Christmas Fruitcake

Fruitcake.  You either love it or you hate it.  

While fruitcake is often the dreaded Christmas gift and the butt of bad jokes, I think this recipe might change the perspective of fruitcake haters!  This fruitcake is not baked so you don't have to worry about burning anything.   It looks difficult, but is really easy to make.  Ingredients are typically easy to find with all the holiday baking goodies at the local grocery.

Holiday time often triggers childhood memories.   This year it was the memory of making fruitcake with mom at the kitchen table in this huge pan.  It was a treat because it requires a lot of ingredients that are seasonal, such as candied fruit and combined with nuts, dates, raisins, etc. it becomes quite expensive to make.  Growing up, we had this for many years and the first year we didn't have it, I remember mom saying that the ingredients cost too much. 

This week I set out on a mission to find my mother's fruitcake recipe and recreate some memories.  This fruitcake doesn't contain any spirits nor is it baked, but rather made with a prebaked spice cake that gets crumbled up and mixed with all sort of goodies and packed into a 9x13 pan.  I was able to get all the ingredients at my local Walmart with the exception of candied red cherries.  I called and visited multiple stores in a two county area and no one had them!  Well, I was not about to have my plans derailed!  I bought some maraschino cherries and made the candied red cherries myself!

I learned that the recipe mom used is a Betty Crocker Recipe that originated in 1957 and was called Mystery Fruitcake.  I took a few liberties with the recipe, making some modifications to the quantity of some of the ingredients to avoid waste.  I also added a container of candied pineapple as well.

Give this recipe a try and create some new memories and start a new tradition!

Low Carb Cinnamon Bourbon Pecan Ice Cream

I've been on a roll making ice cream as summer time rapidly approaches.  After making the Mint Chip, I barely had it in the freezer before I was dreaming up the next  flavor combination. 

My thoughts really went down the path of Fireball with toasted pecans, but Fireball has too much sugar for low carb, so I went with straight bourbon and added a healthy dose of cinnamon to it. Bourbon will help reduce the iciness of the finished product and adds just a little flavor.   Be sure to toast the pecans, it adds a flavor depth to the ice cream.

I already have the next batch in mind but that will need to wait until I reduce the quantity of low carb ice creams I have in the freezer right now!  In the meantime, enjoy this one!

I would be remiss to not credit Carolyn Ketchum at All Day I Dream About Food for her recipe which inspired the base for my ice creams.  She's probably has no clue as to the monster she's created!  

Pecan Shortbread Cookies

These are nice light crispy cookies.  I'd put these up against anything made by little elves in a tree!

Cinnamon Sugared Pecans

I can't remember a Christmas that I didn't make these.  I have such a hard time staying out of them; the sweet crunch is like a magnet, pulling me to the bowl every time I'm in the kitchen!

I don't have a story or specific memory to go along with this recipe, they have simply been a part of my Christmas baking for a long time.  They have been enjoyed by many and the recipe has been shared numerous times.  They are great to take to work for a holiday celebration.  They would also make a great hostess gift for all of those holiday gatherings.  And let's not forget our co-workers or employees, they will appreciate your thoughtfulness!

As I mentioned in my earlier post for Sugar Cookies, this recipe is perfect for using those leftover egg  whites you have after you make cookies!  

I get the 2 pound bags of pecans from Costco, if you want to make a smaller quantity, just divide the recipe in half and you'll be all set.  Trust me though, with all the nibbling and gifting, you'll need to make all 2 pounds!  

Have a Holly Jolly and Nutty Christmas!

Crusty Fish Fillets

I learned about this recipe a couple of years ago and it has been one of my go-to recipes when I have fresh fish to prepare since that time.

Most recently, I had Tilapia and it works great.

Wheat Germ is readily available in the supermarket.  I had to buy some the first time I made this because it wasn't something I had stocked in my pantry.  I would recommend that when you toast it in the oven, watch it very closely so it doesn't burn.  I've had to toss burned wheat germ and start over on occasion when I was busy and wasn't paying close attention.  Another tip is once you open the wheat germ, keep it in the refrigerator.  It will get funky after a while, so avoid that and extend the shelf life by putting it in the fridge.

Crusty Fish Fillets

Ingredients:

4 4-oz. fillets, such as catfish or flounder or Tilapia
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
2 Tablespoons finely chopped pecans
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teeaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Toast the wheat germ in a foil lined pan in the oven, watching closely to avoid burning.
3. In a pie pan, combine all ingredients except the fish.
4. Dredge the fish fillets in the mixture.
5. Bake on a lightly oiled baking sheet for 15 minutes or until opaque in the center.
6. Serve with lemon wedges.

I flip the fish over after 10 minutes.

Toasted Wheat Germ and Spices

Ready for Baking

Hot from the Oven

Steamed Broccoli

Here is my quick and easy way to steam broccoli. 

I cut up the amount I want to eat.  Wrap it in a paper towel.  Run it under the cold water and wet the toweling.  Place it on a plate and microwave in high for 2 minutes.

Remove it from the microwave, tear it open (be careful because you can get burned from the steam), remove the toweling, season and serve.  You retain all the lovely nutrients , beautiful color and have absolutely no mess to clean up!

Enjoy!

Salad Dressing

The local grocery stores provide daily e-mails with recipes and this is one courtesy of Price Chopper.  This dressing is so easy.  You can whip it up in no time and it will be fresh and not have preservatives.  I used my smoothie blender and it worked perfectly, but you can use a full sized blender or a food processor.




Salad Dressing
Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons White Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Place all ingredients into the blender or food processor; blend until smooth and pink in color. Store in the refrigerator. Ingredients will separate during storage, just give it a vigorous shake and it will mix up nicely.


I used this dressing on a salad I made with the following ingredients:

Chopped Romaine
Sliced radishes
Sliced red onion
Sweet cherries, pitted and halved
Toasted pecan halves
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Mix together and drizzle with the dressing above and enjoy as a nice side salad, or make a big plateful for lunch or dinner.

Rolo Delights

A bag of these delightful sweet treats are on the way to my brother who is serving in the Army half way around the world.  I found this recipe in the local newspaper last year.  It was around holiday time.  I made them and they were a huge hit.  Watch for Rolos on sale and keep them on hand for this quick and easy treat. 

The most time consuming part of fixing these delightful treats is unwrapping the Rolos.  So grab the kids or grandkids to help you, but be prepared for a few to be eaten in the process!

If you are making up a couple of bags of Rolos into these, you may want to unwrap them the evening before and just store them until you are ready to use them.

This recipe makes about 50.  Be prepared, they won't last long!






Rolo Delights

Ingredients:

1 bag Rolo candies
Small Pretzel Twists
Pecan Halves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 
2. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. Place pretzels in a single layer on the baking sheet.
4. Place 1 unwrapped Rolo on top of each pretzel.
5. Sort through your pecans and find enough nice halves to place on top of the candies and set them aside.
6. When you have your pecans ready, Put the cookie sheet with the Rolo topped pretzels into the oven.
7. After 3 minutes check the candies to see if they have started to melt and are squishy. It doesn't take long and you don't want them to melt completely down.
8. When they are soft, remove them from the oven and push a pecan half into the top of each Rolo.

Set aside to cool then watch them disappear!