Holiday Food

We ate well over the holidays, no doubt about that. We even added a few new recipes to our traditional fare, so I should probably make note of our favorites (and have at least one post for December--oops). There will be more nutritious and veggie-tale-like recipes to come in the new year, but for now, enjoy!

Favorite New Dip:
An elder from my mission posted this recipe on his food blog (see, men can cook! even elders can cook! who knew?) I'm glad he did because it was such a fun, festive dip to bring to the Farnsworth Family Christmas Party--and we all know the Farnsworth family is a tough crowd when it comes to traditional festive food. But it passed and was invited back for next year.

Cranberry Salsa
12 oz. bag fresh cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 med jalapeno
2 Tbsp cilantro
1 tsp cumin
2 green onions
cream cheese

Blend all of the ingredients, except the cream cheese, in a food processor. Pour the salsa over the cream cheese and serve with tortilla chips.
(Chef Cluzey made a note that he whipped up the cream cheese with a little salsa to make it easier to eat, and I did the same--it made the cream cheese a delightful dark fuchsia color.)


Favorite New Cookies:
Both of these recipes are from the December/January issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. I thought these were both unique and festive. We thought the coconut cookies tasted just like mango sticky rice at our favorite Thai restaurant--it was a bit trippy. We loved them, but I recognize you have to be a coconut lover to appreciate them. We added some the jeweled cookies to our plate for Santa this year and apparently he looooved them and found his way into the pantry to eat a few more :)

Coconut Snowball Cookies
3 large egg whites
1 pinch salt
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 cups crispy rice cereal
1/4 cup corn starch

1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 200°. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the egg whites and salt on medium speed until thick and foamy. Sprinkle in the confectioners' sugar and, once incorporated, beat at high speed until firm and glossy, about 5 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, toss together the coconut, rice cereal and cornstarch. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold into the egg mixture until combined.
3. Drop rounded teaspoons of the mixture about 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake until firm and dry to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool completely.


Jeweled Lace Cookies
(my mom thought they looked like something we set out to feed Santa's reindeer, which I'm not going to argue with because we all know reindeer like oats, cranberries and pistachios :) But humans, and Santas, liked them too)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup flour
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup shelled pistachios, chopped

1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325°. Grease 2 cookie sheets. In a medium saucepan, stir together the brown sugar, corn syrup and butter over medium heat until smooth and bubbling, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a bowl, whisk together the oats, flour and salt; stir into the pot, then stir in the cranberries and pistachios.
2. Drop rounded teaspoons of the mixture about 3 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake until bubbly and a shade darker, 9 to 10 minutes. Let cool for 1 minute before quickly transferring each cookie to a rack using a thin metal spatula; let cool completely.

Favorite Christmas Day Dinner:
Our big traditional holiday dinner is on Christmas Eve at my parents' house. Christmas Day we have the traditional brunch at my in-laws, and by the time Christmas Day dinner comes around we're usually stuffed with sweets and worn out. So Heather's award-winning White Chili w/ Tomato Garnish just might have become our new traditional dinner for Christmas Day since is was easy, nutritious, and festive--white, red & green.

White Chili w/ Tomato Garnish
3 cans (1 lb dry) white navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 onion, chopped
8 c chicken broth
2-3 large chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 large (7 oz) can diced green chiles
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
4 tsp cumin
1 ½ tsp cayenne pepper (I used about 1/2 tsp and that was plenty for the kiddos)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c sour cream
3 c Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

In a large pot, slightly sauté onions to make them tender. Add beans and broth. Cook until onions and beans are tender. Add chicken, chiles and seasonings; continue to simmer until the sauce is thickened. (Approximately 30 min- 1 hour). Take the pot off the heat and add the sour cream and cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Serve with tomato garnish.

Tomato Garnish
tomatoes, chopped
cilantro, chopped
sweet and sour dressing

Sweet and Sour Dressing
½ c sugar
¼ c cider vinegar
juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp dried onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/3 c vegetable oil
2 tsp celery seed (optional)

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and vinegar and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. In a dressing container, combine lemon juice and seasonings. Add vinegar mixture and then add oil. Shake to combine. Dressing will keep up to a week in the refrigerator. Add only enough to coat the tomatoes and cilantro.