Prime Rib for Our Christmas Eve Dinner!

 

This is the roast beef of your dreams...

😉

 The ends will be medium-well, and the

center will be beautifully medium-rare,

giving everyone what they prefer.

 

 

Tradition here in our family is

succulent mouth-watering prime rib

for Christmas Eve dinner!

 

Not So Sweet, Sloppy Joes!

Tradition here in our family is a huge dinner for Christmas Eve ~ and Christmas Day is all about sloppy joes!

Party with CHEX PARTY MIX with SRIRACHA

OK, I can see you rolling your eyes now...

This is not your run of the mill Chex mix recipe off the back of the box, this is my recipe, a spicier version!  

Way back in the early 1950’s, Ralston Purina wanted a way to get people to eat a lot more of its cereal.  That’s when the classic recipe for the famous snack mix was printed on the back of Wheat Chex and Rice Chex boxes.  The recipe included Worcestershire sauce, butter, garlic salt, salt and nuts baked in an oven.  

Peppermint Meltaways for Your Cookie Platter

I've always been a fan of peppermint, the aroma of it and the sweet taste, as in these wonderful cookies!

You also might favor the fresh smell of peppermint, but did you know there are some amazing health benefits of it...

Have a Very Merry Christmas!

A silent night,

a star above

a blessed gift

of hope and love.

Here’s wishing

a very

Merry Christmas

to you and yours!

Eat, Drink & Be Merry,

Pam

Christmas Eve Prime Rib ~ Merry Christmas!

Tradition here is Prime Rib, Standing  Rib Roast, 

on 

Christmas Eve. 

 

My fave carver, slicing it up!

It doesn’t get much better than a beautiful slice of beef, cooked rare.  This is my version; served along with delicious Caesar salad, Hasselback potatoes, oyster dressing, sautéed green beans with mushrooms, and a nice flaky dinner roll, with caramel cheesecake to top it off. 

Our prime rib is ordered from our local Italian butcher shop.  The butcher trimmed a large part of the fat off, then cut the bone off and brought it all back together by tying it with string.  It’s perfect, easy to roast and even easier for slicing. 

Allow the meat to stand at room temperature for an hour;  rub it with salt, a little pepper, and garlic powder, before roasting it in a 350° oven, until it reaches 120° internally.  Upon removing it  from the oven, let it stand for about 25 minutes before slicing.  By then, it will the register about 130° on the thermometer. 

This is my favorite cut of meat, and it’s cooked to perfection, very tender, juicy and delectable!

 HERE’S WISHING

YOU ALL

A VERY

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas Wishes for You

If I could make a Christmas wish for you,

it would be for

peace and happiness,

and good health too.

Not only now,

but for the

whole year through.

Merry Christmas,

Pam

Prime Rib Roast, My Favorite!

We splurge here for our Christmas Eve dinner with a big beefy prime grade of beef for our rib roast, roasted to mouthwatering perfection for the occasion.
  

My favorite carver slicing it up

This would be great for any special day ~ succulent prime rib.  This is, hands down, my favorite meat, the rarer, the better. 

I followed the advice from a butcher at Orchard Prime Meats, our superb butcher shop, starting the roast in a very hot oven to sear the outer surface for a crusty exterior, and finishing at a lower temperature.  An accurate meat thermometer is a necessity. 

It’s easy to cook, easier than roasting a turkey, and turns out as good as any 5-star steak restaurant could do it!

Prime Rib Roast

Ingredients:

3 ribs, 7 to 8 pounds, “prime” rib roast
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

Method:

Allow meat to come to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Pat roast dry with a paper towel.
Make a rub of remaining ingredients and rub seasonings all over roast.
Place in roasting pan, fat side up.
Cook roast for 15 minutes to sear outer surface.
Turn oven down to 325 degrees.
Continue roasting for about 1¼ to 1½ hours, until meat thermometer registers 120 to 125 degrees for rare (the center will be red with it turning pink toward the outer edge.)
Let rest 20 minutes.
Slice meat away from ribs, cutting along the bones.
Slice meat crosswise to desired thickness
Serve

ENJOY!

For You This Christmas...

“I have always thought of Christmas as a good time;

a kind, forgiving, generous, 
pleasant time;

a time when men and women seem to open their hearts freely

and so I say,

God bless Christmas!

Charles Dickens

Here's wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Keep Calm

and 

Eat another Cookie!

Rich and Creamy Buckeye Candy ~ OHIO!

After we moved to Louisville, when I was a teenager, Dad gave me several Buckeye nuts for good luck ~ I still have them to this day, with one being in my purse all the time.  They always remind me of him…

  

I’m a Buckeye at heart ~ was born in Ohio, lived there through my early years; my extended family still lives there.  It’s almost a shame ~ I’ve never made Buckeye Candy until now. 

There are about a zillion recipes over the Internet for this delicious confection; this one belongs to Jif.  It’s not a candy that is made often in this neck of the woods, so that makes it even more of a treat with it’s taste similar to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

The buckeyes are dipped in chocolate in a manner to duplicate the nut from the Buckeye tree, the state tree of Ohio.  They have a smooth peanut butter filling that is coated with rich semi-sweet chocolate.  It’s an easy recipe, which you will probably want to double like I do. 

Maybe these sweet little candies will bring a person good luck, just like the real Buckeyes do!

Buckeyes

Adapted

Ingredients:

1½ cups creamy peanut butter (I use Jif)

½ cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

3-4 cups powdered sugar (I used almost 3½)

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons shortening

Method:

Combine peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in large bowl.

Beat with an electric mixer on LOW until blended.

Add 2 cups powdered sugar, beating until blended.

Beat in additional powdered sugar until mixture, when shaped into a ball, will stay on a toothpick.

Shape into 1-inch balls.

Refrigerate 1 hour.

Place chocolate chips and shortening in microwave-safe bowl.

Microwave on medium for 30 seconds, stir.

Repeat until mixture is smooth.

Reheat as needed while coating peanut butter balls.

Insert toothpick in peanut butter ball.

Dip ¾ of ball into chocolate, leaving top uncovered to resemble a buckeye; remove excess.

Place on wax paper-lined try.

Remove toothpick and smooth over holes.

Refrigerate until firm.

Makes about 4-5 dozen

Pam’s note:  The chocolate adheres well when the peanut butter balls are VERY COLD and the chocolate is VERY HOT.  Dip them immediately; don’t let them sweat, as the chocolate won’t stick.  They’re easy to make, and sooo good!

ENJOY!

Merry Christmas to You!

         

Wishing all my foodie friends and readers 

Peace, Joy, and Love
this Christmas Season…

Good health, lots of laughter

good food too!

Have a blessed safe

Merry Christmas!

    

Merry Christmas to you...

May the lovely spirit of Christmas bring you lots of 

peace, joy and happiness.

May it bless you all through the year.

Here's wishing you all a Wonderful Christmas!

Cranberry-Maple Syrup and Merry Christmas!

Your pancakes will really be perfect on Christmas morning when drizzled with this mouthwatering cranberry-maple syrup! 

This syrup is a cross between a colorful jam and viscous syrup.  Crushed cranberries provide an interesting texture with a tart flavor, mingling with the sweet sticky maple syrup.  Four ingredients are all it takes.  Cook the cranberries in the maple syrup, until they pop, then crush the cranberries with a potato masher.   The aroma as it cooks is mouthwatering. 

I saw this recipe somewhere on the internet a while back, but don’t remember where.  It’s a great recipe ~ so try topping your waffles or pancakes with this fruity syrup!

Cranberry-Maple Syrup

Ingredients:

1 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup fresh cranberries

½ teaspoon orange zest

1 tablespoon butter

Method:

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring syrup, cranberries and orange zest to a boil.

Reduce heat, and simmer, until the cranberries have popped, about 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and crush cranberries with a potato masher or spoon.

Add butter and stir until dissolved.

Serve warm

Keeps well refrigerated in a covered container.

By the way, it makes a great little homemade gift for your family and friends!

Here’s wishing all of you and your loved ones a blessed Merry Christmas!

A little smile

A word of cheer

A bit of love from someone near,

A little gift from one held dear,

Best wishes for the coming year…

These make a Merry Christmas!

John Greenleaf Whittier

Hugs to you all,

Pam

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and recipes. 

Merry Christmas to You and Yours!

Here’s wishing you all and your loved ones all the wonder and magic of Christmas. 

May each and every one of you friends have a safe, blessed, joyful Merry Christmas!

Love to you all,

Pam