The Holidays are over and the temps are dropping at the speed of light! Like my Dad used to say “It’s colder than a Well Diggers….”. Well…ya know! (wink-wink) Which means only one thing…it’s time for a big bowl of thick rich hearty stew! One of my favorites is this Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew..it’s perfect for warming up your insides!
Whats Cooking
One of my favorite cookies as a child are these snowy powder sugar coated “Mexican Wedding Cake” cookies. They’re still a favorite. What’s not to love? They’re a scrumptious buttery shortbread cookie loaded with chopped pecans and rolled in “snow”! Plus…you can actually build a snowman with them…if you try really hard…then you have to eat them all…because you “touched” them! Don’t ask how I know this!
One of my favorite breakfast “indulgences”? Scones! I love’em! Especially if they’re puffy, tender, moist, and buttery.
Add in my favorite Holiday flavor combination of Cranberries and Orange and you have an award winning scone! Perfect for your Christmas morning breakfast! Best part…you can make them ahead of time and reheat them in the microwave.
Last Week I hosted a “Virtual” Christmas Cookie Exchange with several of my blogging friends. It was so much fun! Today I’m putting them all together in one place with links to each cookie recipe so you can add them to your Holiday Cookie Platter this year!
I love fresh apricots. I love dried apricots…and I L.O.V.E. apricot jam! You could say I’m an apricot fan. I know…weird. This highly overlooked fruit has a wonderful subtle flavor and texture uniquely it’s own! When dried and cut up… They sparkle like amber gems! That sound so glam! My kids used to call them…monkey ears! Perhaps more accurate? However, that kind of sucks all the glamour out of them. Regardless how you feel about them…these Apricot Almond Bars are a wonderful, super yummy, addition to your Holiday Cookie Tray!
One of our favorite holiday traditions is serving various soups and chowders on Christmas Eve with lots of appetizers! We save the “big guns” for Christmas Day! There’s something cozy about a bowl of chowder in front of the fire the night before the “big guy” comes! This Bacon, Shrimp, and Corn Chowder was a huge hit with the hubs because of its rich robust flavors…and, of course… all those plump delicious Shrimp! It’s the perfect Christmas Chowder!
Let the Holiday Baking begin with a Virtual Cookie Exchange! I’m SO excited!! I’m hosting a week long event this week on my social media channels. I’ve invited six amazing blogging friends to share their favorite Holiday Cookie Recipes with ya’ll! I get to go first with my new favorite sugar cookie! They’re quick and easy to make… festive, and full of buttery sugary goodness! Best of all…They’re sure to be Santa’s favorite too!
I wonder if the inventor of French Toast had any idea just how decadent their creation could be made? If so…they would have dreamed up this divine version. Apple Cinnamon Brioche Bread dipped in a heavy cream batter and grilled till golden brown and topped with fresh apples in a luscious caramel sauce. It’s just a little something I whipped up for the Holidays!
You can have all the Thanksgiving trimmings…but if there’s no gravy…what are you going to drink with your meal? Those mashed taters need to be swimming in luscious lip smackin’ gravy made from the drippings of that luscious Thanksgiving Turkey! The turkey and stuffing can go for a swim too! Just sayin’…
Nothing beats an Old-Fashioned Classic! Unless you top it off with sauteed mushrooms, garlic, and grilled onions! Allow me to introduce you to my version of your Grandma’s Hot Open Face Beef Sandwich with rich savory thick gravy! I know, grown men are weeping for Joy! You’re Welcome!