Sunday, January 6, 2013

prosciutto asparagus spirals.


Prosciutto Asparagus Spirals from Shalee:

1 pkg (17.3 ounces) Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed
6 Tbsp Bousin Herb and Cheese Spread, softened
8 slices prosciutto or thinly sliced deli ham
30 medium asparagus spears, trimmed

1. Heat the oven to 400. Unfold the pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Spread 3 Tbsp cheese on each pastry sheet. Top each with 4 slices prosciutto. Cut each into 15 strips crosswise, making 30 in all.

2. Tightly wrap 1 pastry strip around each asparagus spear, prosciutto-side in. Place the pastries seam-side down onto baking sheets.

3. Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.

fudge.


Fudge from Kelly:

4 cups sugar
2 - 5 oz cans (1 3/4 cups total) evaporated milk
1 cup butter
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
7 ounces of a dark or milk chocolate candy bar (cut up)
7 ounces marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp vanilla

Line a 13x9 with foil. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat melt butter and then add sugar and milk. Cook and stir until mixture boils and then turn down heat to medium and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and then add chocolate chips, chocolate bar, marshmallow creme and vanilla. If you want your whole batch to have nuts you may also add them at this time. If your family is like ours, just add the nuts to one of the 9x9's and then pour the fudge on top when it is done. Stir the fudge until everything is combined and continue to stir for one minute more. Spread warm fudge into your pans and cut when cool.

hot fudge sauce.


Hot Fudge Sauce from Jenni:

3 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate (I use semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1/4 cup butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk

In a saucepan, heat the butter and condensed milk over medium-low heat until the butter melts and the milk is warm. Add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat.

Store leftovers in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks.

fiesta rolls.


Fiesta Rolls from Tamara:

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey and 1 tsp salt
3/4 pound cheddar cheese (I like to use Sharp)
1 small can chopped ripe olives (make sure to use chopped, not sliced)
3 green onions
1 green pepper
2 small cans tomato sauce
1 T vinegar
dinner rolls

Directions:
1. Brown beef. Drain and add remaining ingredients (except rolls). Simmer for 30 minutes. From the top or the side of the roll, make a hole and pulling out the middle of the roll. Stuff mixture in each roll. 

2. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees until mixture is hot and starting to bubble.

3. Remove foil and continue to bake for a few more minutes.

wassail.


Wassail from Lauren:

1 can frozen apple juice
1 can frozen orange juice
1 can frozen lemonade
2 cinnamon sticks
1 T ground cloves
1 cup sugar
4 quarts water

Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar; keep on low heat as long as you want or transfer to a crockpot to keep warm.

monkey bread.



Monkey Bread from Erin:
INGREDIENTS:
Dough:
4 tablespoons butter, divided, 2 tablespoons softened and 2 tablespoons melted
1 cup milk, warm (about 110 degrees)
1/3 cup water, warm (about 110 degrees)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
2 teaspoons salt
Brown Sugar Coating: 
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), melted
Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk
DIRECTIONS:
Butter a Bundt pan with the 2 tablespoons softened butter. Set aside.
In a large measuring cup, mix together the milk, water, melted butter, sugar, and yeast. Mix the flour and salt together in a standing mixer Turn the machine to low and slowly add the milk mixture. mix 6 to 7 minutes. If you think the dough is too wet, add 2 tablespoons flour at a time and mix until the dough comes together (it should still be on the sticky side, just not overly wet). Coat a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled, 1-2 hours (alternately, you can preheat the oven to 200 degrees, turning it off once it reaches 200 degrees and place the covered bowl in the oven to speed up the rising time).
Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Place the melted butter in a second bowl or shallow pie plate. Set aside.
To form the bread, gently remove the dough from the bowl and press it into a rough 8-inch square. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut the dough into 64 pieces.
Dip the balls in melted butter, then Roll the dipped dough ball in the brown sugar mixture, then layer the balls in the Bundt pan
Cover the Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and let the monkey bread rise until puffy and they have risen 1-2 inches from the top of the pan, 1-2 hours (again, you can use the warm oven approach to speed this up).
Heat the oven to 350 degrees  -Unwrap the pan and bake until the top is deep brown and caramel begins to bubble around edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the monkey bread in the pan for 5 minutes (any longer and the bread will be too sticky and hard to remove!), then turn out on a platter or large plate and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
For the glaze, while the bread cools, whisk the confectioners’ sugar and milk together in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth. Using a whisk, drizzle the glaze over the warm monkey bread, letting it run over the top and sides of the bread. Serve warm.

chocolate roll.


Chocolate Roll from Brittany:

4 cups real whipping cream (I prefer heavy, but regular works too)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1 package Famous Chocolate Wafer Cookies (hard to find but King Soopers has them locally)

Beat cream, sugar and vanilla with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form (more than you would typically beat the whip cream). Stir in peppermint extract to taste.

Spread a layer of whipped cream on the bottom of serving platter. It should be thick enough that the wafer can stand on its own. Spread whipped cream onto wafer cookie and top with another cookie making a sandwich. Place cookies on serving dish using the whipped cream layer that was spread to anchor them. Continue to layer whipped cream and cookies until all wafer cookies have been used. I squeeze the cookies pretty close together so some cream oozes out the top. Once all the cookies have been places spread additional cream over and around the chocolate log. Place in fridge for at least 4 hours. Garnish with chocolate shavings or crushed peppermint right before serving. Slice on the diagonal to see all the layers of cookie.