No Bake Eggnog Icebox Cake

For Evonik's Holiday Luncheon Dessert Potluck, I searched for a Christmas-themed icebox cake. Of the many ideas that I saw on the Internet, the No Bake Eggnog Icebox Cake was the one I chose to make (I had recently bought some store brand eggnog for Tom, and he hated it, so I thought I could use up some of it this way).

No Bake Eggnog Icebox Cake

Ingredients:
EGGNOG MOUSSE

• ¾ cup eggnog
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 0.25 oz bag powdered gelatin
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ¾ tsp nutmeg
• 1 ¾ cups heavy whipping cream
• ¾ cup powdered sugar

WHIPPED CREAM

• 1 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup powdered sugar

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

• 6 tbsp eggnog
• 6 tbsp milk
• 2 ½ packages (5.3 oz) of Walkers Shortbread

Directions:

1. Add eggnog and cornstarch to a sauce pan and heat on medium-high until eggnog is hot and just starting to simmer around the edges. Do not boil.
2. Sprinkle gelatin over eggnog and turn heat to low. Whisk gelatin into eggnog until smooth, then remove from heat and set aside to cool. (I put it into another bowl and then in the fridge to speed cooling – about 4-5 minutes)
3. In another bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and nutmeg until smooth.
4. Add eggnog mixture to cream cheese mixture and mix until well combined.
5. In another bowl, whip heavy whipping cream for mousse until it starts to thicken.
6. Add powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.
7. Carefully fold whipped cream into eggnog mixture.
8. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by lining the sides with parchment paper that sticks about an inch above the sides of the pan.
9. In a small bowl, combine additional eggnog and milk.
10. Make a single layer of shortbread in the bottom of the pan. As you add the shortbread to the pan, dip each cookie into the eggnog and milk mixture and hold it there for 3-4 seconds.
11. Top the shortbread with half of the eggnog mixture.
12. Repeat steps 10 and 11, then make whipped cream for the top. Whip heavy whipping cream until it starts to thicken.
13. Add powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.
14. Set about 1/3 cup of whipped cream aside for piping on the edges of the cake, then spread the rest into an even layer on top of the cake.
15. Place cake in the fridge for 5-6 hours to firm, or set in the freezer. I prefer to freeze it first to make it easier to remove from the pan, then leave it in the fridge.
16. Once cake has been removed from the pan, pipe remaining whipped cream around the edges.
17. Store cake in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Now, I don't mind eggnog - I don't yearn to drink it in the holiday season, like Tom does - so I felt like this recipe was not bad. If this was a recipe that I would make again, I would leave the shortbread (I couldn't find Walkers Shortbread, so I used Lorna Doones) in the eggnog/milk mixture longer - they were too hard to have the cake-like texture I expect from an icebox cake. I think that I'll try this recipe next year, it looks simpler, and a pizelle is something I associate with the holiday season.

Potato Chip Cookies

For Evonik's Cookie Day this year, I decided to make Potato Chip Cookies. I'd first tried them at a cookie exchange at the Tidewater, and loved them, but never thought to make them until now. After searching the Internet, I decided on Paula Deen's recipe:

Potato Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (4 sticks) softened butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ½ cups coarsely crushed potato chips
• ¼ cup confectioner's sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300°.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar. Slowly blend in flour and vanilla. Add crushed potato chips and mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoon, 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Using a fork, flatten each cookie slightly. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until light brown around the edges. Remove to wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.
3. Notes From the Paula Deen Test Kitchen: When using a fork to press cookies on baking sheet, dip the fork in flour first and the batter will not stick to the fork. These cookies were sinfully delicious and disappeared as fast as we could bake them.

I really liked them, Tom didn't. He said he would probably like them better if he didn't know that there were potato chips in them. People at work said they liked them, and I brought a container to the Tidewater that evening, and they liked them, too. What does Tom know, anyway?

Sheet Pan Breakfast Bake

I made two dishes for Evonik's annual Holiday Breakfast today, and one of them was a Sheet Pan Breakfast Bake.

Sheet Pan Breakfast Bake

Ingredients:

• 1 (20-ounce) package refrigerated hash brown potatoes
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 12 slices bacon
• 6 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
2. Place hashbrowns in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Stir in butter, olive oil, thyme, basil, oregano and garlic powder and gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with cheese.
3. Place into oven and bake until the edges begin to brown, about 20-25 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and create 6 wells. Add bacon slices and eggs, gently cracking the eggs throughout and keeping the yolk intact.
5. Sprinkle eggs with Parmesan; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Place into oven and bake until the egg whites have set and bacon is cooked through, an additional 10-12 minutes.
7. Serve immediately, garnished with chives, if desired.

This dish was generally well received. I used sharp cheddar cheese, and if I were to make it again, I would probably use mild.

Spinach Artichoke Egg Casserole

For Evonik's annual Holiday Breakfast I made two dishes, one of which was a Spinach Artichoke Egg Casserole.

Spinach Artichoke Egg Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups fresh packed spinach
• 1 ½ cups chopped jarred artichoke hearts, packed in water and drained
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
• Dash of crushed red pepper
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus 2 tablespoons, divided
• 8 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons milk
• Chopped basil for garnish, if desired

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the chopped artichoke hearts. Add dried oregano, fresh basil, and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour mixture into prepared pan and spread out evenly. Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese over the mixture.
3. In a medium bowl, combine eggs and milk. Whisk well. Pour eggs over veggies and cheese. Top with remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle additional chopped basil over the top, if desired.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until eggs are set and slightly golden around the edges. A knife inserted into the center should come out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.

This dish was good, but not great. I used marinated artichoke hearts, and had hoped that there would be more of the artichoke flavor. The dish still got a lot of compliments, so I'm pleased with that.

HdG Christmas Parade

My workplace was asked to participate in the city's annual Christmas parade, and I answered the call to volunteer. We decided to use a dragster that another employee had built, and put the Grinch in it. My job was to coordinate the Grinch costume, and it went fairly well. The employees that walked in the parade alongside the car wore antler headbands and/or light up Christmas bulb necklaces, and distributed candy to onlookers.

You can see videos of the parade at this link.