Sylvia's Scenario

You can tell I'm not doing anything celebratory t on ight since I'm putting up a new post just hours before midnight.  Such an exciting life. I thought I'd post the top 3 recipes for 2011 that got the most hits on my blog.  So, here's the countdown. #3.     Saucy Chicken This recipe is officially called Thai Fish Sauce and Lime Chicken from Cooking Light 2005 and it is delicious. Thai food is always a big favorite when it comes to recipes.  Good choice, all you bloggers, for hitting on this one. #2    Almond Roca I'm surprise since I just posted this recipe.  It's the #2 most hits already and I just posted it on December 5th!  I guess people can tell a real winner when they see it because this recipe has been passed down from generations.  Candy is not an easy recipe to make, either.  My husband makes this recipe so I can't really take the credit.  He learned it from his mom who learned it from her mom who learned it by w

The holidays aren't over yet!  This recipe is in the same category at the Hernon Green Gelatin Salad, we only eat it during the holidays.  My mom always made this recipe and I'm not sure where it came from (somewhere in the 60's, I'm sure) but it was always a family favorite.  So, now you've got the two recipes of gelatin salad that I own and the only two I will ever eat in my life.  (I'm not a big fan of gelatin salads, but these two are the exception) Serves 10 2 3-oz. boxes of raspberry gelatin dessert or 1  6-oz.box raspberry gelatin dessert 2 cups boiling water 1 pint vanilla ice cream frozen raspberries (no size was specified in the recipe since it was written when there was only one size and it was in a can.  Now they are in bags so I use a whole bag ~ 12 oz.) 6 oz. frozen pink lemonade (they use to make this size, now you have to buy a 12 oz. can and discard half) 1/2 cup chopped pecans Dissolve jello into boiling wate

This Christmas Eve, I made dinner and tried to choose something that we hadn't eaten for awhile (which is hard to do because it seems like all we've been doing lately is EATING.)  My brother is planning on preparing a prime rib for Christmas day, we just had ham two day ago at another gathering at our house, we just had turkey last month for Thanksgiving, I considered oyster stew, but my brother doesn't like oysters, so I came up with game hens.  Perfect.  I liked that idea because I knew they would make for a nice presentation, a little chicken on each plate.  So cute.  I stuffed each one with Thanksgiving dressing stuffing  and used our plum jam to make a glaze to baste them while they roasted in the oven.  That made them a little festive for Christmas Eve dinner.  Try it, you'll like it.  I also made Mrs. Wilkes Broccoli salad  broccoli salad  and used dried cranberries instead of raisins in honor of the season. Serves 6 2-1/2  tsp. salt 2 tsp. cayen

This is a perfect entree for the holidays and easy to do for any novice in the kitchen.  Your guests will be impressed and delighted to be served such a treat.  This is what the holidays are about. Serves 6 1 beef tenderloin (3-1/2 pounds), tied together with kitchen twine at 2-inch intervals Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 4-6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened 2 Tbsp. stone-ground mustard 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 1.  Let beef stand at room temperature for 1 hour. 2.  Preheat oven to 425 degree.  Season beef all over with salt and pepper.  Whisk together butter and mustards; coat beef all over with mixture. We doubled the recipe when we made this for our Christmas party of 12 guests. 3.  Roast in the upper third of the oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reaches 120 degrees (for medium-rare), about 40 minutes (time will vary depending on thickness of cut).   4.  Let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Creamy Mustard Sa

We got some Harry and David pears from Bruce's parents so I threw together this appetizer with dried cranberries which was very festive looking for a dinner last night when friends came over. And I had to go slice up a few more because they got eaten so quickly!  Delicious and perfect for merry making!!

We are big coffee drinkers at our house so, of course, we have a favorite "after dinner" coffee drink that we will always offer guests when they are over.  Or on the first night home after my daughter returns for Christmas, like last night! After a home cooked meal of chicken and dumplings, she declined dessert and instead said, "but I'll have one of those coffee drinks!" They were also a big hit at our Christmas party, which is why I don't ever want to serve a dessert that is too rich or heavy. Our coffee drinks are really the dessert and all we need is a little something to go with our coffee.  (like a  snowball cake ) First, you must start with a good, strong coffee. We have a built-in espresso machine in our kitchen which was a must when we re-modeled.  It is the   Miele Coffee System that   makes espresso, steamed milk, straight coffee, or hot water.  You can adjust it to any strength, grind, etc that you prefer.  The water

These are delicious appetizers I made for our Christmas party.  Seafood makes for  a great choice during the holiday season because of the many seafood traditions around the world using fish.  This festive appetizer for the holidays are very tasty and fit the bill perfectly!  They are easy to pick up and eat, not messy, a tinge of spiciness, and full of flavor.  Certain to please a crowd! Serves 4 4 ounces shrimp, peeled, medium, deveined 1 tbsp. minced green onions 2 tsp. finely chopped peeled fresh ginger 1 tbsp. mayonnaise 1/2 tsp. Sriracha (Asian chili sauce) 1 tsp. finely grated lime zest 2 tsp. fresh lime juice 1/2 medium baguette, sliced into 20 thin slices 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted 1.  Pulse shrimp, green onion, and ginger in a food processor until a coarse paste forms. Transfer to a bowl.  Stir in mayonnaise, Sriracha, and lime zest and juice. 2.  Heat broiler.  Generously brush tops of bread with melted butter. Spread a thin layer of shr

Are you looking for a festive dessert for Christmas? I made these little cakes for our Christmas party this year. (I always plan the dessert first…) We had three guests who were gluten intolerant so these desserts were perfect because I could make extra gluten-free cakes without looking any different. I just bought Bob's Red Mill gluten-free chocolate cake mix and made them the same way as the regular ones. (I put them on different plates so I wouldn't get them mixed up.) They were delicious and everyone loved getting their own little snowball for dessert. Makes approximately 10-12 snowballs For the cakes vegetable oil cooking spray 1-1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup almond flour (like Bob's Red Mill) 1-1/2 cups sugar 3/4 cup cocoa powder 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda 3/4 tsp. baking powder coarse salt 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup sour cream 3/4 cup warm water 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk chocolate syrup powdered sugar For almond syrup 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup sug

Our recipe for almond roca is from Bruce's mother, Ann Bratney.  Her mother learned the recipe by watching it being made through a candy shop window and adapted the recipe from that.  Can you imagine?!  Ann grew up with her mom making this recipe every Christmas.  My husband learned by watching his mom do the same thing.  Now, Bruce makes it every year and we give it out for gifts, a much anticipated gift by all.  There is a particular method on how it is made and Bruce insists you must follow this certain technique for it to turn out perfect.  So, I will post the recipe, but according to Bruce, if you don't follow his specific technique, it won't turn out which is why, when someone wants the recipe, we must  personally show them how to make it!  But here it is… 1 cup water 4 cups sugar 2 pounds salted butter 1 pound almonds (3-1/4 cups) + extra to chop and sprinkle on top at the end 1 7 or 8 oz. milk chocolate Hershey bar 1.  Mix water and sugar in a large p

These are popular Christmas cookies that my family has made each holiday season.  I always look forward to these delicious little babies…pop one in your mouth and they just melt into little pieces- can't help but to get a big white, powdered-sugar smile on your face! Makes about 6 dozen 1-1/2 cups  sifted powdered sugar 1 lb. butter 4 cups flour 1 cup walnuts, chopped fine 2 tsp. vanilla 1.  Mix butter and sugar.  Add flour, nuts and vanilla.  Chill dough 2 hours or so. 2.  With a teaspoon, form into small balls. 3.  In a 350 degree oven, bake for 12-15 minutes but not until brown, only light.   4.  While warm, roll in powdered sugar. Don't be afraid to make too many!

I'm happy to post this recipe because my old recipe card that the original is written on is so old and smeared, I can hardly read it!  But these cookies turn out delicious every time especially since I was constantly changing this recipe to be the way I wanted them to be.  Try them and you'll want to make them all year long! Makes 5 dozen cookies 10 Tbsp. unsalted butter 6 Tbsp. dry cocoa 1-1/2 cup flour 3 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla powdered sugar 1.  Melt butter in saucepan and add cocoa, whisk together until dissolved.     2.  Pour into a mixer bowl. 3.  In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. 4.  Add sugar to butter/cocoa mixture.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Add flour mixture small amounts at a time.  Chill. 5.  Shape into small balls, roll in powdered sugar.  6.  Bake for 10-12 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

The holiday season is upon us and that means gingerbread!  Well, now you can satisfy your taste bud's urge for gingerbread with these molasses spice cookies.  I love using molasses in recipes for whatever reason, maybe because it's such an old fashioned ingredient.  I put it in my barbecue sauce, pancakes, cookies, baked beans, and on top of meatloaf.  It is a natural sweetener while also being a good source of iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, and copper.  So, indulge! Makes 3-1/2 dozen 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar 2-1/4 cups flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1-1/2 tsp. ginger 1/2 tsp. cloves 1/4 tsp. allspice 1/4 tsp. pepper 1/4 tsp. salt 12 Tbsp. (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1 large egg yolk 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 cup molasses 1.  Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Spread 1/2 cup of the sugar in a shallow dish for coating and set aside.   2.  Wh

Here is a no-brainer, easy, holiday dessert so simple you don't need to be a baker for it to turn out sensational! I saw this in Martha Stewart magazine and love EASY, yummy dishes with an impressive presentation! And who doesn't love a batch of brownies? All you have to do is download the templet from Martha Stewart's website, templet , make a batch of brownies in an 8-by-8-inch pan, let cool, turn out upside down onto a platter, get some powdered sugar, put the sugar in a wire-mesh strainer such as like the one pictured below: and shake over the brownies with the stencil placed on top to dust the brownies with powdered sugar. Carefully remove the stencil. Simple and effective!