It’s the end of the year, and that means it is time to reminisce and take a look back over 2016. Today, we want to revisit the top 16 recipes of the year and bring you a tasty recipe roundup in the process. Get your taste buds ready!
Top 16 Recipes of 2016
A Recipe Roundup from Life With Lorelai
We’ll start with number 16 and work our way to the number one recipe on the blog this past year.
Today is a tasty treat! The 12 Days of Christmas Ideas Blog Hop is sharing the Best Homemade Christmas Food Gifts. Yummy! You are going to love all of the Christmas goodness that is headed your way over the next several days. Don’t miss a single day — they are all different and promise tons of holiday cheer and inspiration! Enjoy…
Join us for the 12 Days of Christmas Ideas Series along with eleven other talented bloggers. We’ve rounded up the best of the best Christmas ideas to make your holiday season more festive and fun.
Every day December 1-12th we will be sharing a new collection of Christmas Ideas rounded up from our best blogging friends around the web. That’s a total of 144 awesome Christmas Ideas to make your holiday season easier and more fun! Some of our topics include Decor, DIY, Organization, Food, Games and so much more. We don’t want to spoil the fun by telling you too much. We want you to be surprised! Now is the perfect time to subscribe so you’ll be the first to know!
12 Days of Christmas Ideas – Best Homemade Christmas Food Gifts
Welcome, Erlene from My Pinterventures.
It’s day two of the 12 Days of Christmas Ideas Series and it’s my turn to share! And since everyone loves a good homemade baked gift, I’m sharing 12 Best Homemade Christmas Food Gifts. And shhh…don’t tell, but these are super easy to make too!
I hope you enjoyed this round-up of the best homemade Christmas food gifts. Be sure to check back every day now through December 12th for more exciting new Christmas ideas!
Are you looking for something special to serve your guests this Thanksgiving? Well, this Pumpkin Pie Cocktail is sure to put some cheer and celebration into the day’s festivities!
Pumpkin Pie Cocktail
A Festive Recipe for a Holiday Celebration!
When you think of Thanksgiving, your mind immediately goes to great food. That delicious roasted turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and of course pumpkin pie is a must-have for dessert. These dishes are wonderful, but they tend to be the mainstays of every Thanksgiving dinner. So, how do you stand out, and make your celebration something to cheer about?
Make a holiday concoction perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Serve these Pumpkin Pie Cocktails! They are super quick and easy to make, and they taste amazing — it is like having pumpkin pie in a glass. YUM!
Pumpkin Pie Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients:
1 Ounce – Pumpkin Spice Liqueur
1 Ounce – Pecan Liqueur
2 Ounces – Sparkling Water (I used sparkling mineral water)
Ice Cubes
Brown Sugar (for rimming the glass)
Whipped Cream (optional)
Ground Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice (optional)
Directions:
Wet the rim of a Martini glass and dip in the Brown Sugar, set aside.
Place Ice Cubes in a beverage shaker.
Pour in the Pumpkin Spice Liqueur and the Pecan Liqueur.
Add the Sparkling Water.
Shake well.
Pour into a Martini glass.
Top with Whipped Cream.
Sprinkle with Ground Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice for garnish.
I know that you and your guests will love this special holiday cocktail. It is a nice and easy way to add a little something special to the celebration.
An orange grove baked in a cake! This amazing Orange Bundt Cake is made with fresh oranges – perfect for entertaining or anytime. Get the Recipe.
Fresh Orange Bundt Cake
Let Us All Eat Cake!
Some days you just feel like having a little treat. And, when you have a kitchen full of fresh fruit, you can easily be inspired… So, let us all eat cake!
One of Luke’s customers, at the classic car and hot rod shop, has avocado and citrus groves down in Fallbrook, California. And we have been so lucky this past month to have Gary bring us boxes of these fresh fruits. There is nothing more delicious than fresh picked produce. I wanted to do something with the amazingly sweet oranges I had on hand, so I decided to create a Fresh Orange Bundt Cake from scratch. I have to admit, I was excited to get baking and taste the results.
This Bundt cake did not disappoint. It is easy to whip together, and the aromas make your home smell heavenly. The refreshing orange flavor excites the taste buds, and the cake is moist and delicious. It is a perfect cake for spring and summer.
2 to 3 – Oranges (1/2 cup juice with pulp, 4 teaspoons zest)
3 Cups – Flour
1 teaspoon – Salt-
1 teaspoon – Baking Soda
1 teaspoon – Baking Powder
1 Cup – Yogurt (I used Greek vanilla yogurt)[br][br][b]The Glaze:[/b]
1 Cup – Powdered Sugar
1/8 Cup – Juice little to no pulp
1 teaspoon – Orange Zest for garnish (optional)
2 Orange Slices for garnish (optional)
Here’s What You Do
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter your Bundt pan, and dust with four. Be sure to get into all the nooks, crannies, and crevices of the Bundt pan.
The first thing you want to do is get your fresh oranges ready to go. Peel the oranges and remove the seeds. Cube the orange, and zest the orange peels. I chopped my zest to make it fine, but you do not have to. Place cubed oranges into your blender and puree.
Cream butter and granulated sugar. Add eggs one at a time, and beat with each addition. Add the orange puree and zest. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder) to the batter a little at a time, and mix well. Add yogurt and combine until well blended. Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan. Bake at 350° F for 50 minutes, or until done. Test with a toothpick.
A Few Helpful Hints:
Let your cake cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes in the pan.
Place your cooling rack over the top of your Bundt pan.
Pick-up the Bundt pan with the cooling rack, and turn it over.
The cake will fall out of the Bundt pan without breaking.
After the cake is completely cooled, it is time to give it a beautiful glaze. Mix up your powdered sugar and some fresh orange juice, then drizzle over the top of your Bundt cake. If you like your glaze thicker, do not use as much juice. That’s simple, right? Garnish with orange zest and a couple twists of orange to give your finished presentation a little pop.
Fresh Orange Bundt Cake is perfect for your spring and summer entertaining.
from: Life With Lorelai
Type: Dessert
Serves: 16 servings
Ingredients:
3/4 Cups - Butter (softened)
1 1/2 Cups - Granulated Sugar
4 - Eggs
2 to 3 - Oranges (1/2 cup juice with pulp, 4 teaspoons zest)
3 Cups - Flour
1 teaspoon - Salt
1 teaspoon - Baking Soda
1 teaspoon - Baking Powder
1 Cup - Yogurt (I used Greek vanilla yogurt)
The Glaze:
1 Cup - Powdered Sugar
1/8 Cup - Juice little to no pulp
1 teaspoon - Orange Zest for garnish (optional)
2 Orange Slices for garnish (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F
Butter Bundt pan and dust with flour (be sure to get all the nooks and crannies of the pan)
Peel the Oranges and remove the seeds.
Cube the orange.
Zest the orange peels. (I chop my zest to make it fine, but you do not have to.)
Place cubed oranges into your blender and puree (juice with pulp).
Cream Butter and Granulated Sugar.
Add Eggs one at a time, and beat with each addition.
Add the Orange Puree and Zest.
In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients - Flour, Salt, Baking Soda, Baking Powder.
Add dry ingredients to the batter a little at a time, and mix well.
Add yogurt and combine until well blended.
Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan.
Bake at 350° F for 50 minutes, or until done.
Test with a toothpick.
The Glaze:
Mix Powdered Sugar and fresh orange juice.
Drizzle glaze over completely cooled cake.
Garnish with Orange Zest and a couple twists of orange slices. NOTE: If you like your glaze thicker, do not use as much juice.
3.5.3208
This is such an easy cake to make. If you love oranges, you are going to love this Bundt cake — from the Golden State to the Sunshine State, and every where in between tantalize your taste buds.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Kraft. All opinions are mine alone. #SweetenTheSeason #CollectiveBias
Caramel Creme Pie
Inspired by the Movie
Christmas With the Kranks
I am so excited to bring you this delicious Caramel Creme Pie recipe. I love the holidays, Christmas and Halloween being my favorites. Part of my every year traditions is watching as many of the wonderful Christmas movies as I can. One of my most loved Christmas movies is Christmas With the Kranks, starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis. If you haven’t watched it, put it on your MUST SEE list for this season!
In the movie, the daughter, Blair, is coming home unexpectedly for Christmas, and her parents have to throw together a fabulous Christmas Eve party in a few short hours. Unaware of what has been going on at the house while she has been away, Blair, makes a request for her favorite Caramel Creme Pie, and that is the inspiration for this scrumptious recipe.
So, I made a quick trip to the Holiday Bake Center at my local Walmart, and picked up the few items I needed. This is such an easy and inexpensive recipe–only 6 ingredients, plus one optional.
I already had a pie crust at home along with some milk and heavy cream, so I grabbed these items off the shelves…
… Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding & Pie Filling, Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme, Kraft Caramel Bits, and a Baker’s Premium White Chocolate Bar. Now, all that was left was to make my pie!
Caramel Creme Pie — easy as can be!
The Ingredients:
1- 5.1 oz. box Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding, 1- 11 oz. bag (approx. 1-1/2 cups) Kraft Caramel Bits, 1/4 cup Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme, 2 teaspoons Heavy Cream, 1-1/2 cups Milk (cold), and 1- Pie Crust (baked or ready-to-eat).
NOTES: Save out a few Kraft Caramel Bits for garnishing the finished pie. You will use the rest of the Heavy Cream to make whipping cream for pie decoration and / or serving. Use whatever type of pie crust you desire.
OPTIONAL: Shave some Baker’s Premium White Chocolate to garnish the finished pie.
The How-To:
Melt Kraft Caramel Bits with 2 teaspoons Heavy Cream in a double boiler
Pour melted caramel into a bowl
Add Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme and combine (leaving some streaks is just fine)
Add Pudding Mix to a large bowl
Add cold Milk
Whisk briskly for 2 minutes
Add Caramel Mixture to the Pudding
Mix well. (If caramel has cooled too much, heat in microwave for 15 seconds at a time, until it is soft enough to combine).
Pour pie filling into baked or ready-to-eat Pie Crust
Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours
Whip Heavy Cream into Whipping Cream
Pipe Whipped Cream onto pie as desired for decoration. (I used a zippered plastic bag with a hole cut in one corner as my piping bag).
Top whipped cream with the set aside Kraft Caramel Bits
Top pie with strips and curls of Baker’s Premium White Chocolate
Here’s a Holiday Baking Hack just for you…
We all know just how beautiful strips or curls of chocolate look atop your favorite desserts–not to mention tasty too. So, make easy work of stripping and curling your Baker’s Premium White Chocolate or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bars by using your handy-dandy Vegetable Peeler! Now, that’s a great Holiday Baking Hack!
See how lovely the Caramel Creme Pie looks on a Christmas table. This would be the perfect dessert for your next holiday party, Sunday Dinner with the family, or anytime.
Here’s a Printable Recipe for the Caramel Creme Pie:
Caramel Creme Pie inspired by the movie Christmas With the Kranks. A delicious, easy, and budget friendly dessert for your Holiday Parties, Sunday Dinner with the family, or anytime.
from: Life With Lorelai
Type: Dessert
Ingredients:
1- 5.1 oz. box Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding
1- 11 oz. bag (approx. 1-1/2 cups) Kraft Caramel Bits
1/4 cup Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
2 teaspoons Heavy Cream
1-1/2 cups Milk (cold)
1- Pie Crust (baked or ready-to-eat).
NOTES: Save out a few Kraft Caramel Bits for garnishing the finished pie. You will use the rest of the Heavy Cream to make whipping cream for pie decoration and / or serving. Use whatever type of pie crust you desire.
OPTIONAL: Shave some Baker's Premium White Chocolate to garnish the finished pie.
Directions:
Melt Kraft Caramel Bits with 2 teaspoons Heavy Cream in a double boiler
Pour melted caramel into a bowl
Add Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme and combine (leaving some streaks is just fine)
Add Pudding Mix to a large bowl
Add cold Milk
Whisk briskly for 2 minutes
Add Caramel Mixture to the Pudding
Mix well. (If caramel has cooled too much, heat in microwave for 15 seconds at a time, until it is soft enough to combine).
Pour pie filling into baked or ready-to-eat Pie Crust
Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours
Whip Heavy Cream into Whipping Cream
Pipe Whipped Cream onto pie as desired for decoration. (I used a zippered plastic bag with a whole cut in one corner as my piping bag).
Top whipped cream with the set aside Kraft Caramel Bits
Top pie with strips and curls of Baker's Premium White Chocolate
Notes
Holiday Baking Hack! Use a Vegetable Peeler to shave Chocolate Bars into Strips and Curls.
This recipe is inspired by the movie Christmas With the Kranks -- a MUST SEE for any holiday movie watch list.
This pecan pie recipe has been in our family for generations. I remember my great-grandmother making this delectably delicious dessert when we would go back for a visit to the farm in Mississippi. It has always been a favorite of mine and it is Kirk’s all-time favorite. He wants this every year for his birthday.
Line a 9-inch pie tin with the pie dough. Allow the dough to extend over the edges of the pan about an inch to pinch into a stand-up-crust rim around the pie.
Boil Syrup and Sugar together about 2-minutes.
Pour syrup mixture slowly over slightly beaten Eggs, stirring as you pour.
One morning last week, Rory and I had a hankering for fresh baked crescent rolls to go with our coffee with Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup. While grabbing the package of crescent rolls from the refrigerator, I suddenly remembered that I had picked up a jar of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter on my last shopping trip thinking it would be a nice Fall treat. My taste buds tingled with the idea of combining the two items. It was easy as can be (only two ingredients) and super tasty too!
…
Pumpkin Butter Crescent Rolls
Ingredients:
Crescent Rolls
Pumpkin Butter
Directions:
Preheat the oven according to the Crescent Roll package.
Spread Pumpkin Butter on one side of dough triangle.
Place a small dollop of Pumpkin Butter in the middle of the large end of dough.
Roll the dough to make the crescent.
Bake as directed.
These are delicious! The Pumpkin Butter slightly caramelized on the edges, and the baking filled our home with the most amazing aroma. It was definitely a Fall treat we will enjoy again and again. I hope you enjoy it too.
…
Do you have any favorite Fall treats?
I would love it if you would Pin or Share this Recipe…
…
For some other Seasonal Recipes…
Check out Kristen at The Road to Domestication, where she is featuring one of my family’s favorite recipes, Mississippi Pecan Pie, tomorrow in her series…
Cake has never been a favorite of mine (sorry to all you cake lovers out there), but it has to be a really great cake for me to be enthused.
So, my mother and/or dad used to bake me a pie every year for my birthday. When I was growing up, we had a nectarine tree in the backyard, and with my birthday in August it was perfect timing for fresh nectarines. My mom and dad created this recipe, and it has been my favorite ever since.
Enjoy with me a slice of the most delicious birthday pie…
Fresh Nectarine Pie
Non-Soggy Pie Crust
2 1/2-Cups Flour
1-Cup Crisco
1 Egg
Milk
Dash of Salt
Put egg in a measuring cup; add Milk to make 3/4 cups; blend together. Combine shortening, flour, and salt in a bowl until it is the consistency of corn meal. Add milk and egg mixture; blend. Separate into three balls and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use. Roll out on a floured board with a floured rolling pin.
Yield: Three, single pie crusts.
Pie Filling
1 Pie Crust, plain
4-Cups Fresh Nectarines (about a dozen), sliced
3/4 Cups Sugar
1/4 Cup Flour
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg, ground
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 Egg, slightly beaten
Directions
Prepare Nectarines: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Rinse nectarines and use a paring knife to slice an “X” in the bottom of the fruit. Drop the “X’d” nectarines into boiling water for 3-minutes; remove promptly. You will see how the “X” has swelled slightly. Allow the fruit to cool enough to be able to handle them.
Starting from the “X”, peel the nectarines. Using the paring knife, cut nectarines from the outside to the pit. Do this all the way around the nectarine making thin slices. Then you can start pulling the slices away from the pit. As you can see from the above photo, the slices fall off easily. Let nectarines stand for at least 15-20 minutes. They will release juice.
In a large bowl, blend Sour Cream and Egg. In a separate bowl, mix Sugar, Flour, Salt, and Nutmeg. Stir dry ingredients into sour cream mixture. Drain juice from nectarines, add to the sour cream blend, and combine.
Line pie pan with pastry; prick the bottom and sides with a fork for venting. Cut remaining pastry into thin strips for making a lattice top for the pie.
Pour pie filling into pastry shell, make lattice top. To make the lattice top, I start by placing strips of pie dough parallel across the pie. Then I peel back every other strip and lay a strip of pastry dough going across. Replace the peeled back strip on top of the dissecting strip to make a basket weave pattern. Then peel back the set of strips you did not before and lay another pastry strip. Alternate the process all the way across the pie. Trim the edges of the latticework to fit the pie. Cover pie crust EDGE ONLY with Crust Protectors (Use foil to make a small. loose tent if you don’t have any).
Bake at 425° F, about 40-45 minutes.
Yield: One, 9-inch pie
NOTE: I usually get two pies from this recipe by adding a few extra nectarines.
Let the pie cool before serving. When pie is cooled through, cover and store in refrigerator.
A delicious summer pie filled with the fresh flavor of nectarine.
from: Life With Lorelai
Type: Dessert
Serves: 1 - 9" Pie
Ingredients:
1 Pie Crust, plain (See my Non-Soggy Pie Crust recipe)
4-Cups Fresh Nectarines (about a dozen), sliced
3/4 Cups Sugar
1/4 Cup Flour
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg, ground
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 Egg, slightly beaten
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425° F
Prepare Nectarines:
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Rinse nectarines and use a paring knife to slice an "X" in the bottom of the fruit.
Drop the "X'd" nectarines into boiling water for 3-minutes; remove promptly.
You will see how the "X" has swelled slightly. Allow the fruit to cool enough to be able to handle them.
Starting from the "X", peel the nectarines.
Using the paring knife, cut nectarines from the outside to the pit.
Do this all the way around the nectarine making thin slices. Then you can start pulling the slices away from the pit.
Let nectarines stand for at least 15-20 minutes. They will release juice.
Making the Pie Filling:
In a large bowl, blend Sour Cream and Egg.
In a separate bowl, mix Sugar, Flour, Salt, and Nutmeg.
Stir dry ingredients into sour cream mixture.
Drain juice from nectarines, add to the sour cream blend, and combine.
Line pie pan with pastry; prick the bottom and sides with a fork for venting. Cut remaining pastry into thin strips for making a lattice top for the pie.
Putting the Pie together & Making the Lattice Top:
Pour pie filling into pastry shell.
To make the lattice top, I start by placing strips of pie dough parallel across the pie.
Then I peel back every other strip and lay a strip of pastry dough going across.
Replace the peeled back strip on top of the dissecting strip to make a basket weave pattern.
Then peel back the set of strips you did not before, and lay another pastry strip.
Alternate the process all the way across the pie.
Trim the edges of the latticework to fit the pie.
Cover pie crust EDGE ONLY with Crust Protectors (Use foil to make a small. loose tent if you don't have any).
Bake at 425° F, about 40-45 minutes.
3.5.3208
And now for a little more confession… As you can see, I didn’t use my Crust Protectors. I baked this at Luke’s house and didn’t have them with me. It was late, and I didn’t think to use foil. I also took the lazy way and used store bought pie dough—don’t hate me, please.
Oh well, the pie still tasted AMAZING! Fresh Nectarine Pie is a perfect dessert for Summer/Fall, so refreshing and delicious. It makes a yummy breakfast too.
