When people have asked me how my winter break was, I’ve usually responded by telling them it was awesome “lot of cooking and eating and reading and naps!”. For me, cooking and gifting food is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. This year, I felt like I did a lot of that and I loved every second. I thought it would be fun to share some of the stuff that I made and maybe introduce you to some new blogs and recipes along the way.
First on a cold and chilly Sunday, I made this delicious potato soup in my Instant Pot. Chunky Potato Cheese Soup was a winner with me and my picky husband. I omitted the corn and honestly used just a splash of half and half instead of the two cups it called for. I don’t have a steamer basket (if you’d like to buy me one, here you go!) so I left the potatoes in the pot while I completed Step 3. As a result, my potatoes did not stay chunky. Next time, I’ll remove the potatoes and add them in as the recipe advises.
For our office potluck, I made both chocolate and peanut butter fudge from my recipes. The peanut butter was the most popular but both were well received. I also made a Black Bean and Corn Dip that I hope to get on the blog soon.
I wanted to make some treats for my son’s school staff. I bought gifts for his teachers but there are so many wonderful folks there that contribute to his well being that I wanted to make something for everyone. I ended up making these Easy Christmas Tree Brownies.
Mine were a tad um, rustic looking but they tasted yummy and I thought they were adorably quirky.
I’d been waiting all year to make these Red Velvet Whoopie Pies! I accidentally double the butter in the cake part (oops!) but they still turned out quite good. I plan to make them again and actually pay attention to what I’m doing. These go great with a good cup of coffee. You could totally have them for breakfast. I totally did eat them for breakfast.
For my family’s get together, I did sort of a light meal with cocktail meatballs, ham and rolls, salads and dessert, etc. Someone brought 7 Layer Salad to our office potluck and I enjoyed it so much that I made one for our meal using this recipe. It was easy to make (I boiled the eggs in my Instant Pot which is the very best way to boil eggs!), and you can make it the night before which is always a plus. One of my friends told me 7 Layer Salad is “old school” but I think I’m bringing it back for my summer get togethers!
For dessert, I made Nila Wafer “Cake” Bites which are a favorite of my husband’s. I have had somewhat mixed success with dipping chocolate but these turned out just fine. These are a favorite of my dad’s as well!
One of my co-workers gifted me one of those jars with cookie dough ingredients similar to this one. The cookies were delicious and it was nice to have homemade cookies without any hassle. My son loves chocolate chip cookies. I was also able to share some of these with a friend later that day.
It was a delicious holiday season and I’m thankful for every bite! I’m also thankful for all of you that read my blog and encourage me to keep going. Here’s to wonderful and tasty 2019!