Emily served this warm wassail as we helped decorate the Christmas tree in her new house. Little did we know that Dad would soon knock the whole thing over! It’s a Christmas we won’t soon forget.
As a little girl, I have been in awe of how my dad can dunk and fit three Oreos in one bite. We have been taught the proper way to eat Oreos by dunking until the last bubble rises. I love this recipe because it reminds me that even a grown-up can be a child at heart.
By MaryEllen Burton
one bag of Oreos
one 8 oz cream cheese
almond bark
In a food processor, chop entire bag of Oreos until almost powder fine. set aside.
Cream cream cheese in mixer.
Combine Oreos with cream cheese beat until well blended.
Use your hands to roll mixture into bite-size balls.
Refrigerate.
Place 6 blocks of almond bark in microwave safe dish for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir till smooth.
Dip one truffle at a time. Set on wax paper to harden. Decorate with colored sugars if desired.
Chocolate Bark may be used interchangeable or to decorate.
For Christmas I like to use the cool mint oreos. For Easter I plan to make German Chocolate, again in honor of my dad. I think the coconut is perfect for the Easter season.
For Thanksgiving we drizzled chocolate over the tops for added interest.
At our Gingerbread House Party we served a crowd of people hot cocoa with this simple recipe made in a crock pot. I prepared it the day before, stored it in the fridge, and reheated it the day of the party. We provided an array of treats to accompany the cocoa including some adorable marshmallow snowmen. The kids kept coming back for more!
by Elizabeth Savoie Dronet
6 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
Combine ingredients in the crock pot and turn on high. Stir occasionally until warm. Reduce heat to low or warm depending on how hot you’d like it served. If you like, you can whisk the mixture until it becomes frothy. This recipe makes about 8 cups.
For our party, we made 1.5 recipes to serve around 20 people. I made the extra ahead of time on the stove and added it to the crock pot later. During the party, I warmed it in the microwave to give it a head start.
3 regular marshmallows per snowman
1 Hershey Kiss for each hat
2 pretzel sticks for arms
Food Writer marker for face and buttons
Optional fruit ring or fruit by the foot for a scarf
Royal Icing or melted almond bark
Bamboo skewers (We had to cut ours in half.)
Floral styrofoam block for display
Colored tissue paper to cover block
Variety of marshmallows to fill in around the block on the platter
Thread 3 marshmallows on the end of a skewer. Attach Hershey Kiss hat with icing or almond bark. Let set. Use a food writer marker to draw on buttons and face. Place skewer into a tissue paper wrapped floral styrofoam block for easy display. Arrange the block on a platter and sprinkle marshmallows around. These extra marshmallows can be easily grabbed by kids to put in their hot chocolate.
I have also sent these snowmen in school lunches. Just place them in a baggie.
Tip: Food writer markers can be found near the icing and sugars in the grocery store. However, I recommend buying them from Hobby Lobby or Michael’s because you can use a 40%-50% off coupon.
For an adult party, you could also include:
Filed under Candy, Drink, Entertaining, Holidays, Lunch Box
An easy way to spruce up cream cheese with pepper jelly and crackers for Christmas is to shape it into a festive tree. Begin by cutting the block of cheese diagonally; then place the two straight sides together. Trim the bottom of the tree evenly. For the star, us a knife or small cookie cutter to cut the shape out of a large carrot or bell pepper. For the trunk, use a thin piece of celery or a green onion. We like to top the cream cheese with our pepper jelly or store bought raspberry chipotle sauce. Serve with wheat thins or sesame rice crackers.
by Elizabeth Savoie Dronet
If you are planning a Christmas party, you may also like our Cranberry Christmas Punch, Cranberry Key Lime Punch (alcoholic), Christmas Butter Cookies, or Pesto Cheese Wreath.
Someone always manages to bring the same old string bean casserole made with cream of mushroom soup for our holiday gatherings. This year I thought I would beat them to the punch with this version. There were praises all around for this delicious dish.
By: Pat Savoie via Southern Living Magazine
.
1 1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp Ranch dressing mix
2 tsp fresh chopped thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp butter
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
Vegetable cooking spray
2 plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 cup French fried onions
Preheat oven to 350.
Cook green beans in boiling salted water to cover 4 to 6 minutes; Drain; Plunge into ice water; Drain; Pat dry
Melt 2 Tbsp butter, whisk in flour, cook whisking constantly 1 minute; Gradually whisk in milk, whisking constantly until sauce is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat.
Whisk in buttermilk and next 4 ingredients.
Melt 1 tsp butter and saute mushrooms 6 to 8 minutes until lightly browned.
Combine mushrooms and green bean mixture; Spoon into greased 9 x 13 baking dish.
Sprinkle with chopped tomatoes, panko, and french fried onions.
Bake 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
Filed under Holidays, Side Dish, Vegetarian
Growing up, my mother always found a Christmas project for the kids to make. Usually it was an ornament for the tree: felt Santas with sequins, ribbon pinecones, stained glass figures. I love seeing all those handmade ornaments that still hang on her tree. My favorites are the salt-dough angels from the 1970s and the painted wooden ornaments my parents made when they were first married. Here is a recipe for dough ornaments that smell fantastic and are sure to delight the kids in your family. At our Gingerbread House Party we plan to have kids decorate these ornaments with glitter glue and take them home as their party favor. Go ahead and make some ornaments today and memories for tomorrow.
by Elizabeth Savoie Dronet
1 1/2 cup cinnamon, plus more for dusting (Buy about 3 2.37 oz bottles.)
1 cup plain applesauce
1/4 cup white school glue
You will also need:
Rolling pin
Parchment paper
Placemat or other smooth surface to roll dough on
Cookie cutters
Straw
Patience
1. Combine all three ingredients in a mixer or by hand. Mix until the dough forms a ball and is no longer crumbling. If needed, add a teaspoon of water.
2. Turn out dough onto cinnamon dusted surface. Dust the top with cinnamon and roll out with a rolling pin. You may need to turn the dough over and dust the other side once more to ensure it does not stick to the surface. Do not roll dough too thin or it will curl during the drying process. Tip: Look at the cookie cutter you plan to use for an idea of how thick to roll the dough. Some cutters are thinner than others.
3. Place cut out ornaments onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Use a straw to create holes for the ornament to hand from ribbon. This recipe made 15 medium sized gingerbread men and four small stars. This filled two cookie sheets.
4. Recombine the dough scraps either back in the mixer or by hand. Use smaller cookie cutters as the dough amount lessens rather than rolling the dough thinner. We like small stars and hearts.
5. Place ornaments on the parchment lined sheets in a 200 degree oven. Cook for about 2 hours turning them over every 20 minutes. It is important to turn them over to reduce the amount of curling. We have tried the traditional method of leaving them out on a cooling rack for two days, turning occasionally, but this method did not work as well as the oven method.
6. Remove from oven and leave out over the next 24 hours to ensure they are completely dry. Decorate with glitter glue or sharpies. Write the child’s name and year on the back. Hang them on the tree using ribbons or string. You can also use them as gift tags.
7. After Christmas store in a ziplock to help keep them smelling great. You can also refresh the smell with cinnamon spray if desired.
We first made these ornaments for a playgroup three years ago. Those ornaments are still looking and smelling good.
Filed under Cooking Crafts, Holidays, How To
During the holidays the Savoies love to sample their sweets. Mom likes to set out platters of cookies and candies that are both old faithfuls and new inventions. Here’s a candy that features our favorite nut, pecans. I think it will be a welcome addition to this year’s dessert buffet.
by Elizabeth Savoie Dronet, inspired by Southern Living
1 cup chopped pecans – can use more if desired
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1/3 cup water
8 oz dark chocolate chips or candy bars broken into small pieces*
*You can also use semisweet chocolate chips or a combination of the two.
The Savoie’s have always loved Halloween especially when we celebrate it with a spooky party. When I was about 18 years old, Mom let my friends and I make a haunted forest in the side yard for my sisters and brother and their friends. She had Dave and I go to a favorite fishing spot, the Old Burnout Bridge, to collect trash bags full of Spanish moss. We used one of the poles for rescuing people from drowning in our pool to grab the moss out of the trees. When we got home, we draped it over everything! Some of that moss is still growing in her oak trees. All of my friends had a fantastic time scaring the pants off of the younger ones. We were lucky enough to borrow haunted house props and sets from Our Lady of LaSalette’s stash–the joys of living in a small town!
These Candy Corn Butterfingers amazingly mimic real Butterfinger candy. You can only buy candy corn during Halloween time, so go ahead and whip up some today. You are sure to frighten your friends and family with your eerie talent to conjure Butterfingers from candy corn.
by Elizabeth Savoie Dronet
16 oz candy corn
16 oz creamy peanut butter
16 oz chocolate bark (I like Kroger’s brand.)
1 tsp shortening if desired to make the chocolate smooth and shiny.
Line an 8×8 dish with parchment or wax paper.
Melt candy corn in a glass bowl in the microwave. Start with 1 minute and stir. Return for 15 second intervals stirring each time until smooth. Stirring this will prove to be good exercise! Do not attempt to touch the melted candy with your finger. It is very hot! Take it from me!
When melted stir in peanut butter until well combined. Spread mixture into the 8×8 lined dish. Use a silicone spatula to press and smooth the candy into the square form. Let cool completely. Using the parchment paper, lift the candy out of the dish and place paper and candy onto a cutting board. With a sharp thin knife, cut the candy into small squares. Line a cookie sheet or two with wax paper for coated candy to dry.
In a glass bowl, melt chocolate and shortening in the microwave. Start with 30 seconds and stir. Return for 15 second intervals until chocolate is smooth and creamy. Transfer to a smaller bowl if the depth of the chocolate is too shallow to cover the candy squares.
Using a fork, coat one candy square at time in the chocolate. Tap fork against the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate from candy. Gently place on parchment or wax paper lined sheet to dry. Repeat until all candy has been coated. Clean up the look of your candy by using a toothpick to draw lines around any candy where the chocolate has pooled on the paper.
Enjoy!
Here's our friend Stephan eating the insides of Resusci Anne during our Haunted Forest.
Want to give your kids a few laughs at lunch? Pack some funny bones! They are also adorable for Halloween parties. If you are lucky enough to have a few ghost and goblins who have invaded your kitchen, put them to work assembling and dipping these terrifying treats.
by Elizabeth Savoie Dronet
8 oz white meltable candy
36 pretzel sticks broken in a variety of lengths
about 1 cup miniature marshmallows
Melt candy according to package instructions. For each funny bone, press a marshmallow into then ends of each pretzel rod. Press firmly as they may fall off during dipping. With a fork, gently dip and cover each funny bone with the melted candy. Tap fork on the side of the bowl to remove excess candy. Place on waxed paper or silicone mat to dry.
My cousin Lauren Hoover brought this yummy appetizer to our Easter celebration and everyone raved over its good looks and great taste. Lauren, who lives out of town, bragged that she didn’t have to slave away in the kitchen like some of the others because this recipe is so simple. Dump it all on top and pop it in the microwave. It’s perfect for those who are traveling and don’t want to take a long time assembling the finished product when they arrive.
By Lauren Hoover
Brie Cheese
Sprinkle:
Craisins
Dried apples
Walnuts
Drizzle:
Caramel ice cream topping
Put it in the microwave until cheese is soft.
Enjoy!
This recipe has been kid tested and approved!
Savoie Secrets: It's a Family Recipe 