Cookies for Santa Mommy...

This year Santa Mommy had to make her own cookies.  But as soon as the kids had a sense that something was in the oven they came running down the stairs.  This year I knew that I wanted oatmeal cookies but I wanted to be a little different...instead of adding chocolate chips...I added butterscotch chips.  The house smells delicious and the cookies got me on a sugar high :)

 prepared dough...

 

 nicely placed under the tree for Santa Mommy..

 

NO...there are no presents under the tree yet...the presents are not wrapped yet and my son is at a age that I don't trust him.  I remember growing up and one year I snuck and opened up my presents early and it just wasn't the same Christmas morning.  The surprise was gone.

 

Merry Christmas to my fellow readers. 

 

Enjoy the holidays and time with family and friends.

 

 BE BLESSED.

Chocolate Orange Liqueur Bundt Cake

My Sister -n- Law couldn't get enough of my Lemon Drop Martini Cake that I made for the #BundtaMonth club so she asked me to make another adult inspired cake.  So....I decided to make her a chocolate Orange Liqueur Bundt Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting.  

For this cake I just followed the directions of a regular box chocolate cake mix and added a small box of chocolate pudding mix, the juice of a 1/2 orange, and a 1/2 cup of orange liqueur.

The Reason for Letting your Meat Rest after Cooking

There are two main reasons why we are "supposed" to let our meat rest after cooking.

1. When meat is pulled away from the heat source (ex. stove top, oven, grill etc.) it is still cooking.  This is called carry over cooking. Once pulled away sit the meat to the side and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. This is why most recipes call for the cook to pull the meat away from the heat source a few minutes before it is done to prevent over cooking.

2.  When meat cooks the fibers in the meat firm up pushing all of the moisture out.  So when the meat is in the resting period most of the juices will redistribute throughout the meat. 

(When you do cut into your meat right after cooking....you will notice all of the juices running out)

Resting time solely depends on how big the meat is.  It can range from 10 minutes up to 30 minutes.

However; today I must say.  I didn't let my meat rest.  It was so mouthwatering that I had to cut a corner out of it (top left corner missing). I just couldn't help myself.... I am sure that I'm not the only one that have done this that clearly knows better.

 

Burrell Vodka

Burrell Vodka

Burrell Vodka is designed to deliver the very best flavors without leaving any “aftertaste”. The result of great expense and efforts over the last 4 years. We have developed and blended natural flavors that deliver nothing but pure taste enjoyment.

All of the flavors currently in process of introduction are also the result of countless tasting groups and national studies. Our flavors have been picked as superior by over 90% “blind” taste testers. So you will not find a better, smoother or more pleasing flavor than our Caramel and Lemonade flavored Vodka’s.

Contact Info:

http://burrellvodka.com/

Twitter  @burrellvodka

#BundtaMonth: Lemon Drop Bundt Cake

This month for the Bundt of the Month club the theme is cocktail / mocktail.  Who doesn't like a cocktail at the end of a long day or even a piece of cake.  With this recipe you can have the best of both worlds.

Lemon Drop Bundt Cake

 

Ingredients for cake:

 

 

 

-1 box lemon cake mix

-1 small box of instant lemon pudding

-3 eggs

-1/2 cup vegetable oil

-1/2 cup water

-1/2 cup vodka

-1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

-zest of 1/2 of large lemon

 

Ingredients for vodka glaze:

 

 

 

-1/2 cup powder sugar

-2 teaspoon vodka

-4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

-zest of 1/2 large lemon

 

***To Keep the Glaze Kid Friendly...omit the Vodka***

 

For the Cake...

 

Preheat oven 350 degrees and spray bundt pan with nonstick spray.

 

-In a large bowl beat cake mix, water, oil, eggs, lemon pudding on low.

-Add in vodka, lemon juice and zest of 1/2 lemon until incorporated (DO NOT OVER BEAT)

 

-Bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

 

-Once done, let the cake cool in the bundt pan no longer than 10 minutes.  Then turn out on a bake rack to cool the cake completely.

 

For the Glaze...

 

 

 

 

-In a small bowl stir in all ingredients and set aside for glaze to set.

 

 

 

-Add the glaze to the cake once the cake has cooled completely.

 

 

 

Grab your glass and lets eat...CHEERS

 



 



Fresh to Frozen Fruits

I am known to make fruit smoothies on a daily basis.  I use all types of fruits that will taste well together (no more than two to three at a time).  Usually when making my smoothies I am time constricted so at first I decided to use frozen fruit. I found myself buying a bag every two weeks and I got tired of going to my local grocery and they were out of the kind that I would particularly care for. 

At this point I decided to start using fresh fruit.  It turns out that getting fresh fruit and freezing it was much cheaper than frozen fruit.  It is definitely cheaper when the fruit is in season.  This week at my local supermarket the blackberries were $.99 each and the raspberries were $1.25 each.

All I do now is wash the fruit and throw it in a freezer safe bag.