Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating with your family & friends.  This morning we had Gingerbread Challah French Toast after we opened presents. This is going to be a quick post so I can get back to playing with Stella and her new toys.

In a bowl combine 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon of ground clove and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice.  Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of the mixture to 1/2 cup of Mascarpone and mix well.

I used the Challah bread from Trader Joes as I have in the past with my other French toast recipes. I also used the TJ brand of Mascarpone cheese.

Because I was using two slices of bread I tried to slice them a little thinner than 1 inch.  In a bowl whisk together 3 eggs and approximately 1/4 cup milk. To the egg mixture add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add the remainder of the gingerbread seasoning to the mixture and an additional pinch of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. 


Melt butter in the pan before cooking the french toast.  Spread a generous amount of the gingerbread mascarpone on 1 side of each slice of bread. Put the slices together like a sandwich with the Mascarpone in the middle and dip the bread into the egg mixture. Be sure both sides are covered.  Let excess drip off back into bowl. Cook in pan until slightly browned on both sides.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and some pomegranate seeds.

Her reaction when she saw all of the presents under the tree

Very excited about her new Sid the Science Kid Microphone

This meal was rated 4.5 asparagus spears

Day 12: Christmas Dinner Menu

Day 12 ends with a Christmas Dinner menu.  We are not having Christmas at our house this year otherwise I would be making this.  The last time I made it was Christmas 2009 when we told our parents that I was expecting; that seems like such a long time ago.

Menu
Arugula-Orange Salad with Pomegranate-White Wine Vinaigrette
Horseradish and Garlic Prime Rib
Roasted Wild Mushrooms
Roasted Asparagus or Fresh Green Beans with Sautéed Shallots
Mashed Potatoes

A delicious wine to pair with the Prime Rib is 2005 Finca Allende Rioja. Be sure you open up the bottle at least two hours before eating to let it breathe.

I made the Arugula-Orange Salad a couple weeks ago and actually included it in Day 3 of the Twelve Days of Christmas Celebration. I love making this salad this time of year; not only is it really tasty but I just love the colors of it.  I highly recommend making the dressing with the Raspberry vinegar, it's delish.

As for the Prime Rib I have a few notes (1) I usually cut back on the amount of sea salt I use, I probably use closer to 1/4 cup versus the 1/2 cup the recipe states and (2) you must save the juices from the prime rib, it makes wonderful gravy.  I have made this recipe a number of times and everyone always enjoys it.

I am sure when my husband reads this post he will have something to say about he shocking fact that I recommended a menu that contains asparagus and mushrooms. Ha, ha the jokes on me; I can't help it they go well together. This is just more support to why he decided to come up with an asparagus spear rating system for my meals.  If you aren't a big asparagus person, another option is fresh green beans with sautéed shallots.

I have used two different roasted mushroom recipes in the past and both are equally as good. The first is Bobby Flay's Oven Roasted Wild Mushrooms with Garlic and Thyme and the second is Tyler Florence's Wild Mushrooms, you will be pleased with either option.

Fresh Green Beans with Sautéed Shallots
Trim the ends off your green beans and blanch them in boiling salted water for approximately 5 minutes. Drain from water and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.  Meanwhile in a separate pan, sauté diced shallots (2-3 large shallots) in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Let the shallots soften and brown slightly. Then add the green beans to the pan and heat them back through, stirring regularly.  Season with Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste.

Roasted Asparagus
Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears, place in single layer on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Cook on 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

I always make my standard mashed potato recipe you can refer to my earlier blog posts for the recipe. I have made them so many times I don't measure anything anymore so it was difficult when I tried documenting the recipe.  In any case you can refer to my Thanksgiving post if you are making roughly 5 pounds of potatoes or my Garlic Herb Pork Loin post if you are making a smaller portion.

I probably won't be posting again before the holidays as I will be busy finishing up my Christmas shopping.  Yes, I am that person.  I don't know why I waited until the bitter end.  I normally really enjoy Christmas shopping; I think it's so fun to look around and really find a fitting gift for everyone.  Unfortunately I don't know that I have been as creative this year since I am in crunch time now. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and enjoys spending time with their families.

Merry Christmas!

Day 11: Christmas Brunch Menu Ideas

Day 11 of the Twelve Days of Christmas Celebration continues with a some menu ideas for Christmas brunch.

Menu
Spiral Cut Ham
Vegetable Strata
Fruit Salad
Assorted Muffins or Crumb Cake
Tangerine or Pomegrante Mimosas

For the spiral cut ham all you have to do is make sure you heat it through. Most hams have heating instructions on the outside package.  Adding a ham glaze is always a good option.  If you are having your brunch a little later in the day you can always put out some Parkerhouse rolls and assorted mustards in case people want to make a ham sandwich.

I always find a fruit salad with canteloupe, honeydew, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi and mango to be delicious.

In an effort to save time I usually just go with a muffin mix that comes in a box.  Betty Crocker or Krusteaz Lemon Poppyseed muffins are always a good option. Another great option is Krusteaz Cranberry Orange muffin mix. If you want to go the crumb cake route you can't go wrong with Krusteaz Cinnamon Crumb Cake mix.

Vegetable Strata
I got this recipe from In Style magazine, it's from the January 2005 issue.  I use to love when In Style had the party guide/entertaining section of the magazine; I collected a lot of great recipes over the years when they had it.

1 loaf (12 oz) day old French bread
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
10 eggs
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 can (13 3/4 oz) artichoke hearts, sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Spray 13" x 9" x 2" glass baking dish with cooking spray. Slice bread in half length-wise; butter and cut into cubes. In nonstick skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, red pepper, and mushrooms; saute 4-5 minutes.  In a bowl combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper. To assemble, place bread in single layer in baking dish.  Top with vegetables, artichokes and half the Monterey Jack cheese.  Pour egg mixture over; top with remaining Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheeses.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, uncovered for 50-60 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

For the mimosas, Domaine Chandon Brut Classic is always a good bubble option. If you go the tangerine juice route you can always finish off the mimosa with a splash of Grand Marnier.  Otherwise pomegrante juice is another great option and quite festive from a holiday color perspective.

If you don't like mimosas, you can always do a bloody mary bar.  I really enjoy the Zing Zang bloody mary mix.  Don't forget your celery spears, stuffed olives and celery salt.  If you are in the Chicago area and can find Twisted Spoke bloody mary mix that is another great option.

Happy planning!