The Easiest Bark you'll ever make....

First things first.

The winner of the Nestle gift basket is #25-Jen, who likes it sweet and salty. Congrats! (E-mail me your address at prudencepenny@aol.com)

But wait! Have you made the Magic Mint Bark yet? Do not pass go. Do not collect $200 dollars. Go directly to the kitchen and make some. In betweeen my classes last night, I went to Target and stocked up on Nestle Dark Chocolate and Mint chips last night for $2 a bag. (Your Target should have them on sale this week too.) I bought white chocolate chips, butterscotch, milk chocolate, and semisweet too. That's really about all you need for the bark. So think: For around $2 bucks, you could make nice little neighbor gifts, all wrapped up in cellophane. Easy, fast, and fab. Oh, I know bark has been around forever, but this Nestle recipe is a revelation. No careful melting, no dishes to clean, no worrying about the correct temperature for the chocolate. All you have to do is spread a single layer of chocolate chips on a foil lined cookie sheet. Bake at 325 for about two minutes and then swirl the chips around with a knife. Sprinkle on a topping (nuts, pretzels, peppermint, sprinkles,dried fruits, etc) and then pick up your cookie sheet and wham it down on the counter. Shazam! The impact imbeds the toppings just enough so that they remain visible but stay put. Last night, I tried making some Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pretzel Bark. It honestly took all of three minutes. All I did was spread the chips on a foil lined baking sheet and place them in the oven for two minutes.

West broke up some pretzels for me while the chips were melting.

I sprinkled the pretzels on top of the melted mass and smacked the cookie sheet on the counter. This is what I've got.

I've ravaged a few edges (who could blame me?) and the stuff is sweet and salty and heavenly. It's like an inside out chocolate dipped pretzel only better, since it's more chocolate than pretzel. You better believe there's going to be a few more variations made today. Click here for the original Magic Mint Bark Recipe from Nestle-then use your imagination.

If all goes well, I'll be back this weekend with Smore's Bark and Peppermint Marshmallow Chocolate Bark and Milk Chocolate Cereal Bark. Somebody stop me before I go too crazy!

Your Very Best Baking

Would you trust the holiday baking advice of a woman who is not only the director of Nestle's Culinary Center but is also a mother of three triplets? Me, too. Hurrah! I got a chance to pick the brain of Chris Garboski, a woman who understands that baking has to be fabulous, but not always fussy and complicated. I am taking her advice to heart. Read along for some holiday baking inspiration. (All of the photos on this post are from Nestle Kitchens.)

Me: What are the best sturdy homemade treats for mailing?

Chris: Bar, drop or dried fruit cookies are best for mailing. Cookies with hard crunchy textures, like biscotti and shortbreads, ship well as do chocolate chip, gingersnap and oatmeal cookies. Tender, fragile cookies are likely to crumble when mailed, so save those for cookie exchanges. Here are some of my favorite cookies to mail:

Milk Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Double Chocolate Dream Cookies

Holiday Gingersnaps

And of course the Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies. When my grandfather was alive, I would send him several batches of cookies throughout the year. They ship very well! Here are some tips for shipping cookies: So that your cookies arrive in one piece, it’s best to wrap four of the same size cookies together in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place in a resealable plastic food storage bag and seal shut. If you are shipping two kinds of cookies, you should double-wrap the cookies so that the flavors don’t blend together. Line the container you plan to use (decorative tin, etc.) with bubble wrap. Place the heaviest cookies at the bottom of the container and layer the wrapped cookies with bubble wrap or crumpled paper towels. Attach lid, then wrap one more in bubble wrap. Put the container into a sturdy cardboard box (be sure to add bubble wrap to the inside bottom of box). Use bubble wrap or crumbled newspaper to protect the container inside the box.

Me: What is an easy treat for kids to make and give away to their teachers and coaches?

Chris: Here are a several ideas: Kids love to assemble cookie or brownie ingredients in a jar. All the recipients need to do is add butter, vanilla and eggs.

Oatmeal Chip Cookie Mix in a Jar

Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix in a Jar

Chewy Brownie Mix in a Jar

I just love these dipped pretzels. You can add sprinkles, chopped nuts, etc. For teachers, these would be adorable placed in a mug, then wrapped in cellophane. Decorative bags work well too. Last year, my son painted a coffee mug for his teacher, then added homemade cookies inside. She cried. I actually have it on camera, it was a very sweet moment!Party Mixes work well too. Just place in a decorative bag and you are done!

Blizzard Party Mix

Butterscotch Party Mix

Toll House Party Mix

Me: Is there a great treat that could WOW at a holiday party that an inexperienced baker could pull off?

Chris: This is a brand new recipe that is easy to make and will certainly WOW guests! Chocolate Dipped Caramels with Sea Salt

Here is another one I love, these glazed nuts are great served in a bowl, on a cheese plate or in salads. Not necessarily a “treat” as in dessert, but a great addition to a party.

Me: What are some inexpensive, pretty treats that you could give as gifts to neighbors and coworkers?

Chris: I love these and they are so easy! For the toppings, the sky is the limit! Easy Chocolate Dipped Ginger Cookies

Bark is also perfect to give as gifts! You can present in a decorative tin or cellophane bags.

‘Tis the Season Gingerbread Bark

Magic Mint Chocolate Bark

Thanks, Chris! I've got the double chocolate dream cookies in the oven and I'm making the Magic Mint Chocolate Bark (just two ingredients!) for a party this weekend.

Cilantro-Jalapeno Latkes with Chipotle Sour Cream

photo from Cooking Light Magazine
When I was in high school, my Mom decided that our family should be celebrating-or at least learning about- Hanukkah. She invited one of my Jewish friends (Sheryl Ziff) over to teach us about the festival of lights. At first I was a little embarrassed. I mean, c'mon Mooo-oooo-ooooom. You don't talk about miracles with your high school friends while your little brothers and sisters sit around giggling in a semicircle, do you? Do you? Huh? But as usual, mother knows best. I loved hearing my sweet, smart friend explain some of the beliefs and customs of her religion. It was inspiring, like any miracle I accepted in my own religion. For the record, my grinning brothers and sisters in the semicircle loved it too. Later my parents went on a trip to Israel and bought a menorah, a dreidl and some of the other customary Hanukkah gear. We were outfitted to become honorary Jews, at least during Hanukkah. So we kept on celebrating. Last month, on our trip to Israel, I bought my own menorah in the old city of Jerusalem. (My little brother Jack talked the vendor down to two for $26, and we split the deal.) I couldn't find a dreidl (can you believe that?), but I still have the pathetic one I made from cardboard fifteen years ago. Eh, it works. But most important, we have latkes, my friends. If you have to choose between menorahs, dreidles and latkes, go with latkes everytime. I'm petty sure you can't have Hanukkah without them. I just found this spicy, super-hip (guaranteed to impress high school friends for sure) latkes studded with slices of jalapeno in Cooking Light Magazine. Oh, all right, you can leave out the peppers if you didn't grow up on burnt tongues in southern California. But make these latkes! And get out your candles and get celebrating. A miracle always calls for a party. And for the record, our moms are right about ev-er-y-thing. It is pointless to resist. (I'm talking to you, Sailor!) Notes: Latkes are good, cheap peasant food. Potatoes, onions and oil are the star ingredients, so these will cost you mere pennies to make. Also-I was concerned that the potatoes would discolor after draining for 30 minutes. They got a bit pinkish initially, but once I mixed them with the eggs they returned to pristine white.
Cilantro Jalapeno Latkes with Chipotle Sour Cream
Estimated Cost: $4.00 for six servings
6 tablespoons light sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
3/4 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
6 cups shredded peeled baking potato (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup grated fresh onion
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
1 large egg
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
Preparation
1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
2. Combine potato and onion in a colander. Drain 30 minutes, pressing occasionally with the back of a spoon until barely moist. Combine potato mixture, flour, and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; toss well.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Spoon 1/4 cup potato mixture loosely into a dry measuring cup. Pour mixture into pan; flatten slightly. Repeat the procedure 5 times to form 6 latkes. Sauté 3 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Remove latkes from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and potato mixture to yield 12 latkes total. Serve with sour cream mixture.

Next Up:

Holiday Baking Tips from Nestle's Very Best Baking

Glazed Cranberry Cornbread Muffins

Anybody out there still surviving on leftover turkey pot pies and mashed potato patties? Not us. We were picked clean. Except for one thing, and I was just about to toss it out and move on. But wait! I read on my friend Valerie's blog that cranberry sauce is the number one discarded item after Thanksgiving. (Check out her post-she also has a recipe for pumpkin soup that I'm dying to try.) I had to give my frugal face a good hard look in the mirror. Am I a cranberry man or a cranberry mouse? Well, I'm more like a cranberry house-frau. But I am a decent cook, and a penny pinching one at that. I decided right then and there that I was going to use up that sauce and we were gonna like it. So let it be written, so let it be done. Amen and Hallelujiah. So, that's how these Glazed Cranberry Cornbread Muffins came to be. What a lucky experiment! I used up every last bit of that cranberry sauce, and guess what? The Quiet Man and the charges all asked if I would please make these again tomorrow. Oh, yes I'll make them again. But not till I've got some leftover cranberry sauce hanging around.

Money Saving Tips: If you don't have extra cranberry sauce, swap it out with some jam. Buy your cornmeal in bulk and store it in an airtight container in your cupboard.

Sweet Cranberry Cornbread Muffins

Estimated Cost: $2.50 for 12

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

2/3 cup sugar

2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

6 tablespoons melted butter

2 eggs

12 teaspoons cranberry sauce

1 cup powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, powder, soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, butter and eggs. Pour over dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Line 12 capacity muffin pan with paper liners. Divide batter between evenly between cups. Top each with a teaspoon of cranberry sauce. Place muffin pan on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for about 16 minutes, or until tops are browned. (Middles will sink a little.) Prepare a glaze by combining powdered sugar and cream to a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm muffins and serve.

P.S. The charges are doing acts of kindness everyday in December with their church classes. The Quiet Man and I are jumping in, too. It's a great way to celebrate the holidays all month long. Join in! Some ideas for the next couple of days: Call a relative on the phone that you haven't spoken with recently. Rake leaves, shovel snow, or pick up trash in a neighbor's yard.

Next Up:

Potato Latkes for Hanukkah

Keep These on Hand for Easy Entertaining...

I'm getting ready for drop-in guests over the holidays by stocking my cupboards and fridge now. Here are a few of my favorite things to have on hand for effortless entertaining...
Clemetines, Satsumas, or any kind of Orange. They're at their juicy best in December. Fudge covered Ritz crackers will give you that sweet-salty crunch that we all crave.

Tillamook cheese. I love the stuff. I keep a couple of babyloaves on hand to slice up for a cheese platter. I love the Vintage White Cheddar, Pepperjack and Sharp Cheddar.

I just discovered these new crackers and I'm hooked. Along with the nutty pecan flavor, you get a subtle maple sweetness. Nut Crisps and Tillamook Cheddar are my new favorite lunch buddies.

Here's a tiny picture of Nestle Chocolate Mint Instant Cocoa Mix. I'm not normally a fan of instant cocoa mix, but this version is rich and flavorful. With some whipped cream and marshmallows, we're talking instant party.

I'll also keep olives, cashews, garlic bread, Christmas M and Ms, and frozen homemade tomato soup around for any suprise visitors. What am I missing? Leave me a comment and let me know what else I need in my holiday stockpile. Be back tomorrow with potato latkes....

The Stats...

4 (20 lb) turkeys
1 (15 lb.) ham
30 lbs of potatoes
4 lbs of sweet potatoes
5 lbs. or corn
5 lbs of green beans
1 lb. cranberry sauce
15 quarts of gravy
4 (9 by 13) dishes of stuffing
12 dozen rolls
3 pumpkin cheesecakes
1 pecan pie
1 apple pie
1 raspberry pie
1 pumpkin pie
2 ice cream cakes
60 guests for the weekend
And it's all gone. (Except for a few of the guests and they are packing up as I write.) There is a lot to do before the dinner and during the dinner and after the weekend. But there is even more to do on Monday morning after a holiday. Time to get cracking.
Here's a few pictures of my favorite parts of the weekend. Hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Prudy's Online Thanksgiving Hotline 2010

Welcome to Prudy's Online Thanksgiving Hotline. I really want to put my phone number here and let each and every one of you call me all day. My husband thinks I am crazy, especially since we are having 43 people for Thanksgiving dinner. (Does anybody else want to come? I've still got two wicker chairs and a patio table that nobody has claimed.) I am here, ready and willing to answer your last minute cooking and baking questions. I'll update throughout the day as any questions come in.
I just made your gravy base and it is oddly sweet. Will it balance out with the drippings?
Yes, never fear. The turkey drippings are intensely savory and your finished gravy will be only slightly sweet.
Can I leave my brown bag apple pie overnight without baking it or will the crust get too soggy?
Because the press-in crust is so sturdy, your pie will be just fine if you wait till tomorrow. Just be sure to toss your apples with a little lemon juice to keep them looking fresh. Your pie's going to be fantastic warm out of the oven with a melting scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum!
Hey Prudy , if I make the corn recipe as you have described and bake it ahead can I then pore it into a crock pot to transport and serve and if so ...when should I add the parmesan cheese ?
Skip the oven and the pot and make the whole darn thing in the crock pot. Add corn, cream, sugar, and salt to the crock pot and cook on low for two hours. Mix together butter and flour and stir into corn; cook on low for one more hour. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese about 10 minutes before serving. Nice and easy!
I have been stalking your blog for a while and thoroughly enjoy your posts. I am taking the opportunity of your hotline to ask about your roll recipe - how long can I let it stay in the "fridge" stage before I need to roll them out and let them rise and bake? Can I make it a few days ahead and let it sit in the fridge? (Krista asked the same question-so I'm killing two birds with one roll.) First of all, thanks for your kind words. I'm going to do a hotline more often, just to boost my self esteem.:) As for the rolls, they can happily spend two days in the fridge, just chillin' till you need them. If you haven't started them yet, run home and mix them up. Or wait till tonight. Or make them tomorrow morning. That's what I love best about them.

How many side dishes are you serving? Anything out of the ordinary?
This year, we're trying to keep it to the minimum since we have a big group for dinner. We'll be serving Summit House Corn, Green Beans Almondine, Cornbread Stuffing with Cranberries, Traditional Sage and Celery Stuffing, along with our Mashed Potatoes, Gravy and Turkey. Our most unusual side dish is my Aunt Charlotte's sweet potatoes with green apple, pecans, and orange. Why haven't I posted it yet??? Do you have a way to make canned whole-berry cranberry sauce more interesting? We can make it interesting, but can we make it delicious? Oh, yes. Since canned cranberry sauce is super sweet, think about adding some bold, bright flavors to balance it out. Stir in a tablespoon of orange zest, or a squeeze of lime juice. A few tablespoons of crushed pineapple would give it some tart zip. For textural contrast, another great option would be a few handfuls of chopped nuts and some dried cranberries. Suddenly I find myself craving canned whole-berry cranberry sauce. Now that’s interesting.
I love your blog and am so glad that you have open Thanksgiving hotline again this year. Here is my question:How do I get it all piping hot on the table at the same exact moment in time for grace? Muchas Gracias! This is always the trickiest part, isn’t it? First of all, unless you’re cooking for a very small group, you need to get some of the cooking done in the days before Thanksgiving. Try making your pies, stuffing, yams, roll dough, and gravy base before the big day. (Bring everything to room temperature before serving time and then give it a good zap in the microwave to get it piping hot.) The Turkey needs priority in the oven, so make sure everything besides the rolls are baked before you put that turkey in. Tom turkey will need to rest for 30 minutes between oven and carving time, so pop your rolls in at precisely that moment. With a little luck, everything should be just perfectly piping hot as you say Amen. And if it isn’t, anyone who complains can do the dishes. For eternity. My sister-in-law is a terrible cook....sorry, sister, but it is true.What can I have her bring besides ice?or how do I nicely supply a specific recipe?
Well, this is always an interesting issue, isn’t it? What does the hostess do to make everyone feel involved, even the chefs with two left thumbs? First of all, consider what kind of party you are hosting. This isn’t an engagement party for two English royals, this is a family Thanksgiving. It’s less important that the food be perfect than it is for everyone to feel included and loved. Ask your sister-in-law what she would like to bring for dinner. She might just surprise you and ask to bring the ice, and then your problem is solved. But if she wants to bring her Aunt Bertha’s famous sardine infused brussel sprouts, just smile and tell her you can’t wait to try them. A little human warmth can do wonders for the appetite. Post Edit: A wise reader suggested that you assign her a relish tray. Perfect! this may not really be a hotline question, but i've never found a good blackberry pie recipe. do you have a favorite? i don't want one with blueberries in it:)
Mwah, ha, ha. You better believe it. Have you been rummaging through my secret files, because this one is a fairly new discovery that I’m hoarding till next summer. Here’s a sneak peek. Let me know if you need it now, and I’ll email it to you post haste. If not, I’m saving it for some patriotic, sunny holiday many degrees Fahrenheit away.

Leave a comment with your question and I'll get back to you just as quick as you can say Prudence Pennywise...