Our Christmas 2015 Menu

Here's our Christmas Menu.  It's pretty much the same each year with different variations of antipasto, pasta and desserts. Our family insists on tradition so there is always some red sauce on our table as well as the Cappelletti soup.

Look for links in the label section of my blog.  It is to your right.  If you can't find the recipe you are looking for message or comment on this post.  I am short on time so I did not link  the recipes but I will answer your comments or questions for sure. :).

 This years antipasto was a real challenge!  

Antipasto 

Cappelletti soup

Very Similar

Chicken spinach and mozzarella roll-ups

Mozzarella stuffed meatballs

Fresh baked bread

Dessert

Rum cake with fresh whipped cream 

Various Homemade cookie delights 

Cheesecake topped with strawberries 

Fried ice cream

Coffee, tea and fruit punch

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!  Buon Natale!

12/21/15

Brownie Cheesecake!!!

I haven't had much of a chance to go over many recipes that I have collected over the years.  Today I started to browse through the many sheets of magazine papers that I have collected.  This is one I am definitely going to make for our Christmas or even Christmas Eve dinner.  Any leftovers will easily store in your refrigerator.

This recipe was cut out from People Magazine 2005.  It looked delicious then (I have the picture) and after reading it again I am definitely making it this year.

Everyone in my family loves cheesecake and the grandchildren love their brownies so if you have chocolate lovers this mix might work for you too!

Brownie Cheesecake

1 pkg (13 x9  inch size pan) brownie mix

4 pkg. (8 oz each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup Sour Cream

3 eggs

2 squares Semi Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted, cooled slightly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 13x9 inch pan with foil extending over sides of pan. Spray with cooking spray.  Prepare brownie batter as directed on package, pour into prepared pan.  Bake15 minutes or until top of brownie is shiny and center is almost set.

Meanwhile beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Add sour cream;mix well.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over partially baked brownie batter in pan.(Filling will come almost to top of pan).

Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set.  Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake..  Cool.  Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. (I always refrigerate cheesecake over night.)  Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Lift cheesecake from pan using foil handles.  Drizzle with chocolate, let stand until chocolate is firm.  Cut into 16 pieces to serve. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Happy Baking from my kitchen to yours,

M.J.

12/23/12 original
12/19/13
8/19/14
11/3/16

Boston Cream Cake!

One of our family favorite desserts has been Boston Cream Cake.  This is my guilty pleasure...

  I thought I'd try my easy version of the recipe and I'm very happy to tell you that it was really good and it didn't take much more than using a box mix, cook and serve pudding and my chocolate icing to almost duplicate (sorry Mom) the recipe. 

 Nothing tastes as good as a scratch cake but with summer almost over and kids back to school I think this may be a nice cake to make for everyone. Lots of us foodies have children and grandchildren who love dessert so I thought I would try to simplify a family favorite without making baking too time consuming.

  The grandchildren were visiting today.  Last evening I did 3/4 of the prep, refrigerated the filled cake and iced it this a.m.  This a  cake that must be refrigerated!  Enjoy!

This would be a nice dessert to share with some friends when entertaining!

Cover when filled and store overnight if possible .  Or refrigerate several hours before topping the cake with the chocolate icing.

Cover and refrigerate( I placed a few toothpicks around the cake and then covered with plastic wrap).

 I took the shortcut and made this easy version of Boston Cream Cake.  It turned out very very good.  I do have the recipe using homemade custard.  Just email or comment and I'll send it to you.  




Ingredients:

 1 box Duncan Hines Yellow cake mix.  (bake according to directions)
  
** Note: I used a bunt pan and when the cake was baked and completely cooled, using a serrated large knife,  I cut the cake in half.  I think it is easier than using two 9" cake pans.

2 pkgs. vanilla (cook and serve vanilla pudding)  Make according to directions on box.  Note: Use whole or 2% milk because I made this with 1% milk and the pudding was thin.

Icing

1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla 
2 cups or more confectionery sugar
approx. 1/4 cup milk (judge the amount of milk how thick you want your icing)

Sift confectionery sugar, add cocoa and mix together.  Add milk and  vanilla.  Mix well by hand until all is blended and smooth.  Note:  Be careful when adding milk. Do so very slowly so as not to add too much milk.

From my kitchen to yours,

6/10/13
8/28/13
9/17/15
11/23/15
1/29/16
 

All recipes and their respective images are the sole property of I Like to Bake and Cook2013, all rights reserved. All content herein is meant for your personal enjoyment only and is in no way to be used for commercial purposes. Use of this site automatically constitutes your agreement to these terms.