Before I forget, I want to post this cheese dip recipe for you as it comes in very handy over the holidays! I have no photos of this as it goes in as many minutes as it takes to make! Just trust me - it's delicious!
I've been making this for about 5 years now. The original recipe is from What's Cooking magazine by Kraft Canada.
Ingredients: please note, all measurements are approximate as I lost the recipe itself years ago and this is how I make it now...by memory!
1 1/2 blocks of Philadelphia cream cheese, softened (light or regular)
approx. 1/2 cup of good grated parmesan cheese
approx. 1-2 tbsps of store bought pesto
approx. 1/4 cup of julienne red peppers (from a jar so they are nice and soft)
appr0x. 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
In a mixer or food processor, mix the cream cheese and parmesan until well blended and smooth. Place in a shallow dish (oven proof) so you have about 3/4" of the mixture spread evenly in the bottom. Cool in the fridge for about 30 minutes or until the mixture is no longer soft. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Take a spatula and spread the pesto layer evenly, add your julienne peppers evenly across the pesto, now sprinkle the mozzarella over top. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until golden brown on the top (broil if required for a couple minutes). Serve with sliced baguette or crackers.
Let me start by telling you I am not a baker, yet for some reason last night, I had the urge to make cookies...and they turned out very well! My husband started out with a big sigh asking why I wasnt making chocolate chip cookies. He later recanted when he tasted the first of these! Two very easy recipes below for any of you non-bakers out there - Merry Christmas!
This afternoon I will be taking over a treat (these cookies) to our neighbours as a little Christmas gift! In good 'Martha' fashion, I have included the recipes with their cards.
Ginger Cookies(recipe from a person I "know" online - Thanks LHC!)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses (I used Lyle's Golden Syrup instead - yum!)
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves (I omitted these b/c I had none in the house)
Sugar
Directions:
Cream butter, 1 cup sugar, egg and molasses until well blended. Stir in flour, ginger, baking soda and cinnamon. Shape dough into 1 1/2" balls.
Roll balls in sugar. Place balls on un-greased cookie sheet (put parchment paper down to prevent burning on the bottoms). Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes or until lightly browned and still puffed. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes; remove to plate with wax paper to finish cooling.
IF YOU WANT THEM CRUNCHY: Store on a plate covered with aluminum foil.
TO KEEP THEM CHEWY: After ten minutes of cooling, put them in a tupperware/gladware container lined with wax paper and keep the lid on. After a couple of days, if they get hard, put a piece of bread in with them. The cookies will retain the moisture from the bread and stay chewy.
Sugar Cookies(recipe from allrecipes.com)
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.
