Red Velvet Brownies

My dessert contribution for our celebration at Grannie's were these yummy brownies from the December issue of SL. My friend JoAnn turned me on to them. I followed doubled the recipe and baked the brownies in a half-sheet pan. I used a zip-top bag to pipe the cream cheese frosting on top after I cut them into squares.

Christmas Dinner Menu

Our menu this year encompassed old favorites and new tastes: Mustard-Crusted Prime Rib with Blue Cheese Sauce, Brussels Sprouts With Bacon, Butternut Squash Risotto (I roasted, peeled, and cubed a butternut squash and added it to the pot with the rice), and Cranberry-Pear Compote. Dessert, which featured my m-i-l's red velvet cake and b-i-l's chocolate pie, received rave reviews. Enjoy!

Cranberry-Pear Compote

In the past, we've enjoyed this fruity dish over French toast on Christmas morning (and it is terrific). This year I decided to serve it for dinner and found it to be a good partner for the prime rib and the other sides. My m-i-l reheated the leftovers and served them over toasted slices of Irish Soda Bread for breakfast the next day. Enjoy!

Cranberry-Pear Compote
Substitute apples for the pears, if you like.
1/2 cup butter
3 pears, cut into cubes
1 (12-oz.) bag fresh cranberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
6 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 cups apple cider or water

1. Melt butter in a saucepan; stir in pears and remaining ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, fruit is softened, and mixture is thickened. Serve warm.

Mustard-Crusted Prime Rib

This was the centerpiece of Christmas dinner. A standing rib roast is a significant investment, but Andy's family loves beef and Christmas dinner should be special. We had nine adults for dinner and the butcher recommended a 10-pound cut of meat. This allowed for some leftovers, so next time 8 pounds would probably be enough. A meat thermometer is key to perfectly cut beef. The range for medium is 135° to 140° and then allow a 15-minute rest period. I cooked ours to 140° because my f-i-l prefers his meat a little more done than the rest of us. However this gave us fewer pieces of medium; next time I plan to take it out at 135°. Don't be intimidated if you've never cooked prime rib—the prep is a breeze and the cooking is all hands-off (it took this one about three hours to cook). Blue cheese is a Hughes family favorite, so I made an easy blue cheese sauce to serve with the beef. Enjoy!

Mustard-Crusted Prime Rib
1 (8- to 10-lb.) standing rib roast
Country-style Dijon mustard
Montreal steak seasoning

1. Rub mustard over the whole roast. Sprinkle generously with steak seasoning. Place roast, fat side up, in a roasting pan.
2. Bake at 425° until desired degree of doneness (medium 135°-140°). Remove from oven, and cover with aluminum foil. Allow roast to stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Blue Cheese Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
4 oz. crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup cream or half-and-half

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan, and sauté garlic in melted butter for 1 minute. Stir in blue cheese and cream. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted and sauce is combined. Season with lemon zest and black pepper, if desired.

Sweet Potato-Okra Fritters

This is another of the recipes I tried out on my in-laws for Christmas Eve. It is from the new Lee Bros. cookbook, Simple, Fresh, Southern. Admittedly everyone else was skeptical, but the unusual food combo really appealed to me. I think the name "fritters" is misleading; they reminded me of Sweet Potato Latkes, which we love, with some okra thrown in. The garlic dipping sauce is a delicious counterpart. Andy and his dad were won over in the end. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato-Okra Fritters
Obviously this is a summer dish and I didn't expect to see okra in the grocery store, but it was there (thanks to South America's seasons) and I decided to try the recipe even though okra in December is weird. We won't see this again until July.
1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
6 oz. okra, sliced into rounds
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 Tbsp. dry breadcrumbs
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. cream
Peanut oil
Garlic-Buttermilk Dip

1. Place sweet potatoes in a clean towel, and squeeze out excess moisture. Place sweet potatoes in a bowl. Add in okra and next 7 ingredients. Stir together mixture until just combined.
2. Pour peanut oil into a Dutch oven to the depth of 1 1/2 inches. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Drop sweet potato mixture by spoonfuls into hot oil, and cook, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until done.
3. Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Garlic-Buttermilk Dip.

Garlic-Buttermilk Dip:
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, grated on a Microplane grater or pressed

1. Combine buttermilk and remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Sweet-Spicy Roasted Nuts

My friend Jamie gave me a new Barefoot Contessa cookbook called How Easy Is That? for Christmas. Our menu for Christmas Eve at my in-laws is appetizers and desserts (we like to keep it light before our big meal on Christmas—ha, ha!). When I looked to this new book for inspiration in my menu planning, I found this recipe. I made a batch yesterday and am happy to report that the nuts are delicious—spicy, smoky, and sweet. (In fact, I have to exercise some self-control to stop eating them!) I didn't have the exact quantities of the different nuts the original called for, so I substituted what I had. You can't taste the maple syrup, but it beautifully caramelizes the outsides of the nuts. Enjoy!

Sweet-Spicy Roasted Nuts
12 oz. whole roasted unsalted cashews
7 oz. walnut halves and pieces
7 oz. pecan halves
7 oz. whole almonds
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
Juice from 1 orange
2 tsp. chipotle chile powder (This has a smoky taste that regular chili powder lacks.)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 tsp. salt

1. Line a half-sheet pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper; coat with cooking spray. Arrange nuts in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Combine syrup, next 4 ingredients, and 2 tsp. salt in a bowl. Pour over nuts on pan, and toss to coat.
2. Bake at 350° 25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with additional 2 tsp. salt; toss to coat. Let cool in pan. Transfer to an airtight container.

Christmas Sweets

Each year at Christmas time, I bake an assortment of treats to share with friends. This year's boxes included different combinations of the following favorites: Salted Caramel Cupcakes, Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes, Blueberry-White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, Chocolate Chip-Peanut Butter Cookies, Toffee-Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Chocolate Cookies With Peppermint-Cream Cheese Frosting.