One-Bowl Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Super-Swift Chicken Corn Chowder
Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese
Chocolate Guinness Shake
Three Candy Recipes
Recipes excerpted from A Baker’s Field Guide to Holiday Candy & Confections by Dede Wilson. Copyright 2005. Published by Harvard Common Press, Boston, MA. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
Star-Shaped Marshmallows
Homemade marshmallows are so different than poofy grocery store versions, that one or the other should have a different name! Making these marshmallows was deceptively easy. The basic recipe calls for vanilla, but we can easily see a peppermint version being equally delicious in our cocoa or out of hand. Customized variations are easily accomplished with different cookie cutter shapes, colored topping sugars, or partial dipping in chocolate.
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Saltwater Taffy
We had to choose this recipe just for the childhood memories it evoked. A taffy pull is a great social activity because it takes a few extra hands to pull and work the taffy before it cools. The stretching incorporates air and helps to give the taffy its chewy texture. If your kids or grandkids have never experienced a taffy pull, it’s time to introduce them to this old-fashioned fun!
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Sugarplums
Contrary to its name, these sugarplums don’t contain any sugar, but get their sweetness from natural dried fruits. A variety of fruits and nuts are chopped finely in a food processor, formed into balls, then rolled in nuts or coconut. They are delicious and a healthy sweet when made with orange juice, or more decadent when made with rum!
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Recipes for Easy Chinese Stir-Fries
Recipes excerpted from Easy Chinese Stir-Fries by Helen Chen. Copyright 2009. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken NJ. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
Stir-fried Pork with Asparagus
With asparagus season just around the corner, put this stir-fry on your “must-try” list. The hoisin sauce added just a hint of sweetness that complemented the pork perfectly. The seared asparagus concentrated the vegetable’s flavor and the pork browned quickly over the high heat. The light covering of sauce exceeded our expectations in taste and flavor.
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Stir-fried Broccoli Beef in Oyster Sauce
Another favorite for just about everyone, this easy beef and broccoli dish will become a regular at your table! We served this stir-fry over rice noodles, which made for a little extra fun. The sauce is based on prepared oyster sauce, but lends no fishy component whatsoever. We purchased double the beef, sliced it all, and froze half in a thin package for a quick supper sometime in the near future!
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Kung Pao Chicken
This perennial take-out favorite is now within easy reach at home with this recipe! This stir-fry has a few more ingredients compared to the other stir-fries, but the result is worth the effort! We served this chicken dish over a mound of rice and thoroughly enjoyed each chopstick-full. The recipe provides a solid base that begs for further experimentation and personalization.
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