Today's Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Dates stuffed with Pecans

If you are looking for a decadently delicious app to bring to your New Year's Eve party...this is it!  Thank you to my friend Giselle, who always brings these delectable snacks to Hania & Chris' annual Yankee Swap Holiday Party! Everyone raved about these heavenly, carmelized bacon-wrapped dates. Bon appetit!

Ingredients:

Start with 30 dates...but you may need to double or triple the recipe! Adjust for the amount of people you have, usually plan on 2-3 dates per person.

30 Whole Pitted Medjool Dates

30 Roasted Pecan Halves (or Almonds)

Uncured Bacon (raw) sliced in 1/2 or 1/3 to fit around date

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Pit the dates with your fingers or with a paring knife.
3. Place a pecan piece inside each date.
4. Wrap date in a piece of bacon and secure with a tooth pick
5. Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet or glass Pyrex dish and bake for 12 minutes (start checking them when it gets close).
6. The bacon should be cooked and crispy. Served hot on a serving platter.

Recipe: Mel's Smoked Mac & Cheese with Peas, Bacon and Mushrooms

I came up with this belly-warming recipe after sampling the mac & cheese it at the Daily Grill in Boston...and found more inspiration from Chef Tyler Florence as well. Enjoy!


Mel's Smoked Mac & Cheese with Peas, Bacon and Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS:
1 box elbow macaroni (or any fun shape), whole wheat is good
1/2 bag of frozen peas
1/2 onion diced
1/2 box of pre-sliced fresh mushrooms (or add in any other vegetable you like)
1/2 jar of Real Bacon Pieces (or about 6 slices of crumbled, crispy bacon
Salt, pepper, garlic (to taste)

Make 1/2 portion of Mario Batali's Bechemel Sauce (see below)
Then add in:
1 1/2 cups of Smoked Gouda (almost a full wheel)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups of shredded white cheddar cheese


DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Boil the pasta to AL DENTE (don't over cook)
• Saute mushrooms and onions with butter, salt, pepper
  
• Thaw peas, keep aside
• Put 1/2 of cooked pasta in a greased Corningware or Pyrex pan
  
• Put peas, mushrooms and onions on top, stir
• Pour half of cheese sauce over top, stir
• Sprinkle half of the bacon
• Add remaining pasta until pan is full, stir
  
• Top with rest of sauce & bacon, stir
• Add layer of extra shredded cheese
• Bake uncovered for 30 mins or until top is browned.

Bon appetit! Mel :)

Mario Batali’s Béchamel Sauce:

This sauce is rated 5 stars on the Food Network website. I just love Mario...He’s the best!

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 3 cups
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk (not Skim)
1 teaspoon of salt, depending on taste
¼ to ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (depending on taste)
Directions:

• In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted.
• Add the flour and stir/whisk until smooth.
• Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil.
• Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. (NOTE: Add milk slowly, may not need to use all. You want the sauce to be creamy, not runny.)
• Bring to a boil.
• Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat.
• Season with salt and nutmeg, and set aside until ready to use.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a warm and wonderful holiday season! Just wanted to share with you my latest "photoshop" holiday card. I have always loved those "crying babies on Santa's lap" photos, so I decided to put our beloved golden retriever Charlie in the mix! Visit Boston.com to see more!

Also, I wanted to share with you my Mom's great recipe for her Christmas Morning Egg Strata!

Carolee's Christmas Morning Egg Strata

Ingredients:
5 cups cubed french bread (any kind will do!)
1/2 kielbasa (it is pre-cooked, cut into thin slices)
2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 package frozen spinach (drained)
10 eggs (lightly beaten)
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon basil
dash onion powder
dash pepper

Serves 12

Put bread in bottom of 9x13 baking glass dish. Top with 1/2 of cheese and all of mushrooms, kielbasa, spinach. Combine eggs, milk, mustard, salt & pepper, pour over bread mixture in dish. Top with remaining cheese. Refridgerate 8-12 hours (make the night before). Remove from fridge, let sit for one hour before baking. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Cut into squares, serve and enjoy!

Recipe: Cran-Razz Holiday Punch!

Thank you to my friend and fellow blogger Camper English for his amazing cocktails and spirits blog called Alcademics.com! He is a prolific writer and published author out of San Francisco and shares this article called "Punch Party" at CHOW.com with lots of yummy punch recipes. Thanks Camper! :)

Here is my recipe for Cran-Razz Holiday Punch:
2 Cups Vodka
4 Cups Cranberry-Raspberry Juice
1/4 Cup Rose's Lime Juice
1/2 Cup Pomegranate Liquer
2 Cups Lime Flavored Seltzer Water

Combine all ingredients in a large punch bowl. Add a large block of ice or molded ice ring to keep it cold. Garnish with sliced limes, oranges and frozen raspberry cubes. Serves about 20 people, or 10 very thirsty (and tipsy) party goers!

To make frozen raspberry cubes: The night before the party, take a few empty ice cube trays, put a raspberry in each cube, fill with cran-raspberry juice and freeze overnight.

OPTION: Instead of serving in a punch bowl, you can just pour into martini glasses! :)

Recipe: Mel's Turkey Chili with Black Beans and Cilantro

This is one of my favorite recipes which is not only low fat, but easy to make and delicious! This makes a huge batch of hearty chili which you can serve at a dinner party, football game or warm night by the fire. You will definitely have left overs for lunch all week...Enjoy!


Ingredients:

2 lbs uncooked ground turkey breast (standard package)

1 large onion, chopped

2 medium garlic clove(s), chopped (or add 4 cloves, depending on your love for garlic)

1 large can stewed tomatoes (diced or chopped)

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp red pepper flakes (less or more depending on how spicey you like it!)

Sea salt and ground pepper (to taste)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped (plus extra for garnish)

Olive oil (to drizzle)

Optional:

Shredded low fat cheddar cheese

Sliced jalapenos

Tortilla chips

Instructions: Coat a large, deep skillet with cooking spray. Cook turkey, onion and garlic over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until turkey is browned, about 10 minutes; drain off fat.
Add remaining ingredients (herbs, stewed tomatoes, beans). Cover and cook on low heat until bubbling (about 10 mins). Drizzle olive oil over the chili, and serve!

TIP: I like to top each bowl with shredded low fat cheddar cheese, jalapenos, more cilantro and tortilla chips!Andrew loves this dish and gives it two thumbs up! :)

GOOP! Gwyneth Paltrow's newsletter

If you love food, travel, fashion and cooking as much as I do, I recommend signing up for Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP! newsletter. She is into organic cooking, spirituality and all sorts of interesting things... Check it out, it's great! This week's newsletter features modern, organic Thanksgiving recipes. YUM! Visit her site to sign up. (See her recipe below.)

Also, you must watch her travel and cooking show "Spain...On the Road Again" with Mario Batale on PBS. It is brilliant! Andrew and I are obsessed with it...and DVR every episode. We also love teh banter between Mark Bittman (NYT food writer) and Claudia Bassols (Spanish actress). They all bring such fun, humor and personality to their gastronomical trip around Spain. You feel like you are on the road trip with them. My sister studied abroad in Seville, and I had the chance to visit her there and travel a bit into the Andalucia region. It was heaven. Can't wait to go back and see more of Spain. Thanks Gwyneth!

Greens with Goat Cheese, Walnuts and Dried Cranberries


SERVES: 12
TIME: 10 minutes

3 small cloves garlic, pushed through a press
2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons real Vermont maple syrup
1/3 red wine vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 large heads of endive, washed, chopped
1 1/3 large head radicchio, washed, chopped
4 large handfuls arugula, washed
1 1/3 cup goat cheese
3/4 cup walnuts, broken into pieces
3/4 cup dried cranberries

In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, Dijon, maple syrup and vinegar. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Combine the greens in a large salad bowl. Dress with about two thirds of the dressing. Divide the greens on eight plates and scatter over the goat cheese, walnuts and dried cranberries over the greens. Drizzle each salad with a bit of the leftover dressing. Yum!