Christmas with A Dancer In The Kitchen {Giveaway Winners}

Well, the last week has been very full of love. Full of time well spent being with my family and loved ones, eating lots of great food, sharing wonderful gifts, lots of laughs, and then tears when saying goodbye. This year my husband and I were fortunate enough to be in the same place as most of our immediate family. My brother was the only one who came from out of state. He flew in to Utah on Christmas Eve, and after traveling all night on a red-eye flight he was such a good sport and had a great spirit the whole day! This was the first time in 10 years that I have lived in the same state as my parents for a Christmas holiday. They recently moved down from Alaska, rented an apartment and are trying out "wintering" in SLC for awhile. My dad is still flying back to AK to work but it has been a true blessing having them here. I did a lot of baking leading up to actual Christmas day! Now, I'm planning my New Year's Eve food but I wanted to share a few recipes of things I have made. You could make these things next year, for another holiday, or even just anyday of the year!

Christmas Eve was spent at my In-Laws house. We opened gifts then had a great lasagna dinner. My parents came over for dinner and we played some great rounds of catchphrase and laughed a lot. 

This was a goodie Santa left in my stocking!

My husband and I have our own tradition of having Christmas morning brunch together and then opening gifts. This year I made whole wheat cinnamon rolls from Sarah's blog (her pictures are much prettier than mine!!) and a vegetarian egg casserole served with a tomato-basil salad & fresh berries! We always get out our china and usually we have mimosas or Prosecco but I forgot this year! I love cinnamon rolls but usually I like them more with frosting. The glaze on these is jut enough sweetness to balance out the hearty flavor & texture of the wheat. They are a treat and a healthier choice! I love the addition of using agave nectar to sweeten them.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls 

Ingredients: 

For Dough: 
1 cup warm water 
2 t yeast 
2 t sugar 
1 1/2 cup AP flour 
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 
2 T Earth Balance (or butter) 
1/4 cup vanilla agave nectar 
1/2 t salt

For Filling: 
1/4 cup Earth Balance, softened (room temperature) 
1/4 cup brown sugar 
1 T cinnamon 
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

For Icing: 
1 cup confectioners sugar 
2 T Silk Nog
1/2 t vanilla

1. Combine warm water, sugar and yeast in bread machine and allow the 

yeast to “proof” for 10 minutes. 

2. Combine the dough ingredients after the yeast “proofs” and knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic.  Then cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours.

3. When dough is ready it will be a tiny bit sticky coming out of the bread machine- sprinkle with a little flour before you try to roll it out.

4. Roll dough into a rectangle (around 12 inches or so)

5. Brush on softened Earth Balance, sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped nuts evenly over the dough.

6. Roll the dough into a log and slice into 16 pieces for regular sized cinnamon rolls or 8 pieces for gigantic cinnamon rolls.

7. Arrange pieces on a baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, or until they’re doubled in size.

8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before icing.

9. To prepare icing, combine confectioner’s sugar, nondairy milk, and vanilla in a bowl. Drizzle icing on top of cinnamon rolls.

  (*recipe slightly adapted from Sarah Snacks)

Vegetarian Egg Casserole

Ingredients:

4 links of Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausage

6 eggs

1 Tbsp white onion 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped

1 1/2 cup skim milk

1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

5 slices whole wheat bread or 10 slices sourdough baguette

1 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp Herbs de Provence 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper

In a skillet, crumble & saute Field Roast sausages, onions, and green peppers in olive oil for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add in garlic and saute 2 minutes.  Layer sausage mixture in the bottom of a 9"x 9" pan. Cut bread slices into 1 inch strips and layer them across the sausage, or lay sliced baguette slices over sausage. 

In a small bowl beat the eggs and milk. Add in Herbs de Provence, salt & pepper. Pour egg mixture evenly over the bread slices. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. 

Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes (I had to bake it 45 minutes) until golden on top.

Santa must think we like beer..... 

I hope you all had peaceful holiday celebrations! We keep our tree up until December 6th because we celebrate Old Befana Day (an Italian holiday!). In other news the giveaway winners from the last post are:

Tiffany and Ellen!!!!!

Ladies I enjoyed hearing about your favorite holiday cookies. It made me want to bake some sugar  & almond cookies.  Please send me your email addresses and I'll send you your spatulas! 

CIAO,

,

BETSY