7 Days 'til Christmas

7 Days 'til Christmas: I finally got the cards in the mail today and finished my homemade gifts, now on to cookies and candy.
One of my favorite side dishes for holiday meals, or any meal, for that matter, is Wild Rice. It's super easy to make, extremely healthy, tasty and versatile. Make extra for leftovers, soups, casseroles, breakfast, whatever!
Wild Rice:
2 cups long grain wild rice--the real deal, not that Uncle Ben's nonsense
6 cups water
2 pinches salt
2 Tbsp butter
Rinse the wild rice then place in saucepan with water, salt and butter. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and cover. Wild rice takes about 1 hour to cook and will become soft and plump when finished. You should check it occasionally to make sure there is still some liquid left in the pan because depending upon your stove it may dry out and burn before the rice is fully cooked.
To help speed up the cooking time, rinse the rice and place in the pot of water for up to 8 hours before cooking. This will help ensure that the rice cooks in the 1 hour. You can easily prepare the rice a day or two ahead of your meal and simply reheat it in the oven, on the stovetop or in the microwave.

8 Days 'til Christmas

8 Days 'til Christmas and I still haven't finished making presents or mailed my cards...better get crackin'!
Today's recipe is in memory of my good friend, Sandra Hammer, who died from Breast Cancer in 2007. Sandra LOVED lobster bisque, and because of her Tim and I have made Lobster Bisque a tradition on our holiday menu for Christmas. This recipe is super quick and easy to make, even if you don't cook I think you could pull this one off. Look for Better Than Bouillon Lobster Base in the grocery aisle where you find soups. Most stores will carry it. If you can't find it, you can make lobster stock by boiling the lobster shells in water, then strain the water and use that in place of the bouillon and 1 cup water. Look for Lobster Slipper Meat at your local seafood shop or in the freezer section of your grocery to save some money on the meat for the bisque. You can also make it without the meat if you prefer. This recipe can be increased for more servings.
Lobster Bisque:
3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
3 Tbsp Flour
1 Shallot, Minced
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Dry Sherry
1-2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1/2 tsp Paprika
White Pepper to taste
1 Cup Minced, Cooked Lobster Meat (optional)
1 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon Lobster Stock
1 Cup Boiling Water
Mix 1 Tbsp Lobster Bouillon in 1 Cup Boiling Water and set aside. In a large stock pot or soup kettle, melt 3 Tbsp butter then stir in the shallot and cook until softened and translucent. Stir in 3 Tbsp flour and mix well, cooking for just a couple of minutes until light brown. Add Cream, Milk, Lobster Stock, Sherry, Tomato Paste, Paprika and lobster meat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with White Pepper and serve immediately with crusty french bread for dipping.
Makes 4-6 Servings of rich and dreamy bisque.
You can also substitute crab meat and make it crab bisque.

9 Days 'til Christmas

9 Days 'til Christmas
Another cookie recipe today

Candy Cane Cookies
1 cup softened butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup crushed candy canes (do this in the food processor-it's loud, but fast; also, the small ones work best)
3 Tbsp granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 375°

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and the extracts and beat until well blended. Gradually add the flour and salt. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. Coat two baking sheets with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper. In a shallow bowl, combine the candy canes and the granulated sugar and mix well. Shape the chilled dough into 1-inch balls then roll each in the candy cane mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until browned. Immediately remove from the baking sheets and cool on wire racks.

10 days 'til Christmas

10 days 'til Christmas...I'm not sure this countdown was such a good idea...time seems to be moving quickly! Today's recipe:
Granny's Ginger Snaps
3/4 cups shortening (I use butter)
1 cup white sugar
1 egg beaten
4 Tbsp molasses
2 cups flour (granny's note: or 2-1/2 cups--what?)
2 tsp soda
salt (I'm guessing 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves (ground)
1 tsp ginger (ground)
Roll in round ball & dip in sugar or candies bake at 350° (she doesn't say how long...I'm guessing about 8 minutes)
I can't tell you how many it makes, probably depends upon how big you roll them. You gotta love Granny's recipes...makes baking adventurous!

11 Days 'til Christmas

11 Days 'til Christmas--YIKES!!! I better get crackin' on finishing my gifts.
Today's recipe:
Granny's Peanut Butter Snowballs
These delicious sweet treats are a hit with kids of all ages, and the kids will love making them too!
Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp melted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup toasted, crushed walnuts
1 cup rice krispies
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
To roll:
Shredded coconut
Mix together ingredients and roll into 1-inch balls, dip in glaze, and then roll in coconut
Chill to firm them up and just see if you can wait to try them!

12 Days Til Christmas

Just 12 Days until Christmas, and the kitties are snuggled all warm in our bed...
In honor of the twelve days til Christmas, I'm posting a holiday recipe each day until Christmas, and I hope you enjoy! I don't have photos of all of them but will share the ones I do have.
Today's recipe:
Lisa's Shrimp Gumbo
3 Tbsp Bacon Grease or oil or butter
1 Green Pepper, diced
1 Large Onion, diced
2 Stalks Celery, diced or 1 cup Cubed Celeriac
3-4 Cloves Chopped Garlic
3-4 Chopped Chipotle Peppers
3/4 Cup Red Lentils
3/4 Cup Brown Rice
6 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
1 can Tomatoes or 3 large ones from the freezer doused in boiling water, then peeled
1 can Tomato Paste
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
2 Tablespoons Smoked Paprika
2 Tablespoons Ground Cumin
1 Tablespoon Ground Coriander
1 Tablespoon Ground Cayenne Pepper
1-2 Teaspoons Sea Salt
1-2 Teaspoons Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Bay Leaf
1 lb peeled, deveined, tail off shrimp, chopped into smaller bite-sized pieces
...and a partridge in a pear tree.
To prepare:
Heat a large kettle over medium heat, then add the fat. Cook the onions, green peppers and celery or celeriac over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more before adding the bay leaf and spices. Next add the tomato and tomato paste and allow the tomato (if frozen) to continue thawing. Next add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the rice and bring the pot back to a boil, then turn down to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the lentils and bring the pot back to a boil, then turn down to medium and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for 10 minutes more.
Serve with homemade cornbread and extra hot sauce for those of us who like it spicy!
Makes a big pot, so you can have leftovers for lunch or even freeze some for a quick hot meal on a cold winter day.
Approximately 8 servings
Start to finish time: 1 hour

Record Snow

Just a couple of days ago we were saying Let it Snow....and it snowed, and snowed, and snowed!

This is the view Beast saw out the window at 4:30 am this morning. As of right now we are 1 inch short of an all-time record snowfall within a 24 hour period...I think we'll make it! It's the first time I can ever remember all 72 counties in Wisconsin being declared in a state of emergency.

Check out the main page of Lisa's website for more photos from today.

Now the wind comes and all this crazy snow is going to blow around all night while the temp drops well below zero. Gotta love Madison in Winter!

Happy Holidays

xxoo, Beast