Fifth Annual Holiday Baking Party

This year was my Fifth Baking/Candy Party in Brooklyn!  My Fifth! How crazy is that?  I really cannot believe I have been here that many years or that I have convinced people it's a good idea that many years in a row.  Some of my friends have been able to make it or have known me for all five.  It's so great to know you have people who are still willing to hang out with you year after year.

Yeah friends! 

It's even more exciting to see what they will make year after year.  We had peppermint fudge, heath bars, chocolate bark, (in 4 flavors!), little turtles, mini apple pies, peppermint fudge balls, and brownies with Andes Chocolate topping.  I have to say that I am so proud of my old roommate for making her brownies.  It's one of the first things she has baked completely from scratch with no problems and no burning and they were delicious.  I like to think I rubbed off on her a bit.

Snacks & a kiss tree!

I stuck to my usual  and favorite peanut butter balls and added a new creation I found on Spoon Fork Bacon recently called Cracked Out Rice Krispie Treats.  I like to think of them as Everything-but-the-Kitchen-Sink Rice Krispie Bars.   For my hosting portion of the event, I found a recipe for Spice White Wine Sangria also on the Spoon Fork Bacon site.  I was thinking smart this year and set out a few not sweet snacks for us to munch on so that we might not going on sugar binges and be "hungover" later.  This worked brilliantly and I have saved more of the tasty treats to eat in the weeks to come.  Will keep this in mind for future parties.

Winter Sangria

As for the two recipes I am sharing today, the Rice Krispies and Sangria, they turned out excellent.  I don't really like white chocolate, but mixing it with peanut butter made me not even notice.  The one thing I would change in the future is to make the chocolate/peanut butter mixture larger.  The bars were really crumbly and needed more of the mixture to bind them together.  I would say don't double it but 1 1/2 times it.   The sangria was a huge hit and much sweeter than I expected.  I "doubled" the recipe, but somethings were not quite double.  The pomegranate seeds at the bottom are so yummy and the simple syrup makes gives it the perfect spice.

Picture from K

Everything-but-the-Kitchen-Sink Rice Krispie Bars
(approximately 35  1 1/2" x 1 1/2" bars)

• 3½ cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 1 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1 cup small pretzel sticks, broken up
• 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter (addition 1 tbsp for topping)
• 6 ounces white chocolate chips, melted (addition 1-2 oz for topping)
• sprinkles

1. Place cereal, peanuts and pretzels into a large mixing bowl and gently toss together.
2. In another bowl stir together the peanut butter and melted chocolate until smooth.
3. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the cereal mixture and fold together until well coated.
4. Pat into a parchment paper lined 13 x 9 inch pan.  mounds of the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Mix the addition melted chocolate chips and peanut butter together in a small bowl.  Splash over bars like Jackson Pollock. Add sprinkles.
6. Place in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours to allow the treats to set quicker. 
7. Once the chocolate/peanut butter has set carefully peel the treats from the sheet of parchment cut into bars for sharing.

Winter Sangria
(about 16 servings)

• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/1/3 cup water
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 6 star anise
• 6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 (1.5l, magnum) bottle pinot grigio
• 4 clementines, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 10 oz cup pomegranate seeds

1. Place sugar, water, cinnamon sticks, star anise and cardamom pods into a small saucepan, stir and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. 
2. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
3. While the spice simple syrup cools, spread tangerine slices onto a baking sheet and sprinkle the tops with a small amount of brown sugar.
4. Place the baking sheet under a broiler for 2 to 3 minutes to caramelize slices.
5. Place the orange slices and pomegranate seeds into a large pitcher.
6. Pour the wine over the fruit and strain the simple syrup into the pitcher- save the cinnamon sticks and star anise. Stir until well combined.
7.   Add back cinnamon and star anise as garnish. 



Isn't it pretty?

8. Place the sangria in the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least an hour.

Enjoy! 

Risotto alla Brianzola

I didn't make this dish but it was made for me (I might have stirred the risotto a time or two). It was my 25th birthday this weekend, and I hate making plans. Everyone is usually all partied out from New Year's Eve the night before, so going out isn't anyone's idea of a good time. My boyfriend Kurt loves to cook (and is quite excellent at it), so over brunch I bestowed upon him the task of providing me a homemade dinner of his choice. His eyes lit up and he immediately began looking up recipes on his phone and we searched out a grocery store that would be open on New Years Day.

Our trip to Italy! See more here.

When Kurt was a younger lad, he spent a year doing an exchange in Italy. He lived near the town of Merate, outside of Milan, in the region known as Brianza. The north gets a bit colder in the winter, so dishes are often heartier (Kurt tries to tell me they just work harder there, so they need more substantial meals). Apart from the lovely Italian language, Kurt also picked up some great cooking skills during his time there. He was thrilled to try out this recipe particular to the region where he lived. Kurt and I visited his friends and host families in Italy last summer, so I was also excited to get a further glimpse into Italian culture. And of course it was delicious. Grazie mille, Kurt! I had a wonderful birthday!

Risotto alla Brianzola 
1 onion, chopped
1/2 lb sausage
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 cup dry red wine (divide into 1/2 cup portions)
5 cups broth (we used chicken broth)
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 cups arborio rice, yellow if you can find it
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads (about 20)
Parmesan cheese for garnish

In a small frying pan, break apart sausage, add 1/2 cup red wine, and sauté meat until browned. Set aside. In a large frying pan, heat butter with olive oil, cook onion and garlic together until soft. Bring broth to a boil in a sauce pan. Add rice and remaining wine to the onion pan. Cook and allow wine to evaporate. Gradually add broth in stages to rice mixture and stir constantly as it is absorbed. (The rice should puff up and develop a creamy sauce.) Once all the liquid has been absorbed, add sausage mixture and saffron to rice. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Wine pairing: Chianti or a dry red wine (We drank a Zonin Chianti from 2006 as suggested by the owner of our local wine shop)

Holiday Party!

I love this time of year.  I love the excuse of the holidays to create absolutely delicious treats that you never make any other time.  Every year I say I am going to make them at some other time, but I never do.  I think it would ruin the pure joy when I do have those tasty treats, like candy cane cookies, chocolate covered peanut butter balls, chocolate covered cherries, chocolate covered coconut balls, and almond bark.
My last year at MSU in Bozeman my friends and I got together to make candies and cookies for holidays.  It was so fun to spend time with my close friends in the kitchen, everyone making something to share.  I decided to carry this with me to New York and for the past four years I have had a party.  Everyone brings their ingredients or dough and makes or bakes their treat at my tiny apartment.  This year I mixed up some mulled wine and baked brie as I pretend to be the perfect hostess. 
The mulled wine was really good and simple and since I was debating between mulled wine and spiked cider, this recipe was a perfect in between.  I was doubling the recipe for the large group and used a $3 Trader Joe's Shiraz  for the wine and only half the ginger in the recipe because that was all I had on hand.  It was still delicious.

mulled wine in progress, step one

mulled wine, the finished project

 As for the brie, I made it once using the recipe and since then have made it by memory.  I love the raspberry jam and smear a lot of it on top and pour plenty of syrup on the top.  I normally use a round of brie, but this time i used two wedges and two croissants packages.

Bake brie yummyness. Messy looking, perhaps.

Now on to the goodies.  Every year I make favorite candies that my mom and grandma make back home and one new one that and friends mom introduced me to: chocolate covered peanut butter balls, chocolate covered oreo balls, and chocolate covered peanut butter sandwiches.  If you can't tell, I love chocolate.  We always use almond bark for our covering needs. They have it in white and chocolate.  You can use either one for dipping, but I prefer the chocolate on the peanut butter balls and white on the oreo balls. 

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls 

• 1/2 cup butter melted
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup rice krispies (only if you use creamy PB) 
• almond bark (or some kind of candy chocolate) 

Mix all ingredients except almond bark.  I like to put it in the fridge for a bit, but you don't have to.  Roll it into quarter sized balls.  Melt almond bark by directions on package and dip in the balls in chocolate.  Place on wax paper to cool.  Store in the fridge. 

Chocolate Covered Oreo Balls

• one package of oreos (or Trader joes jo-jos, and excellent alternative)
• one package of cream cheese 
• Almond bark

Crush the oreos and mix with the cream cheese.  Roll into quarter sized balls and dip in almond bark.  Place on wax paper to cool. Store in fridge.

Chocolate Covered Peanut butter sandwiches

• Ritz Crackers 
• Peanut butter
• Almond bark

Place peanut butter between two ritz crackers and dip in melted almond bark.  Store in fridge.

The spread of candies, cookies and bars we made this year.

My mom typically mixed the left over almond bark with almond slivers and spread it out on a cookie sheet then break it into pieces once it cooled.  Also called Almond bark.

Oh- one more thing, if you are on the east coast, can you please tell me where to find almond bark?  I bring it back from the mid west every year because I can't find it here.