An Italian Favorite

Lots of folks have cultural items they put on the table for Thanksgiving...well I'd like to hear, er...read about yours! I'll post my favorite and then please share your own!

Panettone Bread Pudding

Nothing says mmm...holiday time, like some warm, gooey bread pudding. And nothing says Italian like Pannetone Bread Pudding. This recipe (though I wish I had thought of it) is by Ken Oringer of Food and Wine Magazine. No this is not low fat....why the hell should it be...it's the holiday!

Ingredients:

2 lbs panettone, sliced 1 1/2 inches thick

1 stick (4oz) unsalted butter

3 large eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of salt

2 cups heavy cream

one 12-oz can evaporated milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2 quart baking dish. Toast the panettone on the oven racks for 8-10 minutes, or until golden; cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes and transfer to the prepared baking dish.


2. In a saucepan, cook the butter over moderately low heat until nutty and the milk solids are brown, 4-5 minutes. Toss the butter with the panettone.


3. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar at medium speed until pale and thick, 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, then beat in the heavy cream and evaporated milk. Pour the custard over the panettone; let stand for 1 hour, gently tossing now and then, until the custard is absorbed.


4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the bread pudding for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden and the custard is set. Let cool for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

The best part about this is that you can make it the day before and refrigerate it until after dinner! And if you serve it with ice cream, it only gets better! Enjoy!

Now what's your tradition?

Sensational Stir Fry

Lately I've bee the Samurai of Stir Fry...the Ace of Asian, and I love it because it's giving the family some crazy good veggies without complaints! I found a wonderful Japanese market that is SO inexpensive it's insane! I stopped by and felt a bit awkward at first, because I was the only non Japanese walking through a small store filled with non English packages. But when they saw me pick up Japanese cabbage, stir fry noodles, sesame seeds, and sushi grade tuna, they quickly started smiling. One man said, "You know how to make this." I said, "Oh yes! We love stir fry in our house." He laughed and point me in the direction of some other great items! I walked out of there with two bags of goodies and only spent $9! My new favorite store. But I digress. I've got a fool0-proof, super yum, stir-fry recipe...that I actually smell as I type! Here it is!

I will heed one warning, although this is really easy, it is a bit time consuming. Also, feel free to substitute your favorite veggies if there is one you don't like.

Ingredients:

3 carrots
2 shallots
1 small bag of bean sprouts
1 zucchini
1 squash
1 container of mushrooms (I use a mix)
4 tall green onions
Sesame seeds
Sesame oil
vegetable oil
cabbage (I cut up about a quarter of a head of napa or Asian which ever is fine)
Kikkoman Stir fry sauce
Chow mein stir fry noodles

Instructions:
Peel and slice all veggies. I use the peeler to make ribbons with the zucchini, squash, carrots, and green onions. I feel like the cook faster this way. Chop the rest of the veggies. Put all of them in a large bowl.
Get out a large wok. Heat sesame oil and vegetable oil in the wok. I used about 2 tbsp of sesame and 1 of vegetable.
Dump veggies in the wok and cover, let them cook until soft and delicious. In the meantime, follow the directions on the stir fry noodles.
When all of the ingredients are ready, add the noodles to the wok and add the sesame seeds, mix up and then add the sauce. Toss and serve! Enjoy!

Take some time to relax

This recipe is probably the most important one I've posted on here! I'll start by saying that I always have had a tinge of guilt when I leave the children to go have some fun...but my husband has shown me that it's very important to do. So tonight's recipe is one that will help you loosen up and get down with yo bad self.

It's called:

Amaretto!

First, take two shots of amaretto and shoot them. Then take a shot of amaretto and mix it with sprite. Drink until you dance like no one is looking! Then pass out.

DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE! Much love!

10 things to do with your pumpkin guts and seeds!

So you've carved, scraped, and de-gutted your pumpkin (purely for the kids, no fun for you at all right... ;-p ) and you think, "Do I really have to throw all of this away?" Oh you are such a frugal wonderful mom!!!! Well, I'm here to tell you emphatically NO! Don't throw those guts and seeds away! And to prove how easily you can use those innards (te hehe) I've listed below a bunch of ideas!



Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:

By far the most popular thing to do with the left overs...

**Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Separate the seeds from the guts. Using your hands, pick out the seeds and lay them on a buttered or greased baking sheet. Do not rinse them! This removes a lot of the flavor. Bake for 10 minutes. Salt before eating.**



Puking Pumpkin:

For my partier (er...single) friends...

Oh, the guts are making me nauseous. Make a manly pumpkin - er, party pumpkin? Use those guts for a gross, puking pumpkin.







Pumpkin Seed Soap:

For anyone who loves to carve pumpkins, but has no desire to roast and eat the pumpkin seeds, this Halloween craft idea is for you. You can still enjoy the health benefits of pumpkin seeds, when you use them as an exfoliating ingredient in the homemade pumpkin seed soap.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/392022/halloween_crafts_pumpkin_seed_gift.html?cat=24



Pumpkin Seed Pesto: http://www.grouprecipes.com/15042/pumpkin-seed-pesto-with-pumpkin-ravioli.html



Pumpkin Ravioli: (I've made this, in a different way but still yum!) http://www.grouprecipes.com/15046/pumpkin-ravioli.html



Pumpkin Butter: http://www.grouprecipes.com/1446/pumpkin-butter.html



Pumpkin Delight: http://www.grouprecipes.com/3639/pumpkin-delight.html



Pumpkin Pancakes: http://www.grouprecipes.com/3949/pumpkin-pancakes.html



Pumpkin and Spinach Risotto: (for my more ambitious friends) http://www.grouprecipes.com/6819/pumpkin-doughnuts.html



Kids Toy:

Kids love slime and what’s better than organic slime? Mix it with some fake blood to create guts that can be used as part of a costume or just to play with.
Need red dye for your fake blood recipe? Try beet powder + water.





Whatever you do...

...don't put pumpkin guts down the drain!Unless you are prepared to spend a lot of money to have a plumber come and snake out your drains, don't put pumpkin guts down the sink. They harden inside the pipes and cause problems, no doubt just in time for your family to come visit for Thanksgiving. Can you afford not to have a bathroom available on that day??

Little Nibblers and Fondue

One of my favorite things about meal time would have to be getting the kids involved. Dinner is much more fun when everyone has a hand in it. Not only do they eat better, but they see the time and effort it takes to prepare something.

In a world full of convenience foods and fast food joints it's hard to "find the time" to make dinner. There are some days that "Sam's Pizza Shack" or "McFast Fry" is the only place I can think of, but most nights I try my hardest to come up with something new, exciting, and EASY! I'm lucky enough to have some slow days to sit and think about it at work. In my business it's feast or famine. That is why I started my blog. To give other mothers some new ideas, and for them to share some with me.

One of my "go to" staples for an easy and quick dinner is finger food. Nibblers, as we call them in the Hollis house. That can be anything from cubed chicken, to cheese, to fruit kabobs. Anything! I try to always make them well rounded and fun. But I find that if it doesn't look overwhelming, they will eat it!

So tonight we're going to try some fondue. Maybe a meat one, or a cheese one. I haven't decided yet. But this requires some planning and a lunch break trip to the grocery.

If I do a meat fondue then the recipe I'll use is:

8 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of dry white wine. (The alcohol will cook off! You won't have drunk kids). I also through in a few spices.

In a pot, bring the chicken broth and wine to a boil. Transfer to the fondue pot when the broth is boiling.

Then you take whatever veggies, or meats you want and put them on the fondue skewer and place in the stock until cooked through.

If you don't like that recipe, try this one:

Bearnaise Sauce
(4 tbsp)
Dry white wine
(4 tbsp)
Tarragon vinegar
(1 tsp)
Green onions, finely chopped
(1 tsp)
Parsley, finely chopped
(1/4 tsp)
Thyme
(1/4 tsp)
Tarragon
3
Egg yolks
(1/2 cup)
Butter
Salt and pepper
1. In a pot, mix the wine, vinegar, green onions, parsley, thyme and tarragon.
2. Bring to a boil and let boil until reduced by half.
3. Strain the liquid.
4. Let cool.
5. Gradually whisk in the egg yolks and butter.
6. Whisk until desired consistency.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. If prepared ahead of time, keep refrigerated.
9. Serve.


And check out http://www.bestfondue.com/ for more recipes! ENJOY!

Auntrell's Mini Bundt Spice Cakes! Oh My Goodness!

So a friend of mine brought in the most delictable little thing I've ever eaten...I don't know if it's WW approved, but it is Jamie approved!

Mini bundt spice cakes filled with sauteed spiced apples with a brown sugar, vanilla, & cinnamon glaze.

It is just the spice cake mix then you add the sauteed chopped apple (1/2 stick of butter, 1 apple, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, saute until soft). Follow recipe on box for baking. Glaze is 1/2 butter, 1 1/2 cup of white sugar, 3 tbsp of brown sugar, 2 tbspn of imitation vanilla, 1/2 water. Add all ingredients let boil on med-low until thick. Add more sugar to help with thickness. Set aside to cool a little. Then glazed the cake/s when they are cool.

Have I mentioned that she is now the best friend in the entire world?

Go Guac or Go Home!

I'm Guacamole obsessed! As the Frank's Red Hot lady says, "I put that S#*t on everything."

So I have two super healthy alternatives to traditional Guacamole! First is one from Hungry Girl!

You Make Me Wanna Scoop!
When we saw that Chili's had unleashed a fancy new guacamole on the masses -- one loaded with fire-roasted corn, no less -- we just had to make it over. We even whipped up some super-easy toasty chips. Get ready for some serious dipping with our Rockin' Roasted Corn Guac 'n Chips!
Ingredients:

For Guac 1 cup frozen sweet yellow corn

One 15-oz. can early/young peas, drained

1/2 cup mashed avocado (about 1 medium-small avocado's worth)

1/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt (Fage Total 0% is the best!)

4 tsp. lime juice

1/2 tsp. chopped garlic

1/4 tsp. salt, or more to taste

1/8 tsp. black pepper, or more to taste

1/8 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. chili powder

3/4 cup chopped cherry or grape tomatoes

1/4 cup finely chopped onionOptional: chopped fresh cilantro, chopped jarred jalapeño slices

For ChipsTwelve 6-inch corn tortillas

3/4 tsp. salt
Directions:Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to high heat on the stove. Add corn and cook until thawed and slightly blackened, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Place peas in a medium bowl and mash thoroughly with a potato masher or fork. (Or puree peas in a small blender or food processor and transfer to a medium bowl.) Add avocado, yogurt, lime juice, garlic, and dry seasonings. Continue to mash until blended.
Stir in corn, tomatoes, and onion. If you like, mix in cilantro and/or jalapeño. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
To make the chips, divide tortillas into two stacks and cut each in half. Cut each stack of halves into three triangles, for a total of 72 pieces.
Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Evenly lay about one-third of the tortilla triangles flat on the sheet.
Cover triangles with a generous mist of nonstick spray, spraying for about 2 seconds.

Evenly sprinkle with 1/8 tsp. salt.

Flip triangles over and sprinkle with another

1/8 tsp. salt.
Bake in the oven for 5 minutes. Carefully flip tortilla triangles over on the sheets. Continue to bake in the oven until crispy, about 5 minutes longer. Repeat baking process until all the chips are baked. (If you have extra baking sheets and a large oven, feel free to do it all at once!)
Once cool enough to handle, transfer chips to a serving bowl. Serve with chilled guac and enjoy!
MAKES 8 SERVINGS
Serving Size: 1/3 cup guacamole with 9 chipsCalories: 160Fat: 4gSodium: 456mg Carbs: 27.5gFiber: 4.75gSugars: 4.5g Protein: 5gPOINTS® value 3*HG Alternative! Prefer your guacamole without chips... with cut bell peppers and jicama, maybe? (Yum!) Make the guacamole only; a 1/3-cup serving of the guac itself has 76 calories, 2.25g fat, and 3g fiber (POINTS® value 1*).

Next is one of my favorites! Edamame Guacamole!

Makes about 2 cups
Made with avocado and edamame, this guacamole variation is both creamy and fresh. Serve with raw vegetables like celery, carrots and radishes for dipping or alongside baked pita chips as a healthy snack or appetizer.
Ingredients
1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed

1 small, ripe avocado, peeled and pitted

1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped (optional)

1/3 bunch cilantro

1/4 white onion, roughly chopped

Juice of 2 limes

2 to 3 tablespoons water

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Put edamame, avocado, chipotle, cilantro, onion and lime juice in a food processor and pulse until almost smooth. Add enough water to make a creamy consistency and pulse again. Transfer guacamole to a bowl, season with salt and pepper and serve.
Nutrition
Per serving (2 Tbsp/about 1.5oz/42g-wt.): 50 calories (25 from fat), 3g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 75mg sodium, 5g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 1g sugar), 4g protein

I know I'll be enjoying this very soon!!! Let me know what you THINk!