Unexpected Recipes
Winter Spice Lemonade
Yield: 8 cups
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups water
1 ½ cups sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise pods
1 large piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice (about 7 lemons)
3 cans of lemon sparkling water
Directions:
Combine the sugar, cinnamon sticks, star anise pods, ginger, and water in a small pot to make a simple syrup. Bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and let sit until it cools to room temperature. Strain the water.
Combine the strained simple syrup, cold sparkling water, and lemon juice in a large pitcher. Stir and serve over ice.
Eggnog Cake
Yield: 10 servings
Cake Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup white sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup shortening
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
Buttercream Icing Ingredients (optional):
2 cups powdered sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon rum extract
Red or green food coloring (optional)
Cake Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs one at a time.
Blend the mixed dry ingredients with the milk alternately until evenly incorporated, being careful not to overmix. Pour into the loaf pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Icing Directions:
Cream softened butter until light and fluffy. Slowly blend in the powdered sugar.
Beat in the milk and eggnog, along with the vanilla and rum extracts. Add a few drops of red or green food coloring for a festive look.
Make-Ahead Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients:
1 dozen large eggs
½ cup milk
¾ pound uncooked ground sausage
1 package frozen tater tots
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
½ medium yellow onion
1 cup fresh spinach
¾ cup shredded Colby-Jack cheese
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Dice the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and onion. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Using a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground sausage, breaking it up with a spatula or fork as it cooks. Halfway through browning the meat, add the bell peppers and onions to the sausage as it finishes cooking. Stir in the fresh spinach at the end. Sprinkle the mixture with salt and pepper, stirring to incorporate all ingredients. Set aside.
Generously grease a 9x13 baking pan. Line the entire bottom of the pan tightly with tater tots. Bake the tater tots in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes (this helps keep the tater tots crispy when you bake the casserole in the morning). Pull from the oven and let cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in the shredded cheese.
Stir the sausage and vegetable mixture into the egg mixture. Pour over the tater tots. Cover and chill in the fridge overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 40–45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Allow to cool, then cut and serve.