Romy Raves

OK last minute shoppers, we are down to the wire here, and I wanted to give you one final tasty gift idea for the season, something yummy, festive and the perfect gift for a hostess or someone who has everything. Allow me to introduce you to Cheryl&Co, a mid-western based baked goods company, dedicated to providing the finest fresh-baked gifts and desserts flawlessly shipped directly to the consumer.

Earlier this holiday season, I was invited to a lovely Open House hosted by Cheryl’s and held at the Beverly Hills Mrs. Beasley’s location (which is now owned by Cheryl’s.) I had the opportunity to taste some of Cheryl’s and Mrs. Beasley’s yummy holiday treats (can you say buttercream frosting?!), sip an amazing and tasty bubbly cider cocktail and learn all about this brand and what they have to offer. I was especially impressed by all of Cheryl’s affordable, high quality gift sets that ship beautifully, really make a statement and can be shipped anywhere in the US. Following is one my favorite sets of the season, that will surely take care of your gift giving needs through the New Year. Enjoy!

Winter Holidays VIP Tower ($79.99)

I love this stacked blue and white boxed assortment of Cheryl’s treats because its holiday neutral, really festive and classy looking. This gift set includes an assortment of holiday cookies like pecan butternut balls, buttercream frosted snowflake cookies, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, snickerdoodle, holiday sugar cookies, frosted hot fudge brownies, classic vanilla buttercream brownies, pretzel clusters, and moist cake slices, 67 pieces in total, whew, that’s a whole lotta yuuminess!

And as a little holiday treat for my readers, I am compelled to share the recipe for my new favorite festive drink of the season, the Holiday Cider Sip which was created by Rachel Hollis (party planning guru extraordinaire!) Its the beverage that I sipped all night at Cheryl’s Holiday Open House. It’s a delicious combo of mulled cider with brandy and a splash of bubbly to top it off, sooooo good!

Holiday Cider Sip

2 quarts apple cider

1 tsp. aromatic bitters

2 sticks cinnamon

1 tsp. whole allspice

3 Cardamum seeds

2 orange studded whole cloves

1/2 bottle of brandy

Combine all ingredients in a pot and heat on medium flame for 1 hour. Reduce flame to warm 2-6 hours. Fill a champagne flute 1/3 of the way full with wassail/spiced cider and top it off with chilled Champagne or sparkling wine. Garnish with an orange twist and fresh cranberries. Cheers!

Greetings My Beauties! Sorry I have be remiss in writing regular posts lately, but as you know I have been traveling for most of the summer, plus I have the little guy home for an extra week (Thank You LAUSD Budget Cuts!) which definitely makes it hard to stay focused and write. In addition, tonight is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and I have been busy cooking and prepping for our yummy dinner. I thought you might enjoy sampling a couple of new tasty holiday recipes, whether you celebrate or not. Below are some new holiday recipes that I am testing out, let me know what you think.

Honey Cake This is a warm brown colored cake sweetened with honey and the perfect hint of spice. It’s yummy, warm and comforting. It is often eaten as dessert during the New Year festivities. FYI-I made this cake this AM and even though I sprayed generously it stuck to my fancy Star of David pan, and my wonderful hubby and son decided to make another one before I got home so I wouldn’t be upset (isn’t that sweet of them ), but low and behold, it stuck again! Well now, we have TWO, not so pretty but super yummy honey cakes, guess its gonna be an extra sweet, but not perfect New Year? 

1   Box Yellow Cake Mix

1/2   Cup Honey

1   Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2   Teaspoon Nutmeg

1/4   Teaspoon Ginger

2   Tablespoons Oil

3   Eggs

1   Cup Coffee

Mix all of the above ingredients together thoroughly, pour into a bundt pan and bake at 325 for 1 hour.

Yummy Apple Noodle Kugel I describe kugel as a the Jewish comfort food akin to the all American Mac ‘n Cheese. A kugel is typically a casserole of noodles, eggs and sometimes sweet and other times savory additions. Below is a recipe for a sweet kugel, that is super easy, tasty and the perfect representation of apples and honey for a sweet new year. Kids love this one. Word of warning: kugels are yummy but dense and filling, so beware

1   Package of Wide Egg Noodles

4   Eggs, beaten

1   Cup Sugar

3/4   Stick Butter, melted/softened

1   Can Comstock Apple Pie Filling, diced into small pieces

1  Tablespoon Cinnamon

2  Teaspoons Vanilla

Raisins, if desired

Preheat oven to 350. Boil noodles per package. Combine drained noodles with the rest of the ingredients and pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake for 45 minutes.

Eat and Enjoy!

And to those of you that celebrate, Here’s to a Sweet, Spectacular, Healthy and Properous New Year!

Being a Hollywood Gal and all (well I do actually live NEAR Hollywood ), I thought I would write a post in honor of the Academy Awards Ceremony this evening (Anyone have any big plans or fun parties they are attending??) I thought I would post a list of some of my all time favorite movies and if you haven’t seen them they are definitely worth checking out.  And as an added bonus, I am sharing a yummy AA worthy recipe to enjoy while you watch the big event. Have Fun!

Romy’s All Time Favorite Movies

• The Wizard of Oz
• Life is Beautiful
• Breakfast at Tiffany’s
• Cinema Paradisio
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• Pulp Fiction
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Schindler’s List
• Sunset Boulevard
• West Side Story
• The Sound of Music
• Something About Mary
• Babel

Caviar Dip
Barefoot Contessa 2001

This is a yummy, elegant easy dip that seems like a perfect fit with the Academy Awards and a nice glass of bubbly. It’s somewhat light, refreshing, tasty dip and great when served with old fashioned potato chips, Enjoy!

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons freshly minced dill, plus sprigs for garnish
1 scallion, minced (white and green parts)
1 tablespoon milk, half-and-half, or cream
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
100 grams good salmon roe

Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese until smooth. With the mixer on medium speed, add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, scallion, milk, salt, and pepper. With a rubber spatula, fold in 3/4 of the salmon roe. Spoon the dip into a bowl and garnish with the remaining salmon roe and sprigs of fresh dill.

Serve with chips, toasts, or crackers.

No offense to all of you die hard football fans, but for me the Superbowl is all about the funny commercials and the yummy eats.  So I thought I would share with you one of my all time favorite appetizers that is sure to be a hit at your Superbowl gathering.  Enjoy and please share your special, yummy, fun and easy appetizer recipes with me!

Dip Diana

7 oz.  Pesto
6-8 oz.  Chopped sun dried tomatoes in oil
12 oz.  Whipped Cream Cheese
2  Tablespoons of butter
4-7  Cloves of fresh garlic
10-12  Thin slices of provolone
 
Blend garlic, butter and cream cheese in food processor and fold in pesto. Put about 6 slices of provolone cheese on the bottom of a medium dish with sides and spread pesto mixture over cheese slices, put half of the sun dried tomatoes over mixture (some oil is OK).  Cover with provolone and garnish with remaining sun dried tomatoes that have been blotted to remove excess oil. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and serve with a sliced baguette. DEELISH!

Given all the festivities of the season, I thought you might enjoy a delicious and inspired egg brunch dish that I have been making for years and it always gets rave reviews. It is a very tasty Mexican egg casserole that is packed with flavor and easy to prep the night before. Enjoy! 

SALSA JACK BREAKFAST SOUFFLE

Serves 8

 1 pound Jack cheese or Pepper Jack cheese, cubed

1 cup cottage cheese

1-2 cups of hot/medium chunky salsa (to taste)

3-6 white corn tortillas, cut in small pieces

9 eggs

1 cup reduced fat Buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, grease a 9×13 pan, sprinkle half the tortilla pieces in the bottom of the pan (you want to cover most of the bottom). In a bowl, mix cubed cheese, cottage cheese, and salsa until combined and then spread evenly in pan over tortillas.

Beat eggs and buttermilk together and pour evenly over cheese/salsa mixture. Sprinkle with remaining tortillas. Bake between 45 minutes-1 hour or until golden brown. Top with guacamole, avocado slices or sour cream if desired. Yummilicious!

Please post and share your favorite brunch recipes, I am always on the hunt for new inspirations.