Christmas Potato Soup
You will need:
- 15 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- 6 slices bacon
- 4 medium leeks, sliced
- 2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
- 1.5 cups water
- 2 pounds round red potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Water
- 1/2 cup dairy sour cream
- 1 Toasted Star per bowl
- Sauteed Red Onion
- Snipped chives
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Use a 2 to 3 inch star-shaped cutter to cut stars from the center of firm-textured white bread.
- Brush lightly with melted butter and place on baking sheet.
- Bake for 6 minutes or until lightly toasted.
- Cool on a baking sheet and tore in an airtight covered container until serving.
- In the same preheated oven, place garlic cloves in custard cups, then drizzle with olive oil.
- Cover the cups with foil.
- Roast in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until the cloves feel soft when pressed, then set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp and drain on paper towels.
- Crumble the bacon and place in a storage container. Cover and chill the bacon.
- Cook the leeks in the bacon drippings for about 5 minutes or until softened but not browned.
- Add the broth, water, potatoes, salt, and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then simmer, uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic.
- In food processor, pour half of the soup mixture.
- Cover and process until smooth.
- Repeat with the remaining soup.
- Add the bacon and ladle the soup into bowls.
- Top with sour cream, sauteed onions and chives.
- Float the Toasted Stars on top.
- Enjoy!
Ready to continue?
Beef Tenderloin
You will need:
- 1 (6 pound) trimmed beef tenderloin
- 4 garlic cloves, quartered into 16 pieces
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Make 16 incisions in different parts of the tenderloin and insert a piece of garlic in each.
- Rub oil over the tenderloin.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast for about 50 minutes, checking after 40 minutes, or until thermometer registers 130 degrees in the thickest part of the roast.
- Let rest, covered loosely in foil 10 minutes before slicing.
- Enjoy!
Next...
Frosted Holiday Sugar Cookies
You will need:
- 3.75 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1.5 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- vanilla frosting
- food coloring
- colored candies
- fruit rolls
- jelly beans
- green and red decorating gel
- sprinkles
- powdered sugar
- cookie cutters
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium sized bowl, then set aside.
- Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy.
- Gradually add the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for two hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut out circles with a cookie cutter or other round object, such as a glass or round plastic container. Place circles 2 inches apart on un-greased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, checking after 6 minutes.
- Cookies will be done when edges are lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes.
- Using a butter knife, spread frosting on top of each cookie.
- If you want to color the frosting, use food coloring and mix it beforehand.
- Decorate the cookies with sprinkles, powdered sugar, and candies.
- To make holly berry cookies: Place two red candies or jelly beans toward the top of the cookie and draw on leaves with green decorating gel.
- For Sugar Stars, Trees, and other shapes: Gently place a miniature cookie cutter on top of the cookie after it's frosted.
- Carefully sprinkle a small amount of sugar into the cookie cutter with your fingers, being careful not to let the sugar fall outside.
- Gently remove cookie cutter.
- For Easy Frosting: You can completely cover a cookie with decorative sugar by holding the frosted cookie upside down and dipping the frosted end into the sugar to coat.
- Easy Decoration: Use red decorating gel to write “Ho, Ho, Ho!” on your cookies.
- For a Snowman: Cut a strip from a fruit roll, about 1/2 thick, and twist it into a rope.
- Place the fruit roll up around the top of the cookie as ear muffs and add jelly beans for the muffs themselves.
- Decorate the face with colored candies.
- For a Poinsettia: Use cherry raisins to form the petals of a poinsettia.
- Place a colored candy in the center.
- Enjoy!
Candy Cane Hot Cocoa
You will need:
- 4 cups milk
- 3 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 4 peppermint candy canes, crushed
- 1 cup whipped cream
- 4 small peppermint candy canes
- In a saucepan, heat the milk until hot, but not boiling.
- Whisk in the chocolate and the crushed peppermint candies until melted and smooth.
- Pour hot cocoa into four mugs, and garnish with whipped cream.
- Serve each with a candy cane stirring stick.
- Enjoy!
I hope you've all had fun preparing this delicious feast. I hope you all have a very Merry Chrismas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa. Happy blogging to everyone and I'll catch you all on the flip side! <3
