- May 3, 2024
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Expand your holiday menu this year with a few of these hand-picked favorites, from the Observer family.
Broccoli Casserole
What you need:
3 boxes of chopped broccoli (defrosted)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 stick butter, melted
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (amount up to you)
3 eggs
1/2 onion chopped small
Ritz crackers
What to do:
Mix everything together except crackers, put in casserole dish. Top with crumbled crackers. Bake at 350 until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
- Submitted by Randi Schaefer, Palm Coast Observer Classified Account Manager
Christmas bark
What you need:
1 row of candy cane or red oreos
1 cup pretzel sticks, broken into pieces
1 brick almond bark (you could also use white chocolate melts)
An assortment of candy (I used red and green mini M&M’s and holiday mint M&M’s)
A variety of Halloween sprinkles
What to do:
Melt almond bark according to package, on the stove or microwave ( I prefer the stove).
In the meantime, cover a cookie sheet with wax paper. Spread broken cookies, pretzels and candy onto the sheet.
Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookie mixture, spreading with a spatula to coat evenly. Quickly apply sprinkles and a few more candies if desired, while the bark is still wet.
Place cookie tray in refrigerator until set and firm. Break into large pieces.
-Submitted by Shanna Fortier, Palm Coast Observer Community Editor
Honey and thyme roasted carrots
What you need:
1 pound carrots, washed and trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a few fresh thyme leaves or pinch of dried
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the carrots into thick batons. Try and make them similar sizes and then they will cook evenly. Place in a roasting tin with oil, honey, lemon juice and seasoning. Toss well to mix.
Roast the carrots for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until carrots are golden and tender. Scatter over the herbs and serve warm.
- Submitted by Shanna Fortier, Palm Coast Observer Community Editor
Chocolate peppermint popcorn
What you need:
20 candy cane Oreos, crushed
4 dozen candy cane Kisses
2 bags of microwave popcorn (natural, and regular size, not snack size)
What to do:
Pop popcorn and remove any unpopped kernels.
Lay waxed paper or foil out on a large cookie sheet and spread popcorn out on top of the waxed paper. Sprinkle with crushed Oreos.
Melt kisses slowly in the microwave in a microwavable glass dish, such as a glass measuring cup. Heat for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring at 10-15 second intervals with a wooden spoon.
When almost completely melted, remove from the microwave and continue to stir until all chocolate is meted.
Pour melted kisses over popcorn, continuing to stir the chocolate.
Allow 1-2 hours for chocolate to harden. Store in an airtight container. Popcorn munch is best if consumed within 24 hours.
-Adapted from yellowblissroad.com
Chocolate peppermint roll
What you need:
For the cake:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for parchment and pan
2/3 cup sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1/3 cup sifted cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
Pinch of baking soda
6 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Peppermint buttercream frosting:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons heavy cream
2 cups confectioner sugar
½ cup chopped peppermint Andes
Chocolate pouring sauce:
2/3 cups dark chocolate
2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
4-5 tablespoons warm water
What to do:
For the cake:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10.5-by-15.5-by-1-inch jelly-roll pan. Line with parchment; butter and flour paper, tapping out the excess flour.
Sift flour, cocoa and baking soda together twice into a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Skim off white foam, and pour clear yellow butter into a bowl, discarding white liquid at the bottom. Set aside in a warm place.
In a medium-size heat-proof bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water; stir until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and beat on high speed until mixture is thick and pale and has tripled in bulk. Reduce speed to medium, add vanilla, and beat 2-3 minutes more.
In three additions, sift flour mixture over egg mixture, folding in gently with a spatula. While folding in last addition, dribble melted butter over batter and fold in.
Spread batter evenly in pan, leaving behind any unincorporated butter bits from the bottom of the bowl. Tap pan on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake until cake springs back when touched in center, 15-20 minutes.
Don't overbake or cake will crack. Let sit in pan on a wire rack until cool enough to handle.
Dust surface with cocoa powder. To make rolling easier, trim edges of cake, and then cover with a sheet of waxed paper and a damp dish towel. Invert onto a work surface, and peel off parchment; dust with cocoa. Starting from one long end, carefully roll up cake in towel. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate until ready to use.
Frosting:
Place all ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth.
Sauce:
Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then slowly stir mixture to combine. Add powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until pouring consistency is reached. Set aside and let sauce cool to warm.
Assembly:
Unroll cake and spread filling to a 1/4 inch in thickness. Roll filled cake from end to end. Trim ends as needed for a clean finish.
Place fully assembled roll on a serving plate (or on a cooling rack for a cleaner pouring finish) and pour chocolate on top.
Finish with peppermint Andes shavings.
-Adapted from bakersroyale.com
