Top 10 Most Viewed Recipes of 2013

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Mine was amazing, lots of family, tonnes of food and way too many sweets!
I feel really lucky!

I thought I would share the top 10 most viewed recipes of 2013. 

10. Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing

 

Why buy bottled when you can whip up a batch of delicious homemade stuff!

9. Chocolate Sugar Cookies

 

I love all cookies but these ones are especially fantastic, chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside, perfection!

8. Mushroom Roll-Ups

 

This classic appetizer never goes out of style, I kind of wish I had some right now!

7. Tater Tot Casserole

 

I never had Tater Tot casserole growing up so I finally decided this year to give it a try, it did not disappoint! You just can't go wrong with Tater Tots!

6. Wife Saver Breakfast Bake

 

We used to have this casserole for Christmas breakfast when I was young, it is fantastic!

5. Christmas Sangria

 

This recipe got a lot of action in the last month or so from Pinterest! It is a perfect drink for the holidays!

4. No Bake Cookie Butter Cookies

 

Cookie Butter is so popular right now, and these cookies are so easy, it isn't surprising that they made the list!

3. Cranberry Sparkler

 

This is my absolutely favourite holiday cocktail. Perfect for any holiday party!

2. Orzo with Parmesan and Basil

 

This dish has been #1 on the top 10 list the past 2 years. It finally slipped to second place this year, but it is still a go to recipe here at my house, simple and delicious!

1. Cactus Cut Potatoes

 

All I can say about this recipe is make it, make it now! The dip is AH-MAZING! The potatoes are baked not fried. A great version of the Boston Pizza classic!

So there you have it, the top 10 of 2013!

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by and check out My Tiny Oven, I know there are a million food blogs out there and I feel honoured that you visit me!

Jen

Favourite Things Friday Vol 59 - Potato Ricer

Check out this cool new kitchen toy.

It is a potato ricer. I have wanted one for a long time. 
We eat a lot of mashed potatoes around here, we love them. I usually just use the old school hand masher, which works fine, but this cool tool is amazing!
This one came from Lee Valley, but you can get them at most kitchen stores.

Just fill the hopper with some cooked potatoes.

Then flip the little pusher dealy over top of the taters.

Press the handle and look at that! It is like a play dough fun factory!

Once you are all done you end up with a pile of perfectly smooth smashed potatoes. Stir in some butter and cream or buttermilk, salt and pepper and there you have it.

A big bowl of light fluffy mashed potatoes, no lumps, they aren't gluey. 
Mashed potato perfection!

Excuse me while I curl up on the couch and eat this giant bowl of buttery mashed potatoes. Like I need more carbs after the last couple of days, oh well!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Jen
 

Merry Christmas

I saw this the other day and thought to myself how true it is...

I want to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a wonderful day full of family, friends, laughter and of course heaps of tasty food!

 
 Jen
 

Nuts and Bolts

If you have friends or family coming over for Christmas, or even if you don’t I suggest you whip up a batch of these classic nuts and bolts.

We used to have them around the holidays often when we were kids.

My sister made a batch the other day and sent me a picture of them, so I immediately had to go buy the stuff to make a batch!

They are totally addictive!

What you need,

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4 cups Shreddies cereal

4 cups Cheerios cereal (I used multigrain)

4 cups pretzels (I used rolled gold sticks)

2 cups mixed nuts (I used peanuts and cashews)

1 180g bag of cheese flavoured gold fish crackers

1 cup butter, melted

1 ½ tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. seasoning salt

½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

2 tsp. sriracha sauce (or you could use Tabasco, to taste)

In a very large bowl, I actually used my turkey roasting pan, combine the Shreddies, Cheerios, pretzels, nuts and gold fish crackers.

Melt the butter; I did mine in the microwave. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, garlic and onion powder, seasoning salt, pepper and hot sauce.

Pour the butter mixture over the cereal mixture and toss really well to coat.

Divide the mixture between 2 large baking sheets and cook in the oven at 300 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until brown and crisp.

I suggest stirring the mixture around on the pans every 10 minutes, then rotating the pans every 20. That way everything cooks up evenly.

Store in an airtight container for a week, if it lasts that long!

This classic snack is so awesome! It looks like a lot at first but once you make your guests one of these Cranberry Sparklers and they get snacking, it will disappear in no time!

Enjoy!

Jen

Favourite Things Friday Vol. 58 - Cookie Butter Puppy Chow

It is almost Christmas… I don’t know why every year I am surprised at how fast it comes, but I am.

Only 5 more sleeps, CRAZY!

My favourite Christmas treat is Puppy Chow. The stuff is super addictive.

I have seen a million variations of the classic peanut butter version on Pinterest so I decided to give one a try.

Since you can’t go wrong with Cookie Butter I went with that!

What you need

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(This makes ½ of a regular batch)

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup cookie butter

2½ tbsp. butter

½ tsp. vanilla

2 cup crispix cereal

2 cups icing sugar

In a pot over medium heat combine the chocolate chips, cookie butter and butter. Stir until it has all melted together. Stir in the vanilla.

Pour the mixture over the cereal and gently stir to coat.

Put the icing sugar into a large zip top bag, carefully spoon the coated cereal into the bag and give it a good shake!

Be sure to roll it all around and coat all the pieces in sugar.

Line your counter or table with wax paper. Pour out the sugar coated cereal onto the wax paper and spread it out. Let it cool completely.

Store the puppy chow in an airtight container for 2 hours. It will keep for weeks but it won’t last more than a couple weeks, cause it is AWESOME!

Mix up a batch it only takes a few minutes and it will be a crowd pleaser!

Merry Christmas!

Jen

Honey Cashew Chicken

Stir fries are a great weeknight meal. You can use up veggies you have in the fridge; you can use any meat you might have. The sauce combinations are endless. I love me a good stir fry!

This Honey Cashew Chicken stir fry is crunchy and sweet with a hint of spice plus it is full of healthy veggies!

What you need,

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1 cup rice

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes

2 tbsp. cornstarch

½ tsp. each salt and pepper

1 tbsp. canola oil

1 tsp. sesame oil

2 cup broccoli florets

1 cup frozen edamame, shelled

1 red pepper, sliced

1 small onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup roasted cashews

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

6 tbsp. honey

4 tbsp. soy sauce

1-2 tbsp. Sriracha sauce

Start by cooking the rice according to package directions. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Combine the chicken, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat.

Heat the canola and sesame oils in a large pan over medium high heat.

Add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes until brown and crisp.

Add the broccoli, edamame, red pepper, onion and garlic. Cook for another 4-5 minutes until the veggies are tender and the chicken is cooked through.

Stir in the cashews.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, soy sauce and Sriracha sauce.

Pour the sauce over the stir fry and cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.

If needed you can make a little slurry of 2 tablespoons of water and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, add it to the mixture to help thicken it.

Serve the stir fry over the rice.

I like lots of sauce so I doubled the original recipe. If you don’t want it as saucy just divide it in half.

I love a good stir fry. This one was great, lots of flavour and nice crisp veggies!

Dinner perfection!

Jen

Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine

Eggnog Cranberry Muffins

Are you wondering what to make for Christmas morning breakfast??

I have the answer for you, these Eggnog Cranberry Muffins!

They are tender and moist and taste like Christmas YUM!

What you need,

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6 tbsp. butter, melted

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup eggnog

½ tsp. vanilla

1 1/8 cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¾ cup fresh cranberries, chopped

For the topping,

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tbsp. butter, at room temperature

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin cup with festive holiday paper liners.

In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar until well mixed.

Add the egg, eggnog and vanilla and stir to combine.

Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix until just combined, don’t over mix.

Gently fold in the cranberries.

To make the topping, combine the flour, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and butter in a small bowl. Using a fork combine the mixture until it resembles fluffy crumbs.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Sprinkle on the topping.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or they freeze well too.

These lovely little muffins are delicious! Even if you don’t make them for Christmas morning they would make a great breakfast any day of the month!

Enjoy!

Jen

Recipe adapted from Lick the Bowl Good