Breakfast

Sweet & Savory Christmas Gift Idea // Compound Butter

36 · Dec 18, 2013 · 6 Comments

I love the long seated tradition of entering the kitchen at this time of year to create all kinds of goodies to share with family and friends. I also LOVE receiving these gifts every year. You can always feel the love that goes into each and every recipe that is shared. One thing I DON'T love is how frantic and hurried the season has become. Sometimes we just don't have time to bake for days and days in order to put together these treasured gift plates.

Another issue I have have… Sometimes, we get sugar overload with all of these scrumptious goodies. For the last several years, I have tried to find some savory goodies along with the sweet to give as holiday neighbor gifts. This year, my favorite sweet & savory gift for the season is compound butter. What is compound butter you ask? Well, it is butter combined with any of a number of tasty additions that can be used in various different ways in the kitchen. I am particularly fond of any type of berry butter, the ever popular honey butter and the luscious roasted garlic butter. All of these can be used on breads, French toast, crêpes, pancakes, used in sauces and even used to enhance many types of meats. I decided this year, that I am going to give little gift baskets with some homemade compound butter along with some bread…

Don't you worry, these butters are a snap to make AND you can even use store bought bread if you aren't the baking type. I am going to give you three quick butter recipes along with the fabulous printable that you can use to label your jars and your gift container if you like.

Berry Butter Ingredients

4 sticks of softened unsalted butter

1 jar of Smucker's Orchard's Finest preserves (you can use any kind you like, for this one I used cranberry raspberry preserves)

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon citric acid

Berry Butter Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add your softened, room temperature butter, the Orchard's Finest preserves, honey & citric acid. Why do I use citric acid? I like to add a bit of a tart kick to the butter without adding the liquid from the lemon. The liquid can cause issues with the consistency and I have found that citric acid is a perfect solution. You can get the hit of tart flavor without the consistency issues. I found citric acid at my local market in the canning section. If you can't find it, you can always order it online. I LOVE it and use it in all kinds of recipes.

Once you have all your ingredients in your mixer, turn your mixer on high and whip the butter for several minutes. Once it has whipped well and is nice and fluffy, take your mixture and add it to your sterilized 4 ounce Ball jars. Fill to the top and place the lid on tight. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This recipe also can be stored in the freezer really well.

Honey Butter Ingredients

4 sticks of softened unsalted butter

1 cup honey

Honey Butter Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer, place softened room temperature butter and honey. Whip on high for several minutes until light and fluffy. Once finished, carefully spoon into sterilized 4 ounce ball jars and replace the lid. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. This butter also freezes well.

Roasted Garlic Butter

I have a fabulous recipe for Roasted Garlic Butter over at WhipperBerry that you should check out. I also, show you how to roast your own garlic and everything!

Savory & Sweet Christmas Gift

Now this is where it gets fun… I LOVE packaging! To me the way you dress-up a gift is just as important as the gift. Now, I used my favorite 4 ounce Ball jars for the butter on purpose. With these jars I can create a lovely FREE printable label for everyone to use.

Aren't they fun?! Now… I have created a couple of different ways to use these free printable labels.

Silhouette Print & Cut Users

If you are a Silhouette User, you can download the Silhouette Studio file, print them with your printer and cut out with your CAMEO or Portrait. I used the Printable Gold Foil for mine, but you could use anything that you want. Card stock, printable sticker paper or even printable kraft paper. Use whatever you feel comfortable with. Click HERE to download the Silhouette Studio Label file.

Printable Users

Now, if you would like to print and cut your labels on your own… No worries, I have you covered too! Click HERE to download the free PDF for you to use for your special gift. Just print as many sheets as you would like on whatever paper you would like, cut out the labels and affix them to your jars and gift container.

Gift Container

I found my container at Target in their seasonal decor section. I would love to link to it, but I can't seem to find it on their web site. You'll just have to look at your local store. You can also use any type of container that will fit your butter selection and the bread your choose. You could use an inexpensive gift bag and it would look fabulous!!

All in all, I am in LOVE with this gift idea and I hope that it sparks some creativity for your holiday gift giving this year. You know… not all homemade holiday gifts have to be sweet! I know some of us would love some savory treats as well!

Gingerbread Granola

3 · Dec 10, 2013 · 2 Comments

I’ve known for some time that I want to recreate this recipe. Gingerbread has been on my mind a lot recently with the holidays. My two flavor staples for this time of year are gingerbread and eggnog. So when I tried out a granola that incorporated one of those I became giddy with the thought of building a recipe around the product! This gingerbread granola is now a staple in our home. Mainly because it’s so quick to prepare and packages up beautifully for last minute neighbor treats!

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or a baking mat.

Mix all of your ingredients together in a large bowl. Spread into an even layer on your prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through the baking time. Allow to cool completely and enjoy!

While this bakes you get the wonderful smell of the Holiday’s floating through your home. It is so wonderful to wake up to and seems to last for days! We like to double the batch otherwise it never seems to make it to our friends and family!

Try it out on top of cereal, yogurt, fruit… or just on it’s own. It is unbelievably delicious and helps spread Christmas cheer whenever you decide to share! If you liked this recipe, check out these:

Coconut Macaroons // Easy Orange Blossom // Cranberry Bliss Bars

Gilgamesh Oatmeal with Bob’s Red Mill Oats

0 · Oct 28, 2013 · 2 Comments

This post brought to you my Bob's Red Mill // I’m part Scottish… By definition I was born with oatmeal in my blood. OK, not really… But, oatmeal is a large part of my Scottish heritage and one part that I really love. It’s one of those foods that you don’t have to feel one iota of guilt for loving. No matter what your taste, there is an oatmeal for you.

Bob’s Red Mill has a whole collection of different types of oatmeal… Organic Extra Thick, Steel Cut, Scottish, Rolled. Old fashioned and quick cooking, they even have Oat Bran. So no matter how you like your oatmeal, Bob’s Red Mill has you covered. They are an employee owned company that has a passion for creating quality products with time honored processes. Rather than trying to find new technology to process fine whole grain products, they use time tested, traditional techniques that preserve the quality and integrity of the grain, which in turn brings even better nutrition to your table.

The folks at Bob’s Red Mill challenged me to try one of their fun recipes to try with their oatmeal.

I chose their Gilgamesh recipe and added a few more little treats to fit my tastes. It has a bit of an exotic taste that takes me back to my travels in Israel. I made mine with the Organic Extra Thick Rolled Oats to have a real hearty bite. Here’s how you make it…

Gilgamesh Oatmeal Ingredients

Pistachios

Chopped Dates or Dried Figs

Golden Raisins

Honey

Milk or cream

Cardamom or Cinnamon (you could even do a small pinch of both)

Gilgamesh Oatmeal Directions

Cook your favorite type of Oatmeal according to package directions. Once slightly cool, place in a bowl and top with chopped pistachios, chopped dates or dried figs (I couldn’t find dates so I went with dried figs), golden raisins, a splash of milk or cream, a drizzle of honey and a small pinch of cardamom and/or cinnamon.

You will be transported to the Mediterranean and all the spicy flavors of that part of the world. It’s a trip in a bowl for sure!

Spicy & exotic not your style? Don’t worry… the folks at Bob’s Red Barn have all kinds of ideas up their sleeves.

So, what’s your favorite way to eat your oatmeal? What’s your favorite type of oatmeal? Come share some of your favorite toppings!

Disclaimer // This is a post sponsored by Bob's Red Mill. I received product and payment for this post. However, all thoughts and opinions are my very own.

Apple Butter Recipe

4 · Oct 1, 2013 · 4 Comments

Apple Butter Recipe // Ahhhh fall. So many great things to look forward to this time of year. Boots, comfy sweaters, Halloween, Thanksgiving, pumpkins, changing leaves, apples…I love all of it! It also seems to be the time of year where we see a lot more of our friends and family, and that means the opportunity to eat and share lots of good food!

So this is the perfect time for me to try out some new recipes, and do some planning for the upcoming holiday season! When I'm putting together appetizer and meal ideas for company I really try to keep things simple, and use ingredients that most people love.

This recipe is one of those dishes! Apple Butter is the perfect thing to keep on hand for a number of different occasions. It's great served on top of Brie for an appetizer, or spread on a ham & Brie sandwich for lunch, or scooped onto ice cream for dessert. It's so versatile!

Apple butter is made in the crockpot over a 10-12 hour period, so that the apples and spices have time to come together and make a smooth apple spread. Don't be afraid of the length of time it takes to make Apple Butter, it's really very simple. All you have to do is put the ingredients into a crock pot and let it simmer during the day or even overnight. Then you have the most delicious treat!

Ingredients: (Makes 1 – 2 cups) 6 medium/large apples, cored and peeled and chopped 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 1/2 to 2 tsp cinnamon pinch nutmeg pinch allspice dash salt 1 tsp vanilla (optional) Instructions:

In a crockpot, mix together the chopped apples with the sugars and spices. Mix well.
Cook in the crockpot on low for 10 hours, stirring occasionally if you can. Let the mixture cook until it is thick and dark brown.
After the 10 hours, remove the lid and blend the apple mixture with an immersion blender until smooth.
Then cook uncovered in the crockpot for an additional 1 – 2 hours.
Store in sterile jars in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Serving Ideas:

Serve on a brie cheese wheel (see below).
Make a ham and brie cheese sandwich, and spread on some apple butter. You could cook it like a grilled cheese sandwich. Yum!
Serve alongside roast or BBQ'd pork.
Serve on vanilla ice cream.
Spread on toast.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Now because I have an obsession with anything having to do with Brie cheese, I wanted to give you an option on how to serve some of your Apple Butter. Apples and Brie are a match made in Heaven. Major deliciousness going on here.

Actually the whole inspiration for me to make Apple Butter was just imagining it baked onto some Brie cheese. I thought it would make a perfect fall appetizer…apples, cinnamon & spices with cheese…a delicious seasonal dish. Mmmmmmm!

But you may notice in this picture that the apple butter is not smooth. I wanted the mixture to be chunky on top of the brie…I just like the texture better. All I did was take about a 1/2 cup of the apple butter out of the crockpot before I blended the rest. This step of course is entirely up to you.

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Place a brie cheese wheel in an oven proof serving dish. Score the top with a knife, then place it in the oven for about 5 minutes, until the brie is softened.
Then mound about 1/2 cup of the apple butter on top of the brie, and bake for about 3-4 minutes more.
Serve with crackers or chunks of bread.
Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy these recipes for Apple Butter!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

For even more delicious appetizers, come on over!

Cedar Planked Fruit & Wine Brie Bites | Artichoke & Spinach Dip | Tomato & Basil Bruschetta