Eggnog Muffins With A Bourbon Glaze

I like eggnog, especially if it has a little Bourbon in it! After Christmas was over, I had a little over half a quart to use up, what better way then to make muffins right? Right. These muffins were great! I made them for Hubby and his co-workers, they loved them! These muffins have a wonderful eggnog flavor, and the Bourbon flavor is there, but not too overpowering. I regret not saving myself an extra one to go with my morning coffee. I will not make the same mistake next time around.

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I know, the eggnog is supposed to be in the picture here, but it was hangin' out with the ingredients above, at the time this picture was taken.

Mix all ingredients, and bake em'

glaze is good, glaze with alcohol is great!

drizzle drizzle

Keep on drizzlin!

Eggnog Muffins with bourbon glaze

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup eggnog
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

For the bourbon glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
pinch nutmeg
1 1/2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
2 tablespoons eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla extract



Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400° F.  Line 15-17 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir to combine.
In a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment, combine the sugar, eggs, eggnog, melted
butter and almond extract.  Stir until well combined.  Mix in the dry ingredients
just until incorporated.  Chop pecans and fold into the batter.  Divide the batter evenly
between the prepared muffin liners, filling them about two thirds of the way full.

Bake for about 15-18 minutes, or a until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.


Glaze directions:


Add all ingredients in a stand mixer, fitted with the wire whisk attachment,
beat on medium speed until all ingredients are incorporated, spoon 1 teaspoon of mixture
on each muffin, (the glaze will drip a little, I just put a piece of wax paper underneath
the muffins) after the glaze dries (10 mins) repeat the process until all of the glaze is used.

Tamales, Wonderful Tamales!

I did it! I made tamales! It's not hard, just very time consuming, but totally worth it in the end, get someone to help you, make it a family thing, and the time thing won't be so bad, I did these all by myself, (with the exception of Hubby, pouring the broth into the maize while I mixed it with my hands) They had a great flavor, spicy, but not too spicy. I made these for my Hubby, who had been asking for awhile, and they sounded good, so I finally broke down and made them. I am so glad I did, I will most definitely make these again soon! This recipe made enough for about 5 dozen, depending on the tamale size. So make these soon, and enjoy all of your delicious hard work.

Place pork shoulder, veggies and  spices in a crockpot on low 8-10 hours

cut off stems and ends and remove most seeds in chilies.

Boil in pork broth, onions, and garlic for 30 minutes or until soft. let cool

Meanwhile, after cooling pork, remove bones

Bones should come right our (so tender!) shred finely.

Add chilies and broth mixture to a blender, blend until consistency of sauce

pour over pork shoulder and stir to distribute chili sauce evenly

wrap with plastic wrap and marinate it in the fridge for 2-4 hours.

Soak corn husks in warm water for up to 20 minutes

Add MASECA to a bowl with salt, baking powder and chicken broth.

Beat Crisco vegetable shortening or lard until fluffy

Add the MASECA mix.

Lay the corn husk smooth side down

Fill with about 1/2 cup dough, depending on the size you want, and corn husk

Smooth out, leaving about 1/2 to 1 inch husk ends

add 1-2 Tablespoons of meat/chili mixture

Meet both ends of dough to close around meat, leaving the top open, tuck the bottom end underneath and fold around like a burrito.

Fill tamale steamer with tamales, do not pack them in, you need room for the steam to rise.

This will be your end result after about 2 hours of steaming, you know when the tamales re done, when the corn husk will peel easily away from the MASECA mix.

Ingredients:

Filling-

1 3-4 pound pork shoulder
1 whole onion cut into 5-6 large chunks
4 cloves garlic cut in half
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cumin
enough water or chicken broth to cover most of the pork

Chili sauce-

2 oz dried Ancho chilies
3 oz dried Pasilla chilies
4 cups pork broth from crockpot
Onions and garlic that were in the crockpot
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons salt


Tamale dough-
(This is a double batch)
4 cups MASECA For Tamales mix
4 cups water or broth, (I used chicken broth)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup lard or vegetable shortening (I used Crisco)
(Note: I tripled this recipe)

(The directions to make the tamale dough is on the package, I cannot tell you exact measurements, I made 3 double batches, and that came out to about 5 dozen, it just depends on the size of the tamales you are making)

Casing:

1-2 packages dried corn husks

To make the filling:

Rinse and pat dry the pork shoulder and add to a crockpot, add onions, garlic, salt, and cumin.
Add enough broth or water to almost cover the pork. Set on low 8-10 hour setting.
Turn after 4 hours. Once done, (the pork is finished when it shreds away easily) turn off crockpot and let sit for 1-2 hours, remove the pork, saving the broth, onions, and garlic for the chilies. Let the pork rest 10 minutes, or until cool enough to shred with fingers or forks.

Cut off ends and stem ends of chilies, and remove most seeds, place in a pot along with onions, garlic and about 4 cups of broth. Boil for 30 minutes, or until soft. you can shred the meat while the chilies are boiling.
When the chilies are done, let cool for 10-15 minutes, then add to a blender, blend until consistency of sauce, with no chunks remaining, pour over shredded meat and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge, and let marinate for 2-4 hours.

For the dough and casing-

Casing-

Place 1 package of corn husks in a large pot of warm water, soak for 20 minutes,  
you may need to weigh them down with a heavy bowl or pot to make sure they are fully submerged.

Dough-

4 cups MASECA mix
4 cups water or broth, (I used chicken broth)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup lard or vegetable shortening (I used Crisco)
(Note: I tripled this recipe)


To make the dough-

In a large bowl, mix MASECA with baking powder, salt and add broth slowly, incorporating with hands.
Add shortening to a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment, beat medium-high until fluffy.
Add the MASECA mix, beat until well incorporated* and has a spongy texture.

*(Note: A way to tell the dough is mixed, is by taking a small teaspoon sized amount and put it into a glass of water, if it floats, its done!)

To Assemble:

Open a corn husk, shake off any excess water, lay smooth side down, or hold in hand and smooth about 1/2 cup of the dough (depending on size of husk, it the dough should be spread 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick) onto husk, leaving about 1/2 to 1 inch of husk showing on each end, spread about 1-2 tablespoons of meat/chili mixture onto dough, close both ends together, folding the dough over the meat, fold the bottom end of the husk in and wrap like a burrito, leaving the top open, repeat until all of the meat is used.

Steaming:

Using a tamale steamer, or large pot with steaming tray, fill with water just below the fill line,
fill pot with tamales leaving some space for steam to escape, do not overfill. bring water up to a simmer (You should be able to hear the water simmering in the pot) and simmer for about 2 hours. The tamales are done when the husk pulls away from the dough easily. Remove tamales and place on a paper towel lined tray, let sit for 10 minutes to rest and further set. Serve with sour cream, salsa, or eat plain. Delicious!!!

Gingerbread Cheesecake With Bourbon Whiskey Whipped Cream

I know, Christmas is over, so why make gingerbread right? Wrong! This cheesecake is so good!
Make it for New years, you will not be disappointed! If you like gingerbread and cheesecake, you will love this, it has a great gingerbread flavor and the Bourbon whiskey whipped cream isn't bad either ;-) I made this for a Christmas party at my brothers, and everyone loved it! Serve it with a container of whiskey whipped cream on the side, and enjoy the greatness!

Mix up a batch of your favorite gingerbread

I made enough for the cheesecake, and for my little brother, 

who loves my gingerbread cookies!

Pulse the cookies in a food processor until finely ground, bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown

Beat the cream cheese until fluffy

Add eggs and spices, and molasses mix until incorporated

Bake at  350 for 65-75 minutes

Mix whiskey/bourbon with sugar and heavy cream, YUM!

Add gingerbread decorations

Pipe whiskey whipped cream

Sprinkle with gingerbread crumbs, eat and faint from deliciousness

    1/4 to 1/2 batch of your favorite gingerbread recipe

    6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

    1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

    2 pounds (4 8oz packages) cream cheese, room temperature

    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

    4 large eggs, room temperature

    1/4 cup unsulfured molasses

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

    1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

    1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

    gingerbread cutouts for decoration

Bourbon whiskey whipped cream ingredients:


1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
3-4 Tablespoons sugar
3-4 Tablespoons bourbon whiskey


Directions:

For the cheesecake-

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap exterior of a 9-inch spring form pan in 2 layers of foil.

   Cut, bake, and cool favorite gingerbread recipe, add to food processor
   (reserving some cookies for decoration) then pulse in a food processor until finely ground.

   Combine butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and 2 cups cookie crumbs in a bowl.
   Press mixture firmly and evenly into bottom and one-third of the way up sides of prepared pan.
    Bake until set, and slight golden color about 10 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

   Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed
   until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and the vanilla, scraping down
   sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each
   addition and scraping sides of bowl as needed. Beat in molasses, salt, spices, and lemon zest.
   Pour filling into cooled crust.
 
   Place cheesecake in a large, shallow roasting pan. Transfer to oven, and carefully add enough
   hot water to the roasting pan to come about halfway up sides of spring form pan. Bake until
   cheesecake is set but still slightly wobbly in center, 65 to 75 minutes.

   Carefully remove spring form pan from roasting pan, and let cool on a wire rack.
   Remove foil when pan is cool enough to touch.
   Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 8 hours (I refrigerated mine overnight)
   Before serving, run a hot knife around edges of cheesecake to loosen,
   and slowly remove sides of pan. Arrange gingerbread cookie decor to your liking.


   For Bourbon whiskey whipped cream:

    Add all ingredients into a stand mixer with wire whisk attachment
  
    Beat on medium-high until medium stiff peaks form

    Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, pipe whipped cream around cake

    Sprinkle with crushed gingerbread

    save remaining Whipped cream in a dish or container, and serve alongside cheesecake.

    (Or keep it for yourself and stir into some coffee. . .  YUM!)


Cheesecake recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Christmas Mice

Okay, so I just have to say, these are the most adorable mice I have ever seen! Almost too cute to eat. . . Almost. They are also simple and delicious! I presented them with the Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes I made for Hubby's Christmas potluck, everyone loved them, and how adorable they looked around the cupcakes. They take a little while to make, but totally worth the effort!

Ingredients: Makes 20-30 mice

1 14 oz bag of Wilton milk chocolate candy melts or
milk chocolate chips

1 bag of Hershey's kisses

1 2oz bag slivered (round slivered, so they look like ears) almonds.

1 medium size jar of maraschino cherries, with stems

1 14 oz bag of black Wilton candy melts, or black piping gel.

Directions:

Unwrap kisses, drain and pat dry cherries in a paper towel.

In a small bowl, melt 1/2 of the candy melts or chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals.

Holding the cherry stem, dip into chocolate, cover cherry completely, using a small spoon.

Place cherry on wax paper and press Hershey kiss
on opposite side of the stem, holding for a few seconds.

Using a toothpick, place a small amount of melted

chocolate between the body (cherry), and the head (kiss), place 2 slices of almonds to form ears, hold until set.

Mouse army

So adorable!!

Melt 1/8 cup of black candy melts, and using a piping bag, (or black pipe gel) pipe little eyes and a nose on each of your mouse army.

Let set at least 10 minutes.

Enjoy the cuteness!

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

I'm not really a peppermint lover, I love the smell, but not so much the taste. Especially peppermint, or mint flavored coffee, so when I made these cupcakes, I wasn't expecting to like these so much! They have a great flavor, and a nice crunch from the candy canes on top, the frosting, is a nice, shiny, light peppermint meringue buttercream that goes great with the light, moist, coffee/chocolate cake. I made these today for a Christmas potluck at Hubby's work, (along with Christmas mice, see above post) and they were gone so fast! I will most definitely make these next year!




Ingredients: Makes 24-27 Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

2 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2-3 teaspoon espresso powder*
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 cup strong brewed coffee
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed.
2 large eggs
*(Tip: If your local store does not carry espresso powder, you can substitute an instant coffee, just double the measurement, I recommend the Starbucks Via Ready Brew packets)

Meringue buttercream frosting:*


6 large egg whites
1 and 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 and 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping: (optional)

4-5 regular size candy canes, crushed or pulsed to a chunky powder in a food processor.


Directions:
For the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix together.
Combine the milk, coffee and peppermint extract in a small bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugars.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the dry and wet ingredients, alternating wet and dry until just mixed, do not over beat.

Fill cupcake pans and liners 3/4 full.  Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.   Let cool in the pan 3-5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the egg whites and sugar in a double broiler or heatproof bowl* set over a pot of simmering water.  Over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and sugar is dissolved.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer* fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed 5-10 minutes, until stiff peaks form (make sure they're stiff, but don't overbeat) and the mixture has cooled to room temperature.

*(Tip: I used my stand mixer bowl as a double broiler, mostly because I didn't want have to wash so many bowls! But it worked just fine!)

Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the butter, 2 -3 tablespoons at a time, mix well after each addition. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed  3-5 minutes until smooth again. Add in the peppermint and vanilla extracts and mix just until incorporated.

For colored frosting, I separated the meringue in half, and colored one half red, and left the other half white for a candy cane effect. In a piping bag, fitted with a star tip, add 1/2 cup of the red frosting, along with 1/2 cup of white, does not have to be perfect or exact, pipe a streak on a paper towel or paper or your finger (and eat it) until both colors show, pipe cupcakes, add more frosting to bag as needed. Top with crushed Candycanes and Enjoy!

Adapted from Annies Eats

Vanilla Almond Sugar Cookies, And Icing.

Pictured here are the gingerbread, I just wanted to show the icing

I've been so busy the past week, I haven't had time to do anything! These were one of the many reasons I've been so busy, I made goody gifts to pass out for Christmas this year, and let me tell you, it's not a quick and easy thing to do! It's very time consuming, and tiring, but also very fun! I had a blast making these, and watching them slowly come together. It made me feel great, knowing I was giving gifts from my heart (and kitchen). I made so many things, sugar cookies, gingerbread, lemon ricotta, cake balls, oreo truffles, peppermint bark, and Russian tea cakes, (also sugar free peanut butter cookies, will post later) all in 1 1/2 days! I was exhausted! Also, I felt very accomplished and proud to have done so much in so little time. Everything came out so wonderful, and everyone loved the gifts, so it made all the time (and butter) spent, well worth it. I will definitely do this again next year, I started off with Sugar cookies, these cookies were a light, buttery sweet, with a great almond flavor! I got this recipe from the Bake at 350 blog, and it does not disappoint! I love this blog, it has a lot of great recipes, but the heart of the blog is cookies, Bridget makes and decorates such beautiful cookies, sometimes they don't look real!

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Check out her creations, and make these cookies for Christmas, any other holiday, or just for fun!

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar
2 sticks cold, salted butter
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract



This recipe makes about 3 dozen 2-3 inch cookies

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the flour and baking powder, set aside. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and extracts and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom.

The dough will be crumbly, so knead it together with your hands as you scoop it out of the bowl for rolling.


(Tip: cut the dough in half and throw it in the fridge until you use the first half of the dough, so it's no sitting out getting warm. The colder the dough is, the easier it will be to cut and transfer to the cookie sheet)

Roll onto a floured surface and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets (she also suggests freezing the cookies for 5 minutes before baking, I was in a hurry and just baked them, they came out great!)


Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Let them cool completely before decorating.

 Icing:

(this will cover approximately 3 dozen 3.5 inch cookies)

1 pound of powdered sugar
5 tablespoons meringue powder
"Scant" (about) 1/2 cup water
A few drops of almond extract (totally optional)

Combine the meringue powder and water with a beater attachment using an electric mixer. Beat until peaks begin to form. Sift (make sure you sift!) in the powdered sugar and beat on low to combine. Increase speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form. (You should be able to remove the beater from the mixer and hold up and jiggle without the peak falling.) If using an extract, add it then beat for a few more seconds to incorporate. Cover with plastic wrap touching the icing or divide and color using gel paste food colorings (keep covered when not using). (Tip: I also covered the icing bowl with a damp kitchen towel, along with the plastic wrap, I also covered the icing tips with a damp paper towel)

To fill in your cookies, add water to your icing a 1/2 teaspoon at a time until it is the consistency of thick syrup. This technique of filling a cookie with thinned icing is called "flooding". (I'll be making more soon to show how its done, I had no time to take so many pictures, I now regret not doing so.)

Awesome Broccoli Cheddar Soup.

I love soup, I could eat it every day, (can't say the same for Hubby). I love all kinds of varieties, textures, and colors. Yesterday, I had a craving for a creamy comfort soup, so naturally, broccoli cheddar came to mind! I am so glad I made this it was so satisfying, warming, and delicious! Hubby liked it too, even though he's not much of a soup person. I read a lot of variations of this soup, and I just couldn't find one that I liked, so I decided to risk it and just make my own. I'm glad I did! The best part about this soup is, you can't mess it up, its good chunky, smooth, or in between, I opted for smooth with some chunks. It has a great cheddar flavor, but not overpowering, you can taste everything that's in the soup, and it's very easy
to make. So, make this soon, and  enjoy!



Ingredients:

7 Tbsp butter, divided.
1 cup, onion, or 2 leeks rinsed and chopped (I used leeks, cause I love em')
2-3 cloves garlic, minced.
2-3 carrots chopped.
4 cups broccoli florets chopped.
1 teaspoon fresh or dry chopped thyme leaves.
1/2 teaspoon salt.
1/2 teaspoon pepper.
4 Tbsp flour.
Pinch of cayenne pepper.
Pinch of nutmeg
3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock.
1 cup heavy cream, or half and half ( I used heavy cream)
2 cups medium cheddar cheese, shredded.
Salt and pepper to taste.




Directions:

In a large pan, melt 3 Tbsp butter over medium heat.
Add the onion or leeks, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the carrots, garlic, thyme leaves and broccoli, saute for 3-4 more minutes.

While that's happening, in a large stockpot, over medium-high heat, melt the 4 remaining Tbsp butter, add the flour and cook, whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock, and bring to boil. Add the vegetable mix, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until thickened, and broccoli is somewhat tender.

With an immersion blender, blend until desired consistency, or in a food processor, or regular blender, pulse until desired consistency,and return to pot.

Add the heavy cream or half and half, and simmer to heat through, add the cheddar cheese, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste.

Cook over low heat until cheese has melted, remove from heat, serve immediately.
Enjoy the deliciousness.

Banana Berry Muffins.

I know I was supposed to make something pumpkin, but I had these berries in the fridge just begging to be made into delicious muffins, so I gave in, and I was not disappointed. These muffins were so good, I had one and a half last night, and two this morning. Thank goodness, they're somewhat healthy, I added wheat flour to the mix, and of course the fruit. These muffins had a very fruity tasty, and I could taste the banana too. I made enough for Hubby to take to work which was about 24, but you can certainly halve the ingredients to make a dozen. These go really good with a hot cup of coffee, and of course slathered with butter, so enjoy!






Makes 24-28 Muffins.


Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 cup  buttermilk
1 cup blueberries
1 cup blackberries
1 cup bananas




Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease or line 24 muffin wells with muffin liners.
Combine flour, sugar, salt cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 2 cup measuring cup or medium bowl. Add the oil, egg, vanilla and buttermilk. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries, bananas and blackberries. Pour into lined muffin cups; fill to the top.

Bake 17-20 minutes or until edges are golden brown.