This recipe is a bit invovled.  You could definitly make the sauces and even cut up the meat/veggies a head of time to make it easier.

Lettuce Wraps

Dipping/Pouring Sauce

4 T sugar

1/2 cup hot water

3 tablespoons soy sauce or gluten free tamari

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons ketchup or canned tomato sauce

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Stir-Fry Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar (not packed tightly)

1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

(cornstarch and water to thicken – optional)

Stir-Fried Chicken

1 or less tablespoon nice dijon mustard

2 or less garlic cloves, minced (see instructions)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes

1 – 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained and minced

1/2 cup minced mushrooms (minced to the same size as the water chestnuts)

1/2 yellow onion, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

6 large leaves of iceberg lettuce (or romaine)

For the Pouring Sauce:

In a small saucepan, dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup hot water. Blend in soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and dark sesame oil. Mix well.  Optional:  Combine a bit of cornstarch with water and whisk with fork till smooth.  Add a little to the saucepan, whisking continuasly, until it thickens.  Set aside.

For the Stir-Fry Sauce:

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar. Mix well and set aside.

For the Stir-Fried Chicken:

In a wok or large frying pan over high heat, combine olive oil and sesame oil. Heat until it shimmers, about one minute. Add chicken chunks and stir fry until entirely cooked through, about five minutes. Remove from the chicken pan and allow to cool.  Pour the remaining juice out, no need to reserve.

Heat that same pan to med-high.  Add tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, wait one minute, and then add the garlic, onions, water chestnuts, mushrooms, cooked chicken, and the stir-fry sauce.  Cook everything, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms have cooked through and are tender, about four minutes. Remove from pan and place in a serving dish.

Add a bit of dijon mustard and minced garlic to the pouring sauce to desired taste.

Serve the chicken mixture in the lettuce leaves and dip our pour the sauce over the top.

Recipe adopted from The Culinary Life

A friend and I decided to go at this challenge together.  Little did we know when we decided to get together to do it, it was a two-day recipe.  So we decided to go ahead and each make a batch at home on our own and then meet the next day to do the easy part, baking them.  We made cinnamon raisin bagels and then also plain bagels with some great toppings.  We followed Annie’s Eats recipe which you can find here for the cinnamon raisin and here for the plain with toppings.  The recipes are VERY similar.  The cinnamon raisin ones obviously needs the addition of the cinnamon and raisin and for the plain ones, the topping that is sprinkled on top after boiled, which the cinnamon raisin does not have.

A few suggestions/tips we have learned and will use next time we go at baking bagels:

1.  You can start mixing the dough with a Kitchen Aid BUT if you do not have the large one, you will want to continue kneading the dough with your own hands; unless you want a reason to get a new one, by all means, go ahead and overwork yours!

2.  When letting the sponge sit (for 2 hours) or the shaped bagels rest (for 20 minutes), I suggest heating your oven to the lowest temp and turning it off then placing the sponge/bagels in the oven so it is in a warm place - unless it is a hot summer day, then that probably isn’t needed.  This will especially be needed if you let the shaped bagels sit for 20 minutes and they don’t ‘float’ (see recipe).  Then put them in a warmer place, checking every 5-10 minutes.  You kind of have to use your own judgment for this.

3.  When covering with plastic for the overnight rest, you do need to keep the plastic tight so no air can get it but I would probably let them rest in pans with a higher edge than my one-inch sheet pan.  This may have pressed them down and didn’t keep them as thick as I thought they would become.  Also be sure to spray the wrap OR bagel with cooking spray/oil so your bagels don’t stick to the wrap and get stretched out when removing.

4.  When ready to boil and bake, we added 1/4 cup baking soda to our water instead of 1 T.  This is what we decided to do, not sure if the outcome  was changed dramatically because of this.

5.  If topping with cheese, we suggest leaving it off for the first 5 minutes of baking and then topping it with cheese during the last 5 minutes — as you can see in the picture ours turned a bit brown, but I really LOVED the cheese bagels!

6.  AND finally…instead of using malt powder, we used brown sugar and it seemed to work out fine!

If you have ANY questions about making bagels please do not hesitate to contact me.  I would love to try and answer your questions, especially if you’re going to take the adventure of bagel making!

I sure hope these tips don’t discourage you to try this recipe out.  It is a bit more invovled, but very worth it in the end!  Please remember you can divide the work over two days (or three if you want to skip a day).  The second day is definitly easier than the first.  Have fun with it!

I don’t make cole slaw often.  Actually not really ever, until I saw this recipe and tried it for myself.  I love the Ginger Peanut Dressing that is mixed in with the slaw ingredients.  I really enjoy the crunch of the peanuts and the edamame is a great addition to this salad.  The recipe came from Once Upon A Chef.

Asian Slaw with Ginger-Peanut Dressing (serves 6)

Dressing:

¼ cup honey

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar (or brown rice vinegar)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

1 tablespoon peanut butter

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 large garlic clove, minced

Slaw:

4 cups prepared shredded coleslaw (I shredded my own cabbage)

2 cups shredded carrots

1 red pepper, thinly sliced into bite size pieces

1 cup pre-cooked, shelled edamame (available fresh or frozen)

2 medium scallions, finely chopped

½ cup chopped salted peanuts (you can also leave them whole)

½ cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro

Make the dressing by combining all ingredients in medium bowl. Stir until peanut butter is dissolved. Set aside.

Combine all of the slaw ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss well (I strained this so there wasn’t clumps of garlic and ginger in the dressing, it might have added a stronger taste of those to so do you what you prefer). Let sit at least 10 minutes so vegetables have a chance to soak up the dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (add salt if needed). Serve cold.

Recipe adopted from Once Upon A Chef

I saw this recipe during a peak at pinterest.  Supposedly it came from Julia Child.  I also remember a friend telling me about a recipe like this with the lemon.  I really like how it turned out but want to be honest and say I’m not so sure about the lemon flavor added.  I think I would omit that part for now on.  My opinion, you’re taste buds may love it like I am sure others do!

(again, sorry for blurry picture…I really need to work on a steady hand…or just use a tripod!)

Roasted Broccoli

4-5 lbs broccoli (not washed – the heat will kill the germs)

5 T + more oil

1 1/2 t kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 t pepper, again to taste

garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

Preheat oven to 425.  Drizzle broccoli with oil and toss with salt and pepper.  Place it on a cookie sheet and then toss the garlic slices on top.  Roast for 20-25 minutes until crisp-tender shaking at least once or twice.  Take it out of the oven and zest a bit of lemon over the top and squeeze some juice on also (if desired).  Add a bit more oil and some parmesan cheese and serve warm.

Recipe from Julia Child

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

Batter:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 to 1 ¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg, to taste (I used 1/2)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

Glaze:

3 tablespoons butter; melted

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons hot water

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.  Add the eggs, beating to combine.  Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.  Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.  Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they’re a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and water.  Whisk until smooth.  When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden.  At this point, you can leave them as is or go for the double dip.

Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Muffins will keep at room temperature for about a day.

Recipe from My Baking Addiction who adopted from King Arthur Flour

A couple of tips before getting started:

- Cherries with stems may be easier not only to dip but also for other people to decipher which is the chocolate covered cherry and which one is the peanut butter ball on a cookie tray — just a suggestion!

- Cover the ball COMPLETELY in chocolate.  Otherwise a bit of juice may leak out AND isn’t more chocolate better!  I think so!

- Also, I think these little guys would be delicious if they were dipped in dark chocolate.  It would cut out the sweetness a bit but still be tasty – although I really like dark chocolate – you may not be into that…

- This makes a LARGE batch.  It may not be a bad idea to cut it in half OR make half the white mixture into chocolate covered cherries and then add mint extract to the remaining mixture.  Make into patties and dip in chocolate for Mint Meltaways — those were really good also!  (oh yes, they freeze well also – so go ahead and make the full batch!)

(side note:  the picture above has been touched with a  special effect – changing it up a bit…  :)

Chocolate Covered Cherries

1 c. soft butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3 lb. powdered sugar…more for rolling in your hand

3-4 jars of Maraschino Cherries

Mix first 3 till smooth.  Shape into 1 inch balls and roll around a cherry.  Chill well.  Dip into melted semi-sweet (or dark) chocolate.  Chill till firm.

Recipe from Bobbi

Well, that’s it for my Christmas recipes.  Now on to some yummy dinners, muffins, , salads, sweets etc.!  Can’t wait to share with you.

These brownies start with a nice sturdy brownie layer.  A bit on the spongy side.  Then you top that with a tasty mint filling and finally a nice chocolate almost fudge-like layer.  (don’t mind my not-so professional picture…but at least you get the idea!)

Mint Brownies

Brownie

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup margarine, softened

4 eggs

1 1/2 cup (or 16 oz can) hershey syrup

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 9×13.  Beat all ingredients, pour into pan  and bake 25-30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean and top springs back when touched.  Let cool.

Mint Filling

2 cups pwd sugar

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 T water

1/2 tsp mint extract

3 drops of green food coloring

Beat ingredients until smooth.  Spread on cooled brownie layer and chill until firm.

Chocolate Layer

6 T margarine

1 cup mint or semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Microwave the margarine until melted.  Add the chips and stir.  Microwave in 10-20 second increments until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Spread on top of chilled Mint filling.  Chill until firm.

Cut & serve!

Recipe from Mom V.

Banket - A christmas MUST and one of my very first posts on this blog!  Banket is a dutch treat made with some delicious almond paste.

Santa’s Snicker’s Surprise – These are AWESOME!  And even awesomeier (if that’s a word…) since you can also make Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies with the same batter if you run out of Snickers!  The husband’s fav!

Picture from Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

Break-Up Bars – Not sure what else to say about these except – WOW!  First time I made these.  It’s a shortbread crust (I omitted the toffee bits) with a homemade caramel middle and topped with chocolate.  Can’t get better than that.  Very rich, so cut them small.  I used a 9×13 pan and then turned out a bit thicker than I expected.  Thank you Susan for sharing this recipe with me!

Chocolate Covered Cherries – Also a first for me.  Made them with a friend.  They turned out great!  Don’t have the recipe but will have to get it for you.  Also made peppermint patties with the leftover filling mixture – loved these also!

Trinidads – These are always good.  Also very rich.  Love the dark chocolate fudgy center with the white chocolate coconut coating.

Mint Brownies – Many memories come with this recipe.  I will be sharing in my next post more about them!

Saltine Toffee – Oh so good!  Best right out of the freezer.  Love the salty sweetness!  Super easy to make.

As you can see it has been quiet a CHOCOLATE OVERLOAD in my house!  Interesting that I didn’t make as many cookies as I did more candies this year.  Not sure why that is but glad I did it!

Chicken Parmesan Bake

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

hot red pepper flakes, to taste (I omitted)

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 3 and pounded them to about 1/2 inch thickness)

2 cups marinara sauce

1/4 cup chopped basil (I used some dried basil)

8 oz mozzarella, shredded

4 oz Parmesan, grated (I would leave out half next time, it seemed a bit too salty to my taste)

1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons

Put olive oil and garlic in a 9×13 size dish or pan.  Place chicken on top.  Spread marinara sauce on top.  Sprinkle with half the mozzorella and half the parmesan cheese.  Place croutons on top and add the remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes (or until your chicken is cooked through).

We started out with a recipe from Allrecipes.com and then I jumped onto Savory Sweet Life to get some tips for the second batch.  A few tips from a pro :)  1.  Use a pretty large pot to make room for the popped kernals, with a lid of course (and not a dutch oven).  2.  Heat the oil very hot (400 or so), if you think it’s hot enough, wait another couple minutes (test it by throwing 3 kernels in, when they pop, pour in the sugar, let melt a few seconds and add the remaining kernals.  3.  Shake shake shake!!!

Kettle Corn (I’d suggest reading the tips above before making.)

1/4 cup vegetable oil (can also use butter, shortening, etc.)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

3/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat to b/t 300-400 degrees.  Add popcorn and sugar giving it a quick stir and then cover with lid.  Once popcorn starts popping, pick it up and give it a quick shake every few seconds until popping slows down, between 3-4 minutes.  Remove immediately from heat and transfer the popcorn immediatly into a large bowl.  Sprinkle with salt, serve and enjoy!

Recipe adopted from Allrecipes.com and Savory Sweet Life

I’d love to hear about your kettle corn experiences, or really any of your baking/cooking experiences!