It was always the elegant “signature dish” reserved for special occasions like weddings or a New Year’s Eve celebration. Beef or Salmon Wellington with its beautiful puff pastry encasement was truly the fine dining darling of the 1960’s.
But take away the fête factor, and you have a fabulous weeknight or Sunday supper that turns a fresh piece of salmon into something really wonderful–especially if you give it a quick grill before enrobing it with dough. This recipe also included the ingredients for a classic Duxelles–that magical blend of butter, garlic, shallot and finely chopped mushrooms. That’s the second layer of deliciousness. The third is a layer of fresh, tender baby spinach. Slice through the layers of delicate puff pastry and enjoy the show!
sour cream
Swig Sugar Cookies
If you don’t want another cookie addiction, then maybe you’ll want to bypass this week’s column. If, however, you want to jump on America’s latest cookie craze, then you’ve come to the right place! Swig cookies, with their scrumptious pink frosting and craggy edges, are somewhere between a soft sugar cookie and shortbread, and they have certainly won our hearts! (To date, there are about 41 million search results for Swig Cookies on Pinterest. I’d say we are obsessed with these sweet treats!) The Swig cookie originated in Saint George, Utah in 2010 at the Swig Drive-by Drink Shop. Known for their signature frosty drinks and sweets, Swig has now expanded to multiple locations in Utah and several other states. The minute I heard about them I employed “The Niece Factor.” That’s when I make a big batch of cookies and drive them over to my nieces and wait for their response. With these Swig Cookies I got a text about 20 minutes later (before I even got home!) that the entire batch has been devoured. That’s good enough for me! I think you’re going to like these cookies. They’re fun to make and may even be worthy of a spot on your holiday cookie exchange platter this year.
Stocking Cookies
What makes this the most wonderful time of the year? Well, besides, glad tidings, family and the holiday spirit, it’s gotta be Christmas Cookies! Nothing puts a smile on faces like a big platter of goodies decked out and adorned with glitter and glaze! These tri-colored cookies are among my very favorite to bake up, decorate and give as gifts for the holidays. Why do I love these cookies so much? First of all, this basic stocking cookie recipe is just right. With its combination of butter and shortening, you get the great flavor of butter and the shortening makes the cookies soft but still great for decorating. Second, they are so colorful, and that color is achieved in such an easy way! All you do is make one batch of batter and color two parts with green and red! Now you have a pre-decorated cookie that just gets a glaze and a tiny bit of decorating sugar. No fuss. No muss. Just gorgeous and scrumptious cookies that are fa-la-la-la lovely to eat and to share!
Watch my How To Video for Christmas Cookies here!
Stocking Cookies
Million Dollar Pasta Bake
Buffalo Cheddar Chile Dip
You love jalapeno poppers. You love great Mexican dips. Now you can have them both with this cheesy, slightly spicy dish that gives you no choice but to dive in and indulge! The Buffalo Cheddar Chile Dip is so simple to whip up, bake up and gobble up for those game day watch parties or for any get-together. It’s also one of those recipes that you can adapt, adjust and add to for more kick. This dip combines crispy bacon bits, shredded grilled or rotisserie chicken and several cheeses. When creating this recipe, I came across Alouette Spicy Jalapeno Spread in the deli section of the grocery store and decided to add it to the shredded cheddar and jack cheeses as well as the cream cheese. It’s optional, but it does add a spicy yet creamy texture. If you want the dip to have more heat, just add more diced jalapeños or green chiles. Love bacon? Just add more. I baked this dip in a cast iron skillet and served it right from the pan with lots of corn tortilla chips and some homemade flour tortilla chips. It can also be served with crustini, crackers or cut vegetables. This Buffalo Cheddar Chile Dip is worth the deep dive into deliciousness!
Watch my How To Video for Buffalo Cheddar Chile Dip here!
