Monthly Archives: December 2011
Christmas Brunch Ideas
Looking for a recipe to serve on Christmas morning? This is a favorite!
Spicy Brunch Lasagna
Makes: 16 servings
Prep: 40 mins
Chill: 8 hrs to 24 hrs
Bake: 350°F 1 hr
Stand: 30 mins
Cool: 5 mins
ingredients
•1 1/2 pounds bulk Italian sausage
•1 24 ounce carton cottage cheese
•1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
•1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
•1/4 cup finely shredded carrot
•18 eggs
•1/3 cup milk
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon pepper
•2 tablespoons butter
•1 14 ounce jar purchased alfredo sauce
•1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
•8 oven-ready lasagna noodles
•4 cups frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
•2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
directions
1. In a large skillet, cook sausage until browned. Drain off fat; set aside. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, chives, green onions and carrots; set aside.
2. In a very large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; pour in egg mixture. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, until mixture begins to set on the bottom and around the edges. With a spatula or a large spoon, lift and fold the partially cooked egg mixture so that the uncooked portion flows underneath. Continue cooking over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until egg mixture is cooked through, but is still glossy and moist. Immediately remove from heat.
3. In a small bowl, combine the alfredo sauce and Italian seasoning. Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce mixture over the bottom of a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Layer half of the lasagna noodles in the dish, overlapping as necessary. Top with half of the remaining sauce, half of the cottage cheese mixture, half the hash browns, half of the scrambled egg mixture and half of the sausage mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese. Repeat layers.
4. Cover dish tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
5. Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Remove plastic wrap and cover dish with foil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more or until heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into portions. Makes 16 servings.
Ready to Bake some Christmas Cookies?
Peppermint Pinwheels
Makes: 72 servings
Prep: 40 mins
Chill: 2 hrs to 3 hrs
Bake: 375°F 6 mins to 8 minsper batch
ingredients
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled*
• 1 cup layered chocolate-mint candy baking pieces**
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• White edible glitter, coarse sugar, or granulated sugar (optional)
directions
1. In a mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.
2. Divide dough in half. Stir melted chocolate into one dough portion. Stir chocolate mint baking pieces and peppermint extract into remaining dough portion. Divide each dough portion in half. Cover dough and chill for at least 1 hour or until easy to handle.
3. Roll each peppermint dough portion into a 9-1/2×6-inch rectangle on a piece of waxed paper. Roll each chocolate dough portion into a 9-1/2×6-inch rectangle on waxed paper. Use waxed paper to invert one chocolate dough rectangle on top of one peppermint dough rectangle; remove top layer of waxed paper. Roll up dough, jelly-roll style, starting from a long side and using bottom layer of waxed paper to help lift and roll dough. Discard waxed paper. Pinch edges to seal. Wrap dough roll in plastic wrap. Repeat to make a dough roll with remaining chocolate and peppermint dough rectangles. Chill dough rolls in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours or until very firm.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet; set aside. Unwrap dough rolls; reshape, if necessary. Cut dough rolls crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Place slices about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. If desired, sprinkle with edible glitter.
5. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are firm and just starting to brown. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool. Stack cookies in canister; cover.***
More Last Minute Gift Ideas!
Running out of Ideas on what to get the “Garage-Fanatic” in your life? How about some Wizards! Killer cleaning products that will be a hit! They have cool gifts besides the usual awesome cleaning products!
Order now on the site and save 20% with their 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS 20% OFF SALE!
Just use coupon code 12DAYS in the shopping cart at the beginning of your order to receive 20% off your entire purchase!*.
December 12th through Friday, December 23rd
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Wizards Products!
Last Minute Gift Ideas for your Beloved Biker
It’s December 16th and you still have to do some shopping??? Geeze, talk about being a slacker!, No just kidding, you are not alone. Good thing is online shopping can save you from the rush of people at the mall and the traffic! Blech… so for the Biker on your shopping list head over to Mustang’s Biker Essentials site. They have everything you need from Christmas cards, ornaments, to cold weather riding gear and cute items like mailboxes or wind-chimes, You will no doubt find something very unique and cute for the biker on your list.
Now, go visit the site, grab some eggnog, crank up the christmas tunes and do your last minute shopping online, HURRY go order now!
It’s getting cold, get out your scarf’s, 25 ways to wear a one!
Check out the Fun in Hollywood, as Rally TV gets kicked off the Red Carpet
Avery
Poor Avery has a very sad story. He and his “dad” lived in a trailer in Greene County without electricity or plumbing. One chilly night, a kerosene heater started a fire and burned the trailer to the ground. Avery and his dad escaped, but the poor Beagle was so spooked that he darted off into a forest and was lost.
Avery’s dad called his local animal shelter for help. They promised that if a lost Beagle turned up, they would let him know. Well, soon Avery did come to their door…and when the shelter staff called his dad, he gratefully identified Avery over the phone and promised to come get him. But, sadly, his dad never came. The shelter staff soon learned that Avery’s dad, while en route to pick up his beloved Beagle, was killed in a car accident.
Avery is a wise, gray-haired little fellow. He’s calm, sweet, affectionate and very easy to walk. His mellow, go-with-the-flow attitude makes him popular with other dogs. Because he is a senior citizen, we recommend a home without stairs, but we’re sure he’ll adapt if you have steps and are willing to help him out. After all, he’s one tough little Beagle who has already survived much worse. Can you open your heart and home to Avery? Stop by today and meet him at Animal Friends.
Rally TV talks with celebs like Ryan Hurst “Opie from SOA out in LA
What Fruit Are You?? An Apple a Day keeps the Doctor Away, By Lisa Maiorana, Certified Personal Nutritionist
Ever try to squeeze your feet into shoes that are one size too small just because you love the style? Doesn’t work, does it? Well, maybe you can cram your feet into those shoes for the sake of a special evening, but you can’t wear them all the time. They’re just too uncomfortable. Starving yourself with the goal of creating a physique that’s contrary to your natural body type is a similar thing. You might get there for a month or two, but eventually your body will rebel. Ultimately, there are three basic body types. It’s important to understand your shape and know what you can and can’t expect. Which one best describes you?
The apple shape. People with apple shapes tend to store fat in their upper bodies, so if an apple is carrying extra weight, it’s usually around the belly. Apples have evolved to store fat in this way to adapt to long periods of famine. Fat stored in the upper body can lead to heart disease, so it is important for apples to be health conscious.
The pear shape. Pears hold the majority of their fat in the lower body: hips, buttocks, saddlebags. Pears are mostly women. This shape has evolved because fat stored in these areas aids in fertility and breast-feeding. This type of fat is not as much of a health risk as abdominal fat, but it is harder to lose.
The proportioned shape. Lucky proportionates have fat cells distributed equally throughout their entire body. When they gain weight, they gain it everywhere. When they lose weight, it comes off evenly.
Research has drawn significant links between body shape and heart disease. People whose fat collects around the waist – the classic apple shape – are at higher risk of heart disease than their pear-shaped counterparts, whose weight collects around the hips. A pot belly increases the risk of a heart attack — even if the rest of the physique is as skinny as a beanpole. The person with that build would have a low body mass index (BMI). Based on that, the person would be classified as having a low heart attack risk. It’s really the ratio between the distance around that pot belly and the circumference of the hips that tells the tale of risk. If the waist-to-hip ratio is high, irrespective of the BMI, the risk of a heart attack is increased. Where does your body collect fat? Is your body shape more like an apple or a pear?