to go on?

This blog has been an ongoing venture for over a year now....I am unsure how many people are following or if there is interest in it going on...so if you are following but not a follower and would like me to keep going with this...leave me a message on this site or on the whatscookingwithsusie page on facebook.  Thanks for your input.

Bacon Artichoke Spinach Dip for the Fondue pot

This will be in the crock pot on our Christmas table this holiday.  Another treat for munching...with pretzel sticks, veggies, crackers, little tortellinis, sausage, and toasted french bread for dipping.  You could just make it hot in a little casserole dish or put it in a small crockpot to stay warm.

1 T. vegetable oil
1 shallot, minced
1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
10 bacon strips, fried and crumbled (or 1 jar real bacon bits)
1 t. lemon zest
2 c. sour cream
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
 1 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
Heat the oil in a skillet and add the garlic and shallot and cook, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat.
Squeeze all the water out of the spinach.  Transfer to a large bowl and add the artichoke hearts, bacon, cooked garlic and shallot, lemon zest, sour cream, salt and pepper.  Mix with a spoon.  Put in saucepan and heat slowly, add Parmesan cheese until melted. OR put in a casserole dish and heat at 300 until warm.  Or heat slowly in a fondue pot.

Bacon Ranch cheese ball

I am making this recipe up for part of our Christmas day spread.  We don't make a big meal, we just put out lots of munchies and graze all day.  Not sure if it is less work but everyone enjoys it!  I did not roll mine in nuts, and it was yummy without.  Just do what you like best!

2 (8 oz each) packages cream cheese (light is fine)
1 (1 oz.) packet dry buttermilk ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
4 green onions, thinly sliced
pecans or almonds, finely chopped for coating

1.  Mix together cream cheese and dry ranch seasoning packet.  Stir until smooth.  Add cheese, onions, olives (if using) and bacon.  Stir until well combined.

2.  Shape into a ball.  Roll in nuts to coat outside.  Fix shape if needed.  (You can make one big or more smaller) Store in refrigerator.

Serve with crackers or chips.

Caramel Corn with Goodies: MOOSE MUNCH

There used to be a Harry and David outlet store nearby.  I loved their MOOSE MUNCH:  caramel popcorn mixed with nuts and chocolate.  Yummy!  I saw this recipe on Cooking Classy..and realized it was almost the same as moose munch. My sweetheart had been expressing a craving for caramel corn so here was a great chance to try the recipe.  It was too easy...make the caramel in the microwave in 4  minutes!   It is also another one of those great treats to make up and give away for the holidays.  So make some up, and if you don't eat it all yourself right away...share with friends!

Fancy Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup un-popped popcorn kernels
• 2 ½ cups mini pretzels, broken into pieces*
• 1 cup lightly salted peanuts or chopped almonds
• ½ cup salted butter
• 1 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
• ½ cup light-corn syrup
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ cup milk chocolate chips
• ½ cup white chocolate chips

Directions

• Pop popcorn kernels in a popcorn popper into a very large bowl. Be sure to remove any un-popped kernels (so no one breaks a tooth). Add in crushed pretzels and peanuts and gently fold mixture together, set aside. In an large microwave safe bowl, melt butter, it should take about 50 seconds. Stir in brown sugar, light corn syrup and salt. Mix well. Microwave mixture for 2 minutes, then stir and immediately return to microwave and cook 2 more minutes. Remove from microwave, add in vanilla and baking soda and stir until frothy, about 10 seconds (don’t be tempted to dip your finger in and taste test, it is HOT). Pour caramel over popcorn mixture and gently stir until evenly coated. Pour caramel coated popcorn mixture onto a parchment or wax paper covered cookie sheet (if you don’t have either paper you could even just butter the cookie sheet).
• Melt milk chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, on 50% power in 30 second intervals stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Pour melted chocolate into a piping bag or ziploc bag and cut the tip off and drizzle melted chocolate over popcorn. Repeat this step with the white chocolate chips.
• Place chocolate covered popcorn in refrigerator until chocolate hardens, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and break popcorn into pieces. Store popcorn in an airtight container.

Nutella Rice Krispie Balls

These look like cake balls..but are way easier to make.  If you have someone who loves Nutella, these would be a great little treat to whip up for a Christmas treat.  It is one of the many messes in my kitchen today..in fact, it looks like a sugar bomb went off in here.    I found this recipe on Erika's Sweet Tooth.

Nutella Rice Krispie Balls

3 cups Rice Krispie cereal
5 oz mini marshmallows
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup Nutella
1 16 oz. bag of chocolate chips for dipping

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the marshmallows, butter, Nutella, and vanilla. Melt in the microwave for about 45 seconds, and mix until completely smooth.
Stir in the rice cereal until well combined.

Form balls of the rice krispie mixture with your hands.  Place rolled balls on a wax paper.
Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring thoroughly between each round, until chocolate is completely smooth.  This usually takes three 30 second trips.  Dip each rice krispie ball in the chocolate.  Place on the waxed paper to harden.  

Greek Wedding Meatball Soup

It is yet another of a series of wet and very blustery days here in the Pacific Northwest.  A great day for soup!  This is a recipe like many others out there, I have adapted it a little to work with what I had available in the house.  It was great served with a fresh loaf of bread ....I made the Easiest Bread ever recipe found on this blog.

Here is the soup recipe:

1# ground turkey or chicken (I used Italian seasoned ground turkey)
1 c. bread crumbs
1 egg
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. basil
1/4 c. feta cheese
Combine all ingredients into meatballs.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Heat 8 c. chicken broth or stock.  Add :
meatballs
1/2 pkg. frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
Bring to a simmer, and add
1 c. orzo

Right before serving, squeeze the juice of 1 lemon and add to broth.

Gingerbread Dog Cookies

Yes, I am one of those people who love my dogs like they are people:  to me they are!  That means at Christmas they have stockings filled with new dog toys.  It also means I may bake up some of these dog treats for them and their friends!  This year we will be taking some of these to my daughter's dogs: Chloe and Maggie.
 Here is a pic of my two best boys:

Aren't they just the cutest? 
Now if you are just crazy about your dogs and want to spoil them this holiday season...here is a dog cookie recipe for you:

1 1/2 c. oat flour (I just took Quaker ground oats and ground them up for the amount needed)
1 1/2 c. brown rice flour (found with gluten free products in the grocery store)
1 t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. cloves
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 c. peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 c. water
Combine all ingredients well.  Roll out on a floured board until 1/4" thick.  Cut with cookie cutters.
Bake at 350 for 22 minutes.

**This recipe came from a little book I picked up at Costco, "Snoopy's Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook."

Melted Snowman cookies

This was one of my most popular posts last year...in the spirit of the season and regifting I thought I would post it again for all of you who didn't catch it the first time around.

These are too cute to not make...I first saw them on Pinterest and had to try them.
If you are not much of a baker you could by the Pillsbury sugar dough in the roll and just slice them-and they will be circles ready to go...or you can buy sugar cookie mixes and roll it out (don't have cutters? Use a glass!) OR you can try this recipe which makes a very sturdy sugar cookie. It made about 16 of the snowmen.

Sugar cookie dough

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 eggs
2 3/4 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt.
Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs...mix well. Add flour, salt and baking soda. Roll out on a floured surface and cut into circles. Bake at 400 for about 8 minutes. Cool.

To decorate:
I bought a tube of black wilton brand gell at Walmart..but you could also use chocolate frosting in the decorator tubes.

For the white frosting I just used canned white frosting from the grocery store.

You will also need marshmallows-the large sized ones.

Frost cookies with the white frosting. Put 6 marshmallows on a plate that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Microwave for 12 seconds. Place marshmallows on cookies for snowman heads. Then pipe on faces, noses, and scarfs..

JUST TOO CUTE:)

Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake

Tonight I am baking a cake for those staff members at work with a December  birthday.  While I love doing this, I have been fighting a nasty cold and even stayed home just to get some rest today.  So I decided to make this recipe..it is easy, uses ingredients I have at home, and will taste great!  Plus it really has a holiday look.

1 chocolate cake mix
1 box chocolate or candy cane instant pudding mix
1 c. chocolate chips
4 eggs
Use whatever amount  of oil and water the cake mix requires on its box recipe
1/2 t. peppermint extract

Beat all ingredients two minutes at medium speed.  Pour into a greased Bundt pan.  Bake for one hour.

Cool and frost with this chocolate glaze:

• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water, combine chocolate chips, butter, and corn syrup. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, then add vanilla.
2. Spread warm glaze over top of cake, letting it drizzle down the sides.
3. Sprinkle the top with crushed candy canes.

Eggnog Pound Cake

Sometimes you just want to make a recipe that is simple and delicious.  This is one of those!  And to make it even better, it has only a few ingredients.  I made one after work tonight because I had a little eggnog leftover in the fridge just looking for a way to be used.  Sweet, simple and oh so good!

1 pkg. pound cake mix
1 1/4 c. eggnog
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. nutmeg

Mix all ingredients on low with a mixer just until combined.  Then beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.  Pour into a greased or buttered loaf pan.  Bake at 350 for one hour.

Slow Cooker Beef Bourgnigon

3# beef stew meat
3 T. flour
1 1/2 c. beef broth
1 1/2 c. red wine
3/4 c. sliced mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 slices bacon, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. tomato paste
hot cooked egg noodles

Put bacon in pan and brown along with garlic, onion, carrots and mushrooms.  Scrape bit from bottom of pan, add wine and broth.  Put stew meat in crockpot with flour.  Add bacon mixture and tomato paste.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Serve over egg noodles.

Nutella Fudge

My husband is a big fan of Nutella, so I am always collecting any recipes I can find using it.  This is a simply made fudge that would be a nice treat for the holidays.  Great to put on a cookie tray as a gift.

• ½ cup salted butter
• ½ cup whole milk or half and half
• 1½ cups light brown sugar
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup Nutella
• 2½ cups – 2¾ cups confectioner’s sugar

Instructions

1. Grease an 8×8 pan. Place the confectioner’s sugar in a mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Melt butter over medium low heat. Add the milk and light brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then boil for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and quickly add the vanilla and Nutella. Stir until the Nutella is melted.
3. Carefully pour the hot Nutella mixture over the confectioner’s sugar and mix quickly until completely combined. Once everything comes together, it will set pretty fast. Pour/scoop the fudge into your greased 8×8 pan. Press the fudge into the pan, if needed. Chill for 2 hours.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Pudding Cookies

It's that holiday time of year...time to be baking up some goodies.  I have my tried and true recipes that I make every year...but being me, I always need to try a few new ones too.  This is a new recipe I found on Pinterest.  I found crushed candy cane sprinkles and used those, instead of crushing my own. I did find the dough to be a bit crumbly and really had to work at making the dough into balls.  I used a glass with a cut design bottom to make the cookies just a little prettier (I flattened the dough balls with the glass.)

2-1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup butter

3/4 cups brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 (3.4 oz) package Candy Cane Pudding Mix

3/4 cup yellow, white or vanilla cake mix

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 package (12 oz) white chocolate chips

1/4 to 1/2 cup crushed candy canes, on top of cookies

Preheat oven to 350. Stir together flour, salt and baking soda and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together. Add in pudding package and cake mix and beat until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add flour mixture slowly until well incorporated. Add in the entire bag of white chocolate chips and mix. Scoop out 1" balls onto a greased baking sheet. Flatten and sprinkle with candy canes before baking. Bake at 350 for 10 - 12 minutes.

 

Fun-Du: Smoked Gouda Fondue with Almonds

Recently I bought a fondue pot on sale at Macy's.  This purchase was inspired by a trip to the Melting Pot restaurant.  I can remember having a fondue pot in the 70's when they were all the rage..but I don't ever remember doing much with it.  Apparently they are back again.  So tonight it is a fondue dinner.  This is a Rachel Raye recipe..she also added bacon to the pot but I left that out.  If you don't have a fondue pot you could heat the sauce up on your stove and serve in a warm serving bowl.

For my dippers I used:
broccoli and cauliflower steamed just until barely cooked
mushrooms
boiled small potatoes
toasted french bread
chicken artichoke sausages, sliced and cooked (she suggests brats or other sausage)

For the cheese sauce: 
3/4 c. white wine
2 t. lemon juice
bring this to a simmer
Mix:

6 oz. Gouda cheese, shredded
and 8 oz. Gruyere cheese shredded
1 heaping T. flour

Add cheese mixture slowly in batches stirring in a figure 8 until melted.
If desired finely chop 2 T. almonds and put on top.