Peppermint Bark

I made this for the first time last Christmas and it was a huge hit. Given how easy it is to make, I definitely plan on making this a usual holiday treat. This year was even a little easier, as I had gone through the experimentation steps last year to figure out the best way to crush the candies. After the first few attempts ended with peppermint shards flying all over my kitchen, I decided that putting the candies inside three ziploc bags (each bag inside another) and then gently crushing them with the bottom of my glass measuring cup was the best method.

Peppermint Bark

12 oz. white chocolate
24 hard peppermint candies, crushed

1. Line baking sheet with waxed paper.

2. Microwave chocolate on 70% power for 1 minute. Continue at 20 second intervals until completely melted.



3. Pour crushed candies through strainer into bowl of melted chocolate. Reserve larger pieces that did not fit through strainer. Stir chocolate to incorporate peppermint shards.



4. Spread mixture to desired thickness on prepare baking sheet. Sprinkle with reserved pieces. Press in lightly.



5. Let stand until firm (refrigerate if needed). Break into pieces.

Toffee Bars

These are basically like chocolate-chip cookie bars, so I'm not sure why they're called Toffee Bars, but that's what I've always known them as. They're definitely decadent, but definitely delicious.

Toffee Bars

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg yolk
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped nuts

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.



2. Mix butter, sugar, vanilla and egg yolk.



3. Stir in flour and salt. Gently fold in nuts and chocolate.



4. Press dough in ungreased rectangular pan.

(Forgot to take a final photo- whoops! Use your imagination!)

5. Bake 25-30 mins.

Sinful Mac'n'Cheese

Hooo-boy was this good! Nate protested me making it, saying that mac'n'cheese is not a meal unto itself, but I would happily eat this for several dinners in a row. The recipe uses three different kinds of cheese, and some pretty fattening dairy products but is definitely worth it. But Nate might be right...serve some kind of vegetable with it, okay?



Sinful Mac'n'Cheese

1.25 c. elbow or other short noodle
2.5 oz. cheddar cheese, cubed
1 tbsp. + .5 tsp. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. dry mustard
pinch ground pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch nutmeg
1/3 c. sour cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tbsp. yellow onion, shredded
3/4 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. half'n'half
2 shakes Worcestshire sauce
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 c. parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350. Bring large pot of water to boil. Sprinkle with salt. Add noodles and cook al dente according to instructions.



2. Grease 8x8" baking dish. Drain noodles and pour them into dish. Sprinkle with cubed cheddar cheese and mix gently. Set aside.



3. Combine flour, salt, mustard, peppers and nutmeg into bowl. Add sour cream and egg. Wish in onion, half'n'half, cream and Worcestshire.



4. Pour over macaroni. Combine shredded cheese and cover macaroni. Sprinkle parmesan on top.



5. Bake until set around edges but still saucy in the middle, about 30 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes.

Orange Chicken and Rice

I will admit, this dish turned out to be something totally different than what I was expecting. The title and ingredients made me think this would be a lighter version of the kind of orange chicken you get from a Chinese takeout. It actually turned out to be a mildly-orange flavoured curry. Not at all Nate's kind of thing, but I found it enjoyable.

Orange Chicken and Rice

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken pieces
2 tbsp. oil
1 med. onion, coarsley chopped
14.5 oz chicken broth
1.5 c. orange juice
1-3 tsp. curry
2 cloves garlic
dash of cinnamon
3 tbsp. raisins
1/2 c. frozen peas
1/2 c. rice, white or brown

1. Saute chicken and onion in oil until brown. Add broth, orange juice and seasonings. Cover and simmer 45 mins.



2. Add raisins, peas and rice to pot, lower the heat and cover.



3. Cook until rice is done, ~25 mins. Add water and broth if necessary.

Beef Stew with Noodles

This was a nice, hearty meal that would be lovely to come home to on a cold fall day. I really enjoyed this, but Nate felt like it tasted like chicken soup with beef awkwardly added in. I'll leave it up to you to decide.



Beef Stew with Noodles

1 tbsp. oil
2 lbs. boneless beef chuck, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 med. onion, sliced lengthwise
2 tbsp. flour
3 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
2 med. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
2 c. egg noodles
3 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1 tsp. red wine vinegar

1. Heat oil in dutch oven over high. Add beef, season with salt and pepper and cook until seared and browned, ~6 mins.



2. Add onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is softened, ~5 mins.



3. Stir in flour until beef and onion are coated and cook another minute. Add broth and 3 cups water, stirring and scraping up browned bits. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook until beef is tender, ~25 mins. Add carrots and potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender, ~10 mins.



4. Add noodles, cook ~8 mins. Season with salt and pepper, stir in parsley and vinegar.

Stromboli

I made these a while back but somehow forgot to post them- thankfully, I DO have photos for this one!

Again, they're quite easy to heat-up as leftovers, and were fairly easy to make in the first place. Enjoy!



Stromboli

1 lb. pizza dough
1 pkg. broccoli, chopped and thawed
1 c. marinara sauce
1.5 c. shredded mozzarella
2 oz. thinly sliced Genoa salami, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil. (*note: I forgot to do this in the picture!)

2. Divide dough into 3 pieces. On lightly floured surface, stretch each piece first to 3x4" oval then 6x8" (let dough rest briefly in between).



3. Strain water from broccoli. Transwer to towel and pat dry.

4. Scatter broccoli over dough, leaving 1/2" border. Sprinkly with cheese, salami and 1/2 c. sauce.



5. Fold each side over onto top and then place each stromboli seam-side down. Cut slit in top to ventilate and brush with oil. Bake 25-30 mins. Use remaining sauce for dipping.



Emily's rating: 10 out of 10
Nate's rating: 9 out of 10

Blackberry Puffs

I made these for a wedding shower at work and they were a surprisingly big hit. Even better, they were amazingly easy to make, but look quite nice when finished.

Unfortunately, I was in such a hurry to make them that I totally forgot to take photos! However, these were so delicious that I just had to post the recipe. Next time I make them, I promise I'll make proper documentation!

Blackberry Puffs

Flour for work surface
1 pkg. (17oz) puff pastry
3 c. blackberries (about two small containers)
3 tbsp. sugar
1 c. marscapone

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to approx. 9x12" rectangle (you can eyeball it). Trim edges and cut pastry into 12 3" squares. Place pastry on a large baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 15 mins.


2. Transfer sheet and to oven and bake until pastry is puffed and golden brown, 12-15 mins. Let cool, then split each pastry horizontally to create a top and bottom piece.

3. In bowl, mash blackberries and sugar with fork ntil juice but still chunky. Spread marscapone on pastry bottoms. Top with blackberry mixture and pastry tops. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Emily's rating: 10 out of 10
Nate's rating: 10 out of 10