Celebrate Good Times

We've been celebrating most of the day and decided to head over to Squeeze Inn, Sacramento's famed burger joint, for lunch.  We arrived 10 minutes after they closed.  Who closes at 1:30pm on New Year's Eve?  Apparantly Squeeze Inn does. 

 

Mr. CHiPy implemented Plan B, and off we went to Old Town Sac to Joe's Crab Shack on the river for an afternoon of fun.  We ordered Joe's delicious Steam Pots (lobster, king crab, shrimp, sausage, steamed red potatoes and corn on the cob all doused in Old Bay seasoning...seriously good!), played around on the boardwalk and browsed the fun stores in Old Town.  A great way to spend time together and reminisce about 2010.

Now we're home prepping for another party that will start in 30 minutes... lot's of teenagers, a couple of tweens, snacks and a Kinect dance party.    Mr. CHiPy and I will be in the back room watching Season 2 of 24.  Only 6 more seasons to go!

Happy 2011!

White Chocolate Lemon Bars

White Chocolate Lemon Bars

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup white chips

2 eggs slightly beaten

The zest and juice from one lemon

Powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees

2. Stir together 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press mixture onto the bottom of 9-inch baking pan.

3. Bake 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; sprinkle with chips.

4. Stir together eggs, lemon juice, lemon peel, remaining 1/4 cup flour and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in medium bowl; carefully pour over chips and crust.

5. Bake 10 minutes or until set (you can touch center and it's springy). Cool in pan on wire rack; sift with powdered sugar when completely cool. Cut into bars.

EAT!!

Trust me. These will be gone quickly!

From Our House to Yours

Dining room mirror reflecting our Christmas Tree 2010

Merry Christmas 2010!

{I'll be back next week}

Santa Tracker

Since last year, My youngest daughter has been tracking Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.  She loves doing this and is a HUGE believer! 

Check out where Santa is - just click HERE
 
In the meantime, I have fourteen additional guests coming for dinner tonight so I am busily preparing for our holiday meal and  I'm simply having a wonderful Christmas time...{I l♥ve that song!}

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Eve tonight and be sure to hang your stockings!

Cashew White Chocolate Toffee - Mr. CHiPy's Favorite!

I changed up a couple of traditional Toffee recipes and came up with this version for Mr. CHiPy.  He l♥ves white chocolate and salty cashews and oh man did this recipe turn out good!  Cashew White Chocolate Toffee has a wonderful taste that compliments the salty cashews and sweet white chocolate.  The nuts add crunch and savor, and the white chocolate ties it all together with a rich sweetness.

Cashew White Chocolate Toffee

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

1 tsp salt

2 cups salted cashews, chopped, divided use

6 oz white chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with silpat or aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place the butter, sugar, water, and salt in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook til light crack stage (285* on candy thermometer), stirring constantly.

3. Once at the proper temperature, remove the pan from the heat and add 1 cup of chopped cashews, reserving the remainder for later. Stir until well-combined.

4. Pour the candy onto the prepared baking sheet and spread to your desired thickness.  Mr. CHiPy likes it thick - about 1/2" layer. Allow it to set at room temperature until completely hard.

5. Place the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating.

6. Spread the white chocolate on top of the toffee, spreading it into a smooth, even layer. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cashews and gently press down to adhere them to the chocolate. Refrigerate the toffee to set the chocolate, about 10 minutes.

7. Once set, remove from silpat or peel the foil from the back of the toffee.  Break it into small irregular pieces by hand. If your house is fairly cool, Cashew White Chocolate Toffee can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. If it is fairly warm, it is best stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. For best taste and texture, serve at room temperature.

Favorite Snickerdoodle Cookies

My daughters requested their favorite Snickerdoodle cookie for Christmas day and I'm glad they did.  This Snickerdoodle recipe is by far the best one I have ever baked.

If you like Snickerdoodles, you will L♥ve this recipe.

SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2. Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.

3. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Oh Christmas Tree

Tree BEFORE:

Tree AFTER:   (crooked star and all)

I'm on the hunt for a 2010 Photo Ornament.  Anyone know of a good place to purchase one?

Chestnuts Roasting on an open fire

Have you ever roasted chestnuts?

I did for the first time this year and boy did they taste good when I made them...however, they are a PAIN IN THE NECK to peel and it seemed to take forever to get the shells off of them! For that reason alone I will probably NEVER peel roasted chestnuts again.  I'll let someone else do all the work and just enjoy their nutty roasted goodness!

I will say that if you haven't tried roasted chestnuts you are really missing out!

Christmas Mice

Each year, my friend Rhonda has an annual Christmas open house and she makes these very cute Christmas mice. They are a great addition to a cookie tray.

The bodies of the mice are made from maraschino cherries dipped in chocolate. Drain and rinse the cherries and leave them on paper towels for 30 minutes to an hour, changing the paper once. They need to be fairly dry before dipping in chocolate. The stems become the tails. When dipping, totally seal the area of the cherry at the base of the stem. Don’t dip the entire stem in chocolate.

While the chocolate is still soft, add the heads (Hershey’s Kisses) or, if the chocolate hardens, you can dip the bottom of the Kiss in chocolate and stick it to the body.

The ears are sliced almonds, dipped in chocolate and set behind the head. They can be added while the body chocolate is still soft, but the timing is tricky. Too soft and the ears slip down the sides. Too hard and they don’t stick at all. I find it easier to attach all of them at the same time. I break an almond slice in half, dip the broken side in chocolate and attach it just behind the head.

To make the mice, you need:

• maraschino cherries with stems
• Hershey’s chocolate Kisses
• sliced almonds
• silver dragees (If you don’t want to use the little silver balls, you can make the eyes with cookie sprinkles or a spot of frosting.)
• melted chocolate for dipping (I use semi-sweet chocolate chips with 2 oz. of unsweetened baking chocolate added.)

Try creating your own Christmas mice! They are fun to make and look cute on the cookie tray.

Hot Cocoa Cones - For Two!

I l♥ve hot cocoa...especially during this time of the year.  Don't you think this is such a cute idea and would make an inexpensive little gift for a friend, a hostess or even as a stocking stuffer?  I'm definitely going to make these.

Here is what you will need for one cone that will make 2 cups of hot cocoa:

Supplies:

2 cello cone bags

2 bags hot cocoa mix

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup mini marshmallows

ribbon

tag

rubber bands

Empty the 2 bags of cocoa mix in the first cello bag, twist right above the cocoa and secure with a small rubber band. Trim extra plastic on top and place it in the second cello bag. Now add 4 spoonfuls of chocolate chips and 5 spoonfuls of mini marshmallows. Twist the bag and secure with a small rubber band, some ribbons, a jingle bell and a tag. 

Options:

Mix it up by using mini chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, mint chips or dried cherries.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

With all of the holiday parties happening this month, you may need a quick and yummy appetizer to share with friends. This is a really good one.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts {cooked} OR you can cheat and use two large cans of chicken {so much easier & tastes just as yummy}


1 bottle of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce-Original {the BEST hot sauce ever}

1 24 oz. bottle of Ranch Dressing

1 8oz. package of cream cheese

1 package of shredded cheddar cheese

Mix cream cheese, ranch dressing, and hot sauce together. Mix in chicken and cheese. Pour mixture into baking dish and bake at 350 until heated through or until cheese is melted. This recipe comes with a WARNING…have a glass of milk close by because this is H-O-T…but AMAZING!!! Serve with celery,  fritos or tortilla chips.

Pioneer Woman's Black Heels to Tractor Wheels

Just added this to my 

Christmas wish list...

I

Releases February 2011.

White Chocolate Snowmen

How stinking cute are these...

Speckled Egg

White Chocolate Snowmen

Supplies:
Large marshmallows ( 3 per pop)
Long lollipop sticks (these are about 7" long)
White chocolate candy melts (available at craft or baking shops)
Mini M&Ms
Waxed Paper
Cellophane Bags & Ribbon


1. Push 3 marshmallows onto the sticks. The stick should come about 3/4 of the way through the top marshmallow(the head), but should not poke all the way through. The marshmallows should be touching each other (no gaps in between). The flat sides should all face up.
2. Melt white chocolate according to the package directions in a medium bowl.
3. Working quickly, dip marshmallow pops into the white chocolate. The marshmallows need to be completely covered, or they will get hard and yucky. Shake slightly to allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper. While the chocolate is still wet, add M&Ms for eyes, nose and buttons.
4. Allow chocolate to set. Peel from waxed paper and wrap in cellophane. Tie with ribbon and store in a cool place.


Tips:
*If the chocolate starts to get too thick, you may need to re-melt it.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I found this little note on the gingerbread boy this morning.  Gotta love Mr. CHiPy's sense of humor.  He cracks me up every time.

Frosted Molasses Cookies

For years and years I have loved Susan Branch and the cook books she writes and illustrates.  You can check out her website HERE.  

Tonight I decided to make this recipe for Mr. CHiPy...

This is now his FAVORITE molasses cookie.  {I think it's mine too.}