Holiday Whiskey Balls

Holiday Whiskey Balls!

This one packs a punch ...... Oh, why not!
I would also make these with Irish Whiskey or Rum.
Make at least a week in advance so the Bourbon has a chance to...... mellow!
They're No Bake so they are less time consuming.

You'll need a 1 1/4" Cookie Scoop
This recipe made 56 cookies.

3 C crushed Vanilla Wafers.
1 C finely chopped Pecans ...... roasted if you prefer and have the time.
1 C Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 TBS Cocoa Powder .... You know what I say about the Cocoa Powder, don't skimp on this ingredient, nothing but the best. I now use Hershey's Special Dark.
2 TBS Lyle's Golden Syrup
1/2 C Bourbon, Irish Whiskey or Rum ... again, the best you can afford.
Powdered Sugar for rolling the cookies at the end.

Combine, in a medium bowl:
Wafers
Pecans
Powdered Sugar
Cocoa Powder

Stir in the Lyle's Syrup and Irish Whiskey
Use the small cookie scoop to form 1" balls.
Roll them in Powdered Sugar

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Vegetarian Haggis

I've been researching recipes for Vegetarian Haggis. I reached out to a fellow Food Blogger (Christina's Cucina).
She's Scottish/American and has had it in Scotland.
This is the adapted recipe Christina recommended from Felicity Cloake.
Thank you Christina for helping me with this one.
I've adapted the recipe without compromising the original one.

This is what I use to create a Vegetable Stock.
It also comes in Vegetarian  (No Chicken) and Vegetarian ( NovBeef) Stock.

I use Better Than Bouillon for all of my Vegetarian Soup Bases and to Season many other recipes.


Vegetarian Haggis

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1 Loaf Pan or a 1 quart Casserole Pan coated with a Vegetable Cooking Spray.

1/4 C Dried Split Green Peas
1/4 C Pearl Barley
2 TBS Butter, divided.
1 Large Onion, diced.
1 Large Carrot, diced
1 C diced Portobello Mushrooms
1/2 tsp Allspice
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 C Pinhead Oats
2 1/2 C Hot Vegetable Stock , divided.

3 hours prior to making:
Soak Peas for 3 Hours, drain.

In 2 separate saucepans with water just to cover:
Boil Barley in one and drained Peas in the other one.
Boil for 30  45 minutes.
Stir well.
Remove from heat and set aside is two separate bowls.

In a Skillet on Medium High Heat:
1 TBS Butter until melted.

Add:
Onion and Sauté until softened.

Add:
Carrot until softened and begins to brown.

Add:
Mushrooms until softened.

Add:
Allspice
Pepper

Add:
Peas
Oatmeal
Stir until well combined.

Add 3/4 of the Stock to the Pan.
Bring to a Boil.
Reduce Heat to Simmer.
Continue cooking and stirring until it thickens.
Add additional Stock if needed.

Stir in Barley and remaining Bitter.

Spoon into the Pan.
Cover with Foil.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove Foil and continue baking for an additional 30 minutes.

Remove Pan to a Rack to Cool for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Christmas Amaretto Snowball Cookies

This is such a great Holiday Cookie.

Amaretto Snowball Cookies

Here's what you'll need:

Preheat the Oven to 300 degrees.
A 1 1/2" Cookie Scoop
Sheet Pans lined with Parchment Paper.

2 C Almond Flour
1 C Granulated Sugar
2 TBS All Purpose Flour
2 Egg Whites
1/8th tsp of Salt
1/2 tsp Amaretto Liqueur
Confectioners Sugar for Dusting.

In a Small Mixing Bowl with a Hand Mixer:
Egg Whites
Salt
Beat to Soft Peak.
Whisk in Liqueur by hand, just until combined.

In a Large Mixing Bowl, sift together:
Almond Flour
All Purpose Flour
Granulated Sugar

Fold Meringue into the Dry Ingredients.

Use the Cookie Scoop to make the Balls.
Roll them in the Confectioner's Sugar.

Place them 1" apart on the Sheet Pans.

Set them aside to rest for 15 minutes.

Bake for 20 minutes

The tops should crack and be Golden Brown.

Remove the Pan to a Rack to cool 5 minutes.
Transfer Cookies to the Rack to Cool Completely .

Place the Rack of Cookies over a Sheet Pan and
Dust the tops (just the tops)  with additional Confectioner's Sugar.

Transfer to a Serving Platter.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Texas Holiday Pecans

I have so many recipes for Sweet and Savory Nuts. This is just another recipe that can be served during the Holidays.
I have to start out by saying that the process is not easy trying to get the Baked Pecans off of the Foil as they begin to cool.
I may be the only person that has the patience to get these made.
But, for me, it's well worth the outcome.

No other Syrup will give you the flavor that this does.

Texas Holiday Pecans

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the Oven to 325 degrees.
Silicone Spatulas
A Rimmed Sheet Pan lined with Foil.

6 TBS Lyle's Golden Syrup
1 1/2 TBS Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 TBS Brown Sugar
1 1/2 TBS Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
3 C Pecan Halves

In a Large Mixing Bowl:
Syrup
Granulated Sugar
Brown Sugar
Salt
Black Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Stir well with a Silicone Spatula.

Fold in Pecans until well coated. Only use a Silicone Spatula. I keep a Measuring Cup filled with Hot Water available to keep the Spatulas in.

I'll try to explain this as best I can:

Lyle's Syrup is very thick. It may seem difficult to mix in the Pecans.
I mix the coating in a 4 C Pyrex Measuring Cup with a Silicone Spatula.
After to Pecans are folded in, I heated it in a Microwave for about 30 seconds to thin the mixture.
Stir again to coat well.


Spread out onto the Sheet Pan in a single layer.

Just out of the oven.

These are on the Marble cooling.

Bake 5 minutes.
Stir well.
Continue Baking for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove Pan to a Rack or Stovetop.
Continue stirring and breaking up the pieces as they cool.
They become very sticky and difficult to get off the Foil.

I transfer them immediately to a large piece of Marble that we have on our counter top.
It's the best way to allow them to cool.
I just kept separating them as they cooled.

I haven't tried baking them on a Silpat Liner but that may help to release them as they cool


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Creamed Corn with Poblano Peppers in a Crock Pot

I am embracing all things made in a Crock Pot. Fix it and Forget it sounds good to me. When you don't have time to stay in the kitchen and cook, the Crock Pot is a perfect way to make a delicious Dish.

Here's what you'll need:
A Crock Pot coated with a Cooking Spray or brushed with Vegetable Oil.

2 lbs. of Frozen Corn, thawed.
2 Poblano Peppers, diced.
2 TBS Butter, cut into small cubes.
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 C Mexican Queso Quesadilla Shredded Cheese
4 oz. Cream Cheese, cut into small cubes.

In a Large Mixing Bowl:
Corn
Poblano Pepper
Butter
Salt
Cumin
Black Pepper
Stir to combine well.
Spoon into the Crock Pot.

Cover and cook on High for 2 hours.

Add:
Cheese
Cover and continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes.
Stir to combine well.

Transfer to a Serving Bowl and serve Hot.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Crock Pot Cauliflower with Lemon and Parmesan Cheese

This was a last minute addition to our Thanksgiving menu. It's delicious.

Here's what you'll need:
A  Crock Pot large enough to hold the florets of a head of Cauliflower.

1 (1 1/2 lb. head of Cauliflower) Trimmed to the Florets only. It should be 6 Cups.
1 TBS Butter
3 Garlic Cloves, minced.
1/2 tsp of Lemon Zest
2 TBS Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 C Water
4 TBS Fresh chopped Parsley, divided.
1/4 C Grated Parmesan Cheese

Place the Cauliflower in a Large Mixing Bowl.

In a small Saucepan on Medium Heat:
Butter, until melted.

Add:
Garlic
Cook until tender.

Add:
Lemon Juice
Water

Pour this mixture over the Cauliflower.

Top with:
1 TBS Parsley
Lemon Zest

Stir gently to combine well.
Transfer to the Crock Pot.
Cover and cook on Low for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Transfer to a Serving Bowl.
Sprinkle with remaining Parsley.
Parmesan Cheese.

Serve Hot.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Cranberry Sauce (when you just need a small amount)

We were talking about Cranberry Sauce this morning. We realized that not everyone loves it like we do. So, I came up with this easy, tasty recipe that's just enough for the two of us and maybe someone else that would like to try it. I have several other versions on the Blog.
Most of the recipes I found start with a large bag of frozen Cranberries and a ton of Sugar.
This has no added Sugar other than what's in the can of Whole Cranberries.
I recommend making it 1 - 2 days before serving.

Here's what you'll need:

1 Can of Whole Cranberry Sauce.
The Zest and Juice of 1 Large Navel Orange
1/2 C of Chopped Pecans

Mix all ingredients in a Mixing Bowl.
Transfer to a 1 Pint Canning Jar.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!