Happy New Year and Top Ten Posts from 2012

These are the recipes that you liked most in 2012.  Thank you to all my loyal readers for your support and comments and welcome to all the new ones!  Looking forward to being with you in the New Year!

Fried Mac and Cheese Balls

Grilled Romaine with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Butter Pecan Baked Apples

Maple Bacon Biscuit Bake

New Jersey Crumb Cake

Dill-icious Refrigerator Pickles

Hot Spinach Parmesan Dip

Country Store Apple Butter

Sweet and Saltines

And the #1 recipe with almost 6,000 views is...

Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Grandma

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Patti

Sharing with Melt in your Mouth Monday

Celebrating New Year's Eve #SundaySupper - Emeril Style ! New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

The #SundaySupper Gang is closing out the year with a BAM!  An Emeril Bam!

We’re having a #SundaySupper New Year’s Eve Party and you are all invited!  The Sunday Supper Team has been inspired by two of Emeril’s Cookbooks, Kicked-Up Sandwiches and Emeril’s Potluck and we want to share some of our favorite recipes that are perfect to throw together a New Year’s Eve Potluck Party Emeril Style!

Our founder Isabel of Family Foodie had the opportunity to meet and interview Emeril Lagasse!

How awesome is that?!

25 Bloggers will be giving away 25 copies of Emeril’s Cookbooks! *

Sunday Supper NYE Potluck Drinks:

• Champagne Punch by girlichef
• Champagne Punch by Daily Dish Recipes
• Champagne Punch by Midlife Roadtrip
• Champagne Punch by Family Foodie
• Chi Chi Cocktails by The Messy Baker Blog

Sunday Supper NYE Potluck Starters:

• Spiced Nuts by The Cookie A Day Challenge
• Spiced Nuts by Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Spiced Nuts by Home Cooking Memories
• Spiced Nuts by Mama.Mommy.Mom
• Prosciutto Breadsticks & Spiced Nuts by Galactosemia in PDX

Sunday Supper NYE Potluck Dishes and Sandwiches:  

• Sopressata and Genoa Salami Calzones by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Paul’s Make the Whole Crew Happy Sausage Meatballs with Red Gravy by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Paul’s Make the Whole Crew Happy Sausage Meatballs with Red Gravy by The Meltaways
• Paul’s Make the Whole Crew Happy Sausage Meatballs with Red Gravy by Craving’s of a Lunatic
• Three Cheese Veggie Sandwich by Supper for a Steal
• Three Cheese Veggie Sandwich by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Three Cheese Veggie Sandwich by Diabetic Foodie
• Three Cheese Veggie Sandwich by From Fast Food to Fresh Food
• Three Cheese Veggie Sandwich by In the Kitchen with Audrey and Maurene
• Columbia Street Grinder by The Foodie Army Wife
• Columbia Street Grinder by The Weekend Gourmet
• Columbia Street Grinder by She likes ruffles, he likes truffles
• Columbia Street Grinder by Momma’s Meals
• Emeril’s Columbia Street Grinder Kicked Up a Notch New Orleans Style by The Catholic Foodie
• Eggplant Muffuletta by Mom’s Test Kitchen
• A Vegetarian Take on Emeril’s Kicked Up Sandwiches Tonkatsu Sandwich by Ninja Baking
• New Orleans Style Garlic BBQ Shrimp by Comfy Cuisine

Sunday Supper NYE Desserts:

• New Orleans-Style Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce by Magnolia Days
• New Orleans-Style Bread Pudding with 2 Sauces by Juanita’s Cocina
• Angel Cake Sandwiches by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping and Brown Sugar Glaze by Damn Delicious

Please join on us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper on December 30th.  In the evening we will meet at 7pm EST for our #SundaySupper New Year’s Eve Potluck Party Emeril Style!  We are so excited to have you join us.  All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.

Please feel free to share with us and our followers your favorite New Year’s Eve recipe on our #SundaySupper Pinterest Board.  We are excited to have you Around the Family Table for this special Party!

Godiva Tiramisu

This recipe for Tiramisu requires 3 different methods for the ingredients, but you will end up with the lightest Tiramisu ever! - and the Godiva Liqueur doesn't hurt either.

Sharing with Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms

Baked Fresh Cod with Gremolata Breadcrumbs

Gremolata is simply a herb mixture that you can use on almost any dish.  It almost always contains lemon zest and parsley.  With the addition of fresh garlic, it's delicious on top of roasted cauliflower and adds a crunchy element to this baked cod.  The best thing about this dish is that you mix all the ingredients in the baking pan.

Baked Fresh Cod with Gremolata Breadcrumbs

2 lbs. fresh cod fillets

6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of a large lemon (about 3 Tbsp.)

1/2 cup white wine

3 plump garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

1/2 cup fresh, dry bread crumbs

Zest of a large lemon (about 2 tsp.)

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Fresh lemon slices, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Lightly salt the fish on both sides,  Pour 3 Tbsp. of the olive oil, lemon juice, white wine and 1/4 tsp. salt into the baking dish and whisk together well.

Drop in the garlic cloves, and stir with the dressing.  Lay the fillets in the dish, turn them around and swish them in the dressing so both sides are moistened.

Toss the bread crumbs in a bowl with lemon zest, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Drizzle with the remaining 3 Tbsp. olive oil, and toss the crumbs well until evenly moistened.

Spoon the seasoned bread crumbs on top of the fillets in a light, even layer.

Bake uncovered, until the crumbs are crisp and golden and fish is cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Spoon juices left in the baking dish over the fish and serve hot with lemon slices.

~Lidia Cooks 

Chocolate Praline Toffee Crisps

Part cookie and part candy, these are a quick treat to make for the holidays.

12 honey graham crackers

1 cup unsalted butter (do not substitute)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2-1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Arrange crackers side by side in a single layer in an 11 x 15 baking sheet.

Combine brown sugar, butter and vanilla in a 3 qt. saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Boil sugar mixture 4 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in pecans.  Immediately pour sugar mixture over crackers and spread evenly.  Bake 10-14 minutes or until sugar mixture is bubbly and pecans are lightly toasted.

Microwave chocolate morsels on HIGH 30-60 seconds or until smooth.  Place a resealable plastic bag into a measuring cup and fold edges over.  Pour chocolate into bag.  Twist top of bag and trim corner to allow chocolate to flow through; drizzle over crisps.

Cut into 24 squares; cut squares diagonally in half to form triangles.

Store in a tightly covered container.

~Adapted from Festive Holiday Desserts

Just for Today

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love; 

where there is injury, pardon

where there is doubt, faith; 

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and

it is in dying that we are born to eternal life

~St. Francis of Assisi

Trust in the LORD

with all your heart and 

lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will direct your paths.

Proverbs 3,5-6

Just for today:

Live one day at a time

Enjoy one moment at a time

Holiday Drinks & Appetizers - Hot Spinach Parmesan Dip

The Holiday Season is upon us.  Time to get together with family and friends and celebrate!  Grab your glass  and enjoy!   Let us all count our blessings at this time of year and every day for the love of family and friends.

• 
  

Hot Spinach Parmesan Dip

This is my version of that great dip from T.G.I. Friday's

Everyone devours this!

2 tsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb. fresh spinach, cleaned, trimmed and coarsely chopped

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed

or

2 (10 oz. pkgs. frozen spinach, thawed

1/2 cup milk

6 ounces cream cheese

3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Pinch of cayenne pepper

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella

Freshly ground black pepper

Baguette slices, breadsticks or tortilla chips, for serving

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat.

Add onion and garlic, cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Add spinach in two additions, letting the first batch wilt before adding the next.

Cook until completely wilted, 5 to 8 minutes

Add frozen spinach and incorporate.

Transfer to a colander and drain, pressing lightly with a spoon to release all excess liquid.

In the same pot, warm milk over high heat.  Whisk in cream cheese until melted, about 3 minutes.

Off heat, add spinach, Worcestershire sauce, Parmesan, Romano, cayenne pepper and 1/4 cup mozzarella; stir to combine.  Season with pepper.  I did not think it needed salt, but test it to suit your taste.

Pour into a lightly oiled 1-1/2 quart baking dish; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and a sprinkling of paprika (optional) for color.

Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.  Serve hot.

Let this be a time when we renew our faith in the power of love and realize the importance of time with our families.

Sharing with TheCountryCook - Weekend PotLuck, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms

Eggplant Rollatini

These individual rolls are easy to serve, great for a first course for a big crowd or part of a buffet.  For a main course, you just have to add a salad.

1 lb. ricotta cheese

Quick Marinara Sauce

1 large eggplant

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup canola oil

1 egg

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pecorino cheese

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Salt and Pepper

Breading Station (see below)

To make this dish even easier, fry the eggplant the night before, mix the cheeses and this goes together in no time.  You can double with recipe if you are having a bigger crowd.

Trim the stem and end from the eggplant.  Remove peel.  Removing the peel is optional.  

Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices and place in a colander.  Sprinkle generously with coarse salt and let drain for 30 minutes.  Rinse under cool water, drain and pat dry.

Pour 1/2 cup each of the olive and canola oils into a medium skillet over medium-high heat.

Get your breading station ready.

Mix one cup all-purpose flour with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Beat two eggs with 1 Tbsp. water

2 cups Italian Style bread crumbs

Dredge eggplant in flour, egg and breadcrumbs.  

Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes.

Remove eggplant to a paper-towel lined pan.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  

Mix ricotta, Parmesan cheese, half the mozzarella and egg in a medium bowl until well combined.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour 1 cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Lay one of the fried eggplant slices in front of you with the short end toward you.

Spoon about 2 Tbsp. of the ricotta filling over the narrow end of the slice and roll into a compact roll and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish.

Repeat with the remaining eggplant, placing the rolls side by side.

Ladle tomato sauce over the eggplant rolls and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.  Grate some fresh Pecorino Romano evenly over the rolls and spinkle with oregano.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the edges of the casserole are bubbling and the filling is heated through, about 30 minutes.  Remove foil during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Makes 8 servings

Thin-Crust Skillet Pizza

If you're in a pinch for time and don't want to preheat your oven, make a pizza on the stove in less than five minutes.  The bottom crust is crunchy and the top is toasted for a just a minute under the broiler to give it that wood-fired oven feel - simple and fast.

If you make your pizza sauce ahead of time it's great.  Store bought pizza sauce is just as good.  Broiling the pizza is not necessary, but it browns the pizza on top to make it more appetizing.

Thin-Crust Stovetop Pizza

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce: (or store-bought pizza sauce)

• 4 lbs. plum tomatoes quartered (about 8 cups)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, whole
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup snipped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves, salt, pepper flakes, and sugar.  Toss tomato mixture with olive oil; roast 35-40 minutes until tomatoes have softened.  Remove from the oven and mash with a potato masher, keeping tomatoes a bit chunky.  Stir in basil.
This makes more sauce than you'll need for pizzas.  Use leftovers as a light pasta sauce.

Toppings:

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Sprinkle of oregano

Dough:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup beer
• Olive oil

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in food processor.  Add beer and 1 Tb. olive oil and process until dough forms a shaggy ball, about 1 minute.  Form dough into a ball, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough in half.  Roll each half into a very thin 9-inch round.  Heat 3 Tbs. olive in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until just smoking.  Place one dough round into skillet and cook, poking any bubbles that form with fork, until bottom is golden brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.

Flip dough and top with tomato sauce and half of cheese mixture.

Reduce heat to low and cook, covered until second side is crisp and cheese has melted, about 5 minutes
.

Broil for 2 to 3 minutes to get a nice crisp top crust.



~Adapted from Cook's Country

                        Cuisine at Home

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Polish Chrusciki (Bow Ties)

Traditionally, Chrusciki (hrrooss-CHEE-kee) are associated with the pre-Lenten feasting of Mardi Gras. In America, chrusciki or Polish crullers are served at any special occasion.

Ingredients

• 5 large egg yolks, at room temperature*
• 1 large whole egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup sour cream (or heavy cream)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. rum or brandy
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• Canola or vegetable oil
• Confectioners' sugar for dusting 

Preparation:

Combine egg yolks, whole egg and salt in bowl of mixer.  Beat at high speed until thick and lemon colored, about 5 minutes.  Beat in sugar, sour cream or cream, vanilla and rum.  Add flour gradually to form a cohesive dough.  This dough is very soft.  Add just enough flour so the dough is no longer sticky.

Turn dough out onto a floured board, divide in half, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 20 minutes.

Working with half of the dough at a time, roll out to 1/8-inch thickness.  These are best when the dough is paper thin.  Cut into 1 x 3 inch wide strips.

Heat 2 inches of oil in a large, deep skillet to 350 degrees.  Make a slit in the center of each strip of dough, then pull one end through the slit to form a bow.

Fry  about 6 chrusciki at a time for 1 minutes or less per side or until golden.  These fry quickly, so watch closely.  Drain on paper towels.  Dust generously with confectioner's sugar.

Check out Cookielicious by Food Editor Janet K. Keeler from The Tampa Bay Times now while there is a special… Buy One Cookielicious Cookbook and get one for a friend!

Do you have a favorite cookie to take to a Cookie Exchange?  Please join on us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper on December 9th.  In the evening we will meet at 7pm EST for our #SundaySupper Ultimate Cookie Exchange live chat.

All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.

We’d also love to feature your recipe for The Ultimate Cookie Exchange on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board to share them with all of our followers, too.

Quick Tip

Many recipes call for egg yolks only, so you fill your refrigerator with a container of egg whites but, by the time you figure out what to do with them, they've gone bad. This is an easy technique for freezing egg whites. 

When separating eggs, have an ice cube tray handy. Either separate the egg over the tray, letting the white fall into one compartment only of the tray. Or you can separate the egg over a small bowl and pour the egg white into the tray. Pour only one egg white into each compartment. This will work for small to large eggs. Jumbo egg whites might be too large for the compartments, but most recipes call for large eggs anyway. 

Place the ice cube tray in the freezer and freeze the egg whites until firm. Pop the egg whites out and transfer them to a zip-top freezer bag and return to the freezer. Now, whenever you need one, two or three egg whites for an egg-white only recipe, you have them, premeasured, at your disposal. Just thaw as many cubes, representing one egg white each, as needed in the refrigerator and use. 

Egg whites will deliver full volume if they are at room temperature. So, once the egg white is completely thawed in the fridge, let it come to room temperature before whipping.

I had posted this recipe on the Mixing Bowl a few years ago and received this lovely comment from a reader.  I just had to save it!

by mzgrizz
Thank you soooo much for posting this recipe!!!!  When I was in college, one of my classmates was Polish and we spent an afternoon (when we should have been studying) making Chrusciki - and they were wonderful.  More moves than I can count later the recipe and I were separated, but the rememberance of that December afternoon and  how good they were has lingered all these years.  I had given up ever having this delightful treat again until this morning when my husband and I were taking a leisurely morning to wander through Mixing Bowl together.  You have brought great joy to an otherwise grey day!  I so appreciate you having shared this, and I hope others have enjoyed it as much as I have.  If there was a way to issue spoons here I would definitely give it 10!!!  Thanks again.

Matzo Brei

Matzo Brei is a regular item at the Passover tables.  It can be sweet or savory.  I buy a box every year for myself and never know what to do with the leftover matzos.  This is a sweet version that is buttery and crispy and topped with cinnamon-sugar and fresh blueberry sauce.

For the matzo brei:

• 5 sheets egg matzo, broken into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup hot tap water
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
• Ground cinnamon an granulated sugar for sprinkling

Place the matzo pieces in a 14-by-9 inch baking dish and spread them into an even layer.  Add the water and gently stir until the pieces are evenly moistened.  Let sit until the water has been absorbed, about 2 minutes.

Whisk the eggs and salt in a medium bowl until the eggs are broken up.  Pour the egg mixture over the softened matzo and stir to combine.

Melt the butter in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat until foaming.  Add the matzo mixture and press into an even layer.  Cook undisturbed until the bottom is golden brown and the mixture is set, about 5 minutes.

To flip, place a large plate upside down over the brei and turn the frying pan over onto the plate.  Slide the brei back into the pan cook until the second side is golden brown, about 6-7 minutes.

Slice into wedges and serve warm with fresh blueberry sauce and cinnamon sugar.

For the fresh blueberry sauce:

• 1 pint fresh blueberries, rinsed
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce to simmer for 15 minutes or until thickened.  Cool to room temperature.

~Adapted from CHOW