Evidently I have food on the brain recently ;)  Or I’ve just been trying to organize my recipe collection, and thusly, my blog recipe collection as well.

Here’s some more recipes I’ve mentioned on my blog:  Enjoy!  (All pictures are my own!)

Goat Cheese Grits

from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) goat cheese
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

• 1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Gradually add grits and salt to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and remaining ingredients.

 

Classic Corn Pudding with Cheddar and Chives

(from the runaway spoon)

2 eggs

1 (16-ounce) can creamed corn

1 (16-ounce can) whole kernel corn, drained

½ cup (1stick) butter, melted

1 cup (8-ounces) sour cream

1 (8 ½ ounce) package corn muffin mix (I prefer Jiffy)

1 ½ cups grated mild cheddar cheese

¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, then add both corns, butter and sour cream and mix thoroughly.  Fold in the corn muffin mix, cheese and chopped chives.  Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and mix completely.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until puffed and golden and firm in the center.

Serve immediately,

Serves 8 – 10

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

(from Barefoot Contessa)

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 pounds broccoli
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• Good olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.

 

Eggnog Tres Leches Cake

(from the runaway spoon)

Use a good egg nog from the dairy case, and please, it’s Christmas, spare me the “light” version.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

1 ½ c granulated sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

1 ½  cups dairy egg nog

1 cup heavy whipping cream for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 – 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.  While the butter is creaming, use a fork to mix the flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg together in a bowl.  Add the vanilla to the milk in the measuring cup.

When the butter and sugar are creamed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add the flour and milk mixtures alternately in three additions, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl down a few times.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly.  Bake the cake for 30 – 35 minutes until a tester comes out clean and the cake is firm.  Bake this cake a few minutes longer than you would normally, as it will soak up the egg nog mixture and soften up. Leave to cool completely.

In a spouted bowl or large measuring jug, whisk together the condensed milk, evaporated milk and egg nog until thoroughly blended.  Poke holes all over the cooled cake with a skewer.  Slowly pour one half of the egg nog mixture over the cake, then leave it for a few minutes to soak in.  Pour over the remaining egg nog, cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for eight hours or overnight.

Cut the cake into squares and serve chilled.  If you’d like to, you can whip 1 cup heavy cream and spread it over the top of the cake like a frosting before serving, or dollop some whipped cream on each piece.  Sprinkle a little nutmeg over the cake as well.

Serves 12

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

From the Smitten Kitchen

Upside-Down Cranberry-Caramel Cake
Adapted from The Perfect Finish (previously from this book)

If you don’t like molasses, I’d use honey or light corn syrup instead because although just a tablespoon, you can taste it (though we found it delicious against the tart berries). If you’re thinking, as I was, that there was no need for a parchment paper circle in the bottom (and later, top) of the pan, you can probably skip it. The “probably” is there because I didn’t get to retest this without it but see nothing to worry about; if a berry sticks, just scoop it and plop it on top of the cake. The cake itself is a little on the shortcake side — sturdier than your average plush layer cake but still quite moist. Still, if you want a more traditional upside-down cake base, I think this one is phenomenal (you might even swap the pineapple juice for white cranberry) as is this one.

Unsalted butter or cooking spray for the baking pan
2/3 cup (5 ounces or 142 grams) packed light brown sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks, 6 ounces or 171 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces or 242 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 ounces or 198 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons (9 grams) baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (8 1/2 ounces or 242 grams) sour cream
2 cups (8 ounces or 230 grams) fresh or frozen cranberries (you could add a half-cup more, if you, too, can never have enough cranberries)
Optional flavorings: 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, 1 tablespoon orange or lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon zest, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, few gratings of fresh nutmeg or a combination thereof
Whipped cream, optional

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter and cover the bottom with parchment paper (see Note above). In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of the melted butter, molasses and 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir well and pour into prepared cake pan. Set pan aside.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together into a bowl or onto a sheet of waxed paper and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the whisk attachment (eh, I just used a handmixer with standard beaters) beat the eggs and sour cream together at medium speed until well blended. Add optional flavorings of your choice. Scrape down the bowl and add remaining melted butter (1/2 cup) and beat until combined. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth.

Add the cranberries to the prepared baking pan and gently press the fruit into an even layer. Dollop the batter on top and use an offset spatula to gently nudge it into place without disturbing the cranberries underneath. Bake on the center rack (with a tray underneath to catch drips… just in case; mine did not overflow but came stressfully close) until golden and a tester inserted into just the cake comes out clean, which took 30 to 35 minutes in my oven but is suggested to take 45. Please,please check yours on the early side. Remove from the oven and let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the inside of the pan then insert over a flat platter that is (Learn From My Mistakes Alert!) larger than your cake pan, to catch any puddling or jumping cranberries. Remove the parchment paper.

Serve warm, with freshly whipped cream. However, this cake wasn’t half bad two to three days layer, kept covered at room temperature.

 

Peanut Cole Slaw

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1/4 cup chopped cucumber
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped salted peanuts
• 4 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In small bowl, combine the cabbage, celery, cucumber, onion and green pepper. In another bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and salt if desired. Top with peanuts and Parmesan cheese.

 

Egg and Bacon Bread

from culinary in the desert

6 ounces center-cut bacon
1/4 cup grainy mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
pinch salt
16 ounces prepared whole-wheat pizza dough (I used our favorite recipe) (see below!)
4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
6 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp – transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. When cool enough to handle, crumble.
In small bowl, stir together mustard, garlic, cayenne pepper sauce, pepper and salt.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a 12" wide by 14" long rectangle.
Add mustard mixture on top and spread over the top, leaving a 1/2" border. Scatter the crumbled bacon, chopped eggs and 4 ounces (about 1 cup) of the cheese over the top. Starting at long side, roll dough up jelly roll–style. Pinch seam to seal. Place roll, seam side down, into a 10" tube pan coated with cooking spray. Cover pan with plastic wrap and set to rise until puffy about about doubled in size, about 30 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Brush loaf with beaten egg. Using a serrated knife, cut a few slashes into the top of the dough. Scatter the remaining cheese over the top. Place pan into the oven and bake until the loaf pulls away from the side of the pan and is golden, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and set pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Carefully turn bread out onto a wire rack and continue to let cool for 20 more minutes to allow the cheese to set before serving.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Combine flours, yeast, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Combine warm water and oil in a measuring cup. With the motor running, gradually pour in enough of the liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Process until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.
Lightly coat a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise about an hour, or until doubled in size. Punch down and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes before rolling.
*If you want to knead by hand feel free – knead for about 10 minutes. As made, this recipe makes about 1 pound of dough.
If you would like to make about 12 ounces of dough, here is the ingredient list to follow – the directions to prepare the dough is the same.
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water (may need slightly more)
2 teaspoons olive oil

 

Peanut Butter Brownies

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat 2 cups sugar and 3 eggs together until foamy. Stir in the butter and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; stir into the egg mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Reserve one cup of the batter, and spread the rest into the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, 1/4 cup of sugar 1 egg and milk until smooth and creamy. Carefully spread the peanut butter batter over the layer of chocolate batter. Drop reserved chocolate batter, by tablespoonfuls onto the peanut butter layer. Cut through the batter with a knife to swirl.
4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until brownies are set when shaken gently. Cool completely before cutting into bars. Refrigerate until serving.

I thought I’d copy some of the recipes I’ve made recently in my blog here in case the links stop working at some point!  We’ll have the Caramel Apple Cheesecake, Fruit Pizza, Pumpkin Pie Fudge, and Pumpkin Bread Pudding. (Some of these may not have even been linked to, so this is a treat for you!)

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie (from the sweets life)

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
from Annie’s Eats
Ingredients:
for the crust-
-1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
-3 tbsp sugar
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-5 1/3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
-1/2-3/4 cup caramel (see below for recipe)
-1 cup chopped pecans
for the apple filling-
-5 tbsp unsalted butter
-1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 tsp cinnamon
-5-6 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
for the cheesecake-
-8 oz. cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
-1/4 cup sugar
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 egg
-1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
for the topping-
-3/4 cup heavy cream
-3-4 tbsp confectioners’ sugar
-1/4-1/2 cup caramel
-chopped pecans
for the caramel-
-1 stick unsalted butter
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-1 cup packed light brown sugar
To Make the Caramel:
1. Combine butter, cream, and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to medium and continue to stir until it thickens (approximately 8 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool.


Directions:
1. To make the crust, preheat oven to 375F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper (I skipped this step and just greased my pan well. The first piece was tough to get out, but the rest came out fine!). In a medium-sized bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Toss until evenly mixed and moist. Press into the bottom of the springform pan, pressing mixture halfway up the sides.
2. Bake for 6-8 minutes (until light brown). Remove from oven and allow to cool. Pour a layer of caramel over the crust and sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
3. To make the apples, melt butter in a saucepan and add brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon, cooking for 1 minute, until bubbling. Add apples, tossing to coat. Cook over medium heat until liquid is reduced (15-20 minutes). Allow apples to cool before placing in crust.
4. Reduce oven heat to 350F. To make the cheesecake layer, use an electric mixer to mix sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla, egg, and lemon juice, beating until well-combined. Spread the cheesecake filling over the apples.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight.
6. To serve, remove cheesecake from springform pan. Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar on medium until stiff peaks form (don’t overbeat!). Carefully spread over cheesecake layer.
7. Top with caramel sauce and pecans. Slice into pieces before serving.

Fancy Fruit Pizza

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 (18 ounce) package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 medium firm bananas. sliced
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, halved
• 2 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
• 1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1/3 cup orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. On a greased 14-in. pizza pan, press cookie dough into a 12-in. circle. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
2. In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread over crust. Toss bananas with lemon juice. Arrange the pineapple, strawberries, bananas, kiwi and oranges over cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Combine marmalade and water; drizzle over fruit.

 

Pumpkin Pie Fudge

Pumpkin Pie Fudge (Adapted from several sources)

Ingredients:
-2 cups granulated sugar
-1 cup light brown sugar (I’ve used dark too)
-3/4 cup butter
-2/3 cup condensed milk
-1/2 cup canned pumpkin
-1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (for less spice kick just use one teaspoon)
-1 package white chocolate chips
-1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow crème
-1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
-1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
Butter a 9×13 baking pan (I have used an 8×8 as well to get larger pieces) and set aside.
In a saucepan, combine the sugars, butter, condensed milk, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice.  Heat until all the ingredients are combined and begin to boil.  Stirring constantly, allow the mixture to boil for about 10 minutes or until is reaches 234 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Remove from heat and quickly stir in the white chocolate chips, marshmallow crème, nuts (if using), and vanilla until all ingredients are fully combined and the chips are melted.  Immediately pour the fudge into your prepared baking dish and let sit on a wire rack for at least 2 hours to cool and store in your refrigerator.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups cubed pumpkin bread
• 2/3 cup butterscotch caramel ice cream topping
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons dark rum

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Prepare a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray.
2. Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Arrange the cubed pumpkin bread in the pie pan. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes.
3. Bake in preheated oven until a knife inserted into the center of the dish comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
4. Combine the caramel sauce, heavy cream, and rum in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat on High in microwave for 45 seconds; whisk. Drizzle sauce over bread pudding to serve.

Okay, so the end of the month has totally snuck up on me.  I didn’t realize until this morning after I’d already posted that I was supposed to post my foodie pen pal post today…so I’m doing it late!  Or early, if you consider that technically I could also put it up tomorrow.

What am I talking about?  I’ll give you all the details at the end!

This month I was paired to send food to Abby of Abz ‘n’ Oats.  You can follow that link to her blog post about what I sent!

I received a box of goodies from Molly from Hungry Hungry Runner.

I must not have been in a huge picture taking mood when I got this!  Let me tell you about what she sent:  Trader Joe’s Chocolate Covered Cranberries (delicious!! I served them at the Cookie Party), Pumpkin Butter (yum!), and Cocoa and a mug—I haven’t actually made the cocoa yet but I keep meaning to…now that it’s gotten cold here I’ll probably be more tempted.  I’m also tempted to get some cottage cheese and try mixing the pumpkin butter with that—we used to mix apple butter in cottage cheese as children and it was pretty tasty.  (Then again, cottage cheese is good on its own as well.) I love the mug too, it’s not edible but very practical and seasonal.  Thanks so much Molly!!

Want to participate next month?  Here’s how:

Foodie Penpals
1. On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact each other and get mailing addresses and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
2. You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. This will ensure everyone receives their goodies in time to post about them.
3. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! Feel free to write your post as soon as your get your goodies if you want, just don’t publish it until the last day of the month. Please also include the basic information about Foodie Penpals and provide my email (theleangreenbean@gmail.com) in case people are interested in joining for the next month. 
4. The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15.
5. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
6. You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
7.  If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for the blogger to feature on their blog to show off what they sent you.
8. If two readers get paired together, no one has to worry about writing a post 🙂

Sunday night’s cookie party was an unequivocal success.

Yes, those are little penguins made with olives, cream cheese, and carrots.

This isn’t even all of the cookies—there was a side table with more!

I invited about 20 women, probably a dozen showed up.  I told everybody to bring 4 dozen cookies and copies of the recipe.  Some people brought a few more, some probably brought a few less, all in all there were TONS of cookies.  I provided some ziplock bags and wax paper, some people brought empty containers (I think I forgot to remind people to do this, but most did anyway.)

Since everybody knew ME but not everybody knew each other (most did, but not all) we went around the room, introduced ourselves, everybody told how they knew me, and also about their cookie recipe, or recipes.  After that, it was time to swap!  Basically everybody just took a few of each recipe until all the cookies were gone.  I had to chastise a few people to take more cookies.  It was a cookie swap, not a cookie dump!

I’ve read stuff online (on how to throw a cookie swap party) that suggests some people are a lot less generous—swaps that say to bring 10 dozen, all parceled out so nobody takes too many (or too few?).  Or that some people are less creative—I read something that suggested you want to make sure everybody doesn’t just bring chocolate chip.  Um, as far as my friends are concerned, getting together is an excuse to show off our culinary talents!  NO worries about five chocolate chip recipes.

I guess my friends are just more awesome than most!  The variety of cookies (and bars, and biscotti, and whatnot) was amazing.  I was so happy that so many women came out on a Sunday evening to support me, and I am especially honored that so many of my friends are fantastic bakers!  I always forget just how lucky I am, to have so many wonderful people in my life. There are times when I wish I remembered that instead of thinking about how I don’t think things are up to par or good enough.  I was also amazed by how many people complimented my house, its decor, its cleanliness, its size (someone said it was huge!), and that sort of thing.  I need to stop being so hard on myself and just appreciate what I have.  (I needed to stop that several months ago, but too late!  But it’s never too late going forward, right?)

The one thing most of us failed at was bringing the recipe.  I told everybody to but I myself forgot to print it out.  I did blog about it though 😉  I sent a follow up asking for some recipes.  I have sampled so many of the cookies and they are just all fantastic!

I also had a vegetable/hummus platter, cheese/crackers, pumpkin bread, chocolate covered cranberries (courtesy of my foodie penpal!), fruit pizza, and some super addictive sesame sticks from Pepperidge farm.  For drinks Laura made hot apple cider and I served Poinsettias, a cranberry champagne cocktail.

I failed to take any pictures of people!  I was so busy hosting and I just didn’t want to interrupt people’s conversations.  Oh well.  Most important is the cookies, right?

I really need to curb my sugar eating though.  This is getting out of hand.  I made an extra trip to the gym last night for cardio, but I worry it just pushed me to have a couple more cookies rather than, you know, burning off some extra calories.  Oh well.  Today is a new day for healthy eating, right?

(Is that me being hard on myself, or just being practical, I do have a wedding dress to look awesome in!?)

I just have a few more cookies to make for some blogger cookie swaps.  I have some excellent ideas now!!

My big project over the weekend was making Tri-Color Cookies.  I didn’t know what these were until I visited Chris’s relatives at Christmastime.  He seemed to really love them, so finally last Christmas I felt I had the baking skills necessary to ask for the recipe.  His Aunt Pat sent it to me, and I hope she won’t mind that I share it with you.

In her words:

— For Best Results cook separately

 — Red on top

— Yellow in middle

— Green on bottom

Ingredients:

2 cans 12½ oz. Solo Almond Filling

4 sticks butter (1 lb.) room temperature

2 cups sugar

9 egg yolks

9 egg whites (3 each in separate bowls)

4 cups sifted flour

Red food coloring

Green food coloring

Yellow food coloring

¼ cup raspberry jam (optional)

12 oz. apricot preserves

melted chocolate (add a teaspoon of Crisco to prevent chocolate from cracking)

Mix almond filling, butter, and yolks until light and fluffy.

Add sugar, then add flour. Mix

In 3 separate bowls beat 3 egg whites until a peak forms. Add one food coloring to each bowl. Mix 1/3 of the almond mixture to each of the colored egg white.

Place mixture in a Pam sprayed pan (15¼ x 10½ x 1) and spread it evenly. Cook individually at 350o for 12 minutes each. Cook green first and let it cool in the pan. Add jam. Loosen edges before turning the yellow onto the green. Add remaining preserves. Place the red layer on top. Cool. Cover with wax paper and place one of the empty pans on top. Add weight and refrigerate. Trim edges. Cut into 1½ inch strip widthwise (about 8 strips). [Strips may be frozen and covered with chocolate at a later date.] Use a long metal spatula to remove from pan. Cover with melted chocolate on both sides. Cut into ½ inch cookie when ready to serve. Freezes Beautifully.

I usually cut them into long strips and wrap them in saran wrap and freeze them until I use them and at that time while they are defrosting, I ice them with the chocolate.  This way you can use as needed.

Hannah’s commentary:  I didn’t use the raspberry jam, I need to ask her what that was for!  Turning the layers onto one another was the hardest part, in my opinion.  I cut them into strips before adding the chocolate, but next time I might just leave it as one big piece because it was hard to see where I had cut. 

For the chocolate I used Baker’s Chocolate Squares, and added some chocolate chips when I ran out.  All were semi-sweet. 

In any case, the recipe, though challenging, tasted great!  I also love the way the little cakes look—so bright and colorful!