New Year’s Eve Cocktails : Our Blog : do it Delicious

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December 30, 2010

New Year’s Eve Cocktails

Are you having friends over for New Year’s? We’ve got ideas for some special drinks that can be served individually or mixed up in a big punch bowl. All are delicious with or without alcohol. Happy 2011!

Cranberry Ginger Cooler: Mix 2 parts ginger ale, 2 parts cranberry juice, 1 part bourbon, and orange slices. Serve over ice.

Pineapple Mint Punch: Mix 2 parts pineapple juice, 1 part club soda, ¼ part lime juice, 1 part rum, and fresh mint leaves. Serve over ice.

Apricot Nectar of the Gods: Mix 1 part apricot nectar, 1 part sparkling lemonade, 1 part sparkling wine, and ½ part brandy (optional). Serve over ice.

Blueberry Buzz: Mix 2 parts grapefruit juice, 2 parts club soda, 1 part gin, ½ part triple sec, and fresh blueberries. Serve over ice.

Posted by do it Delicious
Category: Delicious Recipes

December 29, 2010

Caramel Corn

We love caramel corn! It’s a delicious, salty-sweet snack to have on hand for family and friends who drop in during the holidays. This recipe from Double Delicious is so easy, and totally worth trying over regular salted popcorn.

Prep time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: serves 12

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups popcorn kernels
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup sweet potato puree
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the popcorn and canola oil. Cover and let cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until you hear the popcorn begin to pop, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Once the popcorn begins to pop, shake the pot continuously until the popping slows down to once every few seconds. Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered until all the popping has stopped. Transfer the popcorn to a large bowl.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the brown sugar and honey. Over medium heat, bring to a boil and cook 2 to 3 minutes, taking care not to burn the sugar mixture. Whisk in the sweet potato puree, flaxseed meal, and salt.

3. Pour the mixture over the popcorn and toss to evenly coat the kernels. Spread the mixture onto two large rimmed baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray.

4. Bake for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally at the beginning and more frequently as the mixture begins to dry out. The mixture will be soggy at first but after it cools, it will be crisp and delicious! Store in a zipper-lock plastic bag.

Nutrition Facts
Calories: 133, Carbohydrate: 30 g, Protein: 3 g, Total Fat: 2 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Sodium: 60 mg, Fiber: 4.5 g

Posted by do it Delicious
Category: Delicious Recipes

December 20, 2010

Blythe’s Thumbprint Cookies

These Thumbprint Cookies from Double Delicious are a perfect holiday treat because they look festive and take no time to prepare and bake (and they're wheat-free and vegan, too!)

Shown here with Ginger Cookies and Fig Bars

Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Yield: 48 cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 1/2 cups barley flour
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup strawberry, apricot, or any fruit jam
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the almonds, barley flour, maple syrup, canola oil, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Beat on low speed until well combined and then mix on high for 30 seconds until texture becomes fluffy.

2. Coat 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray. Drop 12 tablespoonfuls of dough, 1 inch apart, onto each baking sheet. Press the center of each cookie with your thumb. Fill each cookie with 2 teaspoonful of jam.

3. Bake until the edges are lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Posted by Jessica Seinfeld
Category: Delicious Recipes

December 14, 2010

Gingerbread Spice Cake

I want to share my Gingerbread Spice Cake recipe from Deceptively Delicious with you. I love it for two reasons: it’s great to have on hand for holiday morning breakfasts (or even afternoon tea), and it’s also a great do-it-yourself gift…just wrap up in parchment paper and tie with a ribbon.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes
Serves: 8-10

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
1⁄4 teaspoon allspice
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1⁄4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 cup broccoli puree
1⁄2 cup carrot puree
1⁄2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1⁄4 cup molasses
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated orange zest

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. In a bowl or zipper-lock bag, mix the flours with the baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and salt; set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar, oil, and egg until smooth. Beat in the vegetable purees, yogurt, molasses, vanilla, and orange zest. Add the flour mixture and mix until smooth.

4. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in the pan before turning the cake out onto a rack to cool completely.

Posted by Jessica Seinfeld
Category: Delicious Recipes

December 12, 2010

Your Top 10 Kitchen Gadgets

I have been mulling over what to buy friends for the holidays. This past week I went shopping at Williams-Sonoma (I went there really hungry, which I don’t recommend) and got very excited about all the gift possibilities. As you may know, I am on a quest to get all my friends cooking in their kitchens. So, of course, what better way to inspire them than to give them something that will make their culinary explorations more enjoyable. I wanted to find out first what everyone is most excited about using these days, so I asked some friends (YOU). Below are the top 10 kitchen gadgets many said they can’t live without. We love them too!

1. KNIVES

Wüsthof Classic Chef’s Knives