUTTER BUTTER Acorns

Taste of Home

1/2 cup chocolate chips, + 48 pieces

48 Mini Nutter Butter Cookies

48 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper.

Melt 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in the microwave.

Dip the flat end of the kiss in the melted chocolate and stick to one side of the Nutter Butter and place on the cookie sheet.

Place in refrigerator until set.

Do the same thing with the chocolate chips to make the "stem."

Put back in refrigerator to set completely.

Pop one in your mouth and say thanks!!

Sometimes it's ok to talk with your mouth full!

Asian Slaw

 My oh MY was this good!!

We gobbled it right up with our teriyaki chicken and rice!

If there is one thing my family loves, it's fresh crunchy veggies, and this salad was FULL of them, and topped with this AMAZING Ginger Soy Dressing!

Nom...Nom...Nom...Nom!!

Asian Slaw

adapted from The Compound Eye of a Dragonfly

4 cups broccoli slaw (1 - 12 ounce package)

2 cups shredded carrots

1 - 8 ounce package sugar snap peas

1 sliced red bell pepper

Tops of 3 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup salted peanuts (or to liking)

1/3-1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Ginger and Soy Dressing

Toss the slaw ingredients in the prepared dressing, and enjoy cold!

Don't plan on leftovers!! 

Ginger Soy Dressing

I had a taste for teriyaki chicken and rice tonight.

I wanted to make up some Asian Slaw to go with it. 

I searched "Asian Slaw" on Pinterest and found this recipe on a blog called "The Compound Eye of a Dragonfly."

After I read the recipe for the dressing I knew it was exactly what I was looking for!

We have these Mongolian Grill restaurants here called Hu Hot.

They have this yummy salad I LOVE to get when I go there, and this dressing tastes REALLY similar.

Tomorrow I will post the recipe for the slaw, but for now, here's the dressing!

Ginger Soy Dressing

the compound eye of a dragon fly

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 Tablespoon peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Siracha)

1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 clove minced garlic

I put all of the ingredients in a glass mason jar and shook it until the peanut butter was dissolved.

Place in refrigerator until ready to use.

Next time I am making a double batch to use as a marinade for chicken!

I think this would make an awesome stir fry sauce, too!