Top Ten of 2011

Another year is behind us and a new one is about to begin.  Each year, as it draws to a close I find myself going through posts reminding myself what I had made, what I loved, what photos pulled through, etc.  I've put together a list of 2011's most visited recipes.  The biggest surprises....Cream Cheese Breakfast Buns made the list and my favorite salmon recipe tops the list at #1.  I hope you enjoyed this year's recipes and hope to see you pass through in 2012.

10.  Brownie Bites

 9.  White Chocolate Thin Mint Cookie Ice Cream

 8.  Banana Oatmeal Cookies

7.  Cream Cheese Breakfast Buns

6.  Outrageous Brownies

5.  Pesto Cream Cheese Spread

 4. Crawfish Gumbo

photo courtesy of foodnetwork.com

3.  Ham & Cheese in Puff Pastry

 2.  Lemon Sandwich Cookies

 1.  Smoky Maple Glazed Salmon

Coconut Swirls

Did you know Santa was a coconut lover?

Merry Christmas everyone.  I wish you all a wonderful day filled with family, joy, and laughter.  This draws our Christmas Breakfast Series to a close.  You always end it on a sweet note.  Am I right?

Merry Little Christmas Breakfast Menu

Eggnog French Toast
Maple Glazed Sausage
Holiday Fruit Salad
Grapefruit in Wine Syrup
Mocha Chocolate
Coconut Swirls

Coconut Swirls
1/3 cup butter
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
½ cup instant nonfat dry milk powder
3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in 3 tablespoons water and vanilla.
2. Combine powdered sugar and milk powder; stir ½ cup at a time into butter mixture until smooth. Stir in coconut. Shape into 1-inch balls, and place on baking sheets lined with wax paper.
3. Chill 20 minutes
4. Place chocolate morels in a small heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; seal. Submerge in hot water until chocolate melts. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag, and drizzle chocolate over coconut balls. Store in refrigerator.

Grapefruit Cups In Wine Syrup

This is a very festive way to serve grapefruit during Christmas breakfast.  Segmented grapefruit are placed in hollowed out grapefruit halves and drizzled with a sweet red wine syrup.  There is always a grapefruit lover sitting at the breakfast table and this recipe just makes it a little more special.  The syrup and grapefruit segments can be prepared a day before and stored in the refrigerator and the cup can be assembled before service.  It is a great dish for our Christmas Breakfast Menu!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Breakfast
Eggnog French Toast
Maple Glazed Sausage
Holiday Fruit Salad
Grapefruit Cups in Wine Syrup
Mocha Chocolate
Coconut Swirls

Grapefruit Cups in Red Wine Syrup
serves: 8
Bon Appetit, December 2001

• 10 red grapefruit
• 3/4 cup dry red wine, such as Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon
• 3/4 cup sugar 

1. Cut peel and white pith from 6 grapefruit. Working over bowl, cut between membranes to release segments. Cover and chill segments at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
2. Cut remaining 4 grapefruit in half. Using juicer, juice grapefruit. Pour 3/4 cup juice into heavy medium saucepan. (Reserve any remaining juice for another use.) 
3. Using spoon, scoop out membranes from grapefruit halves and discard, reserving grapefruit cups. 
4. Add wine and sugar to juice in saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Cool wine syrup to room temperature. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover grapefruit halves and wine syrup separately and refrigerate. Bring wine syrup to room temperature before using.)
5. Arrange grapefruit cups on large platter. Divide segments among cups. Drizzle each grapefruit cup with wine syrup and serve.

The reindeer need to eat too! (Recipe: Magic Reindeer Food)

Then one foggy Christmas Eve....

I normally do not like my house dark and you will hardly ever find me sitting in a dimmed lit room.  Tonight, however is different.  I sit curled up on my couch as the soft glow of my netbook highlights my face.  Overhead a string of white pearl lights are twisted throughout a glowing strand of holly and draped over the loft balcony.  The silver beads hung on the Christmas tree act like little mirrors against the blue lights twirled up the tree.  That is what Christmas does to me.  For that small amount of time at the end of the year, you will find me in the darkness, enjoying the small, twinkling lights, sipping chamomile and feeling like a kid again.

Its a wonderful way to unwind, don't you think?  Today was an amazing day filled with Christmas songs, the unveiling of my girlie white feather tree, some holiday house cleaning, a Christmas pageant, and the making of Magic Reindeer Food. 

We woke up to heavy fog which didn't burn off well until eleven o'clock this morning.  As the verse "...then one foggy Christmas Eve..." from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer kept repeating in my head,  I knew we had to make Reindeer Food.  We made a big batch to share with the Baking Tot's classmates. It is very easy to make, fun for the kids, and safe for the wildlife once it is scattered.  One SUPER plus for me was the exclusion of glitter and substitution of sanding sugar (you could easily use edible glitter-but sanding sugar is what I had on hand.)  We placed them in bags and included this little poem I found on the web:

Sprinkle on the lawn at night

The moon will make it sparkle bright

As Santa's reindeer fly and roam

This will guide them to your home.

Magic Reindeer Food

2 cups Sunflower Bird Seed
2 cups rolled oats
2 T. red sanding sugar
2 T. green sanding sugar

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and bag them for gifts.
2. Sprinkle on the lawn Christmas Eve night!

A Merry Little Christmas Breakfast: The Beverage (two ways)

Mocha Chocolate

This recipe is one of my first recipe clippings from Seventeen Magazine.  I was most likely 12 or 13 years old when I cut it out of the recipe section found in the very back of the publication and I still make it every winter.  I would stand and stir this drink over the stove top every rare, chilly, Texas winter's night.  Stirring the drink was somewhat cathartic and soothing and just knowing that I'd be rewarded with a cup of chocolatey goodness made me even more so happy.  Now the adult version...that is one I concocted on my own-so don't think Seventeen Magazine published alcoholic beverages back then!  

Merry Little Christmas Breakfast Menu
Eggnog French Toast
Maple Glazed Sausage
Holiday Fruit Salad
Grapefruit Cups in Wine Syrup
Mocha Chocolate
Coconut Swirl 

Mocha Chocolate
makes 1 serving

1 cup milk
1 teaspoon instant decaffeinated coffee
2 teaspoons chocolate syrup
Whipped Cream
Chocolate Shavings

1. Heat milk, coffee, and syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until mixture starts to bubble.  
2. Pour into glass, and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings

To make chocolate shavings:  Use a vegetable peeler to shave a room temperature Hershey's bar.  For sprinkles, use a cheese grater the same way.

Mocha Chocolate (the adult version)
makes 1 serving

1 cup milk
1 teaspoon instant decaffeinated coffee
2 teaspoons chocolate syrup
1 tablespoon Kahlua or other coffee liqueur 
Spiked Whipped Cream (recipe below)
Chocolate Shavings

1. Heat milk, coffee, and syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until mixture starts to bubble. Remove from heat and add Kahlua
2. Pour into glass, and top with spiked whipped cream and chocolate shavings

Spiked Whipped Cream
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 Tablespoon confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon Kahlua

1. Whip ingredients until soft peaks are formed.

Merry Little Christmas Breakfast: Maple Glazed Sausage Links

My husband loves these Maple Glazed Sausages.  They are so easy to make!  The maple glaze pairs well with the hint of spice from the sausage links.  I hope you are enjoying this holiday series.

Merry Little Christmas Breakfast Menu

Eggnog French Toast with Cranberry Compote
Maple Glaze Sausage Links
Holiday Fruit Salad
Grapefruit Cups with Wine Syrup
Mocha Chocolate (two ways)
Sweet Treat: Coconut Swirls

Maple Glazed Sausages
from:  Taste of Home

• 1 package (8 ounces) brown-and-serve sausage links
• ½ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a large skillet, cook sausage links until browned; set sausages aside to drain.
2. Combine syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon; stir into skillet.  Bring to a boil; cook, swirling the pan to reduce to a glaze.  Add sausage and stir, coating each one in the glaze.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Breakfast (Eggnog French Toast w/ Cranberry Apple Compote)

Egg Nog French Toast with Cranberry Apple Compote and Sausage Links

Christmas morning in my childhood home was not a time for sleeping in.  Rummaging through our stockings happened well before dawn and the anticipation of opening gifts wore off at least by six o' clock, as we were already playing with our new toys.  I am sure it will be that way with The Baking Toddler as he grows older...he wakes up between six and six-thirty anyway, so it looks like my Christmas mornings have already been set.

Three years ago was the first time my husband and I woke up in our beds, under our own roof on Christmas morning.  A few days before, I had planned a Christmas brunch which I hope to carry on as a morning tradition for our family.

Holiday Fruit Salad is a family favorite

The menu is as cozy and comfortable as your new Christmas slippers: a make-ahead french toast, maple glazed sausage, a bright salad and a wine soaked citrus fruit.  With seasonal ingredients such as cranberries, grapefruit, and eggnog, Christmas Day is assured to begin sweetly!

I'll be posting recipes from our family's breakfast tradition to share!  So come back for more-it will surely get you in the spirit!

Merry Little Christmas Breakfast Menu

Eggnog French Toast with Cranberry Compote
Maple Glaze Sausage Links
Holiday Fruit Salad
Grapefruit Cups with Wine Syrup
Mocha Chocolate (two ways)
Sweet Treat: Coconut Swirls

Eggnog French Toast with Cranberry Compote
Bon Appetit Magazine December 2001

8 servings
2 cups purchased eggnog
2 large eggs
½ t. ground nutmeg
½ t. ground cinnamon
1-7 ounce country white bread loaf, halved horizontally, each half cut crosswise into 8 slices (do not use ends)
¼ stick unsalted butter, melted
Powdered sugar
Cranberry-Apple Compote (recipe below)

1. Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Place bread slices in single layer in a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour custard over bread, cover dish and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 450F. Butter one large rimmed baking sheet with some melted butter. Using spatula, transfer bread slices to prepared baking sheets. Brush bread with remaining melted butter.
3. Bake 10 minutes. Turn over bread slices and bake until golden brown and crisp on the outside but soft on the inside, about 6 minutes longer.
4. Place 2 French toast slices on a plate. Dust generously with powdered sugar; serve with Cranberry Apple Compote.

***Custard can be made 1-2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

Cranberry Apple Compote
Makes about 3 cups
1 cup apple cider
3 T. light corn syrup
1 T. packed golden brown sugar
4 T. unsalted butter

1 large Golden Delicious Apple, peeled, cored , cut into ½ inch pieces
1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
¼ cup plus 1/ 2 T. sugar

1. Whisk apple cider, corn syrup and brown sugar in heavy large saucepan. Boil over high heat until reduced to ½ c., about 15 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons butter, whisk until melted. Remove from heat.
2. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add apple pieces; saute 2 minutes. Add cranberries and ¼ cup sugar.
3. Stir until cranberries begin to pop, about a minute. Stir in reduced cider mixture. Boil until reduced to syrup consistency, about 3-6 minutes. Stir in more sugar if desired.

***can be made 2- 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Stir over medium heat until heated through.