Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner

New Year's Eve is here people and this little cocktail will not let you be nodding off as the New Year approaches!

Champagne may be the drink of choice for many on New Year's Eve, but save the bubbly for another time and try this unique drink...

A Midnight Martini is a dark, easy to make martini with strong coffee flavor ~ chilling the espresso before making ~ is an important element to the drink.

Although, the martini is sweet enough on its own, the simple syrup adds a nice little froth to it. 

It's the perfect cocktail to keep you going into the wee hours!







Midnight Martini Cocktail

Ingredients:

2 ounces Grey Goose vodka
1 ounce espresso or strong coffee (cold)
1 ounce Kahlúa
Healthy splash of simple syrup
Orange twist for garnish

Method:

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake it hard for 10-15 seconds.
Strain into a martini glass.
Garnish with orange twist.

ENJOY!








HAVE A GREAT HAPPY NEW YEAR AND BE SAFE!

If I could make a Christmas wish for you,
it would be for
peace and happiness,
and good health too.
Not only now,
but for the
whole year through.

Merry Christmas,
Pam

The scent and flavor of peppermint 
is prominent in my mind 
when I think of Christmas,  and this little cookie isn’t afraid to flaunt its 
great peppermint taste!




The recipe is adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookie Cookbook.  It’s a twist on basic sugar cookie dough that is shaped into balls, then rolled in crushed peppermint candy, before baking.
Crush the candy in a plastic bag to avoid having a mess, and bake the cookies on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets, to avoid another mess.  





To make larger cookies:  form rounded tablespoonfuls of dough into balls before rolling in crushed candy; bake for about 14 minutes.

The cookies have a refreshing taste and a festive look.  For an extra holiday kick, I added a little dose of peppermint extract.

They bake into a crisp cookie with a good little crunch ~ they’ll almost melt in your mouth, really!

Peppermint-Candy Sugar Cookies
Printable recipe

Ingredients:

 1½ cups flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
1 stick butter,…

A whiff of this freshly-baked bread is  just enough  to remind you of the bread  your mom made  from scratch.



It’s chock-full of succulent walnuts embedded in slightly sweet dough that’s spiced just right with cinnamon. 




It’s a quick and easy bread to pull together ~ a simple recipe that proves you don’t have to be a baking pro to make it.  




This walnut bread is dense, moist and delicious, with the only problem being, I should’ve doubled the recipe and made two loaves.

Toasted for breakfast is the way I like it!


Walnut Buttermilk Quick Bread
Printable recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup walnuts, rough chopped
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten
1⅔ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup vegetable oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour an 8” x 4” loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients through cinnamon.
In another bowl, combine egg and remaining ingredients.
Add wet ingredients to the…

This robust sauce takes chicken or  leftover turkey from ordinary to extraordinary  and will  revive your faith in fowl!



Cranberry sauce combined with Robusto Italian Dressing, balsamic vinegar, sherry and onion soup mix blends into a tangy sauce to top the chicken breasts.



What you end up with is tender, flavorful tasty chicken, with a tangy sauce that is the right combination of sweet and tangy.  It’s proof that cranberry sauce shouldn’t just make an appearance on the holiday table.
Here’s hoping you give this a try, it’s delicious and easy too!

Cranberry-Sauced Chicken Printable recipe

Ingredients:
4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts 1 cup cranberry sauce 1 packet dry onion soup mix 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar ⅓ cup Wish-Bone Robusto Italian Dressing 1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Arrange chicken in a 13” x 9” baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, and stir well. Spoon mixture over chicken. Bake for 1 hour or more, until chicken is cooked throu…