Roast Chicken with Herbs

Every once in a while you have to improvise a recipe, and it turns out so amazing you're not sure if you want to make it the "right" way or not. This is one of those times. Originally, this recipe was for Cornish hens, but I was not very smart and forgot to buy them ahead of time. When I found myself at the grocery store on Christmas Eve, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to win. And while technically that is true since they had long since been sold out of Cornish hens, they did have whole chickens in stock, and this was an amazing recipe!

Lest I sound like I blowing my own horn too much, I should point out that this is not my recipe. It comes from Recipezazz.com. The only substantial change I made was to use a whole chicken, and then of course I had to adjust the roasting time since it was considerably larger.

Cheesy Ham and Egg Skillet

I'm going to go ahead and assume things at your house work the same way they do at mine around the holidays: You're making 847 things you don't normally make, your refrigerator is full of ingredients as well as dishes for a party and also leftovers from a party that already happened... and then you realize you have to make dinner for tonight. Sure, you can eat leftovers again, but it's Wednesday and you've eaten Sunday's leftovers twice already this week.

You need something different, but that still uses your leftovers. A site I used to frequent often refers to this as CORN (Clean Out Refrigerator Night), and that's as good a name as any. What I did with my party leftovers and odd bits and ends of extra ingredients this time around I decided to call Cheesy Ham and Egg Skillet. It ain't pretty, but it's tasty. And I got rid of three containers from the refrigerator with no leftovers afterward.

Cranberry and Crab Meat Appetizers

Every year for my family Christmas parties I try to make a new recipe, mostly because I subscribe to the philosophy that if you're going to experiment, you should do it when a larger number of people than normal have to eat what you've made. That way you get to know if it's good, but if it's awful then you aren't stuck with a huge quantity of something. This one surprised me in a really good way, and while I won't be making it often (it's a little spendy), I will definitely be making it again.

As always, when a recipe is not mine I'm stating that right up front. This one comes from GroupRecipes.com, and I thank them (and Kytigger, the chef who posted it) kindly!

Soft Molasses Spice Cookies

Several years ago I made these on a whim, and I have made them every single Christmas since. Because while they were not traditional holiday cookies when I was a kid, I really wish they had been. They're soft on the inside, slightly crunchy on the outside, just spicy enough to be interesting, and just sweet enough to balance the spice. This isn't my recipe (although I've modified it). I originally found it at Food.com, where the recipe introduction says it came from the Robin Hood Cookbook.

Kidney Bean Rabbit (Welsh Rarebit)

Comfort food is a state of mind as much as it is sustenance, and for me Kidney Bean Rabbit has always been pretty high on the list. I spent a ridiculous number of years trying to figure out why it was called "Rabbit" when there isn't any rabbit in it, and then finally discovered it was a mispronunciation of "Rarebit" that just stuck. At any rate, it's what we've always called it in my family.

It's not for everyone. You can't be a food snob. It uses Velveeta, and I know there are a great number of people who find that offensive. You know what I say to those people? Don't eat any. I'll take yours. ;)

Mexican Chili-Lime Peanuts

There's something about the holidays that makes me want nuts to snack on. I blame The Nutcracker, and the fact that the only time we ever got to have nuts when I was a kid was at Christmas. My sister and I once very carefully cracked each one open without breaking the shells (which mostly only worked with walnuts), then wrote out "fortunes" on slips of paper, stuck them inside, and glued the shells back together. Then they got mixed into the bowl and we waited until someone opened one, giggling hysterically the whole time. I love my family for pretending not to know and playing along!

OK, sorry... I'm back from my trip down memory lane. These are Mexican Chili-Lime Peanuts, and the recipe is not mine. I got it from Recipezazz.com.

Crab Deviled Eggs

Is it just me, or are deviled eggs pretty much the easiest, quickest thing you can throw together when you have to go to a potluck? They require all things I normally have in my house, and they're really hard to screw up (with the exception of peeling eggs, and we'll be talking more about that later on).

These are a little different, though. These are my Crab Deviled Eggs, and while I've often made them using fake crab, if you can afford real stuff (canned is fine), it's definitely worth it.

Chocolate Truffles

Today we're going to do something completely different! Usually when I post a recipe, it's because I think you should try it after I've made it. Today is different. Today I'm posting a recipe because I put a lot of time, effort, and money into it, but I'm warning you that you should probably just skip right on by. Tasty? Absolutely. A total PITA? You betcha! And entirely too expensive for the results.

Shall we? This is from How Sweet It Is, and it was originally called Pop Rocks Firecracker Truffles.

Grandma Brown's Gingerbread

About ten or so years ago, I was digging through that drawer in my kitchen. You know that drawer. The one that holds maybe three things you use occasionally, but mostly holds a bunch of stuff that doesn't belong anywhere else: kitchen gadgets that looked neat but don't work (but you can't throw away), recipes clipped from magazines, usually a few batteries of indeterminate strength... That drawer.

You know what I found in that drawer? My great-grandmother's gingerbread recipe.

Coconut Truffles

For the longest time, I was afraid to make truffles. They seemed entirely too hard, and I paid a ridiculous amount of money for them from Godiva because I thought that was best. Then a couple of years ago I decided to bite the bullet and make some, and I'll never pay for them again. Other than the ridiculous mess making them leaves behind, they're almost stupid easy. This particular recipe comes from Betty Crocker, so you know it can't be that big a challenge.

Cherry Pie Filling Bread

I really wish this was my recipe, but it's not. I make it every year because it's so darn fabulous I can hardly stand it. The original can be found at Food.com, although I've re-written the directions a bit so they make more sense to me. What I love about this one is it makes two loaves, and it freezes beautifully. Just wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then put it in a zip-top freezer bag. To thaw, just leave it out on the counter for a few hours.

Fire-and-Ice Nut Mix

For the first installment in the Great 2014 Holiday Baking Extravaganza, I chose Fire-and-Ice Nut Mix from Recipe.com. This obviously isn't my recipe, but it's a good one. The combination of sweet and hot and salty and crunchy made me want to sit down and eat the whole bowl myself as soon as it was done, but I was good and sealed it in a container to save for my family parties.

Maple-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I was looking for a healthy side dish alternative for Thanksgiving, and then I ran across this fabulous recipe from Eating Well that seemed to really fill the bill. It was easy and tasty and will be in the rotation of side dishes I make all winter long, although it was perfect for a holiday as well.

Lemon and Rosemary Roast Chicken

This Thanksgiving I was surprised to learn I would be making a full holiday dinner with less than 48 hours' notice. Consequently, we ended up having a chicken rather than a turkey since the grocery store was out of fresh turkey and there was no way I could defrost a frozen one in time. So I searched online and found a couple of recipes that inspired me, but the end result was a new recipe of ≈mostly≈ my own.