cajun drumsticks

If you are needing an easy dinner option, this is it.  These Cajun drumsticks are easy to prepare, and they go great with just about any side.

Cajun Drumsticks 

• 4-6 chicken drumsticks
• 2 T. oil
• cajun or creole seasoning

Place drumsticks into a large bowl.  Toss with oil; season to taste.  Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees, turning every 20 minutes until cooked through, about an hour.

asian pasta salad

This pasta salad feeds a crowd!  Keep in the chicken, and it's a main dish.  Leave the chicken out, and it becomes a side.  Either way, it's something just a little different from the normal pasta salad.

Asian Pasta Salad

• 1 lb. pasta, cooked
• 1 whole roasted deli chicken, shredded with skin and bones removed
• 2 bunches scallions, sliced
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 bag coleslaw mix

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 1 T. honey
• 1 t. fresh ginger, grated
• 1 t. garlic, minced
• 1 T. lime juice
• 1/4 t. crushed red pepper

In a large saucepan, cook veggies in a small amount of sesame oil until crisp-tender.  Combine veggies, pasta, and chicken in a large bowl and toss to mix.  In a blender, combine all dressing ingredients until smooth.  Add dressing to salad and toss to mix.

easy microwave butter toffee

My husband is a HUGE fan of toffee.

For years, I have surprised him with homemade toffee from various sources - craft fairs, produce stands, fudge shops - but it's always so expensive that I have to keep those gifts few and far between.  On many occasions, I've wondered about the possibility of making it myself, but I tend to ruin any recipe that calls for a candy thermometer.  One of these days I'll figure it out...but this isn't the day.

So, you can imagine my utter glee when I found this recipe for a toffee that was both easy and made in the microwave!  I was thrilled, but I didn't tell anyone about it, still fully confident that I would manage to destroy it.

Well, looky here!

I DID IT!  This toffee is delicious, looks beautiful, and actually is easy!  \No more buying toffee for us!

Easy Microwave Butter Toffee
from Gooseberry Patch Christmas 10th Anniversary

• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 2 T. water
• 1 T. dark corn syrup
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup chopped walnuts

Line a 13"x9" baking pan with ungreased aluminum foil; set aside.

Place sugar, butter, water, and corn syrup in a large microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave on high setting for 4 minutes; stir.  Heat an additional 6 to 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until thickened and golden.  Add vanilla; stir well.  Pour into prepared baking pan.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over top; spread melted chocolate.  Sprinkle with walnuts.  Let cool completely; break into pieces.  Makes about one pound.

fresh apple cake

I am a lover of all things delicious.  And this fresh apple cake is oh my goodness delicious!  I keep trying to think of reasons to have people over for tea, just so that I can serve this cake.  This cake is single-handedly sabotaging my weight loss efforts.

The best part about it has to be the warm cinnamon glaze that oozes into the pores of the cake and infuses every bit with that perfect pinch of sweetness and moisture.  Oh...and then there's the delicious apple flavor.  It's kind of like having apple cider in cake form.

Fresh Apple Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. nutmeg
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3 apples, cored, peeled, and diced or shredded
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix flours, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg.  In a separate bowl, combine butter, eggs, and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and stir until just moistened.  Fold in apples and pecans.  Pour into a greased and floured Bundt pan.  Bake at 300 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a cake stand.  Glaze while warm.

Cinnamon Glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 t. to 1 T. cinnamon
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/4 cup milk (add more to thin glaze, if needed)

Combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth.  Pour over warm apple cake.

barley quick bread

About 20 minutes in the oven is all it takes to get this delicious bread.  It's got a fun, almost nutty texture because of the barley.  And the flavor is out of this world.  I liken it to eating a nutty biscuit or even a soft biscotti.  It's  the perfect accompaniment for soup or salad, and I bet it would make amazing croutons as well (my batch didn't stick around long enough for me to find out).

Barley Quick Bread
from Gooseberry Patch's Merry Christmas

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup pearled barley, uncooked
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. sugar
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix together first 6 ingredients; stir in buttermilk.  Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead.  Roll dough into an oval shape, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.  Score dough with a knife and prick with a fork; place on a lightly greased and floured baking sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 25 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack and brush with melted butter.  Serves 4 to 6.

bavarian beef

It's getting cold outside!  It's time to wear long sleeves and fuzzy socks and burn Christmas candles.  It's also time to start making warm and filling dishes.

 This Bavarian beef is one of those perfect cold weather meals.  I adapted the recipe from one that I got from a friend, and she had adapted it from the original.  So, it's been crafted with love and is sure to warm the hearts and tummies of your family.

Bavarian Beef

• 2 pounds stew meat or boneless chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 onion, cut into strips
• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 t. minced garlic
• 1 t. caraway seed
• 1 t. salt
• 2 t. dill seed
• 2 t. paprika
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 T. all-purpose flour
• 6 T. sour cream
• hot cooked spatzle or gnocchi

 In a large skillet, brown beef, garlic, and onion in oil.  Place in a large slow cooker.  Add teh beef broth and seasonings.  Cook on high 4-5 hours or until beef is tender.  Combine water and flour until smooth; gradually stir into the beef mixture.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Serve over spatzle or gnocchi with a dollup of sour cream on top.  Serves 6.

crock-pot chocolate covered peanuts

This recipe has become a yearly tradition at our house.  On the night we decorate the Christmas tree, we dump all of the ingredients in the crock pot and let cook during the festivities.  Once the evening is over, the chocolate is all melted and the mixture is ready to drop onto parchment paper.

This recipe makes a TON - it's enough to last us until January - and it's absolutely delicious!  It's the perfect homemade gift.

Crock-Pot Chocolate Covered Peanuts

• 16 oz. salted peanuts
• 16 oz. unsalted peanuts
• 1 bar German chocolate (you can find this on the baking aisle near the chocolate chips)
• 1-1/2 package chocolate almond bark, broken into chunks
• 16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Layer all ingredients into a slow cooker; cover and cook on low for 2 hours.  Stir to ensure all of the chocolate has melted; cover and allow to cook longer until there are no more lumps.  Drop by tablespoons onto parchment paper and allow to dry overnight before storing.