Pioneer Woman’s Mother-in-Law’s Christmas Rum Cake

I first tried this cake when my friend Leslie baked this for me one christmas. The recipe she had did not use pecans, but when I looked for it on the PW's website she had it with pecan. With pecan or not, this is absolutely decadent and definitely one of those cakes that belongs to a christmas meal

Ingredients

•  FOR THE CAKE:
• 1 box (about 18 Oz.) Yellow Cake Mix
• 1 package (3.5 Oz.) INSTANT Vanilla Pudding Mix
• 4 whole Eggs
• 1/2 cup Cold Water
• 1/2 cup Canola Oil
• 1/2 cup Rum (dark Or Light Is Fine)
• 1 cup Chopped Pecans
•  Brown Sugar (optional)
•  _____
•  GLAZE
• 1-1/2 stick Butter
• 1/4 cup Water
• 1-1/2 cup Sugar
• 3/4 cups Rum

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan. If desired, sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar over the nuts.

Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour batter into pan over nuts. Smooth out ’til the top is even. Bake for 1 hour, or a little less if the pan is black. Do not overbake!

Glaze:

While cake has ten minutes to go, make the glaze.
Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off flame and pour in rum. Stir to combine and reheat for 30 seconds.

Remove cake from oven. Immediately drizzle 1/3 of the glaze on the bottom (top) of the cake. Allow to sit for five minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Prick surface a hundred times with a fork (gently, please.) Slowly drizzle remaining rum glaze all over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Cool to room temperature before serving to ensure glaze has soaked in.
Eat. Enjoy. And don’t feel guilty. It’s Christmastime!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/12/christmas-rum-cake/

Zuppa de Toscana, my lighter version of the Olive garden soup

Ingredients

• 6 medium spicy Italian sausage
• 2 table spoon oil
• 1 medium onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic chopped
• 2 large russet baking potatoes/ yukon potatoes washed with skin on, sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
• 2 , 8 ounce can of chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg ( optional)
• 2 cups milk
• salt to taste
• one big bunch of Kale ( approximately 2 cups chopped)

Preparation

1. In a large stockpot, add oil and heat till the oil is hot. Add the finely chopped onions and garlic  to the oil and fry till translucent.
2. Remove casing of the sausages and extract the sausage meat. Keep aside.
3. When the onions are done, add the thinly sliced potatoes and cook till the potatoes are slightly brown.
4. Add the sausage meat to the mixture  in the stockpot and allow the meat to brown.
5. When the meat has browned, add the chicken broth and water. Bring to boil.
6. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat and let the soup simmer for 5- 10 mins till potatoes are cooked.
7. Add Kale to the soup along with the milk. Let it cook for 2-3 mins
8. Add nutmeg right before you switch off the heat.

Note: This is a very light and nutritious soup ( healthy version, but not compromised on taste), if you like it thicker, substitute one cup of milk for 1 cup of half and half .

Maureen's Pecan Pie

When it comes to choosing pies, Pecan has always been a favorite. While I usually go pick the biggest pie I can find from Costco, this year I decided to make my own. My friend Maureen shared a slice of her pie with us and it was just heavenly! What made it even better is that it had light corn syrup so was probably a little bit lighter on the calories.

Ingredients

• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 packed brown sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten 
• 1/3 cup (2/3 stick) butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 heaping cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 unbaked pie crust

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the corn syrup, sugar, the brown sugar, the eggs, butter, salt, and vanilla. Whisk the mixture until it's totally combined. 

Place the chopped pecans in the bottom of the pie crust, and then pour the sticky mixture right over the top.

Cover the pie in foil and place it on a baking sheet. Bake the pie for 35 minutes. Remove the foil, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes more, being careful not to burn the crust or pecans. (If it seems to be browning too quickly, cover it with foil again.) 

The pie should not be overly jiggly when you remove it from the oven. If it is, just continue baking it in 5-minute intervals until it's done.

Let the pie cool before slicing it into wedges.

Source: Pioneer Woman's cookbook

Rich chocolate mousse ( tasters choice recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp instant coffee
• 1 tbsp water to dissolve the coffee
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Procedure

1. Microwave chocolate chips and butter in a medium , uncovered microwave safe dish for 1 min till the chocolate chips are melted
2. Dissolve coffee in hot water and stir in to melted chocolate.
3. Add vanilla and allow to come to room temperature
4. Whip the cream till stiff peaks form and fold into chocolate mixture
5. Pour into individual cups and refrigerate for 1 hour to set. 
6. Garnish with whipped cream and instant coffee granules ( optional)

Source: http://www.tasterschoice.com/recipes/rich-chocolate-mousse/desserts/30336.aspx