Saturday, December 17, 2011

Grated Beets: A Pretty Side Dish for the Holidays


Red Beets
photo by FotoDawg on flickr



























Start with some big beautiful beats.

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Scrub the beats, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast until nice and tender.

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Once the beets have cooled, slip the skin off and grate them.

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Add these magical ingredients to the shredded beets. I usually include more sour cream and vinegar than the recipe calls for. I just keep adding and tasting until it's perfect for my taste buds.

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Grated Beets

Ingredients:
2 lbs medium beats, trimmed and scrubbed
1 T. olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 T. cider vinegar
1 T. sugar
1/4 c. sour cream 

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 deg. Drizzle beats with oil, season with salt and paper & wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Bake for about 1 hour until fork tender. Remove from oven: let cool. Peel, and grate on the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl. Drizzle with vinegar: sprinkle with sugar. Toss to combine. Fold in sour cream: serve.





Saturday, December 10, 2011

Mint Brownies

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I'm pretty sure one pan of these babies caused me to gain five pounds last Christmas. Nonetheless, I made them again this year and I think you should too.

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Start with unsweetened chocolate baking squares.


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Add the shortening

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and melt them together.

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Add sugar, eggs and vanilla.

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No need to use a mixer for this recipe, just stir with a spoon.

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Stir in the dry ingredients.

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The brownie base in this recipe is not very sweet. It's a nice contrast to the next layer which is an intense hit of sugary frosting.

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Blend butter, cream and powdered sugar.

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Add peppermint extract and a few drops of green food coloring for that festive touch.

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Spread frosting over the cooled brownies and put the brownies in the refrigerator until the frosting hardens.

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Now for the the third layer, the chocolate glaze: melt semi-sweet chocolate and butter and spread on top of the frosting.

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A plateful of these beauties looks great for a holiday party or gathering. I like them best when they're nice and cool from being stored in the refrigerator.


Mint Brownies

Ingredients: Brownies:
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
2/3 c. shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. brown sugar
1 1/4 c. flour
3 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
dash salt

Peppermint Frosting:
2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. cream
1/2 c. soft butter
3/4 tsp. peppermint extract
green food coloring

Glaze:
3 squares semi-sweet chocolate
3 T. butter

Directions: Brownies: Melt chocolate and shortening. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla. Blend well. Add dry ingredients. Bake in 9X13 pan at 350* for 25 min.

Frosting: Blend all ingredients well. Place on cooled bars. Refrigerate to harden slightly.

Glaze: Melt together and spread over cold frosting.