Orange-Cranberry and Nut Fruitcake

Blogging Marathon# 59: Week 4/ Day 2

Theme: Holiday Bakes

Dish: Orange and Cranberry Fruitcake

Merry Christmas to all of you.
We had a fun filled Christmas eve party with friends last night and today it's going to be another great to spend with family. My sister and my cousin are coming over for Christmas lunch, so the post is going to be rather short today :-)

I made this fruitcake to give as gift and this recipe is great for people like me who are not great at planning ahead and decide to make a fruitcake in the last minute. Recipe comes from King Arthur Flour and like all their bakes, this one turned out great. Here's the 90 minute fruitcake I made last year and here's the Vegan fruitcake I made the year before.

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Overnight Panettone

Bake-a-thon 2015: Day 10

Bake of the Day: Overnight Panettone

Panettone has been on my baking list for a very very long time. Last year I took the leap and even bought these panettone paper pans from King Arthur flour, then I chickened out in the last minute. So, this year I made up my mind to give it a try.

I followed this recipe for Overnight Panettone from King Arthur flour. This recipe has much less fat than the traditional more luxurious recipes. But it is light and delicious. Addition of Fiori di Sicilia extract gives it that special holiday flavor.

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Vegan Eggnog with Almond Milk

I've heard a lot about Eggnog but never tried it myself. The thought of drinking raw egg didn't really appeal to me. Last year I made this Mango Eggnog and it was quite a hit even with the kids.

This year I was tempted to try a vegan eggnog recipe when I saw this on Food52. It  is made with soaked cashews and full fat coconut milk to make it thick and the spices give the required oomph and deliciousness. I looked for more vegan eggnog recipes and found another recipe from Tasty Yummies, this one is made with cashew milk, soaked raw cashews and coconut milk.

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Buttery Sourdough Buns

It's only 4 days to Christmas and hope all of you have your gifts and menus ready for the big day. This year, one of our lovely friend is hosting the Christmas eve party and she asked me to bring some dinner rolls. They all love these golden pull apart dinner rolls, but I wanted to try a new recipe this year.

I found the recipe for these sourdough buns in the King Arthur Flour baker's catalog. I loved their cute little swirly shape and the addition of paprika to the butter gives them a nice reddish hue on top.

These buns are super soft on the inside and a nice crispy crust almost like a crescent roll. The swirly shape means they are fun to unravel and enjoy just like a crescent roll.

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Ambrosia Parfait

Today I have a no-cook, no-bake dessert that is quick and easy to make. It is called Ambrosia Salad aka fruit salad. Ambrosia literally means 'food of the gods'  in Greek & Roman mythology. But this dish is very much American and from what I've read it is a very popular dessert/ salad that is served around holidays in the Southern states.

It is quite a simple dish to make -- lightly sweetened whipped cream is mixed with fresh fruit and grated coconut. Even though it sounds so easy, the resulting dish is light and absolutely delicious, hence the name - Ambrosia.

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Swedish Rice Pudding for #Food of the World

We are going to Sweden for this month's edition of #Food of the World event. I have tried and posted quite a few Swedish recipes in the past, but I still have a lot bookmarked to try. Swedish Cinnamon rolls aka kanelbullar are on the top of that list. But I posted this sticky pecan bread today, so didn't want to make something similar again.

After searching for vegetarian Swedish recipes, I finalized this simple and easy to make Rice pudding aka Risgrynsgröt. Being a south Indian, rice based dishes are always welcome and this rice pudding is very similar to our very own paramannam except the Swedish version is spiced with cinnamon whereas the Indian version has cardamom.

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Overnight Pecan Sticky Bread for #BreadBakers

This month's theme for BreadBakers is Overnight Breakfast Breads. Our host for the month is Holly Baker and she wanted us to come up with either a yeasted or quick bread that can be prepared the night before and then baked off in the morning. December being a busy time for celebrations and getting together with family and friends, it is always nice to have these overnight breads in your repertoire, so that you, the bake, can enjoy the fruits (or breads!) of your labor with your loved ones. Scroll to the bottom to get more ideas for overnight bread from my fellow Bread Bakers.

Initially I wanted to prepare a no-knead bread, but then I realized that it involved shaping and baking in the morning which didn't really fit into theme. I couldn't really find any bread that was appropriate for the theme and I almost panicked.

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Pan Seared Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Almonds

Here's a quick and easy side dish made with Brussels Sprouts for your holiday meals. Brussels sprouts have quite a bad rap because they tend to be pungent and mealy when cooked improperly. But this pan seared brussels sprouts recipe is so tasty that even my 3 year old couldn't stop eating them.

Pan searing brussels sprouts until toasty is a quick alternative to roasting them in the oven. Topping with crispy panko breadcrumbs and almonds nicely balance both the taste and texture of the dish.

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Wild Rice Salad with dried Cherries and Pecans

Hope all of you had a fun filled Thanksgiving weekend. Like always it felt really short and went by in a hurry. We had quite a busy weekend with family and friends -- lot of food and some shopping.

Here's a Wild rice salad recipe that I brought to the Thanksgiving party at our dear friends home. Recipe is from Cooking Light magazine. I tweaked it just a little bit to make it a little more tastier. It is colorful and festive looking. It is great addition to the holiday buffet table or as a filling weeknight meal.

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Spinach Artichoke Lasagna Rolls and Chocolate Risotto.... and a GIVEAWAY!

Can't believe holiday season is almost upon us and I'm very happy to be a part of Colavita and Perugina 'Join our Italian holiday Table' campaign this year. They sent me a large variety of their products including olive oils, crushed tomatoes, marinara sauce, artichokes hearts, olives, lasagna, arborio rice and some absolutely delicious Perugina chocolates. One of you lucky readers will also receive the same amazing products -- scroll down to the end of the post for more details of the giveaway.

Colavita is a family owned company and they have been importing and distributing Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil for over 30 years. Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil is recognized as the #1 Italian brand in the US and has earned awards from renowned cooking publications such as Fine Cooking and Cook’s Illustrated and general-interest magazines like Men’s Health. Perugina is Italy’s most renowned chocolate maker and Baci are Perugina’s most famous confection. Baci (which means “kisses” in Italian) are perfect as an ingredient in recipes, as a daily indulgence or as a gift for a loved one.

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Baked French Toast with Chocolate Chips

Blogging Marathon# 48: Week 2/ Day 3

Theme: Kid's Delight -- Holiday Specials

Dish: Baked French Toast

We all love French toast in our house. I have tried quite a few variations of French Toast recipes before, but this baked overnight French Toast recipe is something I tried recently with a friend for our Holiday brunch party.
We usually have pot lucks for most of our get-togethers and for the holiday brunch party I hosted, one of my friends suggested this Praline topped Overnight French toast by Paula Deen. She said she ate it at one of her friend's house and it was delicious. She sent the recipe over and we both made it together for the party. We actually put everything together the night before, which, by the way, only takes about 5 minutes and we spent the next 2 hours chatting :-) The next morning I baked it off in the oven, just before everyone came.

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Hot Chocolate (Using Ganache)

Blogging Marathon# 48: Week 2/ Day 2

Theme: Kid's Delight -- Holiday Specials

Dish: Hot Chocolate

I have another kid friendly drink for the second day of this week's blogging marathon. Both my kids love chocolate milk and I have been making hot chocolate for them once in a while this winter. They love it so much that they would do just about anything to drink (clean the room, finish homework -- anything at all, gets done in no time).

I have 2 hot chocolate recipes on the blog already, one with unsweetened cocoa powder and the other with soy creamer. This hot chocolate recipe is made with ganache that can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator, so the kids can have their favorite hot chocolate in no time.

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Mango Nog (Alcohol free - Kid Friendly recipe)

Blogging Marathon# 48: Week 2/ Day 1

Theme: Kid's Delight -- Holiday Specials

Dish: Mango Nog

My theme for this week's blogging marathon is 'Kid Friendly Holiday specials'. This is for Valli's Kid's Delight event being hosted this month by lovely Sandhya. For the first day, I have an alcohol free, kid friendly version of a holiday special drink, Eggnog.

Eggnog is a sweetened dairy based drink usually consumed during Thanksgiving and Christmas in Canada & US. It is traditionally made with milk and/ or cream, sugar and whipped eggs to give it a frothy texture. Brandy, rum or bourbon are often added. It is served with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon or nutmeg. It is also known as egg milk punch.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie

This is one of the 3 pies along with Sweet Potato Pecan Pie that I made at the pie making class last month. The crust here is super simple, it's just crumbled cookies mixed with some melted butter. I guess the chef wanted to teach us a very easy crust along with the ones that are a bit more elaborate.
The filling is the highlight of this pie. I wasn't sure if I would like the peanut butter in the filling, but when I tasted it -- it was a dynamite. Peanut butter taste is not too assertive, but plays a nice balance to the cream cheese and brown sugar.

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Gingerbread People Cookies

Bake-a-thon 2014: Day 12

Bake of the Day: Gingerbread People Cookies

I love the smell of Gingerbread houses -- the vanilla frosting mixed with the spices from the gingerbread makes it feel like Christmas time. 3 years ago, when I was still working, our department decided to participate in the annual gingerbread house competition. It was so much fun to come together as a team and even though we didn't win, I think we had a great time making the gingerbread house.

My son has been making gingerbread houses in school and we keep it around the house for a while because I love the smell of it and it feels like Christmas for a little longer in the new year too.
This year my son volunteered to bring Gingerbread people to school. It was his brilliant idea (!!!!!!) to include people in their gingerbread houses and when the teacher said they are difficult to find, he volunteered to bring them himself (?????). Well, since I love baking, I didn't complain and took up the project.

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90 Minute Fruit Cake

Bake-a-thon 2014: Day 11

Bake of the Day: 90 Minute Fruit Cake

Christmas is just 1 day away. If you didn't make a fruitcake and think you don't have time to make it, think again. This 90 minute fruitcake is just for you. Instead of making loaves or round shaped fruitcakes, these mini bundt cakes are very easy to put together and taste almost like the regular fruitcake.

Last year I made an eggless Christmas Fruitcake that involved soaking in the dry fruit and nuts in orange juice or some kind of alcohol for at least 1 day or more to get the best flavor. This year I wanted to make something different and when I saw these mini bundt cake recipe in the King Arthur catalog, I knew I found myself a good recipe.

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Lemon Almond Biscotti

Bake-a-thon 2014: Day 10

Bake of the Day: Lemon Almond Biscotti

Yay!! It's the week of Christmas. My 7 year old is very excited and can't wait for Christmas day and to open his gifts. I have all the gifts already delivered, but haven't had a chance to wrap them. Since he's in school today, I have to try and finish wrapping them. These crunchy Lemon-almond cookies are great while wrapping along with some hot tea :-)
I made these as 'Christmas gifts' for my friends. I gave them a choice of 6 homemade treats to pick from and these biscotti were on ALL of their lists. Oh, by the way, do check my list of homemade edible gifts if you have time and plan on giving them to your dear ones.

These lemon-almond biscotti are very subtly flavored with lemon and almond. Recipe is from King Arthur Flour site. Lemon zest and lemon juice are added along with almond extract. I added some sliced almonds for some extra crunch. The lemon drizzle on top is a really nice touch.

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Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

Bake-a-thon 2014: Day 9

Bake of the Day: Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

I recently took a 'Pie making' class along with a dear friend at Chef Central. The class was the day before Thanksgiving and the 3 pies we brought back from the class were served for dessert on Thanksgiving day.

The crust is the foundation of any pie or tart. A good crust can enhance and elevate the resulting dessert. Conversely, a bad crust can make a wonderful filling lose its appeal. We learnt 3 different types of pie crusts: 3-2-1 Pie dough, Pâte sucrée and a simple cookie crust.

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Holiday Hoska (Eggless, Vegan recipe)

Bake-a-thon 2014: Day 8

Bake of the Day: Holiday Hoska

Hope all of you are done with your holiday shopping and started preparing for the big day, which is only 1 week away now. I finally ordered almost all of the kids gifts yesterday -- it is fun to shop online. I don't think I fair well at going shopping especially at this time of the year when the malls and roads are crowded. I prefer the peace of home :-) Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the gifts are shipped out on time and the mailman does not leave the package in the neighbor's house (has happened way too many times that I keep looking at the neighbors door every time I go out to check the mail). It is definitely the most stressful time of the year :-)

What's not stressful is this beautiful holiday bread that is easy to make and sure to impress. The dough is very easy to work with and once you get a grip on making a dough braid, you are on your way to making this show stopper bread.

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Cranberry-Pistachio Cream Scones

Bake-a-thon 2014: Day 4
Bake of the day: Cranberry Pistachio Cream Scones
I actually posted the recipe for these cream scones a while back already, but they are such a big hit with everyone who taste them, I'm posting them again today. The add-ins for these scones can be customized to ones taste preferences. I thought Cranberries and pistachios are a great combo for the holiday season.

I recently bought a scone pan which makes making uniform and even size scones much easier. But simply patting the dough down and cutting it into equal sized wedges will also suffice.

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