My Favorite Recipes 2012

Happy Saturday! Today I wanted to share with you my favorite recipes from 2012. They may not have been the most popular posts, but in my opinion they tasted the best of all the food I made this year. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Pie

Chicken with Spinach & Sun Dried Tomatoes in a Creamy Chipotle & Adobo Sauce

Creamy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Rainbow Fruit Tray and Strawberry Fluff Fruit Day

Creamy Dreamy Fudge

Great Grandma's Famous Jimmy Cake

Crock Pot Oniony Pork Chops  with Creamy Mustard Sauce

Starbucks Double Glazed Pumpkin Scones

Chilean Sea Bass with Mango Orange White Wine Reduction

Dresden Stollen with Cranberries

Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake

Filet Mignon with Red Wine Boysenberry Reduction and Fried Goat Cheese Rounds

I have got a fancy and delicious recipe for you guys, courtesy of the samples I received from Certified Steak & Seafood Company. If you missed the other one I posted, go check out the Chilean Sea Bass with Orange Mango White Wine Reduction.

For those of you that may not be goat cheese fans, this filet mignon is delicious if you skip making the fried goat cheese rounds, but I loved the contrast of the sweet berry sauce and the tangy goat cheese.

The quality of the meat was superb. This is a dish that you have to watch closely. If you are not familiar with filet mignon, you definitely do not want to overcook it and have it be grey in the middle. Here is a great article that should help you decide what temperature to cook your filet mignon. Remember that it will continue to cook even after you take it off the stovetop. My pieces were about two inches thick so remember that if you have a different thickness of meat that you may need to adjust your cooking time.

If you would like to purchase from Certified Steak & Seafood Company, I have just the thing for you. I am super excited that they are offering my readers a $25 OFF coupon code (FBR125D) for you to shop at the Certified Steak & Seafood online store. You can also find out more info about them at their Facebook page, Twitter and/or Pinterest. Enjoy!

Filet Mignon with Red Wine Boysenberry Reduction and Fried Goat Cheese Rounds
Makes several servings

• 4 (6 oz.) filet mignon steaks 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder, alternatively you can use 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots 
• 1/2 cup Shiraz red wine (I used a 2010 Barefoot Shiraz)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 3 1/2 Tbsp. boysenberry jam
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• Compound butter (see below)
• Fried Goat Cheese Rounds (see link)

To prepare compound butter:

1. Combine 1 stick of softened butter, 1/2 tsp. Fox Point seasoning, and 1 Tbsp. defrosted frozen berries of your choice. Mash, place on a sheet of parchment paper and roll into a tight tube to form a log shape. Chill until ready to use.

To prepare filet mignon and red wine reduction:

1. If you have not yet done so, prepare the compound butter and the fried goat cheese rounds.  Let the steaks come to room temperature. Pat them dry with paper towels and season liberally with salt and pepper. In a heavy oven proof pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Brown the steaks about 2 1/2 minutes per side, then transfer to a 350-f degree oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to rest, placing a slice of compound butter on top.

2. Using the same pan, add the red wine and onion powder, stirring to scrape up remnants on the bottom of the pan. Let win boil until reduced by half. Add the broth and boysenberry jam. Return to a boil and reduce by half. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon thickly. Whisk in 2 Tbsp. butter. Season sauce with salt and pepper if needed.

To serve: Place the filet mignon on the plate, add the compound butter if you have not already done so, drizzle with boysenberry reduction and the fried goat cheese rounds. Enjoy!

Recipe inspired from a Paula Deen recipe.

This sponsorship is brought to you by Certified Steak & Seafood Company who we have partnered with for this promotion.




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Creme Brulee French Toast

This Christmas morning I baked up a pan of these delicious Creme Brulee French Toast that I found at Channeling Contessa. They are sweet and decadent. You can use whatever type of bread you prefer, but I went with a thinly sliced cinnamon swirl bread. 

Since these are so sweet, be sure to have savory items to serve with it. We went with cheesy scrambled eggs and bacon. Enjoy!

Creme Brulee French Toast
Makes 4-6 servings

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, well beaten
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8-10 slices of bread (I used a cinnamon swirl)

1. Preheat the oven to 375-F degrees. Spray a 9x13" baking dish with non stick spray or coat with butter. Whisk together the brown sugar and butter until well combined. Pour the mixture into the baking dish.

2. In a pie pan or other shallow dish, combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt. Coat both sides of the bread slices in the egg mixture. Place the soaked slices on the prepared baking dish over the brown sugar mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops of the bread are golden brown and the sugar is bubbling. Serve immediately while still hot, with the crunchy brown sugar side up.

Recipe from Channeling Contessa

Merry Christmas!

Chilean Sea Bass with Orange Mango White Wine Reduction

I made two fancy meals today. The first which I am posting about this evening is this Chilean Sea Bass. The second which will come shortly is a fantastic Filet Mignon. Yum yum yum.

I got an opportunity to sample these goodies from Certified Steak & Seafood Company. I haven't cooked a ton of Sea Bass before but it ended up to be pretty simple. The quality of the fillets I got was fantastic. I have to say I haven't made a dinner that I enjoyed this much in quite some time.

Onto the recipe! For the sea bass I thought going the citrus route would compliment it well, and I was right. I reduced an orange mango juice blend down to almost nothing so the flavors were very potent, then added butter and whisked it in to create a velvety smooth sauce. Delicious.


If you would like to purchase from Certified Steak & Seafood Company, I have just the thing for you. I am super excited that they are offering my readers a $25 OFF coupon code (FBR125D) for you to shop at the Certified Steak & Seafood online store. You can also find out more info about them at their Facebook page, Twitter and/or Pinterest. Enjoy!


Chilean Sea Bass with Orange Mango White Wine Reduction
Makes 4 servings

• 4 sea bass fillets
• salt and white pepper to taste
• 1-2 Tbsp. vegetable oil for sauteeing
• Orange Mango sauce (see below)
• sliced green onions for garnish

To prepare Sea Bass:

1. Season fish with salt and white pepper. In a oven proof saute pan over medium high heat, add oil and saute fish about 1 minute per side, just long enough to lightly brown each side. Transfer pan to a 400-f degree oven. Cook for 13-15 minutes until cooked through. Set aside and prepare sauce.

Orange Mango White Wine Reduction

• 3/4 cup Simply Orange Mango juice blend
• zest of half of one orange
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 tsp. minced shallots
• 1 stick unsalted butter

1. Zest half of one orange (about 2 tsp.) Add the juice, zest, white wine and shallots to a sauce pan on medium high heat. Cook until it is syrupy and reduced to almost nothing, stirring occasionally.

2. On low heat, add in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking vigorously. Whisk continuously to achieve a silky texture. Do not let sauce boil.

To serve: Drizzle orange sauce over the bottom of the plate. Add sea bass and rice on the side. Drizzle more sauce on top of fillet. Garnish with sliced green onions.

Sauce Recipe Adapted from Simply Recipes

This sponsorship is brought to you by Certified Steak & Seafood Company who we have partnered with for this promotion.

Cranberry Pineapple Punch

This recipe for Cranberry Pineapple Punch from Cafe Zupas was a big hit at our Christmas party. It has just the right amounts of tartness, sweetness and fizz. I used an ice tray like this one and cut lemon and orange slices to freeze inside of the ice cubes. You could also make an ice ring and fill it with citrus slices and float it in the punch bowl. Enjoy!

Cranberry Pineapple Punch
Makes many servings

• 32 oz. cranberry juice
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 2 cups ginger ale

1. Mix all ingredients and serve.

Recipe from Cafe Zupas

Christmas Cookie Tray 2012

• Snowflake Sugar Cookies
• Cherry Almond Thins
• Snowball Cookies
• Creamy Dreamy Fudge
• Cherry Kolacky Thumb Print Cookies
• Chewy Fruitcake Cookies
• Candy Cane Kissed Cookies
• Peppermint Bark Cookies
• Cherry Divinity
• Italian Anise Cookies

Cherry (or Raspberry...or Lime) Divinity

Divinity is another one of my favorite Christmas treats. This is not for the faint of heart. It is sweet and much loved at our house. Most divinities have nuts which I omitted out of preference.

One note about the reicpe. It says to heat to 250 to 265. We tried it on the higher end towards 265 and it was just a bit too hard. Next time around I will do 255. Enjoy!

Cherry (or Raspberry...or Lime) Divinity
Makes about 2 dozen

• 3 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 egg whites
• 1 (3 ounce) package cherry flavored Jell-O® mix (Use whatever flavor you prefer)

1. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir just to blend, then bring to a boil. Heat to 250 to 265 degrees F (121 to 129 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a rigid ball.

2. Meanwhile, whip egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Sprinkle in the gelatin powder, and continue whipping until peaks form when the beaters are turned off and lifted.

3. When the syrup reaches temperature, pour in a thin stream into the egg white mixture, mixing constantly on low speed. Increase to high speed once the syrup is in, and whip until the candy is stiff and loses its gloss. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper. Once it sets, transfer to a Tupperware or cookie tin.

Slightly adapted from Allrecipes

Cherry Kolacky Thumb Print Cookies

Besides the famous Snowflake Sugar Cookies, another Christmas cookie staple at our house are Kolachky Thumb Print Cookies. They are tender and sweet and one of our favorites. We also make these using an apricot filling but we decided to be lazy this year and only make cherry. Enjoy!

Cherry Kolacky Thumb Print Cookies
Makes about 3 to 4 dozen cookies, depending on thickness

• 1 c. butter, softened
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 can Solo fruit filling (we use either cherry or apricot)
• powdered sugar + milk for a thin glaze

1. Beat butter, cream cheese, milk and sugar. Beat in egg yolk. Stir flour and baking powder into butter mixture to make a stiff dough. Chill overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 400-f degrees. Roll out dough 1/4" thick. Cut into circles. Place on baking sheet 1" apart. Make indentations and fill with 1 tsp. filling.

3. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool.  Glaze with a powdered sugar and milk frosting.

Recipe from Solo (It is on the back of the label of the can of cherry fruit filling as well)

Photo Update - Party Pinwheels

Check out the updated pictures for these Party Pinwheels here.

Photo Update - North Woods Inn Cheese Bread

Check out the recipe for North Woods Inn Cheese Bread here.

Starbucks Double Glazed Pumpkin Scones

You guys. These scones are so so good. I've made scones a few times before and these are by far the best. A moist pumpkin scone is glazed twice. This recipe makes 6 scones, which isn't a ton but it was just right for our house. Basically just enough to last a day, when the scone is fresh.

This copycat recipe comes from Rumbly In My Tumbly. These would be perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee during the Christmas Season.

Starbucks Double Glazed Pumpkin Scones
Makes 6 scones


Scones Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 9 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 6 Tablespoons cold butter
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 Tablespoons half-and-half
• 1 large egg

Sugar Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Scones Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl.

4. With a fork, pastry knife, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter remain. Set aside.

5. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk pumpkin, half and half, and egg.

6. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.

7. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide).

8. Use a large knife to slice the dough into three equal portions. Cut diagonally to produce 6 triangular slices of dough.

9. Place on prepared baking sheet from step 2.

10. Bake for 14–16 minutes until scones turn light brown.

11. Place on wire rack to cool.

Sugar Glaze Directions:
1. Mix the powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoon milk together until smooth.

2. Brush glaze over the top of each cooled scone.


Spiced Glaze Directions:
1. As sugar glaze firms, combine the spiced icing ingredients.

2. Use whisk to drizzle over each scone and allow to dry before serving.