Christmas Desserts and Treat Tins

I volunteered to make desserts for Christmas Eve. I decided to make a bunch of mini desserts for more vareity and figures I could use the leftovers for dessert on Christmas day. I was originally going to make a bunch of half batches of the desserts, but then I thought it would be a good idea to make treat tins for people we would be visiting Christmas day. I was off work (or maybe I was sick ::cough, cough::) the Wednesday before the holiday so I spent the majority of the day baking the following goodies. They were all delicious and a big hit with everyone.

Red Velvet Cupcakes: These were originally supposed to be cookies, but I used applesauce and egg substitute instead of the oil and eggs and the result was more of a cake batter vs. a cookie dough.

Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

Mini Cheesecakes: I used used Nilla Wafers and fresh strawberries for half, oreo cookies and chocolate chips for the other half.

White Chocolate Oreo Truffles

Chocolate Oreo Truffles

White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

Chocolate Fudge
I made a few more, but did not have a chance to photograph them before they were gone!
Mini Pecan Pies
Jam Thumbprints
Sugar Cookie Bites

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

My husband and I on Christmas Eve

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Bryan and I certainly had a busy, family filled day, but it was definitely a good time. I haven't been cooking too much because of the holidays and eating out with family and friends. I won't be posting a menu this week as Bryan and I are both off work and making our dinner plans day to day. I will be back to cooking and menu planning after the new year!

Garlic Baked Shrimp

This dish was so-so. I think I let the breadcrumb mixture sit too long before using it so it became a clumpy mess. Some shrimp were bland with no topping and others were overwhelming with a huge chunk of breadcrumbs. If I make this again, I will probably sprinkle the bread crumb mixture onto the shrimp and then drizzle with the lemon juice and olive oil.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
2.5 T finely chopped fresh Parsley
3/4 t grated lemon rind
Salt
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1.5 heaping T lemon juice
1 T olive oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Coat 2 qt baking dish with cooking spray. Add shrimp and set aside.

3. Combine breadcrumbs, parsley, lemon rind, salt and garlic in a bowl. Stir in lemon juice and oil. Sprinkle over shrimp.

4. Bake for 13 minutes or until shrimp are done and breadcrumbs are lightly browned.

The Facts
4 Servings
Calories 141.0
Total Fat 4.0 g
Fiber 0.7 g
WW Points 3

Christmas Cookies

I have seen and bookmarked so many wonderful cookie recipes recently, however there is no way I can make a whole batch and keep it in my kitchen. I will, without fail, eat each and every one of them. That doesn’t quite fit into my losing weight plan. So instead, I decided to spend a day baking cookies for my husband and I to share with our co-workers. I used leftover wedding favor bags, dressed it up with some festive ribbon and added a Happy Holidays note. The cookies were delicious and everyone loved them! I was able to eat a few (well maybe a little more than that….) and then gave the rest away!

I made peanut butter cookies:


Iced sugar cookies with peppermint sugar on top:

Snickerdoodles:

and Dorie Greenspan’s world peace cookies:

Inside Out Chicken Cordon Bleu

On Saturday after a morning of errands (Costco!) and then lunch, I was about to head over to my mother in laws house to make pierogi for her Polish Christmas Eve party. Before I go, I ask Bryan what our plans are for dinner. He says he’s in the mood for ‘deconstructed chicken cordon bleu’ similar to a seasonal favorite at a local restaurant. I semi-laugh, tell him to find a recipe and head out the door (with my KA stand mixer under my arm.)

Pierogi making was quite an adventure, let me tell you. Four hours, four batches of dough, two different fillings and 120+ pierogi later, we were exhausted! Next time I think we’re going to add some wine to the mix ;). At this point, Bryan (at home) has found a recipe and texted me the grocery list. I hit up Publix on the way home. Lucky for me, Bryan took the reins on this dish. He started off a little rocky, but the finished product was quite delicious! You can check out the full recipe on Food Network.

This was definitely a great dish that I’m sure we’ll make again, however of worthy note was the dressing from this recipe. On Bryan’s original list was fig jam OR raspberry jam. I went straight for the raspberry, because honestly, fig didn’t sound so great to me. When I went to write this blog entry, I pulled up the original recipe and noticed it had no mention of the raspberry jam. I asked Bryan about it and he said he knew I would immediately question the fig jam and came up with an alternative that sounded good. I think the raspberry jam really made this dish and the excellent dressing. This would be delicious on pretty much any kind of grilled meat. Check it out below.


Raspberry Jam Dressing
1.5 T raspberry jam
Kosher salt
Pepper
Italian seasoning
Rosemary, dried
Shallot, minced
2 T white wine vinegar
1/2 t Dijon mustard
1 T olive oil

Directions
In a small bowl whisk together jam, shallot, vinegar and mustard. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and rosemary to taste. Enjoy over any meat.

Menu Plans 12-21-09

Monday - Garlic Baked Shrimp, Pasta, Brussels Sprouts
Tuesday - Jack Daniel's Chicken, Jasmine Rice, Salad
Wednesday - Out or something easy from freezer
Thursday - Polish Christmas Eve Party! Potato and Cabbage Pierogi's
Friday - Christmas! Honey Baked Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Broccoli Casserole

Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli

A low fat version and great complement to our oven fried chicken.

Adapted from Weight Watchers

Ingredients
Cooking Spray
6 oz Wheat Pasta
5 oz broccoli, small florets
1/2 t butter
2 T + 2 t bread crumbs
1.5 T parmesan cheese
1.25 cup fat free skim milk
2 T + 2 t AP flour
1/4 cup onion
1/2 cup low fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 t Dijon mustard
salt
pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven toe 375 degrees F. Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding broccoli to water 3 minutes before pasta will be done. Drain pasta and broccoli, return to pot.

3. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until light golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to small bowl. Stir in 1 T of parmesan cheese and set aside.

4. In same saucepan, whist together milk and flour until blended; add onion. Bring to boil over medium – high heat, whisking frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, about two minutes.

5. Remove from heat and whisk in cheddar cheese, mustard, parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Pour over pasta and broccoli, toss to mix and coat.

7. Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle top evenly with bread crumbs. Bake until bubbly at edges, about 20-25 minutes.

The Facts
4 Servings
Calories 269.3
Total Fat 5.5 g
Fiber 6.3 g
WW Points 5