December Catch-up Post

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!!  Recently I've been cooking and baking, but not posting.  So, here is my catch up post, although it is a little hard to remember what all I've made....

First (I think) was CEIMB Curried Butternut Squash Soup.  I don't really love curry, but I LOVED this soup.  It was my first time to use butternut squash and I didn't know it's like a pumpkin inside.

This soup was very easy to make until the puree part.  I don't have an emulsion blender, so I used my normal blender.  When I started blending, the lid (which I was holding onto the base) flew off and the VERY hot liquid exploded everywhere, including on my wrists.  

Even though I probably wouldn't serve this as a main course soup, I really think I will make it many times.

Next was TWD Buttery Jam cookies.  I really liked these cookies.  I ran out of sugar and had to use mostly brown sugar, which my friend Julie liked even better than cookies made with all white sugar per the recipe.   I used raspberry preserves.

I did not make Real Butterscotch pudding, but I hope to make it soon.

Next is CEIMB triple chocolate cookies.  Brandon and I really liked these, but I thought they were best right out of the oven, unlike the buttery jam cookies, which I thought were better the next day.

I've already made the tall and creamy cheesecake and will post on Tuesday.  I am making cherry chocolate biscotti today. 

CEIMB Cornmeal-Crusted Roasted Ratatouille Tart

This weeks recipe was a ratatouille tart in a cornmeal shall.  This will be a boring post, but I really really loved this recipe and I will make it a lot.  I have already started thinking of other things to put in the delicious shells.  I can't wait to make this with fresh tomatoes!!!  Thanks, Wiivers (super cute name!!), for the great pick.

Grandma's All Occasion Sugar Cookies

This weeks recipe was chosen by Ulrike of Kuchenlatein.  This was my first time to make sugar cookies from scratch.  Even though this is the only picture I have, almost all of the cookies were iced stars.  I took the cookies to an ornament swap.  Anna Pike, I am SO sorry you missed it since you are one of my most loyal readers :-)  We missed you!!

I was scared about the dough because it was so crumbly I could barely form two disks, but these cookies are AMAZING!!!!!  And the dough is a 5 on my friend Cathy's lick-o-meter.  I like desserts as sweet as possible and these are pretty much all sugar.  The icing was great, too!!

Linzer Sables

This week's recipe was chosen by Noskos of Living the Life.  I LOVED these cookies!!  I was intrigued by the fact that the dough has equal parts crushed almonds and flour.  They were very yummy and the ground cloves made then a great Christmas cookie!!

CEIMB- Four Cheese Macaroni

This week's recipe was chosen by Beth at Supplicious.  Short post since I'm still very much enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday with my sweet husband and family.  The secret ingredient in this recipe was pureed squash.  Maybe if I hadn't been the one to cook it, I wouldn't have noticed as much, but all I could taste was squash.  I made Ellie's crabcakes with this and they are AMAZING!!!!!

CEIMB- Oven Fried Chicken

This is my first official post for CEIMB! Last week, I joined this club on Thurday, posting day. Last week's recipe- portabella lasagna roll ups- looked so good that I decided to make them Friday night. The roll ups were AMAZING and will definitely be part of my normal recipe rotation!!

This week's recipe was chosen by MacDuff of Lonely Sidecar. One thing I really love about CEIMB is that as of today, there are only 19 members, so I can really read the host's blog and check everyone's site on post day. MacDuff seems like a really cool person- I love people who can write about running 20 miles and enjoying baked good in the same post!! Personally, I have never run 20 consecutive miles, but I have enjoyed several donuts after 5Ks, 10Ks, and one Half Marathon. :-) Oh, and MacDuff enjoys competitive sailing- I don't know anyone who is a competitive sailor (that I know of).

On to the chicken- My husband, Brandon, went to the grocery store for me and bought all the ingredients, including 6 HUGE chicken breasts. They were the biggest breasts I have ever seen. I am seriously worried about all the hormones I have eaten in my lifetime. In Alabama, we have a program called Grow Alabama where you can have locally grown fresh vegetables, fruits and poultry delivered to your house and I am thinking about doing it mainly for the hormone-free chicken.

I thought the chicken was delicious!!! The next time I make it, I will use tenders- hopefully from locally grown chickens.

One other note- along with the chicken, I also made Ellie's Dirty Broccoli. It was okay- not my favorite broccoli recipe, but I ate it- which doesn't really say alot....

Arborio Rice Pudding

This week Isabelle of Les Gourmandises d' Isa chose Arborio Rice Pudding.  I am running so far behind this week, so I made the pudding Monday night and don't get to eat it until tonight, so I don't know whether I like it, but it was very very easy to make- after I finally found Arborio rice at the FOURTH grocery store.  As you see, I made half vanilla and half chocolate.  I used MILK chocolate.  I know this would probably be a sin to Dorie, but I don't like semi-sweet and I want to try this.  It may be way to sweet, but I thought I'd give it a shot.  

I really hope I do like this pudding since it only has four ingredients and I now own enough Arborio rice to make this recipe 16 more times (per the label).