Holiday Recipes!

I have been posting pictures of all of the recipes I prepared for Christmas and thought that I should  share all the recipes with you all so you can try  them! Here they are below!

Red Velvet Cake (Sunny Anderson - Food Network)

Ingredients

For the cake batter:

2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 ounces red food coloring

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Pinch salt

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Butter, for pan

For the Frosting:

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 cup sugar

2 sticks butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Special Equipment: 12 by 17-inch jelly roll pan, parchment paper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, make a paste out of the red food coloring, cocoa and salt. Remove bowl from stand mixer and mix in paste by hand to the creamed butter. In a measuring cup, stir eggs with buttermilk and add to batter. Mix in vinegar and vanilla, and then add flour and baking soda. Mix until combined but do not over mix.


Butter a sheet pan. Lay parchment on top. Butter the parchment. Pour batter into pan and smooth the top to even the batter out, using an offset spatula. Bake cake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan.


Meanwhile, make the frosting: Heat all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Whisk until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before using.

Invert cake onto a cutting board and slice into quarters from the longer side. To assemble cake, spread 1 of the quarters with some of the frosting to cover. Sprinkle with a quarter of the pecans. Add another layer of cake and repeat. Continue until last layer is added. Frost the top of that and sprinkle with remaining pecans.

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Peanut Butter Icing, recipe follows (recipe is for cupcakes, so we made 1 1/2 times the amount for the cake

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Paula Deen's Christmas Morning Casserole

Ingredients

• 8 thick slices buttered and cubed country white bread
• 1 lb loose pork breakfast sausage
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
• 1 cup yellow shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 7 eggs
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• to taste salt
• to taste black pepper
• Paula Deen's Hot Sauce

Directions

Prepare an 8×8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the loose pork breakfast sausage, using a wooden spoon break up the sausage into crumble sized pieces, cook until browned, about 5-10 minutes. Fold in chopped sage after cooked.

Meanwhile; Into the prepared baking dish, add the buttered and cubed bread, Sprinkle the sausage over the bread, make sure to distribute evenly, then sprinkle with cheese.

In a medium bowl, add eggs, milk, cayenne, dry mustard, salt and pepper to taste; whisk together. Pour over the bread, sausage and cheese.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

The next morning…Preheat the oven to 350º. Bake for 1 hour, or until bubbly and hot. Serve hot.

Spicy Sausage Rigatoni

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon oil or butter
• half of a yellow onion, minced
• 4 carrots, minced
• 12 ounces spicy Italian sausage (casings removed – just the ground meat)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup Barefoot Rich Red Blend
• 1 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, including their juice
• 1/4 cup balsamic or Italian dressing (optional)
• 1 lb. whole wheat rigatoni
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
• Parmesan and parsley or basil for topping
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and carrots – saute for 10 minutes or so, until the vegetables are very soft.
• Add the ground sausage, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. When the sausage is fully cooked, add the wine to get the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
• Add the tomatoes and dressing – simmer for 10-20 minutes while the pasta is cooking.
• Cook the pasta according to package directions. When draining, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Combine the pasta, the sauce, and the reserved water and toss gently to combine. Transfer to a large serving dish and top with Parmesan and parsley or basil. Serve with more Barefoot Rich Red Blend!

Try all these recipes and share your pictures!

Breakfast Treat for Those on the Go!

Last week was one of the busiest weeks of the semester for me! Along with classes trying to tie up loose ends, I had a 3 chapter test in Medical Nutrition Therapy, a lab with lab report and presentation to do for my Graduate Exercise Physiology class, a philosophy quiz and paper,  more presentations to write, and multiple semester ending papers to write. With all that work, I needed to have meals prepped for me for the entire week.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so that is what I figured I should start with meal prep wise. I have made breakfast cups in the past and new what I wanted to put in them, so I made this recipe up off the top of my head!

Yield: 12 egg cups (2 per serving)
For this recipe you'll need:
8 Large Eggs
1 c Spinach, Chopped
1/2 pound Poultry Sausage
1 c Cheddar cheese
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Pepper

Directions:
Grease muffin tin with Pam and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove poultry sausage from casing, break apart into small pieces, and cook until brown over medium heat in a frying pan, set aside until cool. Crack, place, and light beat the 8 eggs in a large mixing bowl, mix in chopped spinach, cheddar cheese, pepper and garlic powder until evenly distributed throughout the eggs. Once sausage is cooled, fold the sausage into the egg mixture.
Fill the muffin tin to 3/4 full with the egg mixture; the egg will expand so it is important to leave room in the tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes on a center rack until the eggs look fluffy and solid.
Cool on a wire rack and put into an airtight container until you're ready to eat!
These can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator. When you're ready to eat, warm in the microwave or toaster oven to desired temperature.


These cups are super easy and so tasty! You can mix and match what meat you would like in it, as well as what veggies you'd like! Pair with an 8 ounce glass of milk for a protein packed breakfast!