Jacked Up Pecans

It's nice to be back home sleeping in my my own bed again. I titled the post "jacked up pecans" due to my week being jacked up. I love the holidays don't get me wrong, but what I don't like is being so mixed up on what day it is. This week I'll be working through Wednesday and then heading with my friend Laura to Canton to check out the big Canton, Texas Trade Days. Every first weekend of the month there's a huge outdoor event full of crafts, antiques, food, clothing and the list keeps going. Basically it's every husbands worst nightmare! Anyway I hope to find some good deals and ideas to take back with me. I'm also on the hunt for some new outdoor yard decor.

These pecans are just what the doctor ordered. I made a big batch (multiplied the recipe by 4) in order to share with my parents, my in laws and my hubby. We're big fans of Jack Daniels down here and deep down I think we keep them in business. You can use any liquor for this I'm sure. The only thing was there wasn't enough Jack flavor so when they were finished drying I sprinkled on a little more Jack from the bottle and let them dry again. I made the big mistake of making it on a rainy day. I was pleased to see they just needed more time to dy out, but worked out just fine. Either way I wouldn't let it go to waste.

Jack Daniels Pecans

(Adapted from Rah Cha Chow)

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons Jack Daniels

2 teaspoons instant coffee

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups pecans

Preheat oven to 325 F.In a large skillet, combine sugar, Jack Daniels, instant coffee and cinnamon. Mix until well combined.

Stir in pecans. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until pecans are well coated.

Put in oven and bake about 10 minutes, until the coating is dry. Cool.

Have a great week along with a very safe and happy new year!!

French Yule Log or Entremets Recipes

Holy cow it's already the end of December! When you think of Christmas staple dishes you think yule log. I admit I've never made one until now, but I was interested to learn that there are different types out there. There are traditional Genoise and Buttercream and then there is the frozen Yule Log which is frozen mousse and is not holiday-specific.

This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux.They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand

FRENCH YULE LOG OR ENTREMETS

RECIPE by Flore of Florilège Gourmand which can be found at http://plaisirgourmand.perso.cegetel.net/index.html

I'm sorry to share that there's no pictures due to my own stupid self. I deleted all the pictures from my camera by accident! GGGRRR I do plan on making this again so when I do I will have pictures. Please check out the other Daring Bakers and see how beautiful they turned out.

Egg In A Basket

I hope everyone got what they asked for from Santa and had a wonderful time with your family and friends! We left Christmas day to head down to Corpus Christi, Texas for a weekend visit with my family. It's been Christmas every day this week since my husband's parents are divorced we have multiple days of gatherings. I'm not even sure what day it is anymore with all that's going on.

This is a fun recipe to do when you have a large crowd and it's easy for the kids to get involved. I have to admit there's not a lot of detail to it since I was busy talking and not watching the clock. :P

Egg In A Basket

1 slice of bread

1 egg

butter

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tins and press sliced bread in each tin. Bake for 5 minutes to get the bread toasted and hold it's shape.

I spread a little butter around on the toast then fill each bread slice with 1 egg and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Return tray to oven and bake until egg is done.

Some last minute decorating ideas

Just in case you are in need of some last minute decorating ideas here's a peak at what I did this year. I went cranberry crazy. After making the flavored vodka I had a bunch left over so what better to do then decorate with them.

They work great to string and use as a garland and use on a wreath, float them in a dish with some candels, fill a large vase with a smaller vase and in between the two fill with cranberries, the smaller vase can then be filled with water and flowers. That's just a few ideas.

Really any fruit would work and I always think the look so pretty using fresh fruit.

I took some candles and lined a tray then filled in the spaces with cranberries.

For this cute stand I took a small cake stand and put my cute star dish on top filled it with cheese and filled in the bottom spaces with cranberries.

Many wishes for a warm and joyous holiday to you from our family to yours!!

Cheddar-Jelly Thumbprints

I know, I'm a day late posting, but this week is nothing short of the craziness to come.

Wow has time flown by this year! I worked so hard on my gift baskets that I set less time aside for my Christmas Party. I like to do the party closer to the first part of December, but schedules this year just went all over so it didn't happen. As always we had a wonderful time and got some pretty funny white elephant gifts.

When it comes to cookbooks I feel like I'm a library. I spread the books throughout the house so it doesn't look like I have and overwhelming stock pile of them, but for some reason that doesn't fly for my husband. My latest addiction is to order the cookbooks for a free 30 day trial (not to mention you get cool freebies with the book) and then return them unless they are super amazing and then I either buy them or go on the hunt at 1/2 priced books for a cheaper version. Today's recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cooking From the Heart 2008. I had an inspiration for a similar recipe using the cheddar sausage balls and flattening them out and adding jalapeno jelly, but go figure someone out there out thought me and published it before I could even develop the recipe. If you ask a contester that's the story of their life. You work so hard on something to find that it already exist. Well even if my idea is smooched it doesn't mean I can't try the recipe that has been out there.

Cheddar-Jelly Thumbprints

(Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Cooking From the Heart 2008)

1 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese or extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg yolk

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

1 1/4 cups finely chopped pecans

1/3 to 1/2 cup green and/or red jalapeno jelly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 large baking sheets or line with parchment paper; set aside. In a food processor combine cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, and butter.

Cover and process until combined. Add egg yolk and pepper; process until combined. Add flour. Process with on/off turns until a soft dough forms; set aside.

In a small bowl combine egg white and water. Shape dough into 3/4 inch balls. Roll balls in egg white mixture, then in pecans. Place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Press your thumb into the center of each ball.

Bake about 15 minutes or until edges are firm and light brown. Press puffed centers down using a rounded side of a measuring teaspoon. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Just before serving, fill centers with jelly.

Make-ahead directions: Prepare and bake as directed. Cover and chill unfilled thumbprints in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in a container at room temperature before filling with jelly.

Check back tomorrow for some last minute decorating ideas...

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mallow Bars

This is owey gowey goodness at it's finest! How can you go wrong with chocolate and marshmallows? This made a perfect dish to cut up into bars and pack them in cute containers. I had to work quickly in order to keep from licking my fingers while boxing them up. My only complaint is that it was almost too messy trying to put it together. If you have ever worked with marshmallow then you can feel my pain it doesn't "spread" to easy!

I like to do a variety in my gift baskets. It seems easy to do cookies and breads, but you have to toss in something extra to make your gift to stand out. Between this and the popcorn I think I might have a winner this year.

Chocolate-peanut butter mallow bars
(Adapted from Kraft Food & Family holiday 2008 magazine)

1 package (2 layer size) devil's food cake mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2/3 cup cold milk, divided
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
1/2 cup salted peanuts
6 squares semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix dry cake mix, butter and 1/3 cup milk until blended, press two-thirds onto the bottom of 13x9 inch pan. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until center is almost set; 3 minutes.

Mix peanut butter and remaining milk; spread onto crust.

Top with spoonfuls of marshmallow creme and remaining cake mixture.

Sprinkle with nuts and chocolate; press gently into cake mixture.

Bake 18 minutes or just until center is set. Cool before cutting into bars.

I put the mallow bars and the honey bunches I posted yesterday in some small boxes I got at Walmart and tied some ribbon around them. I then attached my ornaments and wrote on the box what was in them. Now it's off to deliver all my treats!

Hope you enjoyed a peak into what I gave out this year! Check back tomorrow and I'll share some things I did for our annual Christmas party...

Honey Bunches

Another item going in my gift baskets is a recipe made by Lorie from Rice and Beans and Other Fine Things. She's a wonderful cook and also a fellow contest buddy who is very talented. With all the sweets going into my basket I thought it would be a nice change of pace to add these great little mini bunches. She made changes to a recipe found from Gale Gand of the Sweet Dreams show on Food Network. I love this alternative snack instead of a granola bar.

Honey Bunches

(Adapted from Rice and Beans and Other Fine Things...)

8 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2/3 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 24-cup mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Melt the butter over low heat in a small, heavy saucepan. Meanwhile, stir together the oats, coconut, walnuts, and both flours in a large bowl.

Stir the honey into the butter and bring to a boil, stirring often. Pour the butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well.

Divide the mixture between the 24 cups and press into each cup slightly. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. (I bake closer to 20 min.)

Let cool for 10 minutes in pan, then remove to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an air tight container.

Tomorrow I have one more item to add so if you have a sweet tooth you'll love this one...

Cheddar and Beer Spread

I didn't want to many sweets in my basket so I did a savory one. This dip is a great make ahead dip as the site says it can be done 3 months ahead of time. One week is good enough for me, I'm not that much of a planner!

Potted Cheddar and Beer Spread

(Adapted from MSN Delish)

1 1/2 pounds (6 cups) extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

1 can (12 ounces) beer

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick)margarine or butter, softened

1 tablspoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions
1. In large bowl, combine cheese and beer. Let stand 30 minutes or until cheese softens.
2. In food processor with knife blade attached, blend cheese mixture, margarine or butter, and remaining ingredients 3 to 5 minutes until smooth.
3. Pack cheese into crocks or decorative airtight containers and store in refrigerator up to 1 month or in freezer up to 3 months. To serve, let cheese stand at room temperature 30 minutes or until soft enough to spread.

I did the same thing I did with the soup jars by punching out the title of the contents and adding scrapbook adhesive to the back then sticking them to the top of the jar.

Tomorrow I have a tasty treat from a blog I follow that's super quick to make a batch of...