Scrabble Squares

My mom has made these every Christmas for as long as I can remember. I'm not a huge sweets person - I would much rather have a bag of chips over a slice of pie. But...I love these because they're sweet AND salty.

Ingredients:

1 (12oz) pkg chocolate chips

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 c. Minature marshmallows

2 c. Coarsely broken pretzels

Melt chocolate chips and veg oil over hot, not boiling water. Remove.

Combine marshmallows and pretzels in a bowl. Add chocolate mixture and fold carefully to blend.

Spread evenly in foil-lined 11 x 7 1/2" or 9" sq. pan. Chill until firm.

To serve, let stand at room temperature a few minutes. Remove from pan and cut into squares.

Store in refrigerator.

Makes 35-40 pieces.

Pretzels with a Twist

This year for my co-workers, I decided to do something a little different than my traditional baked good. I stole this idea from the Foodnetwork. You can really do these any which way you like, for any holiday, any time of year.

What you will need:
45-60 Pretzel Sticks (I went through 4 bags of Snydes of Hanover pretzels – ratio of non-broken sticks is about 80%)
1 cup chopped dark chocolate (I use bakers dark chocolate that comes in a bar)
1 cup chopped milk chocolate (same as above)
1 cup chopped white chocolate (same as very above)
* You can really use any type of chocolate you like.

Parchment or wax paper

Sprinkles (your favorite type or color – I used red)
1 cup Finely Chopped peppermint
1 cup Finely Chopped nuts (any kind you like)
1 cup Finely Chopped Skor Bar

Your favorite ribbon and packaging

What to do:
Melt chocolate (one kind at a time) in a double boiler. If you do not have a double boiler, you can make a make-shift version with a sauce pan full of boiling water and glass bowl fit to the sauce pan, which you will set on top (bottom of bowl just touching boiling water). Slowly melt the chocolate until smooth. Dip pretzel sticks carefully into the chocolate and coat about half the stick; shake off lightly for an even coat. You can then add sprinkles or coat in candy, peppermint or nuts. Set on parchment paper to set.

Note: White chocolate takes longer to set, so you may have to put these in the refrigerator if you are on a time line.

Repeat the above 45-60 times (allow at least 2 hours to do this).

Once set, put a few of each kind into your favorite packaging, tie a bow and tada! I gave these to my co-workers and also used them as hostess gifts.

Creamy Butternut Squash Bisque

Instead of the usual Thanksgiving at Aunt Sheila's where spicy stuffing, Black and Tans and rounds of Liar's Poker are a plenty, Kevin and I headed south to DC to meet up with friends and family for the holiday.

We made reservations for dinner at a great little place in Georgetown called Clyde's and the 8 of us, including two doctors, one nurse, a Naval officer and Capitol policeman had one great, filling meal complete with turkey, potatoes and the works!

McCarthy, who isn't afraid to try anything, (or 3 of everything) ordered the butternut squash bisque with duck confit and Marge and I had to have a bite. It was TDF so we ordered a cup to share, (sans duck). And so, here is the recipe I used in attempt to re-create one of the best tasting things of all time. Clyde's has me beat, but it's definitely up there!!

Servings: 4

2 pounds of butternut squash ( Use 2 halves that were pre-peeled, much easier)
1/3 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground peppercorns (or ground pepper, either one will work)
2/3 tablespoons EVOO
1/2 of a large sweet onion (Walla Walla and Vidalia are in season)
2/3 of a shallot
1 whole garlic head (*roasted and chopped)
2/3 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz. can) drained
2 2/3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 2/3 cups vegetable broth (plus some


Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush the squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven until browned and fork tender (about 35-45 minutes) . Mash into smallish pieces, set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and shallot and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the tomatoes and sherry. Boil until almost all liquid evaporates.

Add the squash and stir in 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer to heat and incorporate the flavors, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Pureé the soup with a food processor until very smooth. Stir in cream. Bring soup to a simmer, uncovered, and cook until thickened. If the soup is too thick, add vegetable stock. Serve in a soup bowl and, if desired, garnish with a piece fresh thyme.

*Roasted Garlic Tip - I found it easiest to peel all of the garlic pieces, put them in a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle EVOO and salt and pepper over them. Close up the top of the foil (sort of in the shape of a hershey's kiss) and roast for 15-20 minutes with squash, then chop when finished.

Date & Goat Cheese Treats

My mom was in town a couple of weeks ago and we went to dinner at this amazing Tapas restaurant Minotaur in Playa Del Rey. We tried the most amazing appetizer, and my mom concluded that this would be an easy recipe to duplicate at home.

Ingredients:

• Pitted Dates
• Goat Cheese
• Fresh Raspberries
• Creme De Coco (found in the drink mixers section of your grocery store)
• Balsamic Vinegar

First you need to reduce the balsamic vinegar in a sauce pan on low heat. While that is simmering down, cut the dates & raspberries in half and set aside. Take the Creme De Coco and squeeze it onto your place in a spiral design. Take the cooled down, reduced balsamic vinegar and spoon it over the Creme De Coco in a similar design. Take a toothpick and drag it through the mixture in a couple straight lines to mix the two together and for appearance.

Next, take the date halves and stuff each one with some goat cheese and set on top of the Creme De Coco/Balsamic mixture. Once you have finished stuffing your dates, lightly place a raspberry half on top and *viola* you will have an appetizers or dessert that your guests will be coming back for again and again!

A side-dish to Warm Your Tummy

1 Acorn Squash, halved
2 pats of butter
2 teaspoons of honey or maple syrup - I used maple syrup
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
Salt & pepper

Pre heat oven to 375 - 400 degrees F

Scoop the seeds out of each half with a spoon
Add 1 pat of butter, 1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, salt and pepper to the hollow scoop of each half.
Place upright on a greased cookie sheet and roast for about 1 hour or until tender when flesh is poked with a fork.

This is a delicious, quick and easy side dish that is great anytime of the year.

Ricotta and Ham Calzone

I made this for Rich the other night and received 2 thumbs up. We can't wait to make more calzones with different fillings. The recipe calls for you to make the dough from scratch but I bought pre-made pizza dough and it worked fine. If you'd like the recipe for the dough, just let me know.


1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1/3 pound prosciutto cotto or ham, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 eggs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil for the crust

Preheat oven to 400 degress.

Prepare the bread dough as directed, cutting dough into two pieces.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, prosciutto, mozzarella, 1 egg, and pecorino. Using a wooden spoon, stir the filling until well combined. Set side.

Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into 2 rounds.

Spoon the filling onto the center of the dough round. Using your fingers, dab a little extra-virgin olive oil all around the edge of the dough. Fold each round over itself to make a half-moon shape. Using your fingers, crimp the edges, sealing the calzone.

In a small bowl use a fork to beat the remaining 1 egg. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, dab the top of the calzone with the egg mixture, which will help the top turn a beautiful golden brown.

Place in the oven and cook until the dough is cooked through and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cut into 4 pieces and serve immediately.