Mincemeat Cookies

I made a batch of my in house taste testers favourite mincemeat tarts for the holidays. I always end up with some mincemeat left over and never know what to do with it.

I remembered seeing this old recipe of my grandma Clarke’s for mincemeat cookies, so I dug it out and whipped up a batch.

They are soft and cakey and full of flavour. Even if you don’t like mincemeat you will love these cookies!

What you need,

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1 cup butter, softened

1½ cup granulated sugar

3 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 1/3 cup mincemeat

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mats.

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time until well incorporated.

Add in the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir until just combined.

Fold in the mincemeat.

Drop by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, just until the edges are browned the centre is just set, don’t over bake.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for a week or you can freeze them between wax paper for up to a month.

These cookies just taste like Christmas.

They aren’t much to look at but they sure are tasty‼

Jen

Recipe from my Grandma Clarke

Favourite Things Friday Vol 57 – Scentsicles

I miss having a real tree. Living in an apartment means I have to have an artificial tree. 

The thing I miss most about a real tree is the smell! There is nothing better than that fresh tree smell!

 

I found these super cool tree decorations called Scentsicles!

They are little sticks that you hang on your tree that smell like real tree.

There are a few different scents, I chose White Winter Fir. I found mine at home Depot but they sell them in a lot of places.

Here is a link I found. http://www.scentsicles.com/

They blend right in with the tree but they smell amazing!

It isn’t quite the same as a real tree but it is gosh darn close.

Hope you all have a great weekend! Only 18 more shopping days left!

Jen

Lasagna Soup

I love lasagna but making it on a weeknight is just not going to happen, it just takes too long.

When I saw this recipe for lasagna soup I decided to give it a try.

It was great! Tasted just like lasagna but it took a fraction of the time

What you need,

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10 lasagna noodles broken into pieces

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

½ lb. Italian sausage, sweet or hot, casing removed

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 tbsp. tomato paste

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 15oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 cup water

½ cup fresh basil, chopped

½ cup Parmesan cheese

¼ cup heavy cream

1 cup ricotta cheese

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Start by combining the ricotta cheese, Parmesan, basil and salt and pepper in a small bowl. This is the cheesy topping for the soup, so just stash it in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. When they are cooked, drain and set aside. Drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together.

In a large Dutch oven heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until they start to soften.

Add in the sausage, garlic and oregano and cook for 5-6 minutes until the sausage is browned and cooked through. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring until it has darkened in color.

Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Cover and bring to a simmer. Uncover and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in the noodles, basil, Parmesan cheese and cream. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a dollop of the ricotta cheese mixture and a side salad and you have a perfect dinner.

I really enjoyed this soup, it was warm and filling and easy!

My in house taste tester didn’t think there was enough meat in it, so you could easily add ½ lb. of ground beef or more sausage if you wanted. He thought tiny meatballs would be good. So maybe next time I will try that!

Enjoy!

Jen

Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine

Sugar Cookie Bars

I can’t believe it is already time for Christmas baking, time just seems to go faster and faster every single year.

I usually make these sugar cookies every year, I love them!

This year I didn’t feel like all the rolling and cutting and icing, so I whipped up a batch of these simple sugar cookie bars.

They are AMAZING! Simple and perfect for the holidays!

What you need,

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¾ cup butter, at room temperature

¾ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup icing sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

½ tbsp. lemon zest, optional but totally delish!

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt (I left out the salt because I used salted butter, as usual!)

For the icing,

6 tbsp. butter, at room temperature

2½ cups icing sugar

3 tbsp. milk

¼ tsp. vanilla

Food Coloring

Festive sprinkles for topping

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan with non-stick spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.

Add in the eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Mix in the zest, baking powder and salt.

Slowly add the flour until fully mixed in.

Press the mixture into the prepared pan in an even layer.

Bake for 10-13 minutes. Don’t over bake; the centre will look barely set.

Cool on a rack completely before icing.

To make the icing, combine the butter and icing in a medium bowl.

Add in the milk and vanilla and mix until well combined.

Stir in food coloring if desired.

When the bars are cool spread the icing on and decorate with sprinkles.

Slice bars and store in an airtight container for a week, or freeze between layers of wax paper for month.

These sugar cookie bars are soft and chewy. The icing is to die for!

They are the perfect addition to any Christmas cookie plate!

What are you guys making for the holidays?? What are your favourites?

Jen

Recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Kitchen Sink Penne

I had no idea what to make for dinner today, when I started cleaning out the fridges veggie drawer this morning and I found half a bag of spinach, half an onion, a few mushrooms and part of a red pepper. I also had some fresh parsley and one lowly chicken breast.

I figured I could cook some pasta and toss it all together and I would have a perfect dinner!

The great thing about this pasta is you can use whatever veggies you have in the fridge, some kale would be good, or zucchini, how about peas or corn. Anything you have would be great!

What you need,

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2 cups dry penne, cooked according to package directions

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 chicken breast, diced

½ large onion, diced

½ large red pepper, diced

1 ½ cup button mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups baby spinach

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

Start by cooking your pasta according to package directions. Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water.

If you don’t have penne use whatever pasta you have on hand.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook for 5-6 minutes until browned and almost cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Cook the onions in the pan for 1-2 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the red pepper and the mushrooms, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Toss in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

Add in the spinach one cup at a time and cook until wilted. Season the veggies with the oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Add the can of tomatoes with the juice and about ½ cup of the reserved pasta water stir to combine. Stir in the cream.

Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to combine. Use the remaining pasta water to thin the sauce as needed.

Stir in the cheese and parsley.

Let the pasta cook in the sauce for about 5 minutes then serve right away.

That’s it, easy peasy pasta that uses up all those veggies in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Jen