Serving This Week 12-28 To 1-1-2021
Come and see what I will be cooking up on Marilyns Treats this week!
This is what I featured 12-28 to 1-1-2021. On Tuesday was Grandma Lydias Ice Box Cookies. Wednesday was Blueberry French Toast Bake. Thursday was Crock Pot Cocktail Smokies. Winding up the week was Italian Wine Cookies. Enjoy!
If you missed what I served up last week please click Serving This Week 12-21-to 12-24-2020.
Grandma Lydias Ice Box Cookies
Do you want a cookie that melts in your mouth and takes more than two bites to eat?
This loaf cookie is just the one you are looking for.
When my boys were both toddlers I had a sitter that came to our home every day.
She was in her seventies and a third Grandma to them.
Grandma Lydia was one of the best caregivers we could ever want.
I honestly believe she was Mary Poppins grandmother!
She was always with them in the kitchen and baked these cookies at least four times a week.
They made our home smell so warm and wonderful and she always let the boys help her when she baked.
By far these cookies were the best ever.
They melt in your mouth, don’t crumble when you bite into them and the recipe never fails to make a great cookie.
Eat them with a cold glass of milk or a cuppa and nothing could melt the stresses of the day any better.
After we moved into our first home I started making these cookies myself.
You can see by the instructions above just how simple these Ice Box Cookies are to prepare.
Even on the first try they were a perfect replica of the ones Grandma Lydia made so many years ago.
And I do believe I added enough love as I made them.
When I am baking these cookies they never fail to cause that warm and fuzzy feeling.
They give you a sense that a loved ones arms hugging you tight.
I can almost feel it now.
That aspect alone makes this cookie recipe a must have on your cookie list.
The memories of those days when my boys were so little and proud to show off their baking skills still make me smile today.
I have taken these cookies to many office parties, holiday functions and cookie exchanges.
I think they easily take a place among the classic cookies sitting on the table.
And the Ice Box Cookies never fail to add a nice chunk of change at the church bake sale.
I added them to my Toys For Tots contribution list this year and I wanted to share them with you.
I had my husband take 2 batches to the cancer treatment center today.
The patients love to take a sweet from the table during their treatment.
I was sure to make enough for the wonderful and devoted staff there too. I hope these cookies gave everyone a smile today.
Tomorrow I am taking some to the Firefighters that are so diligent in protecting the community.
I know everyone needs an unexpected reason to have a little joy in their day.
I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
If you make any additions please comment below! I would love to hear what others do!
Blueberry French Toast Bake
OMG guys! I thought I died and went to heaven when I tasted this Blueberry French Toast Bake!
Yes, I said Bake. In the same sentence as French Toast.
I haven’t lost my mind here. Just bear with me a moment.
Baking a tall soft and gooey french toast in the oven takes your dish to a level you have never experienced before.
I have a few other french toast bakes in my recipes but NEVER have I had one that I could finish and still feel like I hadn’t eaten.
Each serving will easily feed 2 adults.
Except this one. Throw away your diet for a meal you will thank me once you taste this french toast,
The streusel topping is a crucial taste for this french toast.
It combines with the blueberries to give the dish a crunchy texure.
Walk into your warm kitchen, close your eyes and just smell all those scrumptious aromas.
The brown sugar and cinnamon streusel on top and the airy blueberry layers of the overnight baked french toast will start your day off on a perfect note.
I had heard there was a new head chef there and he brought with him years of expertise running the kitchen of many different types and styles of menus.
Glenn Henderson is indeed a very talented and experienced chef.
Of all the dishes he has created, this Blueberry French Toast Bake is at the top of my favorites list.
I had the pleasure of chatting with him and was thrilled to find he is a local hometown boy coming back to be with family and friends.
He was very kind to provide me with the recipe he created for this dish and gave me permission to share it with you.
The image proceeding the recipe was taken by him and the meal I was served was just as perfect.
In the slide show below you will find my sad attempt at this dish. I provided it anyway just to let you all know I am not in his league.
I will try harder next time! The dish though tasted just as delicious and was very easy to make.
Crock Pot Cocktail Smokies
Have you ever had to bring an appetizer to a pot luck, office party or get together?
Has the dish needed to stay warm all day?
How did you achieve this without having the dish over cook, burn and taste awful?
You need to choose your dish wisely when going to an all day get together or picnic.
And they are the perfect answer to your Holiday needs.
.Crock pot meals will fit the bill if you know what to add.
Meats will last much longer.
Choose something that will hold its form. Pastas will get dry, or limp after a while.
You might want to first line your slow cooker with a slow cooker liner bag. Those make it so much easier to clean up. You can find BPA free liners online if your local grocery store doesn’t carry them.
I put these Crock Pot Cocktail Smokies together in 5 minutes and then slow cooked on HIGH about 2 hours before I needed to bring it to the office party.
Most of the time partiers don’t eat right away and this gives the appetizer time to get up to a warm temperature.
This Cocktail Smokies are a perfect choice.
They are already fully cooked, but can simmer for around 12 hours.
You just need to make sure what ever sauce you use doesn’t burn off.
Your offering will taste great and you won’t need to fuss!
You also get to marinate the sauce and smokies together for a bolder flavor.
The secret to this sauce is the grape jelly. As it melts, the flavors combine with the BBQ Sauce and create a perfect blend of sweet and smoky flavors.
The tangy flavors are cooked into the smokies and they become impossible to avoid.
These go very fast at a party and are a delicious compliment to your ham, potato salads and dips of all types.
I have also served a platter of different cheeses and crackers. A harder cracker such as a Triscuit or Wheat Thin go well with the combo.
Don’t be afraid to experiment! The combinations are endless.
Take these Cocktail Smokies right in the Crock Pot.
Nothing is easier!
Italian Wine Cookies
These one bite marvels were made for an Authentic Italian Supper.
The texture is more like an oatmeal cookie, neither dry or soft, but definitely not gooey.
They don’t leave messy hands or telltale powder marks when you eat them.
Easy to snack on, these little balls wonder are just too easy to grab as you stroll by the display table.
The sugar colors chosen here were to represent the Italian flag, but any color sugar or sprinkles will do just as well.
They can be color adapted to easily represent sports teams, wedding colors, and school colors.
The addition of wine to the batter cuts the sweet taste to a minimum but it isn’t enough to be very noticeable.
The dough flavors resemble a shortbread to me.
On a cookie tray they are easily paired with a more sweet cookie such as a sugar.
Filled cookies and softer cookies would do better on a different tray in my opinion. My luck they would be too soft and mold themselves around the Italian Wine Cookie.
These cookies were well accepted.
I think you and your guests will be pleased with their addition on your cookie list.
Just watch how many you eat as it is just a bit too easy to overindulge!
Will you be making these cookies for your next baking spree?
Can’t wait to try the lil smokies for Super Bowl. My PC will be in heaven. And I will join you in heaven when I taste that French toast bake. It looks like my kind of breakfast!!
Thank you Leslie! PC will love it. And I wouldn;t mind sometime with you myself! Happy New Year and stay safe!