Truffle-filled Cookie Tarts (Christmas Cookie Countdown 2017 #4)

So far so mmm-mmm-good this year. I have really enjoyed every cookie I've made, but this one was super delicious. I mean, chocolate on chocolate in chocolate?! I made my tarts too big and the holes too small so I had a plenty of filling left over--I almost ate the entire bowl of truffle goodness. :D  This one is kind of like a brownie filled with chocolate pudding. Worth the effort. I have a feeling this one will end up being a year-round favorite.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/truffle-filled-cookie-tarts?_cmp=CookieCountdown&_ebid=CookieCountdown11292017&_mid=184804&ehid=dfef5f62f666e299097ce5854fb7aea035676b6b

Nutella Tree Sandwiches (Christmas Cookie Countdown 2017 #3)

I love this recipe as far as cookie press dough goes. I had a hard time when I first moved to Colorado with them going flat and not keeping their shape. This is probably one of the best at keeping it's shape and flavor. A couple suggestions--I froze them after applying the nutella; you probably won't be able to serve them until the next day or several hours later. I didn't have any "gold pearl dust" and ended up keeping them plain which tasted just fine. I also ended up adding a little salt since I didn't see it listed in the ingredients. People who reviewed this recipe also suggested using different shapes and adding food coloring for various holidays throughout the year. Also, I have the Pampered Chef cookie press and is the best one I've ever used.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/touch-of-gold-christmas-trees?_cmp=CookieCountdown&_ebid=CookieCountdown11282017&_mid=184616&ehid=dfef5f62f666e299097ce5854fb7aea035676b6b

Jeweled Coconut Drops (Christmas Countdown 2017 #2)

Day number 2 of my 5th annual Countdown to Christmas cookies. So far both have been amazing. I love macaroons anyway so you didn't have to convince me that these would be delicious. Cream cheese and coconut are good any day of the week. I did have to use the wooden spoon again after they finished cooking and used strawberry preserves instead. Here at 6400 ft elevation, I had to cook them for 15 minutes to get them toasted and dry. This will definitely not be the month to lose weight ;)

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/jeweled-coconut-drops/amp

Chocolate Snowballs (Christmas Cookie Countdown 2017 #1)

This is my 5th annual Christmas Countdown tradition where I try to bake a cookie-a-day until Christmas (provided by Taste of Home). So far, I've been pretty successful, but not 100%. Some years it was timing, other years, I simply chose not make some of the selections. If it's too intricate then it doesn't happen. As much as I love to bake, I'm not very good at "pretty"; I'm better at "yummy". ;)

This one was easy to make and a GREAT number one for the year. I ended up using mini chips and walnuts.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chocolate-snowballs?_cmp=CookieCountdown&_ebid=CookieCountdown11262017&_mid=184125&ehid=dfef5f62f666e299097ce5854fb7aea035676b6b

Upside Down Gingerbread Pear Cake (AIP, dairy-free, gluten-free)

Once again, my attempt to make AIP desserts. When it comes to cakes and pastries, I haven't found one that has the texture I like. This one turned out good in flavor but grainy and didn't rise like a cake. The cake looked beautiful though and I'll probably try a regular version (with flour and eggs). Appreciate the friends and hubby who were willing to try it with me. It didn't go to waste. :)

http://eathealthrive.ca/upside-down-gingerbread-pear-cake-aip-paleo/

Pigs in a Pillow (AIP)

We had another wonderful night hosting friends. They were willing participants in my AIP recipe adventures. I'm still not a fan of the textures of some of the recipes, but I improve with time. This one, however, was the perfect alternative to the Bisquick/doughy version. You can eat this all night and not feel sluggish or bloated. It was 99% AIP because some of the spices used in the sausage are not part of the Auto-Immune Paleo diet (pepper, red pepper flakes in the German sausage). I used a combination of German Sausage and Italian and just added maple syrup and herbs de provence. They went really well with stuffed mushrooms and sweet potato fries.

http://hewontknowitspaleo.com/recipe-items/pigs-in-a-pillow/

German Skillet with Mustard Cream Sauce

After processing our hogs, I ended up with quite a bit of ground German sausage. It's the first time I've ever really used it in cooking so I'll be trying various Pinterest recipes for the next few months. The hubby would say, "you don't have to keep looking, just make this one over and over." He ended up eating 2 big bowls of it last night and again for breakfast this morning. Hehe. 

I did make a few adjustments. One of my most favorite attachments for my KitchenAid stand mixer is the Dicer/Slicer. It makes perfect little potato cubes (which makes it faster to cook and easier to eat). I first cooked the sausage in a pot with onions and garlic then added the potatoes with some chicken broth. After allowing that to cook for about 30 minutes, I added the sauerkraut, brown mustard and regular milk for another 15 minutes. Finally I added the heavy cream and cooked 15 more minutes. No salt needed due to the sauerkraut, chicken broth and sausage, but I did add some black pepper and white vinegar for extra kick. [German sausage has red pepper flakes so it was plenty spicy, but not too much--perfect for the hubby and me.]

https://www.foxvalleyfoodie.com/german-skillet-mustard-cream-sauce/

Pineapple Mango "Ice Cream" (AIP, gluten-free; dairy free)

This was super easy and delicious! During the summer, the hubby bought a bunch of pineapples and mangos when they were on sale. I pureed and froze it until I could decide what to do with it. Recently I've had couple of friends that are wanting to follow the Auto-Immune Paleo diet, so the hardest part is finding desserts since I'm used to traditional farm baking (with wheat flour in everything). The great thing about this one is that it makes great popcicles too (which the hubby eats every other day). :) For this recipe, taste it before adding the maple syrup. I added some to this one because I wanted more of a sweetened ice cream taste, but for smoothies, you would likely want to omit the syrup.

https://beamingbaker.com/3-ingredient-mango-coconut-vegan-ice-cream-paleo-dairy-free-gf-vegan/

Stovetop Biscuits with Sausage Gravy

Finally got a chance to try our breakfast sausage. It's also the first time I've ever made biscuits and gravy from scratch. The hubby raved about it, literally stating "that's the best b&g I've ever had; we grow some tasty hogs". This particular recipe was fun to make because it can all be done on the stovetop. It's definitely going in my file of camping recipes. Drop biscuits are so much faster-the tricky part is getting the temperature right. I cut he recipe in half since it was just the 2 of us.

Cheeseburger Casserole (Tex Mex style)

Tonight we had several avocados that needed to get used. I had a package of ground yak meat as well, so I literally typed "hamburger and avocados" in Pinterest and this is what I chose mostly because the picture looked like what I wanted. I made a lot of changes though to fit what I was in the mood for:
1. The "green" in the picture became avocados instead of pickle; diced the avocado and tomatoes and soaked them in lemon and lime juice before adding them to the pot.
2. Added fajita seasoning to the yak and cooked a yellow onion (from our garden) with it
3. No tomato paste
4. No dijon mustard
5. Used Rigatoni instead of rotini

It turned out awesome! Very fresh tasting. We both gobbled it up. :)

http://togetherasfamily.com/2016/05/cheeseburger-casserole/

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

I had a surplus of apples and decided to go for decadence for once (ok more than once, lol). I didn't end up adding the caramel (ran out of time), but I must say, the hubby and I will not be losing weight this week. Absolutely scrumptious and not really that much effort. It is best to make it overnight and eat it the next day. But, it does make a 13x9 pan's worth...however, it doesn't seem to be a problem for us.

I love the title of her website; I can totally relate :)

https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/09/caramel-apple-cheesecake-bars.html