With the holidays just around the corner it’s time to start planning a few fun dishes for family and friends. Here are a few recipes that will put a smile on their face and keep them coming back for more.
Hot Cocoa
Time Needed: 5 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
- 2 1/2 cups powdered milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
- Hot water
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and incorporate evenly. In a small pot, heat 4 to 6 cups of water.
Fill your mug half full with the mixture and pour in hot water. Stir to combine. Seal the rest in an airtight container, keeps indefinitely in the pantry. This also works great with warm milk. (Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown)
Roast Prime Rib with Thyme au Jus
Time Needed: 2 hours & 40 minutes (10 prep, 30 inactive, 2 hours cook time)
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 bone-in prime rib (6 to 7 pounds)
- 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 cups red wine
- 4 cups beef stock
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Thirty minutes before roasting the prime rib, remove from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make small slits all over the prime rib and fill each slit with a slice of the garlic. Season liberally with the salt and coarse pepper, place on a rack set inside a roasting pan and roast for about 2 hours until medium-rare, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 135 degrees F. Remove the meat to a platter, and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Place the roasting pan on top of the stove over 2 burners set on high heat. Add the wine to the pan drippings in the pan and cook over high heat until reduced, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the stock and cook until reduced by half. Whisk in the thyme and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Slice meat as desired and serve with thyme au jus. (Recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay)
Candy Cane Cookies
Time Needed: 37 minutes (25 minutes of prep and 12 cook)
Serves: 25 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box sugar cookie mix
- 1/2 stick butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup softened cream cheese
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for surface
- Red food coloring
- 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine sugar cookie mix, melted butter, egg, cream cheese, and flour; mix together to form dough.
Separate dough into 2 equal portions and place in 2 different bowls. Add red food coloring gradually to 1 bowl of dough, kneading together until desired shade of red is created. To second bowl of uncolored dough, add peppermint extract and knead together.
On a floured work surface, shape each dough into balls and then roll each ball into 1/4-inch-wide ropes, each about 6 inches long. For each cookie, carefully twist some of the red and white ropes of dough together and shape into a candy cane.
Spread candy canes out on cookie sheets and bake on the top shelf of the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool before serving. (Recipe inspired by Sandra Lee)
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