Let The Holiday Festivities Commence

Hello friends!  Well, we attended our first holiday gathering and had a wonderful time.  My husband and I brought along a new appetizer and bar cookies for dessert.  I may have mentioned in prior blogs that I collect cook books and magazines.  I pick them up whenever I can.  Garage sales, book stores, cash registers...anywhere.  A few years back I picked up a magazine by Taste of Home -Best Holiday Recipes.  While leafing through it a few weeks ago..looking for cookie recipes, the hubby found a yummy sounding appetizer recipe called Bacon-Cheese Biscuit Bites.  They were melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  A tip - they taste much better warm - so it would be best to keep them on low in the oven and refill your serving trays as needed.  Below is the recipe and photo (as always taken by my wonderfully talented husband):

Bacon-Cheese Biscuit Bites

 Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp butter
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk
1/3 cup crumbled bacon
¼ c shredded Swiss cheese
½ shallot, minced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 tube large refrigerated flaky biscuits

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Over medium heat, sauté the shallots in butter until translucent; set aside.

In small bowl beat the cream cheese, egg and milk until blended.  Stir in the bacon, cheese, shallot and half the bell pepper; set aside.

Cut each biscuit into four pieces; press each piece into a greased mini muffin cup pan.  Fill with cream cheese mixture; top w/remaining bell pepper. 

Bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.  

 

Now..onto our dessert.  For some reason when I start thinking about cookies to bake I seem to complete forget about bar cookies.  I'm not quite sure why because I absolutely LOVE them.  While perusing through old magazines I came cross the recipe for caramel pecan bars in a 2010 Southern Living.  This gathering seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out this recipe.  The hostess happens to LOVE pecans..nuts in general.  She also loves the whole "salty/sweet" combination, so I added some sea salt lightly sprinkled over the pan right after it came out of the oven.  These were scrumptious.  So yummy..that I brought about 6 back home with me and ate them all within 24 hours.  My waistline is not too happy with me right now...but it is the holiday season afterall. 

Caramel Pecan Bars

Ingredients:

3 ½ c coarsely chopped pecans

2 c all purpose flour
2/3 c powdered sugar
¾ c butter, cubed
½ c firmly packed brown sugar
½ c honey
2/3 c butter
3 Tbsp whipping cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 inch pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, allowing 2-3 inches to extend over sides.  Lightly grease foil.

Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8-10 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant; stirring halfway through.

Pulse flour, powdered sugar and ¾ cup butter in a food processor 5 to 6 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal.   Press mixture on bottom and ¾ inch up sides of prepared pan.

Bake for 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Cool completely on a wire rack (about 15 minutes).

Bring brown sugar, honey, butter and whipping cream to a boil in a 3 quart saucepan over medium high heat.  Stir in toasted nut and spoon hot filling into prepared crust, spread to all corners.

Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.  Cool completely on a wire rack (about 30 minutes).  Lift bake bars from pan, using foil sides as handles.  Transfer to a cutting board; cut into bars.

Yields 2 dozen bars.

I hope that you consider trying one if not both of these recipes.  Both have been stored away for use again in the near future for me.  Both would be a welcome addition to any party buffet..of this I promise. 

Keep an eye on the blog.  I will be "adventuring" even more than usual  over the next couple weeks as my house has become "Cookie Central".  Happy Baking!!