Christmas…otherwise known as the Season I Eat Too Much
Posted by Rhonda Nelson in UncategorizedWell, it’s that time of year again. Food Fest ’09. There’s dinner with the hubby’s family, dinner with my family, Christmas parties at the church, with my Sunday School class and with my local RWA chapter.
Food, food and more food.
And not just any kind of food. The irresistible kind, like little smokies wrapped in bacon and covered with brown sugar, and peanut butter fudge and Christmas cookies and cheese balls and cheese straws and cheese dip. Chocolate covered pretzels, peanut butter balls and Sister Schubert’s rolls. (The kind with the little sausages baked in and basted with poppyseed dressing and butter. Did you see my eyes just roll back in my head? Because they did.)
Earlier in the year I dropped thirty pounds, gained back twelve over the summer and have since taken off ten of the gain. I’m nine pounds away from my ultimate goal and faced with the most difficult time of the year. How to cope? How do I say no to homemade candies and Watergate salad? Mom is making Belgian Waffles for Christmas brunch. I don’t know how many calories are in the waffles, but I am relatively certain the gooey blueberry syrup I’m going to pour over them is chockful of them. I’m doomed. Doomed, doomed, doomed.
In order to combat a bit of the inevitable weight gain, I have devised a plan. It’s called the Don’t-Eat-Anything-All-Day-So-You-Can-Gorge-At-The-Party Diet. Brilliant, yes? 
In all seriousness, I have resolved to eat low-cal when I can, and do small portions of the holiday food. If I try to tell myself that I won’t eat the good stuff, then I’m a.) lying to myself and b.) setting myself up for failure. “In moderation” is going to be my motto this holiday season.
That said, here’s a lovely cheese spread recipe for you all to enjoy in moderation as well. It’s easy, it comes together quickly and it’s a never-fail favorite. I always take the recipe with me because I get asked for it so much.
Raspberry Cheese Spread
Ingredients:
4oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded mozzarella
8oz shredded cheddar
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 cup chopped pecans
Seedless raspberry preserves
Crackers
To prepare: In a small mixing bowl beat in the cream cheese and mayonnaise until well-blended. Beat in cheeses and onions. Stir in pecans. Spread into a plastic-lined 9-inch round dish and refrigerate for one hour, or until set. Invert onto serving plate and spread the preserves on top. (Stir this up first so it’s smooth, otherwise it clumps.) Serve with crackers.
To celebrate the season, I’m giving away three copies of BETTER NAUGHTY THAN NICE. To enter, simply share your favorite holiday food. (And if it contains cream cheese and cool whip, then all the better. 
)
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I make this simple chocolate chip cheescake pie that my kids love each year. It is:
2 8ox packages cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 bag chocolate chips
1 prepared graham cracker crumb crust
Use a mixer to blend the first four ingredients together and then fold the chips into the mix and pour into the crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool and then refrigerate 3 hours before serviing.
Cream Puff Cake
1/2 cup margarine, 1 cup flour, 3 small boxes instant chocolate pudding, 4 cups cold milk, 1 small Cool Whip 1 cup water, 4 eggs, 8 oz. cream cheese, fudge syrup
Crust: Bring margarine and water to a boil. Remove from the stove, add flour and stir all together. Beat in eggs one at a time. Spread into 9 x 13 greased pan, and bake at 400o for 25 minutes, or until golden. Cool.
Filling: Mix pudding with milk. Add cream cheese (softened), beat together. Spread top with Cool Whip, drizzle on fudge syrup. Chill two hours.
Enjoy the holidays!
CARAMEL DELIGHTS
Filling:
1 pkg. caramels- Kraft,
1 can sweetened condensed milk ( the regular sized can)
2 tablespoons butter
Crust:
1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. oatmeal
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg, beaten
Toppings:
1 c. chocolate chips,
1 c. cashews or pecans
Preheat oven to 325.
Mix the first six crust ingredients
add the vanilla and egg.
Save about 3/4 c. of the crust mixture
pat the rest into a 9 X 13 pan and bake 10-12 minutes, until light brown.
Meanwhile, make the caramel filling. You just melt all the caramels, the butter, and the condensed milk together, in the microwave. Watch carefully!
Pour the filling over the browned crust. Sprinkle with chocolate chip and nuts, then crumble the rest of the oatmeal mixture over it. Bake 10-12 minutes more until lightly brown.
Enjoy the holidays!
johnslake at usa dot com
I make about 10 run cakes to give away as gifts. However, my favorite treat would be my grandmother’s chocolate chess pie. I’ll see if I can find the recipe to post later.
Rum Cake Recipe
Cake:
1 box yellow butter cake mix (one with pudding in the mix I like Betty Crocker’s Super Moist)
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
½ cup water
½ cup oil
½ cup light run (I think it has a lighter flavor than dark or spiced)
½ cup pecans
Glaze:
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
¼ cup light rum (I sometimes use up to 1/3 cup)
Oven temp should be 325 degrees. Grease and flour pan and put broken up pecans in the bottom of the pan (I like Crisco to grease the pan, keeps anything from sticking). Mix all remaining cake ingredients together and pour into pan. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until knife comes out clean. About 5 minutes before cake is dong, bring all glaze ingredients to a boil. Pour glaze over cake while hot and still in the pan. Let cool and then flip pan over onto plate and serve.
I love my sister-in-laws mother’s cranberry-pecan desert. The is no set recipe because you add as much or as little as you like. Basically you chop up pecans and cranberries in pieces as large or small as you like and stir them into cool whip and freeze. It is best eaten while semifrozen. And you could add any other fruit that you like.
OK that should be dessert not desert!!!! :-O
Hi, Rhonda! Your cheese spread has become my standby-take-it-somewhere party food. Rave review every time!
These are so bad for you. I can only justify them at Christmas for company.
Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups sour cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 1 stick melted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• Grated zest of two lemons
• 1/3 cup poppy seeds
In a large bowl sift together first 5 ingredients.
In another bowl whisk together remaining ingredients until well combined.
Pour wet ingredients over dry. Stir until just combined.
At this point I am supposed to bore you with how to cook a pancake. I know you know how. Do it.
Keep them warm in a 250-degree oven if people aren’t standing around you like Oliver Twist with his porridge bowl held out.
It says serve with butter and syrup. I don’t like syrup on pancakes so I prefer blueberries, though I do offer up the syrup. Most use both.
It also says it makes 6-8 pancakes. Maybe, if you make them as big as a serving platter. It makes a lot. If in doubt, double it. If in a panic, triple it. I would. My mother said, “Better too muchâ€. Jason Duffey says, “This America. We can waste food.â€
My fav Holiday food is my grandmother’s recipe for pumpkin pie…. everyone always jokes about me having my own pie because I love it so much and the recipe makes two! Ahhh nothing reminds me more of the Holidays than her pies… (*)
This recipe sounds delicious, I’ll have to try it soon !!
Here is a new recipe I just found and it sounds delicious :
Pistachio Cranberry Icebox Cookies
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
1/2 cup shelled pistachios (2 1/4 oz; not dyed red)
1/3 cup dried cranberries (1 1/4 oz)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup decorative sugar (preferably coarse)
•Stir together flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
•Beat together butter, granulated sugar, and zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until dough just comes together in clumps, then mix in pistachios and cranberries. Gather and press dough together, then divide into 2 equal pieces. Using a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper as an aid, form each piece of dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Square off long sides of each log to form a bar, then chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until very firm, at least 2 hours.
Slice and bake cookies:
•Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
•Brush egg over all 4 long sides of bars (but not ends). Sprinkle decorative sugar on a separate sheet of parchment or wax paper and press bars into sugar, coating well.
•Cut each bar crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, rotating bar after cutting each slice to help keep square shape. (If dough gets too soft to slice, freeze bars briefly until firm.) Arrange cookies about 1/2 inch apart on lined baking sheets.
•Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are pale golden, 15 to 18 minutes total. Transfer cookies from parchment to racks using a slotted spatula and cool completely.
Oh my, I’ve gained 10 pounds just reading these. They all sound wonderful. And anything that has cheesecake in the name is for me. My favorite holiday food is pumpkin pie, but since I don’t make it I can’t really tell you the recipe. I like a big piece with cool whip on the top. YUM!!
I am a huge fan of dips! If I could, I’d eat them with just a spoon. So here’s a recipe I make every year for our holiday party…..
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 medium green onions, thinly sliced (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/4 cup dry white wine or apple juice
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 can (6 ounces) crabmeat, drained, cartilage removed and flaked
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted, if desired
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Mix all ingredients except crabmeat and almonds in medium bowl until well blended. Stir in crabmeat.
2. Spread crabmeat mixture in ungreased pie plate, 9×1 1/4 inches, or shallow 1-quart casserole. Sprinkle with almonds.
3. Bake uncovered 15 to 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with crackers.
This is a new recipe I found. I can’t wait to try it.
Pecan Snickerdoodles
2-1/2 cups flour
1 cup finely chopped PLANTERS Pecans
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, slightly softened
1-3/4 cups sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix flour, pecans, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in large bowl; set aside.
BEAT butter and 1-1/2 cups of the sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs; beat until well blended. Add dry ingredients; beat on low speed until well mixed. Form dough into 1-inch balls. Mix remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon sugar. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
BAKE 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
I love pavlova at during the holidays. I know that there are lots of recipes around, but I tend to just buy a pre-made one. Regardless of whether it is home-made or bought, I usually cover with whipped cream, and then add strawberries, kiwifruit, and other berries if they are affordable at the time (berries and chocolate seem to shoot up in price the week before Christmas).
Oh yum! They all sound fantastic! Gosh, you all picked some great recipes. My fondest memories of Christmas were when my mom made cookies. She would be in the kitchen for hours. I loved her almond cookies, wedding cookies rolled in white powder, pecan chocolate bars, chocolate chip cookies, and her homemade fudge.
My favorite is cheesecake in any form! I had a sensantional one over Thanksgiving that was a pumpkin cheesecake with a streusel topping. Oh my, heaven!
Here is another recipe you can add to your Christmas collection. It is so pretty and very delcious!
STRAWBERRIES FRANCOISE
(In order of use)
Cream cheese, softened 8 oz.
Vanilla 1 tsp.
Orange brandy liqueur 3 tbsp.
Sugar 4 0z.
Unflavored gelatin 1 tbsp.
Water 4 oz.
Sour cream 4 oz.
Whipped Topping 6 oz. tub
Strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced 1 quart
Strawberry glaze, optional
1. Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.
2. Blend in vanilla, liqueur and sugar.
3. Soften gelatin in water and then heat to dissolve. Add into cream mixture.
4. Add sour cream to cream cheese mixture and fold in.
5. Whip, whip cream topping at medium speed in a deep bowl then to full volume. Fold into cream mixture.
6. Layer filling with sliced strawberries and glaze in parfait glasses. Garnish top with a strawberry fan if you want to be fancy. If you have small parfait bowls, fill bottom with sliced strawberries, then add glaze, then cream filling on top with a little strawberry slice on top.
Yields 12 parfaits. (G) Merry Christmas! (G)
Oh, yum. I had to figure out something to do with the 6 pounds of jalapenos I picked in the SNOW (I mention this frequently) on Friday. I found a recipe for Cowboy Candy. Slice a cup and a half of jalapenos, add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 water and cook until the syrup thickens–about 10 to 15 minutes. Except that the syrup didn’t really thicken. You can add green food coloring, but I didn’t bother. Cool and refrigerate. Serve over cream cheese (Rhonda, I’ll bet you thought I wasn’t going to be able to work it in, didn’t you?
) on crackers. Cool Whip optional.
Wow, you guys really came through! I’ve got some great recipes to try now. To keep it simple, commenters 1, 2 and 3 are my winners. Ladies, please use the contact button on my website to send me your snail mail addies and I’ll get the books out to you BEFORE Christmas, I promise. (G)
Congrats Maureen, Laurie, & Liza! (*)