12 Days of Christmas: Day 9

Favorite Holiday Recipe

I *love* to cook and bake. I really do, especially around the holidays. The last few years, I've been making cookie trays and plates to give to friends and my assistants at the studio as gifts. (I'm also really into making cookie mixes in a jar this year! More on that on another day...)

My favorite recipes are as follows...

Oreo Balls

1 package of Oreos
1 8 oz block of cream cheese (Whipped in a tub works great too!)
1 bag of chocolate chips (Have oleo on hand to help with the melting)
Assorted toppings

Crush up Oreos. Mix with cream cheese. Form mixture into bite sized balls. Put the Oreo balls on a cookie sheet. Let rest in fridge for a half an hour or so, to firm up. Melt chocolate chips in a saucepan with a little oleo. (I guess you could use that chocolate that comes in a tub for melting, but I bet it's way more expensive.) Dip balls in the melted chocolate and put back on cookie sheet. While chocolate is still melt-y on the balls, you can add sprinkles, chopped nuts, peppermint (my fave!), whatever you little heart desires! You can also wait until the chocolate hardens and drizzle with melted white chocolate. After the dip and decorate process, put cookies sheet of Oreo Ball Deliciousness back in fridge or freezer to harden. Store in a tupperware container. Easy! Quick! Cheap! Delish! Always a crowd pleaser.

Carrot Casserole

1 pound of carrots (I always buy 2-3 pounds, because this is a huge hit with my family. Also, buy regular carrots not baby. You're chopping these suckers up anyways, and long carrots are seriously half the price of baby!)
8 oz of Velveeta (Again, buy extra for more carrots. It's not an exact science.)
1 can of cream of celery soup (I don't usually add more of this, because it's hard to add an extra half of a can. ha!)
Dill
Milk
Cheddar French's Onions

Chop up carrots into bite sized pieces. Saute them until al dente on stove top. (Once in a pinch I used canned carrots and skipped this process. Turned out just fine, but the old fashioned way is better!) Once carrots are soft, pour them into a casserole dish. Melt the velveeta on the stove with a "glub" of milk, as my mom would say. It's just enough milk to help the cheese melt and become creamy. Start with too little and add more. Once cheese is melted, add in soup and combine. Add in dill. (A few tablespoons...it's more to taste than anything!) Pour mixture over carrots and stir gently. Bake uncovered at 350 for an 50-60 minutes. Top with Cheddar Onions.