Video: Nigella Lawsons Chocolate Holiday Hits Savory and Sweet

From Denny: Nigella Lawson, the cooking beauty from Britain who is also hilarious, has a new holiday season cookbook called "Nigella Christmas." I always enjoy her and you will too! Take a look and recipes are below:

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Chocolate Chip Chili

From: Nigella Lawson

Serves: 12

INGREDIENTS

• 10 (or 5 linked pairs) chorizo sausages (not the salami sort), approx 1 1/4 lbs.
• 3 1/4 lb boneless beef shank, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
• 3 onions (about 1 lb), peeled
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 fresh long red chile, seeded
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• seeds from 3 cardamom pods
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp dried pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup tomato ketchup
• 4 x 15oz cans red kidney beans, drained
• 3 x 14oz cans diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup water (swished out in one of the diced tomato cans)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Finely chop, or process the onion, garlic and chile.

3. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pan (with a lid) or cast-iron or enameled Dutch oven and fry the onion, garlic and chile until soft, on low for about 10 minutes, then add the cardamom seeds, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and red pepper flakes.

4. Stir the oniony spiced mixture together and then add the chorizo, sliced into 1/4-inch coins, letting them ooze their paprika-orange oil.

5. Drop in the cubes of beed, turning them int he pan with the chorizo and onion mix, to brown the meat.

6. Stir in the tomato paste, ketchup, drained kidney beans and diced tomatoes. Add the water and bring the chili to a boil.

7. Once bubbling, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the chili and give it a good stir. Put on the lid and transfer to the oven.

7. Cook at this low heat for 3 hours. Once cooked it is best left overnight to improve the flavor.



I love the accurate names she gives her recipes... :)

Girdlebuster Pie

From: Nigella Lawson

INGREDIENTS

For the base

• 1 x 14oz box graham crackers
• 3/4 stick (6 TSB) soft butter
• 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped or chips
• 1/4 cup milk chocolate, chopped or chips

For the ice cream filling

• 1 quart coffee ice cream

For the topping

• 1 cup golden syrup, such as Lyle
• 1/2 cup packed soft light brown sugar
• 3/4 stick (6 TSB) butter
• pinch of table salt (optional)
• 2 TSB bourbon
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Process the graham crackers with the butter and chocolate pieces or chips until it forms a damp but still crumb-like clump.

2. Press into a 9-inch pie plate or flan dish. Form a lip of cracker crumbs a little higher than the plate or dish if you can. This process takes patience as you need ideally to form a smooth even layer. Sorry.

3. Freeze this crumb-lined layer for about an hour so it gets really hard. In the meantime, let your ice cream soften, just enough to be scooped. in the refrigerator

4. Spread the ice cream into the hard-crumb-lined dish to form a layer. Then cover in plastic wrap and replace in the freezer.

5. Put the syrup, sugar, salt (if using) and butter into a saucepan and let it melt over a low to medium heat, before turning it up and boiling for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and add the bourbon, letting it hiss in the pan.

6. Add the cream and stir to mix into a sauce, then leave to cool. And once the sauce is cool, but not set cold, pour it over the pie to cover the ice cream layer and then put it back in the freezer. Once frozen, cover with plastic wrap again.

7. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer, take the whole pie out of its dish and cut into slices. Should you have any pie left over, slip it quickly back into the dish and return, covered with plastic wrap, to the freezer.

*** Thanks for visiting and have fun cooking!

Video: Funny TV Trio Making Christmas Cookies, 3 Recipes

From Denny: These ladies are having so much fun showing you how to make their mothers' Christmas cookies that it will make you smile too!

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Tasty Morsels

From: Kathie Lee Gifford

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1 small box of Ritz crackers
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup buttercream icing

DIRECTIONS

Place chopped nuts, dates and condensed milk into double boiler.

Stir often until mixture thickens.

When thickened put aside for about 3 minutes.

When cooled, spread mixture over crackers and place on greased cookie sheet.

Place cookies in 350-degree oven for only 3 minutes. Remove and cool on cookie rack.

When cooled, cover with buttercream icing.

To firm icing quickly put frosted cookies in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Then place cookies in a tin and place in the freezer.



A favorite at our house...

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

From: Hoda Kotb

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• Hershey Kisses
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsps. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS

Combine ingredients.

Roll into balls, roll balls in sugar. Bake on cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Top with chocolate.

Kiss immediately upon removal from oven.



Soft Sugar Cookies

From: Sara Haines

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 egg
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Beat together butter and sugar on low speed of mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in flavorings and egg. Mix. Stir in flour and baking soda.

Using a small cookie scoop or two spoons, shape dough into balls. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Press cookie down slightly to flatten. using the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in sugar. Colored or white sugar may be used.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, just until cookies have set. Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Variation: Substitute 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar for the cup of sugar in above recipe. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours (or overnight). Roll dough out 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut out shapes. Sprinkle with colored sugars or frost. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart in a 375° F oven for 7-8 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden brown.

Tips: Do not overbake cookies; watch closely near the end of baking time. Bake on parchment paper for easy cleanup. Use two cookie sheets and have one ready to go into the oven as the first sheet cools (or just transfer parchment paper). For softer cookies, add a tablespoon of sour cream, yogurt or buttermilk.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies, depending on size.

*** Thanks for visiting and have fun trying out these easy recipes!

Funny Miss Speak Known as Malapropisms

From Denny: The following is a fun excerpt from Cheeky Quote Day over at The Social Poets. For the full post, go here.

*** Those funny slips of the tongue that come out weird and ridiculous!

From Denny: OK, we have all done it at one time or another. The key to good communication and understanding with others is to, well, avoid those slips of the tongue – or brain – whichever the case may be and speak something that comes out as absolutely weird and ridiculous nonsense.

What’s a malapropism? It’s one of those Freudian nuisances that have long plagued humanity – and politicians. We will get to that in a moment. A malapropism is really the unintentional use of a wrong word or strings of words into a phrase (compounding the problem) that causes confusion with the listeners as to what you truly meant to utter.

OK, so it’s unintentional and a humorous misuse or distortion of the word or phrase. A malapropism is especially effective because though it sounds a lot like the intended word so that it ends up ludicrously wrong in the context! What’s worse is if you make a habit of talking like this.



Some typographer having fun: I Shot the Serif ---- sheriff

A quick bit of history trivia for you on the origin of the word malapropism… OK, all you show-offs quit waving your hands because you already know the answer. Malapropism came into our language a few centuries ago from the pen of writer Richard Sheridan. His character, Mrs. Malaprop, was known for these speech antics in his 1775 play named The Rivals.

Here are some of her fun malapropisms and the correct word follows. If want to study how to write malapropisms this is a great example of how to write them:

"...promise to forget this fellow - to illiterate him, I say, quite from your memory." -------------- obliterate

"O, he will dissolve my mystery!" ------- resolve

"He is the very pine-apple of politeness!" ------- pinnacle

"I have since laid Sir Anthony's preposition before her;" ------- proposition

"Oh! it gives me the hydrostatics to such a degree." -------- hysterics

"I hope you will represent her to the captain as an object not altogether illegible." ------- eligible

"...she might reprehend the true meaning of what she is saying." ------- comprehend

"...she's as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of Nile." ------- alligator

"I am sorry to say, Sir Anthony, that my affluence over my niece is very small." ------- influence

"Why, murder's the matter! slaughter's the matter! killing's the matter! - but he can tell you the perpendiculars." ------- particulars

"Nay, no delusions to the past - Lydia is convinced;" ------- allusions

"...behold, this very day, I have interceded another letter from the fellow;" ------- intercepted

"I thought she had persisted from corresponding with him;" ------- desisted

"His physiognomy so grammatical!" ------- phraseology

"I am sure I have done everything in my power since I exploded the affair;" ------- exposed

"I am sorry to say, she seems resolved to decline every particle that I enjoin her." ------- article

"...if ever you betray what you are entrusted with... you forfeit my malevolence for ever..." ------- benevolence

"Your being Sir Anthony's son, captain, would itself be a sufficient accommodation;" ------- recommendation

"Sure, if I reprehend any thing in this world it is the use of my oracular tongue, and a nice derangement of epitaphs!" -------- reprehend/apprehend, oracular/vernacular, derangement/arrangement, epitaphs/epithets



*** For the full post of funny malapropisms - that my British friends call Colemanballs after a sports announcer prone to slips of the tongue - and the examples of former President Bush in all his Miss Speak glory, video of short clips included, visit Cheeky Quote Day at The Social Poets, go here.





*** Fun and intriguing informative science articles written in my usual cheeky voice:

Check Out Cosmic Generator Producing Energy at Rate of 100K Suns

Slamming Low-Ride Satellite Maps Earths Magnetic Field

*** Thanks for visiting! And if you are a blogger make sure to copy these fun free Christmas clip arts to use on your blog!

Winter Comfort Food from Chef Tyler Florence

From Denny: OK, I'm salivating if only a little... just finished watching this episode of Tyler's Ultimate for winter comfort food. Tyler's food is easy to do, simple and full of fresh flavors. He also has a knack for knowing what regular people want to enjoy on their plate!







This is a wonderful traditional recipe made with both pork and beef. The milk proteins help to break down and tenderize the meat.

Tagliatelle Bolognese

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms, wiped of grit
1/4 pound pancetta or slab bacon, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary
1 1/2 pound ground pork
1 1/2 pound ground beef
2 cups milk
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups dry red wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound dry tagiatelle pasta
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
1 handful fresh basil leaves
Fresh ricotta cheese

Directions:

Reconstitute the mushrooms in boiling water for 20 minutes until tender, drain and coarsely chop.

Puree the mushrooms, pancetta, onion, celery stalks, carrots, garlic, together in a blender.

In a heavy-bottomed pot add olive oil, bay leaves, herbs and cook gently until fragrant, then add vegetable puree and continue to cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes.

Raise the heat a bit and add the ground pork and beef; brown until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon. Add the milk and simmer until the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Carefully pour in the tomatoes, and wine and season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat and cover. Slowly simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring now and then, until the sauce is very thick. Taste again for salt and pepper.

When you are ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian "al dente"). Drain the pasta well and toss with the Bolognese sauce.

Serve with a good scoop of fresh ricotta cheese and garnish with some shredded basil, grated Parmigiano and a drizzle of olive oil.







I was well impressed with this intriguing new twist for a beets recipe. Beets are wonderful roasted and roasting is just too easy and low maintenance in the oven while you are busy with the rest of the meal. What really appealed to me was the salad dressing he made for it with honey to bind the oil and balsamic vinegar. Then he added lemon and orange juices to sweeten and kick up the flavors. He even made his own croutons - a man after my own heart! :)

Winter Panzanella

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 bunches mixture red and gold baby beets
3 shallots
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 sprigs marjoram, thyme, and oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 slices pancetta, sliced into small pieces
1 log goat cheese, refrigerated
1 loaf Italian bread, cut into crouton-sized pieces
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 orange, juiced
1 handful dates
1 large handful arugula lettuce

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Take baby beets and cut them in half. Place on a long sheet of aluminum foil. Split shallots lengthwise, leaving them unpeeled, and add to foil. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, marjoram, thyme, and oregano leaves and season with salt and pepper. Fold foil into a packet and roast in oven until fork tender and nicely caramelized, about 30 minutes.

In saute pan, cook pancetta until crisp.

Meanwhile refrigerate goat cheese so it is easier to break up over the salad later.

Toss the bread chunks with 1⁄4 cup oil until the bread is wet with the oil. Spread the bread on a baking sheet and bake until the bread begins to brown, about 10 minutes.

While the bread is going, make the dressing. In a large mixing bowl, add the honey, lemon juice, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, 4 tablespoons oil, salt, pepper, and stir together. Add all the remaining ingredients except arugula and gently stir. Taste for seasoning. Remove beets and bread from oven, peel shallots, and add to bowl. Stir together and season with salt and pepper. Add pancetta and arugula.







OK, this one struck me right immediately. While I love pears poached in red wine it's often a hassle to find the perfect pears. What is always in our local grocery stores is the common green Bartlett pear. Little did I know you could cook with this juicy pear as I've always eaten it fresh.

This recipe is just too simple and packed with brown sugar flavor! He adds the fresh cranberries for color and taste which is great if you have a few left over from the holidays chilling in the freezer and trying to figure out how to use just a little bit in a recipe. Usually, I'm lukewarm on stewed fruit but a baked cobbler with this topping has me sold! :) This little gem of a recipe would be great for guests or a winter brunch too.

Pear Cobbler with Cranberry Streusel

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 Bartlett pears
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping:

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups cranberries
1/2 cup whipping cream, beaten to soft peaks
Unsalted butter, at room temperature, granulated and sugar, for the baking dish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel the pears and cut them in 1/2 through the stem end. Use a melon baller to scoop out the cores. Put the pear halves in a large bowl. Sprinkle over the vanilla; toss. Then sprinkle over the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg and toss to coat the pears with the flavorings. Line the pears up in a buttered, sugared baking dish, rounded sides up.

In the same bowl, mash together the butter, brown sugar, flour, and salt with your hands for the topping. Toss in the cranberries. Crumble the topping mixture over the pears in the baking dish and bake until the topping is crunchy and browned and the pears are very tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.

*** Thanks for visiting! Check out Richard Geres Bedford Inns Holiday Appetizer too. And if you are a blogger, be sure to copy these fun reindeer images - they are too fun!

Richard Geres Bedford Inns Holiday Appetizer

From Denny: This certainly was an unexpected find today. Apparently, the two actors Richard Gere and wife Carrie Lowell own Bedford Post Inn, Bedford, New York. The actors and the chef look like they are simpatico and have a lot of fun together. You also get an inside peek at the Inn and its kitchen. What a beautiful place it is!

The Bedford Inn's restaurant has recently been named one of the top 10 restaurants in the country. Chef Lewis must be quite excited to receive such an honor. He shows us how to turn leftover risotto into a holiday appetizer.

Besides, mushrooms are brain food! Healthy food for your brain and a simple easy-to-make hot appetizer for the holidays. Works for me! :)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Wild mushroom risotto

From: Chef Brian Lewis

INGREDIENTS

For the risotto base:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons minced Spanish onion
• 1 cup carnaroli rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups mushroom or chicken stock
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

For the roasted wild mushrooms:

• 1 pound fresh porcini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
• 1 pound chanterelles
• 8 sage leaves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

To make the risotto base:

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottom sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and season with salt. Cook until soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes.

2. Add the rice and stir together with the onions for 2 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

3. Add the white wine and let simmer and absorb fully into the rice, not stirring at this point, for 3-4 minutes. Once the wine has been absorbed and the alcohol evaporated, the rice will begin to toast and take on a nutty aroma.

4. Begin to add the chicken stock at this point, one cup at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon preferably. Stir constantly, allowing the rice to give off its creamy starch and create a delicate creamy broth with the stock.

5. Continue to cook and stir the risotto until all of the stock has been absorbed by the rice. At this point, remove the pan from the heat and add the cold butter, stirring it into the rice quickly, allowing the butter to emulsify with the rice.

6. Finish the risotto by adding the Parmesan cheese and the cooked porcini mushrooms.

7. Serve with a side of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

To roast the wild mushrooms:

1. In a heavy-bottom sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and season with a touch of salt, cooking gently until all of the moisture has evaporated and they begin to brown, about 8-10 minutes.

2. Add the butter and sage, combining with the mushrooms and cooking until the butter is lightly brown and the sage has browned.

3. Adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

4. Keep warm until ready to add to the risotto.



Wild mushroom stuffed arancini (air-en-cheen-ee), also known as risotto balls

From: Chef Brian Lewis

INGREDIENTS

For the wild mushroom stuffed arancini:

• 2 cups wild mushroom risotto, cold
• 3/4 cup imported Taleggio cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage
• 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 3 quarts canola oil, for frying
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

For the fines herbs aioli:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons fines herbs (equal parts minced tarragon, Italian parsley and chives)

DIRECTIONS

To make the wild mushroom stuffed arancini:

1. Fill a large, heavy-bottom sauce pot with the canola oil, making sure that the oil does not go higher than halfway high, to prevent the oil from spilling over.

2. Using a fryer thermometer, bring the temperature of the oil to 350 degrees F. Have a tray lined with paper towels ready to drain and season the fried arancini.

3. Using a tablespoon, form the risotto into equal-size balls, called arancini. Stuff each ball with small cubes of Taleggio.

4. Bread the arancini: Break the eggs into a medium-size mixing bowl and whisk with the milk and strain into another mixing bowl. Place the flour in a medium-size mixing bowl. Combine the bread crumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, rosemary, sage and salt and fresh black pepper to taste.

5. Roll the arancini in the flour, then dip into the eggs and then roll into the bread crumbs.

6. Fry until golden brown for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and season with a touch of salt to taste.

To make the fines herbs aioli:

1. Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt using a large heavy knife.

2. Whisk together yolk, lemon juice and mustard in a bowl. Combine oils and add, a few drops at a time, to yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until all oil is incorporated and mixture is emulsified. (If mixture separates, stop adding oil and continue whisking until mixture comes together, then resume adding oil.)

3. Whisk in garlic paste and fines herbs, season with salt and pepper to taste. If aioli is too thick, whisk in 1 or 2 drops of water.

4. Chill, covered, until ready to use.

*** Thanks for visiting and check out Winter Comfort Food from Chef Tyler Florence! And if you are a blogger, be sure to copy these great reindeer images - they are too fun!