The Christmas season makes us reflect on many different things; to live life a little more grateful, more hopeful and a little more peaceful. It is a time to connect with friends and loved ones to enjoy the traditions we grew up with.
Today, December 25th, our family celebrates my sister Rita’s birthday as well as Christmas. I have fond memories of her Christmas Eve family birthday ‘parties’. On the eve of Christmas, our family would go to church. After returning home, we were joined by some family friends to have birthday cake and homemade rootbeer. My parents wanted my sister to always have this special time to honor her birthday apart from the Christmas festivities.
As I write about this memory, something else comes to mind. Our church at that time, was a small, old building. For the choir it had a small loft. As long as I can remember, the same lady played the organ as well as directing the choir members in song. She in turn, had a teenage daughter gifted with an unbelievable voice. One of the highlights of the Christmas service was to hear her sing a solo version of ‘Oh Holy Night’. You could hear a pin drop, it was breathtaking how angelic and beautiful her voice was. I get emotional even now remembering it.
Brion and I have spent many Christmas seasons in other parts of the world. One of the many ‘scenes’ that has left a lasting memory was in Italy, in the town of Assisi. We arrived in late afternoon with the Trafalgar group. The town sits atop one of the rolling hills in the region. The Basilica is a massive structure that dates back to the 13th century. By the time we finished visiting the Basilica the sun was setting. Brion and I stepped outside and in the meadow of the church stood a huge nativity scene with human size, terracotta figures. It was just an amazing sight to see and especially right at that time of day.
As much as I love to look at and appreciate the beauty of seasonal decorations, I’ve never been one who gets to involved with that aspect of the season. Food preparation has always been my calling and probably always will be. I hope you have enjoyed my pre-Christmas blogs as well as found them useful. I’m keeping it simple today with just two recipes. One is SAVORY STUFFING for your bird. This recipe is my best effort at a ‘taste of a memory’ from my mother’s stuffing. The second recipe is for MINI CHEESECAKES. These are my virtual ‘birthday cakes’ for you Rita. HAPPY BIRTHDAY –we love you — enjoy your day!
SEASON’S GREETINGS to anyone reading my blog.
THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS IS FOUND ANYTIME SOMEONE’S
DREAM BECOMES REAL BY THE KINDNESS ANOTHER EXTENDS!
Print Recipe
Savory Stuffing / Mini Cheesecakes
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Ingredients
Base for 3 dozen Mini Cheesecake Cups
Lemon Cheesecake (1 Dozen Minis)
Chocolate Cheesecake (1 Dozen Minis)
Orange Cheesecake (1 Dozen Minis)
Ingredients
Base for 3 dozen Mini Cheesecake Cups
Lemon Cheesecake (1 Dozen Minis)
Chocolate Cheesecake (1 Dozen Minis)
Orange Cheesecake (1 Dozen Minis)
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
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Instructions
Savory Stuffing
In a saucepan, boil potatoes; drain & mash. Set aside. Saute onion, celery, garlic, mushrooms & seasonings in margarine. Remove from heat. Combine with bread cubes, mashed potatoes & broth. ADD ONLY ENOUGH BROTH TO MAKE A PROPER STUFFING CONSISTENCY. You may not need the full amount of broth. This will make sufficient stuffing for a 4 - 4.5 kg (9 - 10 lb) turkey.
Base for Mini Cheesecakes
Combine crumbs, sugar & margarine. In each of 36 paper-lined, mini tart pans (2 1/4" dia.), press 1 Tbsp of crumb mixture. Bake at 325 F. for 5 minutes.
With an electric mixer on medium speed, combine cream cheese, sugar, zest, juice & vanilla until well blended. Beat in egg; fill cups. Bake for about 25 minutes. Cool before removing from pan. Chill. Garnish as desired before serving. For the chocolate cheesecakes, blend beaten egg & vanilla with cooled chocolate before beating in cream cheese & sugar so the chocolate does not harden into lumps.
Boston Cream Pie, a French inspired cake that dates back to the late 1800’s. Considered an American classic, Boston cream pie is typically credited to Chef Sanzian of the Parker House Hotel right in downtown Boston, USA. One of the theories as to why it was called ‘pie’ instead of cake is that at that time, pie and cake tins were often considered interchangeable, as were the words themselves.
The original Boston cream pie consists of rich butter sponge cake filled with a rum-infused pastry cream. The sides are coated with toasted sliced almonds and topping it all is a layer of chocolate fondant. A delicate ‘spider web’ of white fondant adds a touch of elegance.
Most women of my mother’s time would do there own version of this pie/cake even if it was just a simple jam-filled layer cake topped with powdered sugar. Definitely the ‘classic’ version was reserved for special occasions. Men generally loved this ‘pie in cakes clothing’. Over time, homemakers as well as the food industry have come up with numerous ideas to recreate this dessert in donuts, cake pops, cupcakes etc.
I’m forever in pursuit of saving time and calories but ending up with a memorable ‘creation’. These Boston Cream Cupcakes are a good example. Tender little cakes filled with vanilla pudding and topped with a chocolate glaze.
Print Recipe
Boston Cream Cupcakes
Tasty little mini cakes with a few shortcuts.
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Rate this recipe!
Ingredients
Chocolate Glaze ( 2 versions,you chose)
Ingredients
Chocolate Glaze ( 2 versions,you chose)
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
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Instructions
Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a standard muffin pan with paper baking cups.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt & sugar with a wire whisk. Add butter & with a pastry blender combine until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add eggs, using a hand mixer on low, combine. Add milk & vanilla, increase to a medium speed & mix until batter is light & fluffy & free of lumps.
Fill lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Do not overfill. Bake about 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack & cool completely.
Custard
Beat dry pudding mix & 1 cup milk with a whisk for 2 minutes. Stir in Cool Whip. Let stand 5 minutes before using.
Chocolate Glaze
For glaze #1... Microwave chocolate & butter in a microwave bowl on HIGH 1 minute; stir until chocolate is melted. Add sugar & 2 Tbsp milk; mix well.
For glaze # 2 ... Microwave chocolate & 1 cup Cool Whip topping in a microwave bowl on HIGH for 1 minute; stir until chocolate is melted & mixture is well blended
To Assemble: Insert a small knife at a 45 degree angle about 1/8-inch from the edge of each cupcake & cut all the way around, remove a cone of cake. Cut away all but the top 1/4-inch of the cone; leaving only a small disk of cake which will be used to top the cupcake.
Fill each cupcake with about 2 Tbsp of custard & top with the disk of cake. Carefully top each filled cupcake with 1-2 Tbsp of chocolate glaze. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
