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Creamy Hearts of Palm Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Makes: About 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 can (14 oz) hearts of palm

4 tbsp butter, divided

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp flour

2 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped

Instructions:

Roughly cut the hearts of palm into rings. Save the water.

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tbsp butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft (about 5 minutes).

Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add flour a cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes.

Slowly add chicken brown and hearts of palm water, whisking constantly until it thickens.

Turn down the heat to medium-low, and stir in hearts of palm, heavy cream, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and transfer to a food processor or blender. Process until smooth.

Return soup to pan and add parmesan cheese and the remaining butter. Heat gently, then remove from heat and fold in scallions.

Personal Note: I made mine ahead of time, so after I blended it, I just stuck it in a crockpot on low until I was ready to serve. If you do that, leave the scallions out until you're serving it. I also added a touch more cheese because more cheese is always better :)

Original Source

#christmas #soup #cheese #dinner #palm

Kale and Mango Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 3-4 minutes Makes: About 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 mango, chopped

1/4 cup pine nut

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Sauté the kale in a pan with 1 tbsp of the olive oil for 3-4 minutes, or until the kale has wilted a little.

In a separate bowl, add the kale, mango, and pine nuts.

Toss together while adding the lemon juice, remaining olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Personal Note: Delicious! I generally don't like kale or mango that much, but in this recipe I really liked both of them. So easy and so good. Highly recommend.

Original Source

#salad #kale #mango #christmas

Pomegranate Champagne Punch

Servings: About 12

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

2 750-mL bottles Brut champagne

1 1/2 cups white rum

1 1/4 cups pomegranate juice

1 large lemon, thinly sliced

Pomegranate seeds

Fresh mint leaves

Instructions:

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes, then let cool completely.

Combine champagne, rum, and pomegranate juice in punch bowl. Sweeten with syrup to your liking. Mix in lemon, pomegranate seeds, and mint. Add ice.

Original Source

#alcohol #punch #champagne #pomegranate #rum #drink

Chocolate Chip Scones

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Makes: 8 large scones

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 stick butter, cold, cubed

3/4 cup sour cream

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix flour, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add flour mix to the bowl of a mixer Add the cold butter one cube at a time with the processor running. Continue to process until the mix forms into tiny beads.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg, and vanilla.

BY HAND (NOT with mixer), add the flour mix to the wet ingredients and mix until just blended.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Form into a flat 7 inch circle and slice into 8 pie shaped pieces.

Transfer to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, pieces separated by about an inch so they are not touching. Bake for 15-17 minutes until top just begins to brown on the edges

Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. While the scones are still warm, brush with the melted butter and then sprinkle additional sugar on the top

Personal Note: SO delicious. I changed the recipe from the original a bit--the original used almond meal and orange zest. Still perfectly moist and delicious though :)

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#scone #chocolate #brunch

Lumps of Coal

Prep Time: 20 minutes + 20 minutes chill Makes: About 3 dozen "lumps"

Ingredients:

3 tbsp butter

6 cups (1 bag) marshmallows

5 cups Rice Krispies

1 cup Oreos, crushed

Black food coloring

Instructions:

Combine the Rice Krispies and Oreos in a large bowl.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium high heat until melted. Turn the heat down low and add the marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are melted.

Add in the vanilla and black food coloring (add as much as you want until you get the color you want).

Pour marshmallow mixture over Rice Krispies/Oreo mix. Stir to combine until everything is black.

Cover a baking sheet in wax paper, then form the mixture into golf-ball sized rounds and place on the baking sheet.

Chill in fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Personal Note: Worked out really well, and they really do look like little lumps of coal! :)

Original Source

#fatfest #christmas #dessert #rice krispies #oreo

Sugar Cookies w/ Glace Icing

Prep Time: 15 minutes + 40 minutes chill Cook Time: 30 minutes Makes: About 3 dozen

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup butter

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Beat butter and sugar until well mixed. Add egg, mix until blended, then add vanilla.

Add flour 1 cup at a time, then add baking powder. Mix until dough begins to clump together.

Gather up dough and knead it with hands. Roll it into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill for 20-40 minutes.

Roll out dough 1/4" thickness and cut into desired shapes.

Bake at 350 F for 7-11 minutes. Let cool completely before icing.

ICING

Prep Time: 15 minutes Makes: Enough for about 3 dozen cookies to be iced twice (or once, thickly...)

Ingredients:

4 cups powdered sugar

6 tbsp whole milk

6 tbsp light corn syrup

1 tsp extract (I used vanilla)

Food coloring

Instructions:

Whisk together sugar and milk until smooth. Stir in corn syrup, extract, and food coloring.

To get the "perfectly iced" look, add only 4 or 5 tbsp of milk at first, then pipe the icing around the edges of the cookie. Add the rest of the milk to thin the icing, then spread the thin icing on the cookie inside of the piped icing.

Personal Note: So due to circumstances beyond my control, I ended up leaving my cookies chilling in the fridge for nearly 4 hours. When I got the dough out, it was hard as a rock. If this happens, just leave it out until it's soft enough to roll. I ended up leaving mine out for a little too long, so I popped them in the freezer for a few minutes before they went into the oven. This really is to help them keep their shape.

Original Source - Cookies Original Source - Icing

#fatfest #christmas #cookies #sugar #icing #dessert

Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies

Prep Time: 40 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Makes: About 12 2" squares

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1/4 tsp peppermint extract

Food coloring

2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions:

Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 350 F.

Line the bottom and sides of an 11x7 baking pan with aluminum foil. Set out 8 oz of cream cheese to soften while preparing the brownies.

Brownies: Melt the butter and semi-sweet chocolate in a medium saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Stir in sugar to chocolate mixture. Add eggs one at a time, stirring until well mixed between each addition.

Add vanilla, then gently fold in the flour and salt. Pour batter into prepared batter, saving about 1/4 cup for later.

Cheesecake layer: Beat the softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, egg yolk, peppermint extract, and food coloring until completely smooth. Manually stir in chocolate chips.

Drop spoonfuls of cream cheese mix onto the brownie layer and carefully spread around with a knife.

Add the remaining brownie batter on top of the cream cheese layer and swirl the two tops layers around with a knife. Add more chocolate chips on top, if desired.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out almost clean.

Personal Note: So beautiful and delicious. Instant favorite!

Original Source

#fatfest #christmas #brownies #chocolate #mint #dessert #cheesecake

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies

Prep Time: 40 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Makes: About 3 dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour

4 tsp red food coloring

2 tsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup sugar

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300 F. Line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Beat together the butter, brown sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Mix in the flour, food coloring, and cocoa powder until a soft dough forms.

Make tsp-sized balls with the dough, then roll in sugar. Place on the baking sheet. Use the back of a round teaspoon to make a small indentation in the dough. Bake for 10 minutes.

While the cookies are baking, mix together the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, salt, and vanilla.

When the cookies come out of the oven, use the rounded teaspoon to deepen the indentation in each cookie. Spoon the filling into each indentation and bake for an additional 12 minutes.

Personal Note: So when you're putting the cream cheese filling into the indents, DON'T fill the entire indent with cream cheese (unless you want a ton of cream cheese, I suppose)--it will expand in the oven. Also the amount of cream cheese filling is about exactly what you need for these cookies, so if you go overboard on some cookies you'll end up with some cookies that have very little or none. So ration it! Also I would suggest just skipping the whole 'rolling in sugar' business, I found the cookies to be a bit too sweet for my liking. I also added green food coloring to the cream cheese mix so that they'd be extra christmas-y :)

Original Source

#fatfest #christmas #cookies #red velvet #cream cheese #dessert

Peppermint Bark

Prep Time: 30 minutes Makes: About 1 lb

Ingredients:

12 oz white chocolate, separated

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate

1 1/2 tsp canola oil, separated

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

3 candy canes, crushed

Instructions:

Line the bottom of a 9" or 8" baking pan with foil, smoothing out any wrinkles.

Melt 6 oz white chocolate and 1/2 tsp oil in a double boiler, stirring constantly. When the chocolate is melted, add 1/4 tsp peppermint extract.

Pour melted chocolate into the baking pan smooth. Place the pan in the fridge and cool until hardened, at least 20 minutes.

Melt semi-sweet chocolate and 1/2 tsp oil in a double boiler, stirring constantly. When the chocolate is melted, add the remaining 1/4 tsp peppermint extract.

Pour melted chocolate over the hardened white chocolate and smooth. Place the pan in the fridge and cool until hardened, at least 20 minutes.

Melt the remaining oil and white chocolate in a double boiler, stirring constantly. Pour melted chocolate over the hardened semi-sweet chocolate and smooth.

Sprinkle the crushed candy canes over the melted white chocolate and place the pan in the fridge to cool.

Personal Note: So easy, so delicious, and a good amount to make at once (though easy to halve, double, or triple if need be!)

Original Source

#fatfest #christmas #chocolate #peppermint #dessert

Sprinkle Pinwheel Cookies

Prep Time: 1 hour + 6 hours chill Cook Time: 45 minutes Makes: About 2 dozen

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 sticks butter, cold

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 tube gel food coloring

2 tbsp flour

1 cup sprinkles

Instructions:

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugars in a large bowl. Add butter and mix until the mixture has a cornmeal consistency.

Add the vanilla and process until the dough forms a ball.

Divide the dough in half. Set one half aside, and put the other half back into the bowl. Add the almond extract, food coloring, and 2 tbsp flour and mix until combined.

Roll out each half between two sheets of wax paper in an approximately 8x11" rectangle, with about 1/4" thickness. Stack the dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Remove the dough from the fridge and peel off the top pieces of each dough half. Lift the colored one and flip it over onto the other half. Trim the short edges so the sides are straight and even.

When the dough becomes pliable, roll the dough from the long end into a log.

Pour the sprinkles into a shallow, rectangular dish. Carefully lift the log into the sprinkles and roll it around until the outside is completely coated.

Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Slice log into 1/4" rounds and bake on parchment-lined sheets for 15-17 minutes, or until the cookies are no longer shiny.

Personal Note: So I tried to make mine red, and just using a single tube of gel food coloring just made them pink. So I had to add at least 1 tsp (didn't exactly measure it...) of liquid food coloring to make them actually look red.

Original Source

#fatfest #christmas #cookie #sugar #sprinkle

Gooey Butter Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 36 minutes Makes: About 3 dozen

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 yellow cake mix box

1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

Combine butter, cream cheese, egg, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Mix until fluffy.

Stir in the dry cake mix until dough becomes thick but smooth.

Pour powdered sugar into a separate bowl.

Scoop a teaspoon of dough, roll it into a ball, and roll in powdered sugar until completely covered (If the dough is too sticky to work with, chill in the fridge for up to 30 minutes).

Bake at 350 F for 12 minutes.

Personal Note: Sooo... I totally got overexcited and put the powdered sugar straight into the dough rather than using it to roll the cookies in. It actually ended up turning out just fine--they just tasted like really light sugar cookies. So if that's what you want then by all means, put the powdered sugar right into the dough! But if not, be careful not to do that! Lol.

Original Source

#fatfest #christmas #cookies #dessert

Spiced Gingerbread Man Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes + 1 hour chill Cook Time: 30 minutes Makes: 18 cookies (depending on the size of your cookie cutter, of course)

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

6 tbsp butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, and egg until well blended. Add molasses and vanilla extract.

Gradually add the dry ingredients and blend until smooth.

Gather dough in hands and form into a ball. Divide the dough in half, form each half into a round disk, and cover the disks in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 1 hour (or up to 4 days). Let dough come to room temperature before using.

Preheat oven to 375 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Between two pieces of wax paper, roll each dough disk into a 1/4" thick round. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter, remove the excess dough, and place men into freezer for about 10 minutes.

Remove men from the wax paper and place on parchment paper. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Let rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then move to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Personal Note: So cute and delicious -- turned out perfectly!

Original Source

#fatfest #cookies #christmas #dessert #gingerbread

Winter Fat Fest is coming to Town!

For the next 8 days, I will be posting the recipes for the cookies* I am making for this year's Fat Fest. So delicious and exciting!

The line-up for Winter Fat Fest 2014 is...

Spiced Gingerbread Man Cookies

Gooey Sugar Cookies

Sprinkle Pinwheel Cookies

Peppermint Bark

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Thumbprints

Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies

Sugar Cookies w/ Glace Icing

Lumps of Coal

*Not ALL of them are cookies...

#fatfest #cookies #christmas #dessert

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Makes: 2 dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate (or 1 cup chocolate chips)

Instructions:

Combine peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-combined and the sugar is fully incorporated and is mixture is no longer gritty or granular, about 5 minutes, or as long as necessary.

Add the baking soda and beat to incorporate.

Add the chocolate and beat to just incorporate; don't overmix or the nice chocolate chunks will break down.

Using a scoop, form 2-tbsp mounds. Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.

Preheat oven to 350F and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are set and tops are barely set, even if slightly underbaked in the center.

Personal Note: Super good! Didn't chill them cause I needed them right away but they didn't turn out that flat so chilling is optional as far as I'm concerned.

Original Source

#cookies #peanutbutter #chocolate #dessert

Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes + 1 hour inactive Cook Time: 40 minutes Makes: About 4 dozen

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp allspice

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp kosher salt

¾ cup butter, room temperature

¾ cup sugar

1 large egg

½ cup molasses

Sugar for rolling

Instructions:

In a bowl, add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and salt. Mix well to combine.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add egg and molasses and mix to combine. Then stir in the dry ingredients. Refrigerate the batter 1 hour.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 F.

Roll the dough into 1 ½" balls, then roll the balls in sugar to coat the outsides. Arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake in oven until set and crinkled on top, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly.

Personal Note: Mmmm delicioso. I used just regular sugar sprinkles rather than just sugar, mostly cause I wanted them to be colored :)

Original Source

#ginger #molasses #cookies #dessert

Avocado and Sprout Sandwich

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 slices sourdough bread

1 lemon

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 avocado

1 tbsp olive oil

1 handful of sprouts

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Scoop out both halves of avocado into a bowl and mash with a tablespoon of olive oil, the juice from one lemon, flaky sea salt, and coarse ground pepper to taste.

Slather some mayonnaise on one slice of the bread, pile the avocado mixture on top, add some sprouts, put your sandwich together, and enjoy.

Personal Note: Apparently sprouts aren't sold in stores anymore (at least around me) because there's been too many E.coli breakouts. So I substituted in spinach instead. Lost the crunch but was just as good. I would also say that a whole lemon is way too much. I used a pretty small lemon and even so it was extremely lemony. Also I substituted mayo for hummus cause I'm not big on mayo. But considering that it's a sandwich, you can have a lot of fun with it.

Original Source

#avocado #sprouts #lemon #sandwich

Garlic Spinach