Friday Foodday

Hey lovebugs! It's Friday Foodday! I'm so excited! Today I am featuring a special recipe and holiday tradition from a fellow blogger, an awesome recipe from a great friend and a classic holiday recipe from my friends from Orlando.


If you have a holiday recipe or tradition that you would like featured, please send it along to me! I would just love to see it!!!!

Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon
c/o Stilettos and Diaper Bags

With the holidays around the corner and the snow outside keeping everything cold, I decided it was time to make my yearly savory dish of macaroni and cheese with bacon. I make this dish just once a year because it is not very good for you, but it is VERY good! I'm sure you could tweak the recipe and make it lower fat, but what fun is that?! Here's what you will need to make this dish:

Ingredients

1 box of elbow macaroni

6 slices bacon, diced

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups 2% milk

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup (4oz.) shredded colby-jack cheese

1 cup (4oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

8 slices (6oz.) american cheese 

Directions

1) pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 3-quart broiler-safe dish with nonstick cooking spray. Bring a large post of lightly salted water to boiling.

2) cook elbow macaroni in boiling water, then drain. Meanwhile, in medium size sauce pan, cook bacon over med. heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels. Carefully pour off drippings, returning 2 tablespoons to pan. Add butter

3) whisk in flour until smooth. In a thin stream, whisk in milk. Stir in onion powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over med. heat, then reduce heat and simmer 2 mins. In a large bowl, toss together cheddar, colby-jack, and mozzarella cheese. 

4) remove milk mixture from heat. whisk in american cheese and 1 1/4 cups of the cheddar mixture. Toss bacon pieces with remaining shredded cheese. 

5) in pasta pot, combine cooked pasta and cheese sauce. Pour half into prepared dish. Sprinkle with a generous cup of the bacon-cheese mixture. Repeat layering. 

6) Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Then broil for 3 mins or until top is golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.

ENJOY! This is one of my favorite recipes. I pulled it out of a magazine a few years ago and don't remember which one. Sorry! Hope you all have a wonder holiday season! For more recipes check out my blog the week of Dec. 20-24 for cookie week. 

Cream Wafers*

c/o LPU

My family fights over them every year and they never last until Christmas!

Ingredients

1 cup softened butter                                        

1/2 cup granulated sugar

½ cup whipping cream (the real stuff)             

1 cup Creamy butter filling

2 cups flour

Directions

Mix butter and whipping cream together.  Whipping cream does not need to be whipped.  Measure flour.  Mix butter cream and flour together. Chill dough for at least an hour.

Heat oven to 375 °.

 Roll dough to 1/8". Cut into circles or stars.

 Place sugar in a pie tin.  Transfer cookie to sugar and coat both sides with sugar.

 Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Prick cookies several times with a fork.

 Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until cookies are slightly puffy and lightly browned. Put on cooling rack. They're delicate so be gentle with them.

Put two cookies together with filling.

Butter Cream Frosting

1/4 cup soft butter

3/4 cup confectionary sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together.  Add powdered sugar until the filling is stiff enough to frost cookies.  Add food coloring of your choosing to make them festive!

*Note- I had the honor of stuffing my face with about 7 of these.  They're amazing.

Marshmallow Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies

c/o Ritz Carlton Grand Lakes Orlando Pastry Team

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

2 cups of chocolate chips

1 bag mini marshmallows

2 sticks of unsalted butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Directions

-Preheat oven to 375.

-Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.  Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixer until creamy.  Add eggs, beating well after each addition.

-Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Scoop out about one tablespoon of the cookie dough and shape into a ball.  With your finger make a hole in the center, stuff 2-3 marshmallows into the dough and then seal back up.

-Place each ball of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet and press lightly.  Bake for 9 to 11 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.

If these recipes don't warm up your holiday, I don't know what will!  I hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

Be fabulous today! 

Friday Foodday

It's that time again! Friday Foodday! Today is a special edition because we have gone global! That's right, I got a submission from my good friend in Macedonia who is doing peace corps. Woohoo!


Homemade Gnocchi
c/o Sara in Macedonia!
Ingredients:
-2 pounds of potatoes. It is helpful if they are all around the same size since they will be boiling together, it helps them cook to the same level.
-1/4 cup beaten egg
-1 cup white flour

Step 1: Wash your taters and put them into a large bowl of cold water with a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil and then turn down the heat to medium. Allow the potatoes to cook until they are tender throughout, usually 40 minutes for medium sized potatoes

Step 2: Remove your tenderized potatoes from the water and set down to cool. Cut them in half so that they cool quicker. You want to work with the potatoes while they are still warm, but obviously do not burn your fingers. Once they are cool enough to touch, peel the potatoes.

Step 3: Using a cheese grater, grate the potatoes into a large bowl. The goal is to have an even consistency so that your dough won't have lumps. Once you've grated all of your potatoes, mix in some of your flour and begin to knead it into a dough. Use the egg mixture a little at a time: it is there to hold the dough together, so you very well may not use all of it. Add flour as needed (even if it is over 1 cup) and keep kneading until you have a soft, non-sticky ball. It usually takes around 5-10 minutes of kneading. Protip: if your bowl is big enough, knead the dough inside the bowl rather than on your counter top in order to expedite clean-up.

Step 4: Put another large pot of water on and let it heat up to a boil as you do Step 5.

Step 5: Cut your ball of dough into 8 even pieces. Roll each piece out into a snake about as thick as your thumb. Cut each dough snake into bite sized pieces-- the size is totally up to your preference.

Step 6: When the water comes to a boil, throw your bite-sized pieces into the boiling water, about 20 at a time. They will hang out at the bottom for a bit before coming to the surface. Let them boil at the surface for 20-30 seconds before taking them out with a slotted spoon and setting them to cool. Repeat with all your pieces until they're all cooked!



Mini Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:
5 packets of cinnamon instant oatmeal (or any flavor)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*F
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl
Coat a mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray
Pour batter into muffin cups
Bake for 15-20 minutes
Allow to cool and enjoy!



Down East Maine Pumpkin Bread
c/o Autumn!
(note from the chef- dogs love this too!)

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Baked Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (7-1/4 oz.) KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner

1/4 cup Milk

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing

2 Tbsp. Butter, melted

1 cup crushed RITZ Crackers (about 20 crackers)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Add Macaroni to large saucepan boiling water; cook 6 min. or until tender. Drain. Stir in milk and Cheese Sauce Mix.

Pour into greased 8-inch square baking dish. Mix tomatoes and dressing. Top macaroni mixture with tomato mixture. Drizzle butter over cracker crumbs; toss with fork. Sprinkle over tomatoes.

Bake 15 min. or until heated through and crumbs are golden.