Look what one of my readers gave out for the holidays!!!

Aren't these fun??? One of my readers did this for neighbor and friend gifts over the holidays. She made 21 plates of these! Oh, and she came with her own flavor of marshmallow...orange cream-sickle and she said it was WONDERFUL! I believe she added orange flavoring along with the vanilla and then tinted them orange and added some sprinkles. Cute, huh??? Stay tuned for the next 24 hours...I'll be posting and then removing some of my very favorite party recipes (dips, baguettes, etc.). So...keep watch for YOYO recipes!!! I'll be posting my famous Buffalo

Chicken Chip Dip (which can be served with whole wheat baguettes...another recipe I'll be posting) and Megan's Famous Spinach and Artichoke Dip...so keep watch these YOYO recipes will only be available for 24 hours or UNDER!!!!!!!!

Belgian Waffles like you've never had them before...

So a while back, my brother went to a restaurant and had "real" Belgian waffles. He said they were made from a dough, not a batter. Hmmmm...I began to wonder...could I come up with a whole wheat "dough" recipe for waffles? These are definitely not the "lightest" calorie-wise...but they are so fluffy and delicious...I had to try them out. So, over this break, I decided it was a good time for my WHOLE family to sample these waffles and oh, how they loved them! If you want to impress company staying over the holidays with the most delicious waffle...this is the recipe to use. So, here is the recipe for Fluffy Old Fashioned Belgian Waffles:

Fluffy Old Fashioned Belgian Waffles

1 C milk (heated for about 30-45 seconds to luke warm)

1 T yeast

Mix above ingredients together and set aside for about five minutes.

4 eggs, separated

1 C butter, melted

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 C + 2 T sugar

1 tsp salt

3 1/4 C whole wheat flour (white wheat is best)

1/4 C milk

Mix together flour, sugar and salt. Make a well in the center and put in egg yolks, vanilla and butter and milk/yeast mixture. Mix with electric mixer on medium speed, adding 1/4 C milk while mixing. Beat egg whites to soft peaks in a separate bowl. Mix gently to stir in egg whites. Let rise for about an hour. Stir down and bake in a heated waffle iron…mmmmmm. These are delicious served with whipped cream and berries.

Note: You can actually flavor them with vanilla, almond or other extracts, too. Just experiment to find the flavor you most enjoy!!!

P.S. Don't mind the paper plate...we went easy over the holidays and did paper products for everything...not too pretty, but MUCH easier!!!

P.P.S. I decided to keep my cookbook on sale through New Years...Merry Christmas!!!

GORGEOUS Holiday Tea Ring directions

The above picture is of a Holiday Tea Ring. This is for my "insiders" and can be found on page 61 and uses the recipe for Out of This World Moist and Gooey Cinnamon Rolls on page 60.

Here are the instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To make the Holiday Tea Ring: Follow directions for Out Of This World Moist and Gooey Cinnamon Rolls. After the first rise, divide dough into two segments before rolling out. Roll out very thin (about 1/8 in.) and very generously butter (helps to melt it first) and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up as you did above, and cut uneven ends off to make a straight edge. Instead of cutting into rolls, simply bring the two ends together and pinch together to seal into a large circle. Using kitchen shears, cut into the dough (the same width as you would have made your cinnamon rolls (about 1 in.), but don't cut all the way through...only about 3/4 of the way through. After all cuts have been made, separate each slit using a knife underneath each roll and then slightly turning the roll, so the rolls are laying slightly to the side, but all still connected in the middle. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Mix together:

Powdered sugar

Milk

a small amount of salt (to taste 1/2 tsp...maybe a little less...maybe a little more)

Mix together powdered sugar and small amount of milk until you get a thick drizzling consistency. Put icing on the baked, still warm, but not hot, tea ring. Put it on the connected ring and then use a spoon to smooth onto each top layer of the cinnamon rolls (as you can see in the above picture). Sprinkle chopped pecans. Cut Maraschino cherries in half length-wise, pat on a paper towel and place on the top of each cinnamon roll. These are beautiful.

Another Gift Idea and Peppermint Crunch Cookies

The first pictures show another gift we gave out this year to friends and neighbors that people loved...those flavored marshmallows. We made them, cut them, bought cute little buckets at Target in the dollar section and put them in saran wrap in the buckets. Then, we bought hot chocolate at the dollar store and wrapped it around the bucket and tied it up with cellophane and wire ribbon. They were cute and SO CHEAP and people loved them!!!

The last pictures show a Christmas cookie that my family loved! My kids went nuts over these cookies! My husband, loved them, too. They are WONDERFUL! To me, peppermint is another one of those "Christmas" flavors. So, here is the recipe!

Peppermint Crunch Cookies

3/4 C butter
1 C sugar
1 egg
1/4 C milk
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 3/4 C + 2 T freshly ground or sifted whole wheat flour
3/4 C peppermint candy

Cream butter and sugar thoroughly. Add egg, beating well for about 1 minute. Add milk and mix thoroughly. Sift together dry ingredients, except peppermint candy, and add to creamed mixture. Stir in peppermint candy. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. (For taller cookies, you can roll them in 1 in. balls before baking.) Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. I like to bake them for the minimum amount and then take them out and let them continue to slow bake on the cookie sheet for about 15 more minutes. Makes 20-30 cookies.

You can see that the first picture shows the cookies flatter than the second one. In the first one, I didn't roll them into balls, in the second one I did. You can choose to do them whichever way you prefer.

P.S. the pie crust will be gone VERY SOON...get it now if you want it!!!

Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint Cookies

1/2 C Butter-flavored Crisco

1/4 C brown sugar

1 egg yolk

3/4 tsp. vanilla (can adjust a tiny bit)

3/4 C + 3 T freshly (finely) ground and sifted whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp. salt

2 egg whites (beaten with a fork, just enough to blend)

chopped pecans (just enough to roll dough in)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together the shortening, brown sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Add the flour and salt and mix for about 1-2 minutes on medium speed. Roll dough into 1 in. balls and then dip in egg whites, coating the entire surface. Roll in chopped pecans to coat. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 4-5 minutes, use your thumb to press them down and then bake for about 7-8 more minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool completely. Frost with Fluffy, White Buttercream Frosting.

Tint Fluffy, White Buttercream Frosting as many colors as you would like in separate bowls. Spoon frosting into the middle of each cookie.

Fluffy, White Buttercream Frosting

2 1/2 sticks butter

4 1/2 C powdered sugar

4-6 T milk (you don't want it too thick, but not too thin, either, so just add and mix and add more if needed)

1/2 tsp vanilla

Two hours before preparing frosting, get 2 1/2 sticks of butter out of refrigerator. Whip butter for several minutes until creamy and fluffy. Add powdered sugar 1 C at a time, beating the entire time. Keep beating until frosting is very thick. Add milk and vanilla and beat.

Note: If frosting seems too thick, add an additional tablespoon of milk.

Chocolate Mint Cookies (again)

I'm going to repost this cookie, for all of you out there who are starting your baking and looking to this blog to make your baking a little healthier...

Here is one of my all-time favorite cookie recipes and this one is not in my book, but will be in my next one:

Mint Chocolate Cookies 
 


¾ C butter


1 ½ C packed brown sugar


2 T milk


2 C chocolate chips (1 C semi-sweet and 1 C milk chocolate)


2 eggs
2

¾ cups finely ground and sifted whole wheat flour


1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder


1 tsp salt
40 Andes mints



Put butter, brown sugar and milk in a sauce pan. Melt over low heat until butter is completely melted. Add chocolate chips and stir over low heat for about 30 seconds or until chocolate starts to melt and mixture begins to turn brown. Remove from heat and stir constantly until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Let chocolate mixture cool for at least 15 minutes. Add one egg and beat at high speed for one minute. Add the other egg and beat at high speed for one more minute. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix at high speed for about 2 minutes. Refrigerate dough for about 20-30 minutes (cover with foil first). Drop by tablespoons on a greased cookie sheet. Spray cooking spray on the bottom of a glass and flatten each cookie. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven. Put one Andes mint (or half if you desire less chocolate) on each warm cookie. When Andes mint has melted, use the back of a spoon to spread the melted chocolate all over the top of the warm cookie. Let cookies cool for at least 15-20 minutes before transferring. Makes about 40 large cookies.

Another sweet treat (this one is easy enough for kids!)

Have you ever made the cornflake holly? This is a variation of the treat that is MUCH healthier!

Bran Flake Holly

4 1/2 - 5 C bran flakes

1 bag of marshmallows

1/4 C butter

red hot candies

green food coloring

Melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows, stirring occasionally until marshmallows melt. Add green food coloring to tint

marshmallows. Add bran flakes and stir until coated. Use a large spoon to pull out mounds and place on parchment paper in about 2 1/2 in. mounds. Put three red hots in the middle to make the cutest little holly treats ever. Your kids will LOVE them and they are healthy…for a treat!!!