FOOD RECIPES : CHRISTMAS FUDGE

CHRISTMAS FUDGE Food Recipes, Christmas is almost here and everyone I know is running around looking for that last minute mini-gift for the mailman, a teacher, the newspaper boy or even the UPS man!!

This fudge recipe is the perfect answer!! Not only is it quick and easy to make, but it tastes great and I love that it can be made way ahead of schedule.



4 cups white sugar
1 twelve ounce can of evaporated milk
8 ounces of real butter (no margarine or spreads)
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 TABLESPOON vanilla
chopped nuts if desired (we like honey roasted peanuts)

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, mix the white sugar and evaporated milk; bring it to a boil over medium high heat.  Once it is at a full rolling boil (one that you can not stir down), turn the heat down to medium and boil for 6½ minutes (stirring CONSTANTLY). I stir with a wooden spatula that has a square end and I stir in a figure 8 (the flat blade of the spoon really scrapes the  bottom of the pan well).

After 6½ minutes at a full rolling boil, remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, a TABLESPOON of vanilla and all of the chocolate.

At first the butter will sort of stay separate from everything, but if you use a whisk, it will incorporate quickly. When it's all smooth, add the nuts if you are using them (as many as you like).

Pour into a FOIL LINED 9" x 13" pan and cool overnight in the fridge. If you are using these cute little tin foil stars (instead of the 9" x 13" pan), you can just wrap them in clear cellophane bag (after they are chilled) and tie it up with a bright Christmas bow!!

 MERRY   CHRISTMAS   FRIENDS!!!

NOTE: You can make this with any flavor chocolate chips you like.
I've tried them all and the only one I DON'T recommend is using ALL semi-sweet. The three chocolate blend listed above results in a wonderful flavor (you won't taste the white chocolate, but it adds a lot to the final taste).

Note: Make sure you use a good quality butter, not a soft spread butter or a diet butter and definitely no margarine.

CHRISTMAS FUDGE FOOD RECIPES
By Coleen Marie

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FOOD RECIPES : GINGERBREAD HOUSE

GINGERBREAD HOUSE Food Recipes, Gingerbread houses make wonderful gifts. Not only are they easy (you really can't goof them up because frosting fixes everything) but they are an impressive GIFT FROM THE KITCHEN!!

You can make them out of gingerbread dough, like this one (it is delicious and smells fantastic), or you can make them out of graham crackers (glued together with royal frosting). You can make them simple or elegant. You can use any candy, cereal, cookies, crackers or pretzels you have on hand... let your imagination be your guide.

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Upside down (and frosted) ice cream sugar cones (decorated with sprinkles) make wonderful Christmas trees next to your gingerbread house. Pretzels make perfect fences, marshmallows make cute snowmen and if you really want to get fancy, you can use tufts of cotton candy coming out of a chimney for smoke and marshmallow cream frosted around the bottom of the gingerbread house makes wonderful snow ....the sky is the limit. Decorated gingerbread houses have a LONG shelf life if you use royal frosting (recipe below). It dries rock hard and is very strong.

5 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs

Beat the shortening and sugar together until well mixed and creamy. Add the molasses and eggs and beat until well combined.

Combine the flour, spices, baking soda and salt and slowly add it to the shortening-sugar mixture; beat until everything is smooth. 

You will be rolling out the gingerbread house pieces on the BACK of ungreased cookie sheets. The reason for this is so that after you cut out the pieces, they don't have to be moved before baking and they won't get mis-shapen.

CLICK ON THIS PICTURE TO ENLARGE

Use the above measurements to make a pattern on paper or a manila folder, even waxed paper will work. Roll out some of the dough right on the back of a big cookie sheet, using a lightly floured rolling pin, to about 1/8" thick.

Lay the paper pattern pieces right on the rolled out dough and cut the dough out with a sharp knife. Remove any excess scraps so that just the gingerbread piece is left on the back of the cookie sheet. Using the BACK of the cookie sheet also makes it a lot easier to slide the baked cookie onto a cooling rack (no cookie sheet "edge" to deal with.

Bake the pieces in a pre-heated 350° oven for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. Let the baked pieces cool on the pan a little before you try to remove them. Cool them completely on a wire rack.

Now the fun starts!!

ROYAL FROSTING 
This is what you glue the pieces together with

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 egg whites (if you are going to eat this use egg white powder)

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and egg whites until smooth. Place in a pastry bag with a star tip (or place in a resealable plastic bag and cut the corner off).

Use a large serving tray or a foil lined piece of heavy cardboard to hold the finished gingerbread house. Put a few dots of this royal frosting on the underside of the "floor" piece and stick it to the serving tray. This will keep it from sliding around if its moved.

Lay an end and one side of the gingerbread house down flat(where they are supposed to go) around the edges of the "floor". Pipe a generous line of the royal frosting around the edges of each piece.

Carefully lift and press the edges of one end of the house to the side of the house.Repeat for the other side.

Now, I've made these for years, and there is a trick I'll share with you.  Get the ends and sides up and use a little extra royal frosting on the seams but DON'T put on the roof until the next day.  If you wait until the next day, the walls will be VERY strong and there is no chance that the roof will be too heavy.

Day two, put the roof on and let the royal frosting harden until day three......now you are good to go, you can almost drive a truck over it after this point, and it won't break on you.

White tree's with sprinkles, green trees with sprinkles, pretzel fences, gum drop topped candy cane's, Necco shingles (frosted shredded wheat also makes great shingles).

This older photo is a "house" I made using chocolate graham crackers. I hope you try it. It might seem complicated, but once you make ONE......you'll be hooked.

NOTE: If your making this to eat (some people eat them, some people just display them), make the royal frosting using powdered egg whites (sold in the baking isle). If you are going to let little guys eat the gingerbread house..... use royal frosting to glue the structural pieces together, but use a softer frosting to embed the shingles or frost the trees. It makes it easier for the kids to "pick off" the candy goodies.
NOTE:  Royal frosting dries out almost instantly if it isn't covered with plastic wrap (that is why it makes such a great frosting "glue". Keep a wet dish towl over your frosting bowl while you work.
GINGERBREAD HOUSE FOOD RECIPES
By Coleen Marie

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CHRISTMAS FRUIT LADDER

CHRISTMAS FRUIT LADDER Food Recipes, I make this fruit ladder every Christmas. It is super simple, fast, looks impressive on any dinner table and is delicious. The dough works beautifully, is very forgiving and never fails!! You can make this ladder with any pre-cooked fruit filling (home made or commercial).

I have had a a few people tell me this looks hard to make, but trust me, it is not. There is just one little trick: roll the dough out into a rectangle and then move it to your baking sheet BEFORE you try to make the ladder. You can't move the ladder (and keep it's shape) after it is filled. The great dough is the real secret to this recipe.

Preheat oven to 350°

1 cup butter softened
1 cup sour cream
2 cups flour

Mix ingredients with an electric mixer (the dough will be a little sticky before it is chilled). Divide dough in half (this recipe makes TWO ladders). Put each ball of dough in some plastic wrap and rough it into a large disk shape…cover well and refrigerate 1 hour (extremely important). After an hour, remove from fridge & flour your counter & rolling pin. Roll one of the disks into a rectangle about 15” x 10”. Pick up the crust rectangle (it will not break) and lay it on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Now I could describe, at length how to do this next step, but a picture will describe it much quicker:

Find the center of your crust rectangle, and spread your fruit filling in a 3” wide strip, long-wise, right down the center of the rectangle (keep the fruit about an inch away from each end of the ladder). Each ladder will take ½ can of commercial fruit filling.

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Cut the dough, on both sides of the fruit, into equal strips, but be sure you stay about an inch away from the fruit filling. One at a time, pull the strips back over the fruit in a criss-cross fashion (the strips just lay on top of each other, don't crimp). The only part that is crimped is the very first strip (on each end of the ladder), it should be pinched together.

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Bake the fruit ladder for 30-40 minutes (in a preheated 350 degree oven) or until lightly golden. Run a spatula under the ladder to make sure it is loose, and then slide it off onto a serving plate. Drizzle it with a simple powdered sugar glaze and decorate with nuts (I like candied nuts), sprinkles, or any decoration you like.

I have tried lots of different fruits, cherry, lemon, raspberry, blueberry, apple strawberry, blackberry, etc. Commercial pie filling works as well as home made.

CHRISTMAS FRUIT LADDER FOOD RECIPES
By Coleen Marie

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PUMPKIN - CRANBERRY BREAD (the best)

PUMPKIN - CRANBERRY BREAD (the best) Food Recipes, If the rating system for this recipe was 1 to 5 stars; I would rate this a 10. It is absolutely delicious and will be perfect for your holiday table!! It is very easy to make (doesn't even take an electric mixer) and yet it is unique enough for gift giving. I hope you try it, it is SO GOOD... extremely moist, total comfort food!!! Preheat your oven to 350, and grease and flour two 9" x 5" loaf pans. Set out two large bowls. In the first one mix:

3 cups all purpose flour
3¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoon salt

In the 2nd bowl, mix:
3 cups granulated sugar
(1) 15 ounce can pure pumpkin (see note)
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
½ cup orange juice (see note)
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (see note)
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Whisk the first bowl (with the flour in it)until the dry ingredients are well mixed. Whisk the 2nd bowl (with the pumpkin in it) until WELL mixed and oil is completely incorporated. Pour the wet into the dry and mix with spoon just until moistened. Stir in cranberries gently.
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Pour batter into prepared loaf pans. Bake 60 to 65 minutes (my oven took 70 minutes). Cool (in the pans) for about 10 minutes, then turn them out. Wrap the hot bread IMMEDIATELY in plastic wrap, covering tightly. Let the breads cool completely in the wrap.


NOTE: Make sure you use a 15 ounce can of plain packed pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling (big difference).

NOTE: Recipe calls for ½ cup of orange juice, which I didn't have, so I used pineapple juice instead.

NOTE: Wash and sort your cranberries. Try to use the darkest berries. Make sure they are thawed out before mixing into batter.

NOTE: It is OK to put the plastic wrap on the hot bread as soon as it comes out of the pan. This forces the moisture back into the bread as it cools.

NOTE: My oven took 70 minutes to cook these loaves. Use the toothpick test to determine doneness.
PUMPKIN - CRANBERRY BREAD (the best) FOOD RECIPES
By Coleen Marie

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