Our bellies are stuffed and holiday shopping has begun. People are decorating their houses and baking lots and lots of cookies! Here in Kennebunkport, we have a wonderful Christmas celebration called Prelude. For two weeks, our little town transforms into a perfect little Norman Rockwell picture. We do tree lightnings, caroling, minstrels Santa arrives by lobster boat. Lobster bakes at the firehouse, check! Pancake breakfasts and horse drawn carriages? Check, check!

It’s cold outside and we all need something to warm us up. Making your own hot cocoa is so easy and just feels so much better than the packaged stuff. Sip it in a mug on your couch or pack a thermos while you hunt for that perfect tree! Either way, stop and enjoy for a moment. Don’t get caught up in all of the holiday stress. Just take a nice, long sip and relax. Those other things will get done later.
Hot Cocoa

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup half and half
• 4 cups whole milk
• whipped cream or marshmallows

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In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Pour in the half and half and heat on medium. Cook until mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly.

Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add milk and heat through, stirring constantly. Do not allow the milk to come to a boil. Remove cocoa from heat and whisk until it becomes frothy.

Serve with whipped cream or marshmallows.

Source: Real Mom Kitchen

Sometimes, when you are looking for something new, it’s best to take a look back. One night I was chatting with my husband about wanting to try some different cookie recipes. He mentioned one that his grandmother made that his father loved. When I asked my mother-in-law about the cookies she said, “Oh those are good!” When I called Gram up for the recipe she had said she hadn’t made them in ages, but now that she dug the recipe out she would make some soon.

Well, I can see why these are beloved. These are a nice change of pace from the chocolate and sugar laden cookies I’ve had lately. I had honestly never had dates in baked goods before and was pleasantly surprised. These take a little time to go through and make them all, but looks don’t matter so you don’t have to make them perfect. The recipe makes a large batch of about 60 cookies so you will have plenty to share! The dough freezes well before and after baking.

*Tip: When cutting dried fruit dust your knife with flour. This will allow the blade to go through the sticky fruit with ease!

Date Filled Cookies

Ingredients

Filling

• 2 cups dates, chopped
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup water

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Cookie Dough

• 1 cup shortening (or 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce)
• 2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

To make the filling

Simmer all of the ingredients in a small sauce pan until soft and thick. Allow to cool.

To make the cookie dough

Cream the shortening, sugar, and eggs in a mixer on medium-high speed until thoroughly combined. Combine water and vanilla extract and add it to the creamed mixture.

Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly and then add to the wet ingredients. Mix until combined.

Assembly

Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Line cooking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.

Drop one heaping teaspoon of dough on prepared sheet and pat it down slightly. Add one and a half teaspoons of the cooled filling on to the dough, taking care that it stays on the dough. Drop one teaspoon of dough on top of the filling.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Yields roughly 60 cookies.

Source: The Way to His Heart

The days are getting shorter and colder and nothing is better than a warm bowl of soup. My problem is I never make soup at home, besides opening up a weak can. I love going out to lunch and grabbing a bowl, but for some reason, even though I make most everything else from scratch, I don’t make soup. I think the big thing is, the hubby isn’t a big soup eater. Now that I have my daughter loving soup there is more of a reason to step away from the can and enjoy a wonderful soup together.

I’ve grown to really love butternut squash over the years. Mostly, because it was one of my daughter’s favorite purees as an infant. I loved the way the house smelled when I would roast a few. It is a nice introductory squash and you can find them anywhere. This recipe was originally for acorn squash, which is in season right now, but difficult to find other times. So, I took the safe road and tried it with butternut!

I tried this soup when I went down to the Stonewall Cooking School as part of the Blog Better Boston Conference back in October. It was rich and creamy and everything you would expect from a chef, but now you can make it too! The best part is you can this soup ahead of time for yourself or your guests. After blending the soup, rather than putting it back in the pot to simmer, simply let it cool, cover it and refrigerate! This soup is cream free as well, so you wont feel as guilty about it afterwards!

Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger

Ingredients

• 2 butternut squash (about 4 3/4 lbs total), halved lengthwise and seeded
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, plus some for oiling baking sheet.
• 2 cups thinly sliced onion
• 1 Tbsp golden brown sugar
• 2 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 5 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth

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Optional garnishes: Chopped fresh parsley, pepitas, crystallized ginger, or creme fraiche

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

Oil a baking sheet and place the squash, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the squash until it is very soft, about 50 minutes. Using a paring knife, remove the peel from the squash and discard the peel. Cut the squash into 2-inch pieces.

In a large, heavy pot over, heat oil on medium-low heat. Add onion, ginger, brown sugar, garlic, and cinnamon. Cover pot and cook until the onion is tender, about 15 minutes. Add squash and 5 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon.

In batches, puree the soup in a blender. Return the soup to the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, thinning the soup with more broth if necessary. Ladle into bowls and garnish.

Serves 6,  1 1/2 cups per serving

Nutritional Info

Per serving: Calories 167.7, Total Fat 5.0 g, Saturated Fat 0.3 g, Monounsaturated Fat 2.8 g, Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 70.2 mg, Potassium 682.6 mg, Total Carbohydrate 30.8 g, Dietary Fiber 7.2 g, Protein 4.2 g, Vitamin A 287.0 %, Vitamin C 58.0 %

Source: Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School

This dish brings a familiarity of Thanksgiving day dinner, but a delicious, decadent meal like no other. I couldn’t make up my mind which I liked more, the ravioli or the gravy, so I continued to eat a lot! My husband even liked the sauce, which I was surprised he even tried. He has never been a fan of white sauces and I gave up asking him to try a long time ago.

Serves 2

Turkey and Cranberry Ravioli

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat
• 2 Tbsp cranberry sauce
• 2 Tbsp grated Romano cheese
• 1 tbsp bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 20 store-bought wonton wrappers

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Gravy

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

To make the ravioli: In a medium bowl, stir together the turkey, cranberry sauce, cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, egg, salt, and pepper. I used leftover dark turkey meat so I placed all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulsed a few times. This achieved the same texture as using ground turkey and mixed all of the ingredients together!Place 10 wonton wrappers on a work surface. Brush lightly with water using a pastry brush. Place 1 Tbsp of the turkey mixture on each of the wonton wrappers. Top with another wonton wrapper. Push out any air bubbles and press the edges tightly to seal.

To make the gravy: In a medium, heavy skillet heat the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir until cooked, about 1 minute. Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring quickly to avoid lumps. Add the cream, parsley, salt, and pepper and cook, without boiling, for 2 minutes, stirring often.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook until tender, but still firm to the bite and the turkey is cooked, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Drain the ravioli into the gravy and stir to coat. Serve immediately in individual dishes, drizzled with the remaining gravy.

Source: Giada De Laurentiis