Day 329 Question 329:

What are some great recipes you would like to share for the Holidays?  I thought this would be a great way to exchange some deeelicious recipes with lots and lots of people.  For those that live all over the world I would love to share some recipes from all of your amazing cultures.

Spinach Dip Crescent Wreath

Wreath

2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet

Topping

1 box (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen chopped spinach

3/4 cup light sour cream

1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise

2  tablespoons fat-free (skim) milk

1  tablespoon chopped green onion (1 medium)

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed

Garnishes

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

2  tablespoons chopped green onions (2 medium)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Green bell pepper, cut into holly leaves

Small cherry tomatoes

1) Heat oven to 375°F. Turn 10-oz custard cup upside down on center of ungreased large cookie sheet.

 2) Remove dough from one can, keeping dough in one piece; do not unroll. With hands, roll dough to 12-inch log. Cut log into 20 slices. Arrange 16 slices, slightly overlapping, around custard cup.

    3) Repeat with second can of dough, cutting log into 20 slices. Arrange remaining 24 slices, slightly overlapping each other, next to but not overlapping first ring. Remove custard cup from center.

    4) Bake 13 to 16 minutes or until light golden brown. Gently loosen wreath from cookie sheet, and carefully slide onto cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

    5) Meanwhile, cook spinach as directed on package; cool and squeeze to drain.

    6) In medium bowl, stir sour cream, mayonnaise and milk until well mixed. Add spinach and remaining topping ingredients; mix well. Cover; refrigerate until serving time.

    7) Place cooled wreath on serving tray. Spread wreath with spinach topping. Sprinkle with red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons onions and parsley. Decorate with bell pepper “holly leaves” and cherry tomato “berries.” Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours before serving.

Best Shortbread and Eggnog Pudding Trifles

Makes about 4-5 – 8oz. trifles

2 – 5.3oz. boxes of Walker’s Shortbread Petticoat Tails

2 cups of commercially prepared eggnog

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup milk -cold

2 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter

Grated fresh nutmeg for sprinkling

Reserve 4 shortbread petticoat tails for garnish.  In a large bowl, crush the remaining shortbread cookies with your hands until crumbs form.  Place 2-3 tablespoons of crumbs in the bottom of 4 -5  8oz. glasses (I used small canning jars).

Pudding:

Pour 2 cups eggnog, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium-high heat.   In a small bowl, make a slurry with the cornstarch and cold milk, whisking vigorously until no lumps remain.  Add the two egg yolks to the slurry and whisk again until combined.

When the eggnog mixture has come to a boil, remove from heat and slowly pour in the slurry while whisking constantly.  Return to heat and cook again until the mixture thickens but is still pourable (this will only take 1 or 2 more minutes).   Remove from heat and add vanilla extract and butter.  Stir until combined then pour a layer of pudding over crumbs in each glass. Continue to layer cookie crumbs over pudding until glasses are filled.

Whipped topping:

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 tbsp extra-fine sugar

In a small bowl, whip heavy cream on medium high speed with an electric mixer.  Gradually pour in extra fine sugar, 1 tbsp at a time.  Increase speed to high and whip until thick and fluffy.  Dollop whipped cream on top of trifles and sprinkle over freshly grated nutmeg.  Embellish with reserved shortbread petticoat tails.

Grinch Punch Recipe

Ingredients

    1/3 cup Imperial Sugar® / Dixie Crystals® Granulated Sugar

    6 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons water

    1/3 cup evaporated milk

    1/2 teaspoon almond extract

    12 drops neon green food coloring

    1 bottle (2 liters) lemon-lime soda, chilled

    2 pints vanilla ice cream

Directions

    In a large saucepan, combine sugar and water. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved; remove from the heat. Stir in milk and extract. Transfer to a bowl; cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

    Just before serving, transfer milk mixture to a punch bowl. Stir in the food coloring and soda. Top with scoops of ice cream. Yield: 4 quarts.

 

Smiling Snowman Cake

What you’ll need

    1 3/4 cups cake flour

    1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa

    1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

    1/2 tsp. baking soda

    1/2 tsp. salt

    1/2 cup butter, softened

    1 1/2 cups sugar

    3 large eggs

    1 tsp. vanilla extract

    1 cup milk

    1 1/2 cups vanilla frosting

    Shredded coconut (optional)

    2 black licorice drops

    1 large orange gumdrop

    Red shoestring licorice

    Red fruit leather

    3 starlight mints

    3 small gumdrops

    2 sticks chocolate licorice

How to make it

    Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two ovenproof glass bowls, one slightly larger than the other. (Note: For our cake, we used one bowl with a 1-liter capacity and 6-inch diameter and the other with a 1 1/2-liter capacity and 7-inch diameter.)

    To make the cake, mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Sift the ingredients onto waxed paper and return to the bowl.

    In a separate bowl, blend the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.

    Alternately, add the flour mixture and the milk to the batter in thirds, combining well after each addition. Fill the bowls about two thirds full. Bake the smaller cake for about 50 minutes and the larger cake for about 65 minutes.

    When done, the surface will spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean. Cool in the bowls for 10 minutes. Then invert onto a large, rectangular platter (about 17 by 12 inches) so the cakes resemble a snowman. Cool completely.

    Ice the cakes with the vanilla frosting, then sprinkle with shredded coconut, if desired. Add licorice drop eyes, insert an orange gumdrop nose and fashion a broad smile with shoestring licorice.

    For the scarf, cut two 2-inch-wide strips of fruit leather, notch the ends and wrap around the neck of the snowman. For the buttons, use starlight mints topped with gumdrops. Finish off the snowman with two chocolate licorice arms. Serves 10 to 12.

    Kids’ Steps: Measuring and adding the ingredients for the cake batter, and frosting and decorating the cute snowman.