Egg McMuffins are never going to be healthy, but they are about the most delicious breakfast ever. I found a recipe on Pinterest to lighten them up a little bit, and made a batch of them to freeze and take to work for a quick breakfast. They’re still not *great* for you, but at about 240 calories, they aren’t as awful as their fast food counterparts! This can be made with egg whites only if you’d rather, and any kind of cheese you like. American seems to melt best, though.
So after a year in which my exercise levels dipped dramatically and possibly some holiday over-indulgence, I took the plunge and joined Weight Watchers. Gotta lose some lbs! This was the first meal I cooked for which I was actually conscious of points, etc. We thought it was quite good (though the chicken ended up being a little cold due to poor timing on my part), and would definitely make the sauce again. It would go well with fish, too. This was a Cooking Light recipe, and I made it with a side of sauteed peppers and sweet potato fries.
Roast beef is probably my favorite Christmas dinner. We don’t have beef too terribly often, and it’s always so festive! Aside from a kerfluffle involving the meat thermometer counting backwards, it was relatively simple to make, too…and came out perfectly! Definitely a keeper. This is a modified Food Network recipe.
Last minute edition to our Christmas dinner, but a fun one! They came out well and were a nice compliment to the roast beef.
I have to admit that in three holiday meals this year, I’ve made scalloped potatoes every. Single. Time. I just love them. Especially given that I’m not the world’s biggest fan of spuds, this is a winner. This is a Cooking Light recipe I got years ago. I’ve always made it as-written, and am always happy with it.
Pie is the one dessert I can’t stay away from in any circumstance. I really do like apple, and prefer dutch. This one was pretty good, though I felt the topping ended up too crunchy…I think tenting the pie in the last 10-15 minutes, or maybe a smidge more butter might have prevented that. I would make it again and try to adjust. I did a braided crust since this was our Thanksgiving pie (I’m a little late to the party posting this!), and it puffed up quite well and I thought really added a nice layer. We used a mixture of Fuji and Jonagolds which we had picked ourselves for this, and they were great…I think you could use any apple, really.
I really heart stuffed mushrooms. They’re easy, portable, and you can stuff them with just about anything. I brought these to a holiday party this year and they seemed to go over well. The only change I would make is choosing a stronger sausage…though I picked Italian, it was a chicken sausage and I thought the mushrooms could use a bit more kick than this really provided.
I found this on a blog called Sweetsugarbean.com, which I landed on after sorting through what I felt were twenty-bajillion mushroom filling suggestions!
This is a dip we make over and over again and we never get tired of it. It’s great for parties or just a casual snack at home. I got this recipe from Serious Eats, and haven’t adjusted too much other than usually using canned beans, and cutting back on the garlic because of it. I have made my own Za’atar, but I have a pre-made version from Penzey’s that I use just as often.
I heart anything peanut butter, and these cookies were no exception. We were looking for something besides the traditional to add to our Christmas gift baskets, and this went well. Definitely one I will make over and over! I originally got the recipe from Epicurious and tweaked for more peanut butter and extract (I used almond).
A holiday favorite! I am really not a fan of chocolate (especially white chocolate), but I do love this. The first bark I ever had was at Williams-Sonoma many years ago, and I’ve been searching for a close call ever since! This recipe came out of Food Network magazine, and was quite close! Close enough that we actually made it to include in gift baskets this year.
Om nom nom! 