Seasonal Recipe Roundup: Winter
There's nothing quite like a chilly breeze to inspire dreams of hot cocoa, peppermint sticks, soft sweaters, and cozy fires shared with those you love most. With all the Winter joy happening out there, and all the friends and family gathering to enjoy it, who wouldn't want a long list of delicious and indulgent recipes to share? This recipe roundup is possibly our favorite - and the most versatile - this year. From mulled wine and savory stuffing bites to chocolate truffles and the BEST stovetop potpourri recipes to add holiday fragrance to the air, this is one for the record books. So cozy up with your new scarf, pick out your favorite pair of boots, and prepare your grocery list.
Mulled Wine
Ingredients:
1 bottle Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot Wine
2 C. Spiced Apple Cider
6 Whole Cloves
3 Whole Star Anise
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1/2 C. Honey
Juice of Half an Orange
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan, or a large one if you're doubling the recipe, and let simmer on Low heat for at least 20 minutes. If you'd like to have this ready to serve throughout a holiday party, adjust the recipe to your desired quantity and keep the mulled wine in a slow cooker on the Warm setting so that people can serve themselves at their leisure. Add more honey to the pot if you prefer a sweeter taste. Cheers, and Happy Holidays!
Bailey's Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients:
1 Bag of Dark Chocolate Chips
2/3 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
1/3 C. Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur
3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, softened
Optional: Sprinkles for topping, or cocoa powder
Directions:
1. Add all chocolate chips to a large, heat-safe bowl.
2. In a small saucepan, warm the heavy whipping cream over medium-high heat until foamy bubbles begin to form along the edges. Stir constantly to prevent scalding. Once heated, remove from heat and stir in the Bailey’s.
3. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate chips and allow the mixture to sit for 20 seconds. Use a whisk and begin stirring the chocolate in until the mixture is smooth and glossy. If the chocolate chips don’t melt completely, microwave the mixture on medium power for 20 seconds at a time, stirring in between.
4. Add the butter to the ganache, stirring to completely combine. Pour the ganache into a shallow dish such as a casserole dish, cover, and transfer to the refrigerator to cool for 1-2 hours.
5. Using a spoon or cookie scoop, scrape about 2 Tbsp. of ganache out at time. Roll between your palms to form a ball, and then roll the mixture in your sprinkles, or in cocoa powder, to finish. If the mixture melts in your palms before it rolls into a ball, place back in the refrigerator (or freezer) for a short time to harden, then continue.
6. Truffles will keep for up to 1 week. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Marzipan Pizza
Ingredients:
Pizza Dough
Marzipan Cream (Marzipan paste + half and half until desired consistency)
Fresh Mozzarella
Bleu Cheese
Pistachios
Honey
Flake Salt
Directions:
1. Prep your pizza dough according to the instructions, or according to Larry’s recipe for homemade dough.
2. Drizzle with the marzipan cream sauce, just as Larry shows us in the video below. Top with fresh mozzarella and bleu cheese, and bake in your oven at home at 400° for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is browned and bubbly and the crust is browned and crispy. Top the pizza with pistachios, honey, and flake salt to taste. Enjoy!
Bite-Sized Stuffing Balls with a Cranberry Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
5 1/2 C. French Bread, cut into small cubes
1/3 C. Chicken Broth
1/3 C. Butter
1 Egg, beaten
1⁄2 C. Celery, finely chopped
1⁄3 C. Red onion, finely chopped
1/4 C. Parsley, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
Cranberry Sauce, for dipping
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375°. Sauté celery and onions in the butter in a medium skillet over high heat.
2. Combine the celery and onions with the bread cubes, broth, beaten egg, and parsley, adding salt and pepper to taste. Using your hands, mix thoroughly until the bread has soaked up all the liquid. Form into 1 1/2-inch balls using a large cookie scoop, pressing the balls tightly together in your hands to compress.
3. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, place the stuffing balls on it, and bake for 20-23 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Skewer the balls with a toothpick, set out a bowl of the cranberry sauce, and serve. Enjoy!
Stovetop Potpourri for Every Season
There are nine recipes that we love, but we'll feature just one — Winter Spice — here. Click above to see them all!
Ingredients:
2-3 Large Pine Sprigs
2-3 Cinnamon Sticks
3-5 Bay Leaves
1 Whole Nutmeg, freshly grated
A handful of Whole, Fresh Cranberries
Directions:
Simply add all ingredients to a large pot full of water, then bring to a boil covered. Uncover, turn down the heat to a simmer, and refill with water as needed. Enjoy the fragrance as it fills your home!
Eggnog Gingerbread Waffles in a Buttered Vanilla-Maple Syrup
Ingredients:
3 C. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
½ Tbsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs
¾ C. white sugar
1 C. milk
½ C. eggnog
1 C. molasses
½ C. melted butter
Syrup:
1 C. Maple Syrup
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Directions:
1. Preheat your waffle iron to your desired setting.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until the consistency is thick and foamy. Small bubbles should form on the top of the mixture.
4. Add the milk, eggnog, and molasses to the egg mixture and beat together until just combined. Do not over-beat.
5. Slowly add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring as you go. Then, slowly fold the melted butter into the mixture.
6. Spray your hot waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray, and follow your manufacturer’s instructions to make sure your waffles are cooked to perfection. Bon appetite!
To make the syrup:
1. Pour maple syrup into a microwave-safe container and heat for 15 seconds at a time until the syrup is warm/ hot to touch.
2. Add butter, vanilla extract, and salt to the maple syrup and stir until well combined.
3. Serve with the waffles and enjoy! We’ve found that you won’t even need to butter the waffles when you use this syrup – it does the job for you!
Note: Since it’s Christmas morning, we highly recommend serving these waffles with mimosas, or maybe even a delicious cup of spiked coffee. In addition, the dry mix and sauce are easy to place into a Mason jar for easy gifting! Just include instructions for making the waffles. Not everyone has a jar of molasses in their pantry either, so we recommend including this in your gift. Place the jars in your holiday gift baskets along with some fresh fruit and orange juice, and your neighbors will thank you!
Roasted Grape, Goat Cheese, and Honey-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
1 Yam or sweet potato
½ C. washed red, seedless grapes, whole
½ a sweet onion, sliced and caramelized
Olive Oil
¼ C. Goat Cheese
Salt
Pepper
Honey
Cinnamon
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350°. Wash your sweet potato, poke holes in it with a fork, wrap it in foil, and place it in your oven to bake for 45-60 minutes or until tender.
2. Once baked, remove from the oven, unwrap, and allow to cool to the point where you can touch it comfortably.
3. While potato is cooling, increase oven temperature to 450°, and toss the grapes with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Place on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the grapes start to burst.
4. While grapes are roasting, gently empty the potato "meat" from the skin and into a bowl. Mix with goat cheese, and add salt, pepper, caramelized onions, and cinnamon to taste. Place back into the skin, and top with a little more goat cheese.
5. Remove grapes from the oven and top the potato with them. Add a honey drizzle and a little cinnamon, and enjoy!
Note: For larger servings, feel free to roast multiple potatoes and place the potato mixture into a casserole dish instead of back into the skins. Top with grapes, honey, a little more goat cheese, and cinnamon, and serve with a spoon. Feel free to prepare in advance, and reheat in the oven before serving.
Seasons greetings gift baskets
