Hoppin' John - A New Year's Tradition!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope that you all had a wonderful transition into 2012.  Brad and I have had an exciting start to the new year (it was Brad's birthday today!) and are looking forward to see what 2012 will bring our way.

While researching the traditional "lucky" new years foods for my blog post a few days ago, I kept coming across a dish called "Hoppin' John."  It peaked my curiosity, so I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

As it turns out, Hoppin' John is a traditional new years food that many southern families eat at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve...with a glass of champagne, of course!

The saying goes:  

"Eat poor that day, eat rich the rest of the year.  Rice for riches and peas for peace!"

I found the following info over at whatscookingamerica.net:

The first written recipe for Hoppin John appeared in The Carolina Housewife in 1847.

Most food historians generally agree that Hoppin John is an American dish with African/French/Caribbean roots. 

There are many tales or legends that explain how Hoppin' John got its name:

- It was the custom for children to gather in the dining room as the dish was brought forth and hop around the table before sitting down to eat.

- A man named John came "a-hoppin" when his wife took the dish from the stove.
- An obscure South Carolina custom was inviting a guest to eat by saying, "Hop in, John" - The dish goes back at least as far as 1841, when, according to tradition, it was hawked in the streets of Charleston, South Carolina by a crippled black man who was know as Hoppin' John.

Pretty neat, huh?  The layers of flavor in this dish really surprised me.  It was quite delicious, and I am excited to say that we are about to enjoy the leftovers for dinner tonight.  This was so good, that I plan to make it a New Year's tradition around our house.  I only made a few small changes - I added some lima beans that were leftover from the night before, used bacon instead of ham hock, and left out the green pepper.  I also added a little minced parsley for a pretty garnish.

Bon Appetit!

Hoppin' John

Source:  The Essence of Emeril;  Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large ham hock
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed
• 1 quart chicken stock
• Bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
• Salt, black pepper, and cayenne
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
• 3 cups steamed white rice

Directions:

Heat oil in a large soup pot, add the ham hock and sear on all sides for 4 minutes. Add the onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic, cook for 4 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas, stock, bay leaves, thyme, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the peas are creamy and tender, stir occasionally. If the liquid evaporates, add more water or stock. Adjust seasonings, and garnish with green onions. Serve over rice.

Southern Collard Greens for "Luck" in 2012!

With 2012 less than 24 hours away, I thought it would be fun to write a post about traditional, lucky foods associated with the New Years holiday.  What are you cooking to celebrate the new year?  

One staple around our house is collard greens.  This recipe is very special to me, because it was my GrannyRene's recipe.  I'll always cherish this handwritten copy that she gave me:

Here's a list of "lucky" foods for the new year!

- Grapes:  In Spain, it's a tradition to eat 12 grapes at midnight...one grape for each stroke of the clock.  The saying goes that if you are able to swallow all 12 before the last stroke of midnight, you are sure to have a prosperous year.


- Cooked Greens:  Greens such as kale, collards, cabbage and chard are eaten at New Years because their leaves resemble folded money.  This makes them symbolic for economic fortune.


- Lentils:  In Italy, lentils are a traditional new years food (eaten for good fortune) because they are thought to resemble tiny coins. 


- Black-Eyed Peas:  These are a common good luck food, especially in the southern USA, because they also resemble tiny coins (like lentils).  They are thought to bring prosperity.


-  Pork:  The high fat content of pork symbolizes wealth and prosperity in the coming year.  Pigs also symbolize progress, because the animal pushes forward, rooting itself in the ground before moving forward.


-  Fish:  Since fish swim forward, many people associate fish with moving forward into the new year.  Others believe that fish are symbolic for abundance since they swim in schools.

Look at this beautiful bundle of collards!

Southern Collards Greens

Source:  Lorene Gainous

Ingredients:

1 2lb. bag cut up collard greens (or 1 to 2 large bunches of fresh collards)

1 package cured ham steaks (or 5 slices bacon, cut into lardons)

3 small turnip roots, peeled and cut into cubes

Salt, to taste

Black Pepper, to taste

Olive Oil, as desired

Directions:

Put cut up ham steaks (or lardons) and washed, cut up collards in a heavy pot.  Add the turnip root.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  As soon as water starts to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until collards and meat are tender.

***NOTE:  If you are starting with whole, fresh collards, first wash them thoroughly.  Next, fold each collard in half and remove the tough stem in the center of each leaf.  Cut the prepared collards into 1-inch wide strips.***

As collards become tender, you can let the liquid cook down, so as to have a small amount in your collards if you want it.  Add the salt, pepper and olive oil to taste.

Cooking time for collards and ham should be about 2 hours.

Serve with cornbread muffins.

Enjoy!

Absolutely Sinful Cinnamon Rolls - 2011!

Before baking...look at those pecan pieces...Yum!

What a wonderful, wonderful holiday season it's been around our home!  I can't believe that 2011 is coming to a close.  It's been an awesome year, and we are excited to see what 2012 will bring!

If you've been following this blog for a while, you may know that homemade Cinnamon Rolls are one of our holiday traditions on Christmas Day.  The Pioneer Woman's recipe is BY FAR the best!  In fact, I've blogged about these rolls every year since 2009.  The maple and coffee glaze really sends these cinnamon rolls over the top...After all, I called them "Absolutely Sinful Cinnamon Rolls" for a reason!

I tried something a little different this year...I added finely chopped pecans before rolling them up, which was incredible.  I have a feeling that pecans will be a regular addition in the future.

You can find the recipe and posts from previous years HERE. 

This recipe rocks because you can put the cinnamon rolls together on Christmas Eve, pop them in the fridge for their final "rising" overnight, and then bake them on Christmas morning.  That makes Christmas morning breakfast a breeze, because who wants to be stuck in the kitchen??  Plus, I'm convinced that the smell of these babies baking in the oven is quite possibly the most scrumptious smell in the entire world.

I hope that you and yours have a SAFE, WONDERFUL, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Bon Appetit, my friends!  :)

Before baking...

Maple and Coffee Glaze...Oh my!

White Chocolate Dipped Oreos with Peppermint Sprinkles

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

I hope that this Christmas brings wonderful family, friends and food to your dinner table, along with new memories made with loved ones and old traditions enjoyed.

As I type this, the Cinnamon Rolls have been started (I'll make them today so that all I have to do on Christmas morning is pop them into the oven!) and there are only a few gifts left to wrap.  I've got to get started on a Vanilla Bean Cheesecake, and whip up some homemade doggie treats for our fur babies.  :)


Brad and I have been so blessed already this holiday season.  We've gotten to spend time with lots of family over the past several weeks and even more tomorrow.  What a wonderful holiday, so far!


Today, I want to share a quick and simple holiday treat that is incredibly easy, yet wonderfully scrumptious.  It technically probably doesn't even need a formal recipe, but here's one anyway...

Merry Christmas and Bon Appetit! 

White Chocolate Dipped Oreos with Peppermint Sprinkles


Ingredients:
1 package "Winter" Oreos (with red creme filling)
2 lbs. white chocolate morsels
1 tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
5 candy canes

Directions:
Break the candy canes into large pieces and place them in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse several times, until the peppermints are broken into tiny pieces (but not so much that they turn to powder!)

Next, melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring often.  If needed, add a little canola oil to the chocolate to keep it smooth.  One at a time, dip the Oreos into the melted chocolate and place on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet.  Before the chocolate dries completely, sprinkle the peppermint pieces over the Oreos.


Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Logs - A Family Favorite

Only 4 more days left to Christmas!  Can you believe it?  I sure can't...It seems like the holidays came so fast this year.  We are so excited, though...What a wonderful time of the year!

There are piles and piles of Christmas candy around our house right now.  There have been chocolate covered pretzels, martha washington candies, chocolate covered oreos, cinnamon rolls....and these peanut butter logs!  Much have that has been given as gifts to co-workers and such.

This recipe for Peanut Butter Logs is something that my family has made during Christmas time as long as I can remember.  They bring back special memories every time I make them and are SO easy to whip up!  There are only 4 main ingredients, plus the dipping chocolate, so they really do come together in a flash.  

They make great candies to take to family gatherings during the holidays and can be decorated with your favorite sprinkles or white chocolate drizzles.

Bon Appetit and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Peanut Butter Logs

Source:  Family Recipe

Ingredients:

1 stick butter or margarine
2 c. crunchy peanut butter
1 box (1 lb) confectioners sugar
3 cups Rice Krispies

Melted chocolate for dipping

Directions:

Melt together margarine and peanut butter. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar and Rice Krispies. Pour melted mixture over sugar and Rice Krispies;  Mix well.  Roll into logs. Place the logs on a wax paper covered cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator (this makes them easier to dip).  Once chilled, dip in melted chocolate using a toothpick and place on wax paper to dry.

 

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

 

***TIP:  When melting the chocolate on the stovetop, you may need to add a little vegetable oil. This will help smooth the chocolate and make it easier to use.***

 

 

Martha Washington Candy - A Family Tradition

Merry Christmas to all my wonderful readers out there...I hope that you are all having an amazing holiday season so far.  

This time of year is so special to me.  Many of my very best memories from childhood were made during the Christmas season.  Christmas was such a magical time around our house.  When I was little, my grandmother would read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to us, as we lay there filled with the excitement that only Christmas Eve can bring.  As we tried and tried unsuccessfully to go to sleep, there would always be some sort of noise on the roof, and she'd exclaim, "WAIT!  DID YOU HEAR THAT?!?  I think that I just heard Santa on the roof!"  She'd look at us with a twinkle in her eye and a huge smile on her face, and it's moments like those that make me still believe in Santa to this day.  ;-)

I can also remember going to visit family on Christmas Eve, and it would usually be dark outside on the drive back home.  My grandmother would look out the car window, see a red light in the sky, and excitedly exclaim, "LOOK, LOOK....I see Rudolph's red nose!!!  We better hurry home because Santa is getting close!"  I'd see that red light and be overcome with giddiness. 

On Christmas morning, me and my sisters would wake up and excitedly rush out of bed and wait at the top of the stairs until everyone was ready with cameras in-hand for us to come down.  It always seemed like we had to wait for 2 hours, while we actually probably only had to wait for 2 minutes.  Once we were given the okay, we'd rush down those stairs, making a b-line for the Christmas tree to see what Santa had brought.

In the days leading up to Christmas, my mom and grandmother would make mountains of candy, and I can remember standing on a chair up next to the counter so that I could help.  My grandmother would always put one of my granddaddy's undershirts on me over my clothes so that I wouldn't ruin them...haha.  Oh, the memories!  It brings such a smile to my face just writing this post.

We got to make some new memories last weekend, when my Aunt Julie, Uncle Hal and cousin William came to visit.  We had SUCH a wonderful time and stayed up late making delicious candies...One of which were these Martha Washington Candies!  This is the same recipe that my family has always used, so it's my favorite.  

Before last weekend, it had been such a long time since I had made this recipe.  I forgot how amazing they are!  The candy mixture comes together really quickly with the help of a food processor (for the pecans) and a stand mixer, and the fun part is dipping them in the chocolate.

Make these with your loved ones soon...you'll be guaranteed to make holiday memories that you'll cherish forever.

Bon Appetit!

Martha Washington Candy

Source:  Family Recipe

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut

2 cups pecans, finely chopped

2 lbs confectioner's sugar

1 pkg. chocolate squares

Directions:

Combine first four ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until combined.  Gradually add powdered sugar.  Roll into balls and chill.  Melt chocolate squares.  Dip the balls in the chocolate with a toothpick, and place on waxed paper to cool.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Yields 80 to 90 balls of candy.

***The traditional versions of this recipe incorporate paraffin wax in the dipping chocolate to yield a hard, shiny chocolate coating on the candies...That is how my grandmother used to make this candy.  To do this, you will need:

• 1 cake paraffin wax
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Melt wax and milk chocolate chips together in double boiler. Dip candy in mixture then cool.

Apple & Toasted Pecan Cornbread Dressing

This Thanksgiving, I decided to change things up just a tiny bit.   Since the dressing is Brad's very favorite dish during the holidays, I always make this Classic Cornbread Dressing with Sausage, which is his VERY favorite.  The holiday just wouldn't be complete with it, and I'd have A LOT of explaining to do if I didn't make it for him...hah.  I needed to make extra dressing this year to take to family gatherings, so I thought it might be a good opportunity to try something new.

Our local Fox station has just recently started a brand-new cooking segment on the morning news show, where they feature a local chef whipping up a fabulous dish.  They even unveiled a beautiful new kitchen to use on the show.  One morning before Thanksgiving, Chef Chris Zapalowski from Homewood Gourmet made this Apple-Pecan Cornbread Dressing, and my mouth my drooling by the time the segment was over.  I knew then that this dish would grace our Thanksgiving table.

You can see the video of Chef Zapalowski making this dish HERE!

I'm so glad that I tried something new.  The sauteed apples that are added to the traditional onions and celery mixture really kicks things up a notch and adds such a wonderfully sweet flavor to the entire dish.  The bacon and toasted pecans just go one step further to make this an incredible recipe that will surely be added to my regular holiday rotation.

Bon Appetit!!!

APPLE-PECAN CORNBREAD DRESSING
Source:  Recipe courtesy of Chef Chris Zapalowski of Homewood Gourmet

Cornbread:
½ cup unsalted butter
3 cups yellow or white cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups buttermilk

Dressing:
1 teaspoon olive oil
6 slices bacon
2 cups diced onions
1½ cups diced celery
3 cups peeled, cored, and diced apple, such as Cumberland Spur or Fuji
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons dry rubbed sage
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne
1½ cups toasted pecans
4 ½ cups reduced-sodium chicken or turkey broth
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

To Prepare the Cornbread:
Place ½ cup butter in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan; heat in oven at 425° for 4 minutes.

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; whisk in eggs and buttermilk. Pour hot butter into batter, stirring until blended. Pour batter back into 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake at 425°F for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer cornbread to a cooling rack and cool completely. Crumble cooled cornbread into a large bowl and set aside. Reduce oven to 350°F.

To Prepare the Dressing:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, 8 to 10 minutes or until crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, cool slightly, chop and set aside. Add onion, celery and apples to the skillet and sauté 1 minute. Add garlic and thyme and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened.

Spoon onion mixture into bowl with cornbread crumbles. Stir in sage, salt, pepper, cayenne, pecans, and reserved bacon. Whisk together broth, butter, and eggs and pour over cornbread mixture, tossing until well moistened.

Spoon dressing into a lightly greased 11 x 15-inch (about 5 quart) baking dish and bake covered at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes. Uncover and cook and additional 10 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Serve hot.

GDA Cooking - November 11, 2011

My Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

This year, I wanted to compile a list of some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes for you all.  Some of these are family recipes that have graced our table year after year, while others are more recent dishes that I've made and thought, "That would be perfect for Thanksgiving!"

Right now, there's a 24-lb turkey thawing in the bottom of our fridge, and I can't wait to roast him up!  This is the BIGGEST turkey I've ever attempted to roast, so let's hope it turns out okay.  I may do a combination of the two recipes below.  The Bacon-Herb Butter from Picture #1 that's placed underneath the turkey's skin is amazing, so I may do that but still top Mr. Turkey with the bacon and maple glaze from the second recipe.  Hmm...I'm still trying to decide.  I made the Roast Turkey with Bacon-Herb Butter in 2009, and the Maple Glazed Roast Turkey with Applewood Smoked Bacon last year.

I hope your family has a wonderful Thanksgiving this year, filled with delicious food and great times spent together.

Just click on the links below to see the full recipes.

Bon Appetit, my friends!  :)

Roast Turkey with Bacon-Herb Butter

 Maple Glazed Roast Turkey with Applewood Smoked Bacon

Classic Cornbread Dressing with Sausage

Double Cranberry-Apple Sauce

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Maple and Pecans 

Sauteed Spinach with Pecans and Feta

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

 

Butternut Squash Casserole

Pecan Caramelized Brie

Dorie's All-In-One Holiday Bundt Cake

Classic Southern Pecan Pie

The Best Carrot Cake You've Ever Had

Dorie's All-In-One Holiday Bundt Cake

"Autumn on a fork"

That's the best way to describe this yummylicious bundt cake that's packed with pumpkin, spices, apple chunks, pecans and cranberries.  It was really hard not to drool while this cake was baking in the oven.  It made my entire house smell quite heavenly, so I couldn't wait to try a slice!  This cake would also make a beautiful addition to your holiday table this year.

I took Dorie's advice and added a maple glaze, but I used The Pioneer's Woman's recipe from her sinful Cinnamon Rolls (which are a Christmas morning tradition at our house!).  Her recipe incorporates fresh coffee, which made an amazing pairing with the flavors of this cake.

Like Dorie mentions in her cookbook, this cake isn't conducive to tiny little slices...You just better go ahead and commit to a big chunk of a piece.  There are so many chunks of goodness sporadically baked into the cake, so it's hard to cut little bitty pieces.

However...

I can't imagine WHY in the world you would even  consider eating a small piece of this bundt cake wonder, though.  :)

 

All-in-One Holiday Bundt Cake

(from Baking: From My Home To Yours)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp ground ginger)
1 1/4 sticks (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 large apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 cup cranberries, halved or coarsely chopped
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting or maple syrup icing (see note)

Directions:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9- to 10- inch (12 cup) Bundt pan. Don’t place the pan on a baking sheet-you want the oven’s heat to circulate freely through the Bundt’s inner tube.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and ground ginger, if you’re using it (not the grated ginger).

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars together at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and beat for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the pumpkin, chopped apple and grated ginger, if you’re using it-don’t be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Still on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. With a rubber spatula, stir in the cranberries and pecans. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the rubber spatula.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding, then cool to room temperature on the rack.

Note: just before bringing the cake to the table, dust it with confectioners’ sugar or drizzle it with maple syrup icing, which Dorie introduces in her “playing around” section and which King H used to much praise in his version. Simply sift 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar into a bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Add more maple syrup little by little, until you have an icing that runs nicely off the tip of the spoon — you might need another 1/2 tablespoon syrup to get the right consistency. Put the cooled cake on a sheet of wax paper and drizzle the icing from the tip of the spoon over it. Let the icing set for a few minutes before serving.

Before going into the oven...

Butternut Squash Casserole

Here in Alabama, the days are getting shorter, the air is becoming cooler, and the leaves are starting to turn beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow...Fall is in the air!  What better way to welcome the new season than with a deliciously comforting Butternut Squash Casserole?

I found some beautiful butternut squash at James' produce stand near my house a few weeks ago.   James told me about the delicious Butternut Squash Casserole that his wife had made a few nights earlier.  That sounded like an amazing idea to me, so I started looking up recipes online.  I came across the following recipe over at Ezra Pound Cake, which sounded awesome.  I had most of what I needed on-hand, and I improvised the rest.  I've marked my changes in bold type below...There were really only a few of them.

I must say that this has earned a spot in the "Home for the Holidays" tab, because it tastes just like Thanksgiving to me!  It would be the perfect substitute for Sweet Potato Casserole if you wanted to switch things up a bit this holiday season.

However, don't wait for a special occasion or holiday to try this one...It's WAY too yummy!

Bon Appetit!

Butternut Squash Casserole

Adapted from Ezra Pound Cake

• 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut in 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 6 cups)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions, trimmed, peeled and chopped (about 3 cups)
• 1 cup whole or low-fat buttermilk (I used regular whole milk)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs, toasted (I used whole wheat Ritz crackers, smashed into crumbs)
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
• 2 cups coarsely grated cheddar cheese (I used a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar)
• Optional: 4 to 6 large handfuls of fresh spinach, washed and stemmed (add to the same water as the squash in step 2 during the last minute of boiling)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9-x-13-inch baking dish or  4-quart casserole.
2. Place 3 quarts water in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the squash to the water, return to a boil, and cook for 6 minutes. The squash will turn a deeper orange. Drain it and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in the stockpot and add the oil. Add the onions and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent and limp, about 8 minutes, stirring to prevent browning. Add the warm squash and the buttermilk, eggs, thyme, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, 1/4 cup pecans and 1 1/3 cups cheese. Blend with a wooden spoon or spatula until the ingredients are well combined.
4. Spread the mixture evenly in the baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup pecans and 2/3 cup cheese. Bake 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

***So, I know that this post is a little late, but I wanted to share some photos from this Christmas with you all.  I still cannot believe that 2010 is coming to a close.  It seems like this year just flew by so fast.  

I also want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very blessed and prosperous 2011!!  May this year be the best one yet!***

For the past 3 years, we've made it an annual tradition to make THESE CINNAMON ROLLS from scratch.  You may remember my previous posts about these incredible treats.  They are so amazingly delicious, that they should be illegal!  My mom-in-law talks about them all year long, so I look forward to baking them up for everyone.  The Pioneer Woman's recipe makes 6 - 7 aluminum tins full of ooey, gooey, incredibly sinful cinnamon rolls, so make a batch for all of your friends and family! 

We had a lot of fun making them this year on Christmas Eve!

 

I think that Brad had the most fun, though! Hehe

Pouring the Maple-Coffee glaze...oh my...

 It's important to move the tin around, to make sure the glaze soaks into every little crevice!

 Here they are folks, the most delicious cinnamon rolls on the planet!

The makings of Peppermint Bark...Melting the chocolate in a double boiler...

The Peppermint Bark was a big hit!

Chocolate covered pretzels have always been one of my favorites...they are my weakness!  This platter of goodies didn't last very long.

We had our own little Christmas miracle in Alabama this year...SNOW!  Look at what we woke up to on Christmas morning...It was beautiful.

The pups played and played with their new toys and treats that Santa brought.  ;-)

My adorable little niece, Dakota, had a blast on Christmas day!

My other little cute-as-a-button niece, Amber, does the funniest little thing...she does "The Look."  Here's a video...