Italian Green Beans

When I was trying to decide what side dishes to serve with the prime rib I knew I wanted something green, but didn't want the same old green beans.  Lucky for me, I found this Giada de Laurentis recipe and they were absolutely scrumptious!  I know we will be eating them again around here.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 large shallots, thinly diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper


Directions:
Cook the green beans in a large pot of boiling water until just crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.  Drain and rinse well in cold water.  Drain well; set aside.


Melt the butter and oil in a heavy, large skillet over medium heat.  Add the shallots & garlic and saute until tender, about 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.  Add the beans and cook until the juices evaporate and the beans are almost tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the wine and basil.  Simmer 2 minutes longer.  Season w/salt and pepper to taste.

Foolproof Standing Rib Roast

This year was the third year we hosted Christmas Eve at our home and it was the best year yet.  I made a standing rib roast again and used the same Paula Dean recipe I have used every year - it came out pretty perfect, again!  Everyone enjoyed it and we can't wait to eat the leftovers.  I didn't get any great pictures of the rib roast once it was cooked, so table shots will have to do. :)

The rib roast before....

and after...sliced and served on the table.

Find the recipe here.....I did not change anything about the recipe at all except that I used a lot more than one tablespoon of house seasoning.  I did not measure how much I used but I rubbed it all over the roast - all sides, on the bones, everywhere.  :)  The roast had an amazing flavor and the seasoning created a really nice crust on the outside of the meat.  Can't wait until next year to make it again - I feel like it gets better every year.  Also - make sure you do not open the oven, just as the recipe says.  It will be difficult but don't do it!

I served the roast w/a garden salad with homemade ranch & parmesan crisps, garlic mashed potatoes, and a yummy green bean recipe, with creme brulee for dessert.  More recipes coming soon!

Sugar Cookies

I found this sugar cookie recipe on Annie's Eats last year and fell in love with it - trust me when I tell you it makes the perfect sugar cookies.  I think the almond extract plays a big part in that but whatever it is, we love them.  I made cookies for Colin's teachers as part of their Christmas gift and they all really liked them too.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ t. almond extract
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
2 ½ c. sifted flour

Directions:Cream butter. Add powdered sugar. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour. Chill dough until firm. Roll to ¼” thickness on well-floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 min. Cookies should not brown. Frost and decorate when cool. Yields ~25 cookies.

Apple Cranberry Sauce

This was really easy and really good!  I really like the canned cranberry sauce but this stuff is a million times better - make it for the holidays. This recipe is from the RealSimple magazine.

 Ingredients:
1 lb cranberries
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.  Simmer until berries burst and sauce thickens, about 12 - 15 minutes.  Cool a few minutes before serving.

Easy Creamy Corn Casserole

I found this on All Recipes and it was scrumptious!!!  It was really tasty and got great reviews at Thanksgiving from everyone.  It was my first time to make a corn casserole and I definitely will be making it again!  This would be good for a Christmas dinner celebration too.  I made this on Tuesday night, let it cool and then kept it covered until Thursday when I reheated it at 350 for about 20 minutes or so.  Sorry, no picture this time - forgot to take one before we ate it!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 (8.5 oz) pkg dry corn bread mix
1 (15 oz) can corn, drained
1 (14.75 oz) can creamed corn
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease an 8x8 baking dish (of if you double the recipe like I did, put it into a 9x13 dish/cake pan).  In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.  Spoon mixture into prepared dish.  Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven or until the top is golden brown.

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

I saw this recipe on Chef Mommy - it is easy and yummy!  It's also a nice change from chocolate chip cookies and seemed like a good recipe to try for Thanksgiving.  One tip I have for baking (and I am really not a baker) - use parchment paper!  It is cheap and I swear everytime I use it my cookies taste so much better and they never burn, even if I get a little distracted by a certain toddler around here.  Even better?  You can use the same piece of parchment paper to bake the entire batch of dough.  No more burned cookies and a super easy clean up!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (or a silpat mat if you have it).  In a large bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Combine the flour, salt and baking soda; stir into the sugar mixture.  Mix in the white chocolate chips and cranberries.  Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes in the preheated oven.  For best results, take them out while they are still doughy.  Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.


Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

I do not know where I got this recipe but I wish I had written it down so I could give them credit.  It is yummy and that is coming from someone who is not a big pumpkin fan.  I like pumpkin seeds and every now and then I like pumpkin bread but that is about it.  That is, until tonight when I tasted one of these cookies!  I made them to take to Thanksgiving and wish I would have made them earlier in the month.  These will definitely go into the regular rotation next fall.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.  In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by spoonful (dough will be very sticky).  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.


To Make Glaze: Combine 2 cups powdered sugar, 5 tbsp milk, 1 tbsp melted butter, and 1 tsp vanilla. Add more milk as needed to achieve drizzling consistency.

Here they are all packed up and ready for Thanksgiving...have I mentioned I can't wait?!?!