Category Archives: Recipes

How to Cook Holiday Dinner Easily

You can have a great Holiday dinner without stress or tiring yourself out! The holidays are about being with family and friends. Living in your kitchen cooking for the holidays can be a downer when you cannot enjoy your company. You can enjoy the holidays!

Holiday Dinner

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things You’ll Need:
Oven cooking bags
Aluminum foil
Turkey and/or ham
Vegetables
Desserts

Step 1
The key is preparation!

Step 2
Prepare your shopping list.
Complete your shopping a week in advance.

Step 3

One to two days in advance:
Make the desserts at least a day or two in advance.
Make certain your turkey or ham are thawed.
Prepare your tea or other drinks and refrigerate.

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Step 4
One day or one night in advance:
Prepare the turkey or ham. Take note of the number of pounds the meat weighs. Prepare oven cooking bags according to directions the cooking bag box. Insert the meat into the cooking bag and any seasonings, seal, slight top of bag, and place onto a baking pan according to the cooking bag directions. Place the pan with the bagged turkey into the refrigerator.

Step 5
The night before your holiday dinner, set you dining table with your china, crystal, napkins, and silverware. Yes, the night before!! This eliminates a lot of stress on the holiday.

Step 6
The night before is a good time to cook any vegetables and store in refrigerator in oven-going bake ware. You can insert the bake ware with the vegetables into the oven while cooking the meats on the day of the dinner.

Step 7
The Holiday! Insert the prepared meat into the oven as per the cooking instructions on the cooking bag box. EXAMPLE: If your dinner is at 5:00pm and it takes 3 hours to cook the meat, place the meat into the oven at 1:30 pm. I always find it a good idea to allow more time before the dinner actually begins just in case the meat is not completely cooked or you need to carve the meat before the dinner.

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Step 8
While the meat is cooking, place the baking dish holding the vegetables into the oven. If your vegetable dish needs an hour to cook, place the dish into the oven 1 hour and 15 minutes prior to your dinner. Use this method for all your food as this allows time to remove and arrange the dish on the table before everyone is seated. You may want to cover vegetable dishes with foil or a lid to insure the food will not dry out.

Preparation is the key to a stress less holiday or other celebration dinner. Whatever you can prepare ahead of time will make your day so much easier.

ENJOY!

Subscribers Only Freebies

 

My Buttercream Icing Recipe

 

You will LOVE this icing!! The specific ingredients create a special taste.  You will want to keep a little extra in the refrigerator to eat like candy!!!

Please review the hints below before making the frosting.

  • 2 pounds confectionery sugar
  • 1 cup Crisco
  • 2 Tablespoons solid Blue Bonnet Margarine
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons clear Wilton vanilla flavoring
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons clear McCormick vanilla flavoring
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons clear Happy Home vanilla flavoring
  • 1/8 teaspoon clear Wilton butter flavoring
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup cool water

In a large bowl,  beat on high with an electric mixer Crisco, margarine, salt, flavorings, and 1/3 cup cool water.  Stir in 1 pound of the confectionery sugar.  Beat on high with an electric mixer to cream.  Stir in the other pound of confectionery sugar. If needed add one tablespoon of water at a time to obtain the texture you would like.  Cream on high for about 5 minutes or more until you obtain a fluff, light, whip cream like texture.

Ummm Ummmm Good!!!!!

Hints:

  1. If you do not have access the the specific flavors, just use your favorite vanilla flavoring.
  2. Yes, different confectionery sugars taste and mix differently. I use Dixie Crystal, WalMart brand, and Domino’s.  Domino’s sugar will require less water than the other two sugars.
  3. Use a mixing bowl at least twice as the capacity of your ingredients to prevent icing from flying all over your kitchen.
  4. Stir in the confectioner sugar before beating with an electric mixer to prevent your kitchen and yourself being covered with white powdered sugar!
  5. The longer you beat with the electric mixer, the better the frosting as it gets lighter and fluffier.
  6. Make this frosting up to one week a head of use and store in refrigerator.  This allows the flavors to mellow.
  7. To store this frosting, place into a plastic bag with a tight seal or other container.  The trick for storage is to remove as much of the air out to prevent crusting. If using a container with a lid, place a piece of wax paper of plastic wrap over the icing and gently press to remove the air before sealing with a lid or heavy aluminum foil.

ENJOY!

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To learn more about easy cake decorating, check out my eBook at Smashwords How to Make a Wedding Cake Even if You Can’t Bake. You do not need Kindle or other equipment; you just need to be able to view on the internet!

Decadent Chocolate to Die for Cake and Frosting Recipe

Looking for a Valentine cake or birthday cake for a loved one or friend?  No need for fancy decorations.  Just swirl the frosting with a knife or spoon.  The aroma of this cake and frosting is a chocolate lover’s dream!

Chocolate Frosting To Die For Recipe

1 pound confectionery powder sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons dry cocoa
1 1/2 sticks solid Blue Bonnet Margarine (allow to soften at room temperature)
3/4  teaspoon clear Wilton Vanilla
3/4  teaspoon clear Happy Home Vanilla
3/4  teaspoons clear McCormick Vanilla

Beat soften margarine and vanilla.

Stir in dry cocoa and powder sugar. Beat on high for several minutes. Scrap sides and bottom of the bowl often.  If icing is too thick, add a teaspoon of cool water at a time to obtain the consistency who prefer.  Beat until smooth.

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Chocolate to Die For Cake

My easy recipe for chocolate cake. The combination of the two chocolate flavors plus the specific ingredients completely changes the taste of a box mix cake.  A homemade taste from a box mix.

DOUBLE RECIPE:

1 box Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Cake Mix
1 box Betty Crocker Devils Food or Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
2 sticks solid Blue Bonnet Margarine
2 cups cold or cool water
6 large eggs
2 large egg whites

SINGLE RECIPE:
1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tablespoons Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Cake Mix
1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tablespoons Betty Crocker Devils Food or Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
1 stick solid Blue Bonnet Margarine
1 cup cold or cool water

3 large eggs
1 large egg whites

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the solid margarine into a microwavable container. Microwave on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from microwave and add the cold water.  Allow mixture to set until cool to the touch or at least lukewarm temperature. You can place the mixture into the freezer to 30 seconds or more to cool quicker.

DO NOT USE HOT WATER AND MARGARINE as this can create problems with your cake.

Add the 2 different flavors of Betty Crocker Cake mixes into a large bowl.

Add the cooled melted margarine and water to the cake mixes.

Stir the ingredients to blend the all the dry cake mix with the liquid.

Beat on high with an electrical mixer for 2 minutes scrapping sides and bottom of bowl.

Add the eggs to the mixture.

Beat on high an additional 2 minutes scrapping sides and bottom of bowl.

Pour mixture into prepared cake pans.

Bake at 350 degrees according to the time on the cake mix boxes.

A couple of ways to check the cake for completion of baking is to insert a toothpick or sharp knife into the center of the cake and remove. If no wet cake batter is on the toothpick or knife, the cake is done. Another way it to gently press the top of the cake with your fingers. If the cake springs back, it is ready to remove from the oven.

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