My Vintage Kitchen

Pizza Snob

For those of you who know me, you are aware of my pizza issue.  I just don't get it.  My taste buds are obviously SO refined that pizza does not nor has it ever seemed like a good idea. It is the sauce and cheese thing.   It's like a warm box of wine to me...not really appealing, but, it will do in a bind. Then, a friend of mine introduced me to a FABULOUS and easy hors-devours.  It is pizza-like in appearance, but with a fantastic twist.  It's the vegetable version of a fruit pizza.  So, put that room temperature glass of Franzia away and celebrate the New Year with this slightly different and very pretty addition to the table.

Vegetable Pizza
1 baked pizza crust
1/2 cup mayonnaise
8 oz cream cheese
1 packet of ranch seasoning random fresh vegetables to your taste (I used tomato, cucumber, red and green peppers) shredded cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top. Mix the mayonnaise and cream cheese together along with the seasoning packet.  Add chopped vegetables and sprinkle with cheese.  POOF it is finished. 

If I had a little more time, I would have attempted to season the cream cheese mixture myself, but, those crazy people over at Hidden Valley really know what they are doing.  I think I will refer to them as "the help" when anyone askes me what I put in my pizza.   "Oh, I don't know, the help did it."  Gosh it is hard pretending to be amazingly wealthy ALL of the time.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Painting the Kitchen!

Hope you all had a great holiday! We certainly did...IE lots of turkey and cookies!

We are painting our "test kitchen" this week so the stove is also taking a little "holiday". The smell of food cooking and paint fumes are not exactly the best.

I am sure we will be eating lots of sub sandwiches and Chinese take out. So until the paint is dry and everything is back in order ( shooting for Saturday) we too will be be on "holiday" from posting.

If you have ordered anything from our on-line store this will not be effected...we are still here..just not cooking.

Have a great week everyone!

Count Down to Christmas Cookie-A-Day #4 Cherry Coconut Bars

Have a cherry bar this Christmas.
It's the best one of the bunch.
I don't know, how far they'll go.
So have one with your lunch.

Have a cherry bar this Christmas.
It's not been on the floor.
Tastes so good, like cookies should.
So you'll come back for more.

Oh, but, the coconut.
Sprinkled to and fro.
Goes on the cherry bar.
It's not just for show.

Have a cherry bar this Christmas.
And in case you didn't hear.
Oh by golly, have a cherry bar this Christmas.
This year.

Recipe

Countdown to Christmas Cookie-A-Day #3 Russian Tea Cakes

Sing this one to the tune of White Christmas aloud
while you sit in your office in front of everyone so
that  you can go home early because you have LOST YOUR
MIND!

I'm dreaming of a white cookie
just like the ones made out of dough
where nuts are baked on
the sugar's caked on
the kind that looks a lot like snow

I'm dreaming of a white cookie
the ones I really love to bite
man, they really taste out of sight
and may Russian Tea Cakes all be white



Russian Tea Cakes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until
smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just
blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1
inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an
ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool,
roll in remaining confectioners' sugar.

Countdown to Christmas Cookie-A-Day #2

   

Here is a little ditty devoted to our Aunt's "Christmas
Tree" Christmas cookie!

Oh CookieBaum

Oh Christmas cookie oh Christmas cookie
We made you oh so hasty
Oh Christmas cookie oh Christmas cookie
Your dough of almond Paste (eeey)
you started as a pile of mush
your not a tree, more like a bush
Oh Christmas cookie oh Christmas cookie
You really were quite tasty

Pictured is the cookie cut in half. This is #2 for our Countdown to Christmas Cookie-A-Day! This cookie is the second to the last in yesterdays photo. 

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1 cup finely chopped nuts

1 bag of chocolate kisses

green sugar

powdered sugar.

Mix everything  butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, and nuts. Form the "tree" around the chocolate kiss. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. While cookie is still warm roll in powdered sugar and sprinkle with green sugar. There you have it! Yummy little "Christmas Trees".

Countdown to Christmas Cookie-A-Day!

Hmmm where to begin....I think smack dab in the middle with the "Salty Hugs". I don't know if this is really a "cookie", but it's close enough. This is perfect for you salty/sweet lovers out there.

1 bag Seyfert Extra Dark, Extra Salty Round Pretzels

1 bag Hershey's Hugs ( white chocolate/mint)

1 lg bag Plain M&M's ( Christmas Colors)

Place a sheet of wax paper on a plate that can be put in the microwave. Fill the plate with the pretzels. Add a Hershey Hug to the center of the pretzel. Microwave on high for approximately 1 minute & 20 seconds. Immediately remove from microwave and put an M&M in the center. As you push in the M&M try to move the melted hugs to fill in any blank areas. Leave on wax paper & slide on to a cookie sheet. Put in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Take these to the office Christmas party and they will be gone in no time flat!

Turkey Veggie Roll-Ups

If I were a plate full of leftover turkey, this is what I would be.

These really could be made with your favorite veggies. 1 roll-up... Serves 2. This makes a nice alternative this time of year as well....you know...because of all the cookies. By the way we will be starting our Countdown to Christmas Cookie- A- Day tomorrow!

8-10 asparagus tips

1/2 orange bell pepper

green leaf lettuce

4 slices of turkey

1 sun-dried tomato/basil tortilla   

For the sauce

2 Tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon fresh chopped Greek Oregano

1 teaspoon fresh chopped flat leaf Parsley

Pinch of Morton's Light Salt

After everything was spread out on the tortilla we lightly salted the turkey and veggies again as well as added some fresh cracked green and red pepper.

Roll up and serve! If you want to serve as appetizers we recommend subbing the sour cream for cream cheese and letting them chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. This makes them MUCH easier to cut and they will stick together better!

Fwoodie Tawk

Substitution is an evil word.  I should know as I have just substituted for the most evil group of 
middle schoolers on the face of the earth. So, lets pretend that the real vanilla left because she was
having a baby and I (the imitation vanilla substitute) decided to come in and add flavor to the souffle. Then, all of the eggs with their ipods and headphones decided to gang up on me, the imitation vanilla substitute, and create utter chaos!  It was all a big deflated souffle.  Do you get what I'm saying?  Do you?  You crazy foodies....I knew you would understand.  Now, here is a cheesecake with no substitutes.

Mandarin Cheesecake (This makes a small cheesecake)

3/4 C crushed graham crackers

2 1/2 T butter-melted

2 T sugar

Mix and bake for 5 minutes at 325 degrees

Mix

1/4 C sugar

1 1/2 t lemon juice

8 oz cream cheese

1.2 t vanilla

1 egg

Put filling in prepared crust and bake 25 minutes at 325 degrees.

For Topping

Juice of 1 11oz can Mandarin oranges

1/3 cup orange juice

1 T cornstarch

1/4 cup sugar

1 drop red food color and 1 drop yellow

Bring to a boil for 1 min

Place your Mandarin oranges around the edge of the cake and  pour your topping in the center covering the entire cake.

Chill for 2 hours and enjoy!

Confetti Chicken

One time I was in a parade where I had the privilege of riding on the back of a corvette.  It was owned by the guy that ran the local Dairy Queen.  Now, how can I describe this guy?  I don't want to say pompous...as I am a good girl I am, but, he was pompous.  There, I said it.  Before I got into the car he made me take my shoes off so that I didn't track in any dirt. (because I had obviously been to a mud buggy race or something....jerk...I'm clean I tell you CLEAN!) Any-who, what I enjoyed the most that day in the parade were the clowns that threw confetti directly into the car.  It doesn't get much better than that....dirty dirty confetti in his pretty pretty car. I love clowns.

[ Shelly here... what my sister Robin failed to mention to you in her little story about clowns and jerks is the REASON she got to ride in jerks corvette....hehe...but I am going to tell you....She was in a beauty pageant and HAD HAIR AS BIG AS TEXAS! BWAHAHAHA]

OK on to the recipe,

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup diced celery

2 cups potato, cubed

2 cups chicken broth ( from the 2 chicken breasts you will cook)

Simmer in sauce pan for 20 min

Next combine in Large casserole

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into small pieces (about 3 cups)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

4 oz mushrooms

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

pepper

add simmered vegetables

Mix together

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 Tablespoon ea green and red pepper

1 cup shredded cheese ( Cheddar or whatever you like)

Spoon on top of casserole mixture. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese on the top and put back in oven for 5 minutes to melt cheese.

Christmas Vandals

 

Hello Everyone.  It isn't often that I write on a serious theme, but, our home was recently violated....and at Christmas time.  Video surveillance caught these two vandals standing next to my home. The suspect on the left can be identified by the prison tattoo of a tear on his left eye.  He goes by the street name "g-bread man" and is known for his handy work in rainbow graffiti.  He calls it "ice-in" the place. During the night this crime took place he had one accomplice who managed to elude the camera. He appeared to be scantily clad wearing only 3 large strategically placed green, orange, and red buttons. The only audio that could be deciphered was something about "bite me".  If you have seen these scum-bags, please let me know.   I eat guys like this for breakfast.

Recipe:
One store bought gingerbread  house kit
One toddler to place candy in his mouth and then onto the gingerbread house

Happy Holidays from the girls at My Vintage Kitchen