Holiday Wrap-Up Part II: Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years

{Hanukkah} I think the best recipe that came out of my entire holiday season was these latkes. They had a sweetness and crunchiness from the coconut and an awesome twist on the apple sauce/sour cream that we’re all so used to. //// Coconut Latkes with Cranberry Applesauce & Cardamom Mascarpone Adapted From MyJewishLearning.com Ingredients For Latkes: 1 cups (2/3 pound) russet potatoes, washed and peeled 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut 2 eggs 2 Tbsps flour ½ tsp salt ½ cup vegetable oil For Cranberry Applesauce: 1.5  cups Applesauce 1.5  cups Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground ginger ½ tsp ground all spice Zest and juice from 1 orange 1 Tbsp brandy (if desired) For Cardamom Mascarpone: ½ cup mascarpone 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice How To Do It Start by shredding your potatoes with a grater. Ring out all the moisture with a strainer and paper towel until all the moisture is gone and then add in the coconut, eggs, flour and salt. Mix to combine. Meanwhile, heat up vegetable oil in a skillet. Scoop 1/8th cup dollops of the potato mixture and flatten lightly and fry until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes each side. Drain on paper towels. To make Cranberry Applesauce, combine ingredients until blended. To make Cardamom Mascarpone, combine cardamom and mascarpone in a bowl until blended. Garnish latkes. You won’t be able to stop eating them. ////

{Christmas}  I always make too much. It’s a habit. Or an addiction. I’m not sure which. For my sweets and baked goods, I pooped out: Egg Nog Cupcakes from Pass the Sushi (Amazing, and the second consecutive year I’ve made them. I also added a sliver of Spiked Eggnog Fudge to the top of each one.) Buckeyes (recipe below) Bunny Chow (recipe below) Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt from Cookin’ Canuck Spiked Egg Nog Fudge from Pursuit of Hippieness Bourbon, Caramel, Marshmallow and Bacon Bark by Endless Simmer Chocolate Chip and Toffee Shortbread by the Kitchn Polverones (Spanish Walnut Cookies) by the Food Network Cayene Maple Glazed Walnuts by Fifteen Spatulas ////

Buckeyes Ingredients: 1 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened 3 cups confectioners sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup milk chocolate chips 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 3 tbsp paraffin wax How To Do It: Beat together the peanut butter, butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until stiff and crumbly. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Roll peanut butter mixture into tablespoon balls. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator, an hour or until slightly stiff. In the meantime, melt the wax in a double broiler. When it is completely melted, add in chocolate. Stir it a lot. Using a toothpick, poke the ball then dip it in the chocolate. (Keep the chocolate on the stove, and stir often.) Make sure to leave a little circle of peanut butter peeking out of the chocolate. Remove the toothpick, poke a new one and keep going. Once they are all dipped, use a knife to smooth the peanut butter over the hole. (Or do what I do, and put Dr. T on the job.) You can refrigerate to firm up the chocolate. Once they are set, transfer to an airtight container. Try not to eat all of them in one setting. (You may not succeed.) ////

Bunny Chow adapted from the Chex Muddy Buddy Recipe Ingredients: 4 cups peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets 1    cup semisweet chocolate chips 1/2    cup peanut butter 1/4    cup butter or margarine 1    teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2    cups powdered sugar How To Do It: Into large bowl, measure pretzels; set aside. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over pretzels, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. ////

So after a month of THAT, I also pulled together a little Christmas Day cooking. Croissants, pears and chicken sausages for breakfast. Then dinner. Pineapple-Glazed Turkey Ham– Turkey Ham baked with whole cloves, then topped with the Better Homes and Gardens PIneapple Glaze recipe Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Apples– The same recipe I had made for Thanksgiving. It’s a new holiday staple! Mashed Cauliflower– A pound of steamed cauliflower, pureed with a couple tablespoons of cream cheese, a splash of half and half, 2 tbsp Dijon mustard and some salt & pepper. Bacon, Gorgonzola and Dried Cherry Potstickers– Fry up some center cut bacon. Drain, cool and crumble. Lay out wonton wrappers, put a bit of bacon, a bit of Gorgonzola and a couple dried cherries in the middle.. Make sure you can fold the wrapper around the filling. Place folded dumpling in a skillet of heated olive oil for a couple minutes. Dump 1/3rd cup of water in the skillet and cover with a lid. Steam for about 6 minutes until cooked all the way through. Use a metal spatula to remove them from the skillet and serve with some teriyaki sauce. {New Years} New Years Eve isn’t a big cooking holiday for me, but it is tradition to have a spread of appetizers. This year was simple: shrimp cocktail, spanakopita, savory profiteroles and chicken satay skewers. New Years Day cooking, however, did begin on New Years Eve. Brining Pork doesn’t happen over night. Oh wait, yeah it does. Alton Brown’s Slow Cooker Pepper Pork– If you’re looking for a pork recipe for new years, this is a definite go-to. It’s not all that difficult, just time consuming. And jam-packed full of flava. Lemony Green Beans with Almond Bread Crumbs– Super good, with or without the breadcrumbs. So that about sums up the holiday cooking in my kitchen. Hope you all enjoyed. Now I can’t wait to start throwing recipes in your faces one at a time! Happy January, friends! xo