Tobins' Tastes: Christmas

Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

RITZ Crackers Christmas Tree With Goat Cheese & Fig Bites

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HolidayRITZ #CollectiveBias

Have you ever been to a party where you aren't 100% comfortable with the other guests? Like you know them well enough to be at a party with them but maybe not well enough to eat and talk with them at the same time? It's always such a dilemma for me especially when there's good food. Do I make myself a plate and then awkwardly try to eat and hold a conversation at the same time or do I skip the food and socialize without my hands and mouth full? Neither one seems like a perfect answer.

This holiday season I decided to save my guests the tough decisions and make an appetizer that can easily be eaten on the go without the need for making a plate or wielding a cheese knife. These Goat Cheese & Fig Bites are the perfect grab and go snack. They take my favorite cheese and spread combo and sandwich it between two buttery RITZ Crackers for an easy to eat treat that leaves your hands free for saying hello to people you haven't seen since last Christmas.

Not only are they ridiculously good but they are also really simple to make. I was able to grab everything I needed at Walmart including the goat cheese and fig preserves. My store usually has both near the deli but also check jelly aisle for the fig too if your deli doesn't have it. Also be sure to use the ibotta app to earn cash back on your RITZ Crackers too.

What makes these delicious little bites even better is how they can be easily arranged into a Christmas tree to display them for party guests and make them even easy to grab in between conversations. I added a little extra garnish with dried cranberries and grapes but you can skip them all together or just go with whatever you have on hand. I used a cake stand for my display but you could just as easily set it up on a platter or right on your appetizer table. I can't wait to see what other spreads I can try next. I'm thinking cream cheese and pepper jelly or maybe even a whipped feta variety. For now I'll leave you with the 2 step recipe for assembling the goat cheese and fig version.

Goat Cheese & Fig Bites

70 RITZ Crackers
4oz package of goat cheese
1 jar of fig preserves
green grapes and dried cranberries for garnish

1.) Beat together the goat cheese and about 2/3's of the jar of fig preserves using an electric mixer. Let it set up in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.

2.) Spread a teaspoon of the mixture on a cracker and sandwich it with another cracker. Let them harden in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

3.) To assemble the tree start with a circle of crackers (I used seven with one in the middle) and layer in circles as you stack.

4.) Garnish with dried cranberries and sliced green grapes. Serve immediately.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Peppermint Bark Fudge

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, MARS Incorporated. All opinions are mine alone. #BakeInTheFun #CollectiveBias

I love everything about the Christmas season. The decorations, the parties, the time with family and friends, the baking and sharing of treats, the two weeks off from work and so much more. Most of these are things that I think most people look forward to and associate with the holidays but I also have something that I consider my own secret cue that Christmas is on its way - seasonal flavored candies.

I can't help myself. The minute stores start putting out their Christmas Limited Edition flavors I have to buy them all. And not because I'm someone who likes to eat candy straight from the bag (no judgement if that's your thing), but because I can't stop imagining all the holiday treats I am going to bake using flavors like peppermint, gingerbread and white chocolate. My personal favorite- holiday flavored M&M'S®.

I seriously stockpile them. It starts with buying a bag or two of each limited edition flavor or colorway. Then usually a week or two later I swing back to Walmart and grab a couple more bags of my favorites. I have major issues with being worried that I will make an amazing recipe only to want to recreate it later in the month and not be able to find the flavor of M&M'S® I originally used. I may or may not have an entire storage bin in my pantry dedicated to seasonal baking products. While stocking up I am also sure to check out Ibotta (my favorite cash back app ever) and take advantage of the holiday baking rebates they have right now.

What I purchase varies from year to year but every year I make sure to always stock up on my two favorites- M&M’S® Brand White Peppermint (Limited Edition) Candies and M&M’S® Brand Minis Milk Chocolate Baking Bits in the red and green colorway. I bake a ton over the holidays. Between parties, family get togethers, my own annual Christmas party and gifts and treats for coworkers and friends I may make my favorite recipes 3-4 times in the month of December.

One of the things I love the most about seasonal M&M'S® is that they make it so easy to adapt my tried and true baking recipes to holiday themed treats. I use them to mix into cookies to add a pop of festive red and green or to top my favorite buttermilk cupcake bites for an easy party dessert. With this recipe I simply took my easy, two ingredient fudge recipe and added in some M&M’S® Brand White Peppermint (Limited Edition) Candies to make it Peppermint Bark Fudge. It took minutes to make and is the perfect thing to wrap up and gift to family and friends.

Peppermint Bark Fudge

1 bag of M&M’S® Brand White Peppermint (Limited Edition) Candies
2 cups of white chocolate chips
1 cup of regular chocolate chips
1 can of condensed milk

1.) In a saucepan, combine the chocolate chips and condensed milk and melt over medium heat. Stir occasionally.

2.) While that is melting, crush the entire bag of M&M’S® and separate them into two equal amounts. Line a 9x9 baking dish with tin foil and set aside.

3.) Once the chocolate chips are melted stir in one half of the crushed M&M’S®. Pour the mixture into the lined 9x9 pan.

4.) Top the fudge with the second half of the M&M’S® and press them lightly into the fudge to make sure they stick. Let cool before cutting. Once cut the fudge will stay freshest if stored in the refrigerator.

I love being able to spend time in the kitchen making holiday treats with my family and then sharing the love with our friends and co-workers. What makes me feel even better is that every time you buy a bag of M&M'S® at Walmart they are donating a gallon of milk to a local food back. Check out The Great American Milk Drive and learn more about how you can help this holiday season.

Monday, November 21, 2016

Christmas Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShareTheHoliday #CollectiveBias

The holiday season is officially here and in our house that means lots of baking and dessert making. Every year I spend an entire day in the kitchen making tons of Christmas treats and packaging them up and give them to my co-workers, friends and family.

This weekend I wanted to test out a new recipe to add to my traditional list of treats and since we were going out of town for a wedding I figured the recipe could also double as a thank you gift to my parents and in-laws who would be watching Easton for us.

These cookies are a twist on one of my favorites- Brown Butter Snickerdoodles. The browned butter is an added step from your traditional snickerdoodle recipe but it makes all the difference. This version are also topped with holiday chocolate covered candies and they add a whole other layer of richness to what is already a complex and delicious cookie.

Since I'm not overly crafty, I usually stop by Walmart at the beginning of the holiday season every year and pick up a few packages of Rubbermaid TakeAlongs in the limited edition holiday colors. I love how easy and festive they are to wrap up Christmas treats before I give them as gifts. The Quik Clik Seal™ keeps cookies and other baked goods fresh and since they are microwavable and freezer safe your recipients can reuse them for pretty much any kind of food storage once they have eaten all your treats.

I dressed mine up a bit by adding some metallic twine and a holiday gift tag to make them even more festive. At less than $4 per package Rubbermaid TakeAlongs are an affordable option for gifting Christmas baked goods and with the amount of baking I do this time of year I'll be stocking up on the holiday colors while they are in stores through December 24th. For more holiday baking inspiration be sure to visit Share The Holiday!

Christmas Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Ingredients (makes about 36 cookies)

For The Dough

2 sticks (8oz) of unsalted butter
2 3/4 cups of flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of firmly packed brown sugar

For The Rolling Mixture

1 tablespoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup mini chocolate covered Christmas candies

Instructions

1.) In a medium sauce pan, place butter (cubed) and heat on medium heat until the foam subsides and the butter turns brown. Should take between 8-10 minutes.

2.) Pour the browned butter through a strainer into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium to bring back to room temperature, 5-7 minutes.

3.) Whisk together the milk and eggs.

4.) Once butter has cooled, add the sugars (amounts for the dough) and beat on medium for about 2 minutes.

5.) Add in egg and milk mixture and beat until fully combined.

6.) Add in the rest of the dry ingredients in 3 parts until just combined.

7.) Cover dough in plastic wrap and stick in the fridge for at least an hour but not more than 24 hours.

Mix the cinnamon and sugar for the rolling mixture in a bowl. Place candies in a separate bowl.

8.) Using a cookie scoop or your hands form uniform ball of dough. Press the dough ball into the mini candies and then roll it in the cinnamon sugar mixture before placing on a lined baking sheet. If you roll it in the sugar mixture before putting the candies on they won't stick very well so add the candy first.

9.) Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until the tops of the cookies have started to "crack".

10.) Let the cookies and the chocolate cool completely before storing in Rubbermaid TakeAlongs.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Frozen Peanut Butter Sandwiches {Holiday Recipes With Peanut Butter & Graham Crackers}

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PBandG #CollectiveBias

When it comes to holiday recipes, I like to keep it simple. Minimal prep time, limited ingredients, and the ability to make things ahead of time are all things I look for when planing out my holiday desserts. There Frozen Peanut Butter Sandwiches meet all of those requirements and happen to taste ridiculously good. All it takes to make these are a a few Honey Maid Graham Crackers, some Skippy Peanut Butter and some Cool Whip. Add some sprinkles and after a few hours in the freezer you have an amazing and refreshing holiday dessert. And since the weather here in South Florida is still in the high 70's, refreshing is still very necessary.

I don't know if I have been living under a rock or something but I have never combined peanut butter and whipped topping before. Apparently it is a pretty common thing. I cannot believe how much I have been missing out on my whole life. Justin and I could barely restrain our selves from eating it on graham crackers right out of the bowl while I was assembling the sandwiches.

Peanut butter and graham crackers are always a winning combination and recently we had my family over for a little holiday decorating fun and we had a friendly competition of building graham cracker and peanut butter "gingerbread" houses. I love that I didn't have to bake anything for these and could just unwrap some graham crackers and put a jar of peanut butter on the table. To put it nicely, my family is not cut out to be architects but we did have a lot of fun making some not so inhabitable looking structures.

The one exception to our structurally challenged family would be my brother who made this amazing graham cracker and peanut butter version of the Hancock Center in Chicago where he lives. He took this family activity very seriously and clearly his work reflects that. He used chocolate graham crackers and angled them with a sharp knife. He leaned them together with peanut butter as the glue and added antenna made from broken candy canes. He referred to it as a "movie set" building since the back is open but he found that it stood up better when leaned together without a back. The peanut butter made for the perfect glue and the building stayed upright for a few days.

As you can see below the rest of our family made some creative things as well. Our friend Aaron made a little dog house for her dog, Quincy. Justin's Aunt Lindzey made an adorable chocolate house and my Aunt Maria made what appears to be the cottage from Hansel and Gretel.

Looking to make your own graham cracker and peanut butter houses this holiday season? Be sure to stop by Walmart and pick up everything you need. Right now you can save $0.50 when you buy one (1) Honey Maid Grahams (12.2 oz. or larger) when you print out this coupon too. Want to save even more? Currently the ibotta cash back app has a .50 cents rebate on any box of Honey Maid. You can even earn the rebate again on a second shopping trip too in case you need to buy graham crackers more than once in the next few weeks.

Frozen Peanut Butter Sandwiches

10 Honey Maid Graham Crackers- broken in half
1/2 cup of Skippy Peanut Butter
1 tub of Cool Whip or frozen whipped topping

1.) Bring the whipped topping to room temperature and stir in the peanut butter until completely incorporated.

2.) Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the mixture onto one half of a graham cracker and top with the other half.

3.) Optional: Add some sprinkles to the sides of the sandwich.

4.) Place on a baking sheet and freeze for at least 3 hours before serving. Can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container for at least a week, maybe longer.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Easy Holiday Family Meals {#PlanAhead with Nestle}

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

The holidays are all about getting together with family and friends and sharing meals and memories. The only problem with all of that is if you are the one doing the hosting, you usually end up spending all of your time in the kitchen prepping, cooking and cleaning. That is why when we decided to have family over the other night, I decided to stock my freezer with Nestle frozen foods to make my life easier.

I swung by Walmart and picked up some Stouffer’s Party Size Entrees (Macaroni & Cheese and Lasagna), a Digiorno Rising Crust Pizza, and Edy’s Limited Edition Slow Churned Ice Cream in Very Merry Eggnog and Peppermint Wonderland flavors. I grabbed a prepackaged bag of salad and some frozen bread sticks and called it a day.

About an hour before everyone came over, I stuck my Lasagna, Mac & Cheese and Digiorno in the oven and then I was able to sit back, relax and enjoy the company of my parents, in-laws and my sister and her husband. I dressed up my lasagna and pizza with a little crushed Italian seasoning and fresh grated Parmesan and topped my mac & cheese with some panko bread crumbs for a crunchy topping.

I decided to go with paper plates and napkins and plastic cups and silverware so that the clean up was as easy as prep. It was so nice to be able to have people over to share a family meal without having a million dishes to wash or any real work to do in the kitchen.

Our pizza, lasagna, mac & cheese, salad and bread sticks easily fed eight people with tons of leftovers to spare. After dinner I set up an easy, holiday ice cream sundae bar with Edy's Very Merry Eggnog and Peppermint Wonderland, chocolate syrup, Nestle Tollhouse Morsels (in the Christmas colors), sprinkles, candy canes, homemade flavored whipped cream and more.

I actually made the whipped cream from scratch the night before using heavy whipping cream, sugar, and Nestle flavored coffee creamers in Peppermint Mocha and Eggnog Spice. It was so easy and it added a fun element to our sundaes. Recipe HERE!

The best part about this meal (aside from the minimal work involved) was that everyone was able to customize their plates to their own preferences and appetites. Everything was served family style so people could have as much or as little of everything as they liked. Everyone was stuffed by the end of dinner and dessert and it was so nice to feel relaxed instead of frazzled and tired (which is how I usually feel at the end of having people over for dinner).