Simply Cookbooks

Archive for the ‘Holiday Recipes’ Category

For those of who are regular readers, you must have realized by now that I have a love affair with sweets and most if not all of Paula Deens recipes. Well, she has done it again with this cupcake recipe for the Fourth of July picnics…Enjoy!

I will tell you though I cheated a little by adding more cocoa powder…1 teaspoon just didn’t seem enough!

Ingredients:

2   large eggs, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions

For the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Cook’s Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip. Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Servings: 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Difficulty: Easy

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Potato Salad is a summer staple in this house. It goes with everything, and I do mean everything…well maybe not Italian food. I like to mix my flavors up with Potato Salad. Having the same old one everytime makes it the same old one, if you know what I mean

This particular recipe has a little zing to it which is provided by the horseradish. Hope you enjoy it as much as the family does…

RECIPE INGREDIENTS
6 to 7 medium red potatoes (about 2 pounds)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 to 3 dill pickle spears, chopped
4 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Dash onion salt
Dash garlic powder
4 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS
Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until tender; drain and cool slightly. Slice potatoes into a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, onions, pickles, mustard, horseradish, garlic and seasonings. Pour over potatoes and toss to coat. Gently stir in eggs. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

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Over the years it has become a Christmas tradition the cooking of the ham.
Everyone who tastes the ham I cook has asked how I manage to have such a moist and tasty ham. The answer is quite simple and one which I share willingly with anyone, in hopes one of my adult children will pick up the Christmas tradition.

Nancy’s Ham

For my family of 8 I purchase a 18-10 pound whole ham, not a spiral, as these do have a tendency to dry out faster.

Before you start cooking, remember ham has already been cured, it does not require long cooking times. Follow the recommended cooking times on the package.

Prepare the ham:

Cut small shallow slices across the top of the ham.

Prepare a mixture of 4 cups squirt,( you can also use 7-up, sprite, or ginger ale NO DIET SODA) to the liquid add ¼ cup mustard (dijon if you have it)
½ cup brown sugar,
3 tablespoons of honey,
and about ½ teaspoon of ground cloves.

Mix this thoroughly. Preheat your roaster or oven to 325 degrees. Place ham in
roaster, pour mixture over top of ham, making sure some of it gets into those shallow cuts. You will bake this ham for no more than 3 hours, you are just warming it through. During the cooking process base with extra soda often, never let the top of the ham dry out. For a more festive looking ham, toward the end of the baking top ham with pineapple slices held in place with toothpicks, in the center of the pineapple put a maraschino cherry.

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Years ago I was looking for a way to make the ordinary sugar cookie even more tasty. At the time I must have been crazy to put that much sugar in my kids, but these sugar cookies have become a staple at Christmas time.

Use either the rolled up sugar cookies you buy at the grocery store for your base, or make your favorite sugar cookie recipe.
Here is mine:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup shortening (I use butter only)
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp lemon or vanilla flavoring
2 1/2 cups Flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
your favorite jam or jelly
powdered sugar

Cream butter, sugar, eggs, flavoring until well blended. While that is creaming in a seperate bowl combine all your dry ingredients. Once the butter is throughly mixed together slowly add your flour mixture until the entire mixture in blended. You will have a ball. Put the dough in a plastic bag and refrigerate at least one hour. (I usually let it sit overnight)

Once the dough has had time in the refrigerator, take it out and on a well floured board, take small sections at a time and roll about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 3″ round cookie, place on cookie sheet, put small amount of jelly in the middle. With another cookie round cut out in the center a small hole. ( I sometimes use a bottle cap) Place the second cookie round over the first and press down on the edges.

Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Once out of the oven place on a rack and lightly sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

Now enjoy your sugar high!

I will tell you that I have used a variety of fillings over the years. I have cooked down apples, raspberries, strawberries and placed small amounts in the center. Use your imagination. Your family will love these.

I am not an artist by any means but your cookie should look something like this:

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