Peaches and Cream Cookies

Every year I host a Christmas Baking Exchange at my house.  It's always fun, a little crazy, and we all end up with an amazing selection of baking treats!  This year we had a great variety of treats, including butter tarts, Candy Cane Skor bars, and White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread.

For my contribution, I decided to go with Peaches and Cream Cookies.  A few years ago one of my friends made some cream cheese cookies for the exchange which were to die for, and this recipe spoke to me as one to try, because of the cream cheese.  Here is the recipe:

Peaches and Cream Cookies (Source: Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies & Bars)

1 cup butter, softened
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
Peach Jam

Cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg yolk and vanilla.  Add the flour and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls.  Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.  Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make a 1/2 inch deep indentation in the centre of the ball.  Fill the indentation with about a 1/4 teaspoon of peach jam. 

Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until set.  Remove to wire racks to cool.

VERDICT
These were a tasty little cookie.  I love cream cheese cookies.  I could have used more of the jam with the cookie though, so next time I will make a bigger indentation and add more jam.  I shared these with my Grandparents, and my Grandma reported that my Grandpa was particularly fond of them - yay!  Another winner :-)

How Do YOU Clean Your Dishes? Finish Quantum Trade-In Event!

I write a food blog...which means I cook and bake...a LOT.  And what goes hand-in-hand with cooking and baking?  The MESS I leave behind.  Thank goodness for my dishwasher (I'm not talking about the husband variety...though I am super-thankful for him and his help!) - I am talking about our kitchen dishwasher, you know, that handy-dandy machine that we use every.single.day to clean up all of my (OUR) messy dishes!

What good is a dishwasher without a good dishwasher detergent?  Did you know that this weekend, YOU have the opportunity to try Finish Quantum for FREE?  That's right, this weekend, across Canada, you can participate in the FINISH QUANTUM TRADE-IN EVENT!  Starting Friday December 7, 2012 through Sunday December 9, 2012, you are invited to JOIN THE REVOLUTION!

Here are the details...THIS WEEKEND, at participating Walmart stores across Canada, the Finish Quantum team will be hosting “TRADE-IN” events, at which consumers can bring in their empty dishwasher detergent and trade it in for a FREE* specially-marked box of Finish Quantum!

Visit the Finish Canada Facebook page to find out the participating Walmart locations for this GREAT event!

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Disclosure – I am participating in the Finish Quantum Trade In Event Blog Tour by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Finish. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Homemade Ice Cream - Guest Post by Carrie from Frugal Foodie Mama

 

 

Hello all! I am Carrie and I blog over at Frugal Foodie Mama about my life as a stay-at-home mom to a baby and a teenager, my family's journey to become a little more eco-responsible everyday, and how I still manage to stay a foodie on our one income budget.  Please stop on over and say hi! 

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Okay, okay... I know.  It is December.  Why am I making ice cream, right?  Well, we have had our share of a few cold days here in the Mountain State, but it is in the 60's today.  Yes, it is December 3rd and in the 60's.  I know some of my friends in other parts of the country are craving some crisp, cold days as temperatures climb in the 70's and 80's where they live.  So, yes!  I am making ice cream in December.  Is there really any time of the year when it is inappropriate to churn homemade ice cream?  Let's be real here. ;)

After making what my son calls my "fancy" flavors (CLICK HERE to check out my recipe for a festive Cranberry Cheesecake Ice Cream), I decided to make a flavor that he could appreciate- Mint Cookies & Cream.  If you fancy the Mint Oreo Blizzard from the Dairy Queen, then you will LOVE this homemade ice cream recipe.

 

What you will need:

 

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups milk (I used 2% organic milk)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

A tad less than a 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract (Be cautious with the peppermint! It is strong. A little goes a long way.)

5-6 drops of green food coloring (optional)

1  cup, plus 1/2 cup of crushed chocolate cookie sandwiches (yeah, like Oreos ;) )

Crushed ice and rock salt for your ice cream maker

Before you get started with your ice cream mix, be sure you chill the container for your ice cream maker in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed milk and the regular milk.  No kidding this is the base for almost all my homemade ice cream recipes.  I prefer using the sweetened condensed milk because there is no need to use sugar.  Typically if you use sugar in your ice cream base, you have to heat the liquids and then you have to wait for them to cool and then chill the mixture.  

 

Too. much. time.

 

Now whisk in your vanilla and peppermint extracts.  Add in green food coloring 2 drops at a time until you reach your desired tint of green.  You can, of course, just skip the food coloring altogether.  My son just prefers the mint ice cream to be well.... green.  ;)

Now you have your mint ice cream base.  Pour it into the chilled ice cream maker container.  Churn for about 25 minutes, then add the cup of crushed cookies and mix in the ice cream maker for another 3 minutes.  

 

Once your ice cream is done churning, scoop it all into a freezer safe container.  I added an additional 1/2 cup of crushed cookies and mixed them into the ice cream at this point.  This is also optional, but I like to have a few big chunks of cookies in my ice cream. :)

 

The ice cream needs to set up in the freezer for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.  When you are ready to serve, let it sit out at room temperature for about 10 minutes.  Homemade ice cream freezes harder than store bought ice cream.

 

Just scoop and serve!  To make this a little more festive for the holidays, you could use the seasonal Oreos with the red cream centers in this recipe... oh, and the green food coloring to make it extra jolly! ;)

Marinated Apples - Castello Alps Selection Cheese Plate

Last weekend was the biggest game of the year for the CFL, the Grey Cup.  I'm not a big football fan, but my hubby is.  And of course, he really really really wanted to watch the Grey Cup live...and he likes to have his appies.  He's a typical hubby, likes his wings and beer, but I wanted to try some new things, and when the opportunity came up for us to try the new Castello Alps Selection cheeses, it seemed like the perfect pairing! 

I took a look at all the options for the Castella Alps varities - Hirten, Chiantino, Weissbier and Classic.  I read up on all of the descriptions, and decided that the Hirten was the one to try for Grey Cup Sunday.  It seemed like a good fit with the other "goodies" that were planned for the game (aka beer and wings)...something a little more refined, tastier, and goes well with the beer in beautiful stein that Castello Canada shared with us!

When I was at my local retailer picking up the cheese, I found in a Castello brochure a few recipes, and the one paired with the Hirten cheese caught my eye as one I should try especially since I like to try new recipes!  Here is their recipe:

Marinated Apples

1 red-skinned apple, cut into very thin wedges
3 tablespoons liquid honey
2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons raisins
Cheese for the tray: Castello Alps Selection Hirten, cut into small pieces

Fold the apple wedges into the vinegar when cutting them out. Add honey and raisins and marinate the apples for approx. 15 minutes.

Remove apples and raisins from the marinade. Serve them with cheese wedges and crisp bread of your choice.

VERDICT:
In addition to the Castello Alps Hirten, I also picked up some of the Dofino Roasted Garlic Havarti, which gave us a nice, balanced looking little tray.  The two cheeses are very different in flavour, which I really liked.  The havarti was good, but the Hirten was oh-so-good.  My husband and I really enjoyed it and even our 5 year old was devouring it!  This is one cheese that I would most certainly be adding to a cheese tray to serve to guests or to take to a pot-luck in the future!

You can find Castello Canada on the web and on follow them on Facebook! There are tonnes of great recipes to be found there, contests, and coupons!

Disclosure: I received compensation as a thank you for sharing my honest opinion of this product.

Chewy Ginger Cookies

Christmas is coming, Christmas is coming! I have really been craving gingerbread cookies lately.  Which is funny, because I am not really a fan of molasses, yet I've been on a gingerbread roll.  Sometimes I confuse myself LOL.  I've been wanting to make gingerbread cookies, and I like cookies that are soft and "dippable" in tea.  I came across this recipe and thought I should give it a try!

Chewy Ginger Cookies (Source: Taste of Home, Best Loved Cookies and Bars)

3/4 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flor
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream shortening and 1 cup of sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.  Add in the egg, molasses and vanilla. Mix well.

In another bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt and cloves.   Slowly add to the creamed mixture and mix well.

Roll into 1 inch balls.  Rolls balls in the remaining sugar.  Place on ungreased baking sheet, approximately 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake for 9-10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on wire racks.

VERDICT:
These were very close to what I was looking for!  They were a tad crunchy for me, but I think if I bake them for about 1 minute less they will be just perfect!   A nice, tasty, Christmas treat!

New From Kellogg's!

I love being a Kellogger!  This week we got the opportunity to try some of the new products that Kellogg's has just released - maybe you have seen them at your local retailer?  I was able to pick up the new Special K Flatbread Morning Sandwiches (Egg with Vegetables and Pepper Jack Cheese) and the Special K Morning Shakes (Vanilla).  I am super excited for us to try the new Eggo Mini Waffles, but my retailer was all sold out (at 7:30 this morning!).  Those must be a hot commodity :-)

My morning was another morning on the go - we've had a house full of sickies this past week, which has resulted in a bunch of sleepless nights and early mornings.  This morning was no exception (which is why I was grocery shopping so early...we were all up, so might as well get it done!).  I didn't have a big window of time between grocery shopping and when we needed to be at the rink for our oldest's hockey game and Christmas party - and when I got home, the baby was napping...so I had a few minutes of "me" time to grab a bite to eat before we met my hubby and our oldest at the game.  Perfect time for the Special K Flatbread Morning Sandwich.  It took me all of 1 minute and 15 seconds to prepare my breakfast...and I was able to enjoy it in peace :-)  It was a tasty treat!  Perfect for an on-the-go morning like today.  I can see these being consumed on hockey mornings when departure time for the rink is 5:30 am...a quick (quiet) way to have breakie before the game.

Would you grab a flatbread sandwich on your on-the-go mornings?  Which flavour would you choose?  Egg, Ham & Pepper Jack Cheese, Egg & Sausage, or the flavour I tried, Egg with Vegetable & Pepper Jack Cheese?

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #40

Hello everyone! Happy Sunday to you!  A little late getting today's post up - we've had a long week with sickies in the house, sleepless nights, early mornings, and lots of naps.  Today we were all feeling human again, and after my 7:30 am grocery trip, it was off to hockey and our oldest's hockey team Christmas party.  The party was a lot of fun!  Lunch for everyone, and the team rented one of our indoor soccer fields so we all got to "play" soccer (even the toddler was out hacing a blast running on the field).  Without further delay...

It's time to PARTY! Come on over and share your recipes...Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #40 is now open!

Don't forget, all featured recipes will be shared on my blog, and on my Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest pages!