WINNER of the Snug Hollow Farm Cookbook

Congrats to Renee at Om...And Then Some, for winning her very own copy of the Snug Hollow Farm Cookbook! I am sure you will enjoy this cookbook and make sure if you are ever in Kentucky to make reservations to stay at Barbara's wonderful Bed and Breakfast!

Happy New Year to all of my readers! I wish each of you the best for 2011. What do you have planned for the year? I'd love to hear some of your goals for the new year.

I'll leave you with one of our favorite recipes and a tradition for New Year's day.
 Good Year Gumbo with Casey's Cornbread!

A Kentucky Mountain Giveaway: Snug Hollow Farm Cookbook!

I was born and raised in Kentucky, but haven't really known KY. In some ways it took me moving away to appreciate the rolling hills of central KY with their maze of fences holding in beautiful horses, to the barren snow covered fields on a cold winter day.

But it was the mountains that were still a mystery to me; an area I hadn't been exposed to. That is until my new job! With this new position I work with fifteen school districts mostly in the "hollers" of Eastern Kentucky. This job gave me a chance to find my state and gain an incredible appreciation for new areas. The people, the culture, but most of all the mountains. The Appalachian mountains are said to be the oldest mountains in the country, Kentucky being a part of this beautiful range. I have had a chance to see the Appalachians of North Carolina and Virgina before, but it's the section that crosses my home state that makes me want to come back to visit again and again.

 So, when my husband and I decided to take a get-a-way the other weekend, we chose the mountains. We needed to "get off the grid" for awhile. To step away from the hustle and bustle of the holidays and meditate on the real meaning of Christmas.

Proof that you are NOT in the city anymore!

 





Snug Hollow Farm Bed and Breakfast is located on 300 acres of organic living! Barbara Napier, the owner is just as amazing as the land she tends to everyday. She not only gardens, runs the bed and breakfast, but she can COOK! Yes, after taking the first bite of homemade salad and bread at dinner I knew we were destined to be friends. You can flip through her vegetarian cookbook, Snug Hollow Farm Cookbook---which by the way I am giving away a signed copy below---and see that we do have a lot in common. When you stay at her Inn you have the choice of enjoying dinner, who would be crazy enough not to take advantage of this, which could be anything from pizza with fresh, homemade dough and sauce to a creamy butter pasta dish with roasted winter vegetables. And of course there is the treat of breakfast and hot coffee. I fell in love with her Crispy Oatmeal and Cornmeal Oat Waffles!

A breakfast favorite

My new friend Barbara Napier

Okay, now more about this top selling cookbook! This is a wonderful vegetarian cookbook that helps those vegetarian universe understand some of the ins and outs of this style of cooking. I love how Barbara explains basic mixtures such as the combination of nutritional yeast and tamari sauce for salad dressings and gravy. Right when I came home I had to try out her Braided Rosemary Bread recipe. Wowzers, how easy and absolutely wonderful it is!!! I'd love to share the recipe with you but... you'll have to wait and see if you're the big winner! Or you can go ahead and grab a copy while it's on sale on her website.

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED! But make sure to visit Snug Hollow's website to order a copy of the cookbook for your own collection!

To win this book do one or more of the following steps to help increase your odds of winning.
1. Leave a comment below telling us your favorite getaway.
2. "Like" My McDonald Meal on Facebook and leave a note below saying you did.
3. Follow me via Twitter- @melmcd99 and tell me below that you did.
4. Tweet about this post and giveaway. Let others know about the Snug Hollow Farm Cookbook! Make sure to leave the URL of your tweet for credit.

Contest Closes December 27th!!!!
Happy Holidays to all! May you and your family have a happy, healthy and peaceful season.



Note: I did receive this book as a gift from the very dear Barbara Napier to pass along to one of my readers.



Spice up Your Holiday Cookie Exchange with these Triple Ginger Cookies

How did it get to be the middle of December? The days are flying by. Am I the only one who feels like they are in the carpool lane flying by all the other cars? I think I'm ready to exit this highway and hit the side roads! Wanna join me?

A couple of years ago I was invited to my first cookie exchange with a co-worker. I had never met the host but knew she must be cool to host a sugar fest cookie party. Over the years the host, Lori from Fake Food Free and I have stayed in touch and become friends. This weekend Lori, a friend and I are co-hosting another cookie exchange. Bring on the sweets! But aside from an in person exchange, this year Lori has partnered with Adrienne from Gastroanthropology to host a virtual cookie exchange.  

We exchanged recipes with another blogger and were asked to create a favorite cookie recipe of theirs making any modifications necessary. One of my favorite cookies, Snowball Cookies was paired up with Joanne from Eats Well with Others.

I was paired up with Jen from Domestic Divas to make her Triple Ginger Cookies. She is a self proclaimed ginger fiend, something I'm not, so I was a little cautious when I made these cookies. Since I have two little cookie monsters I decided to decrease the amount of ginger and made a little chocolate addition. Well, needless to say after looking at the amount of dough missing from the bowl, you may say that these are darn good! For those wondering, this dough is much safer to eat since there are no eggs in the recipe.





Triple Ginger Cookies

adapted from Domestic Divas original recipe

1 stick of unsalted chilled butter (I used an Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Stick instead)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced (I omitted this from my cookies)

1 tbsp ground ginger

2 tbsp cocoa powder (My addition)

1/2 tsp vanilla (I used 1 tsp for extra flavor)

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1/4 cup crystallized ginger (I used a little less since I did not top all cookies with ginger)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add minced ginger, ground ginger, cocoa, vanilla, flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until dough comes together.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface (I used powder sugar on the surface). Cut out cookies and push a small piece of crystallized ginger into the center of the cookie.

Bake on parchment pager until the edges are lightly golden, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Baby it's Cold Outside so Warm Up with some Spinach Chicken Tortilla Soup

It all started this past Friday night when we went to bed doubting the weather folks in central KY. They had "predicted" 3-5 inches of snow from midnight through the day on Saturday. Oh sure, we've heard that before right. Well, they were right! By 7am, when my youngest woke us up, we had a good 2 inches on the ground and it didn't stop until late Saturday night. We ended up getting around 4 inches and it's still hanging on due to the single digit temperatures we are having right now. Wowzers! It's cold!

What better way to warm up than a big bowl of soup right? That's just what we did. But, there is another reason why I pulled out the stock pot- because it's a great way to pack in a bunch of veggies for my family in one dish. I am sure we all have those days when our 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies has gone out the window. So next time you decide to mix up a nice warm bowl of soup, try seeing what extra veggies you could throw in or just double up on the amounts the recipe calls for. For example, when you make chili next time try adding in an extra can of stewed or diced tomatoes. Or try adding in some carrots to your chili. If your making chicken noodle soup add in some peas or green beans for another flavor. Play around with other vegetables like sweet potatoes, spinach, chard, cauliflower and others. Be creative with your vegetables.

Spinach Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 tbsp canola oil
1lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut up into small chunks
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1 jar favorite salsa
1 can great northern beans, rinsed
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp kosher sea salt
1/4 tsp cumin
3 oz. fresh baby spinach (equals to about 1/2 bag), shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Monterrey jack cheese, shredded

In large stock pot heat oil and saute chicken, onion and garlic until chicken is cooked through. Add broth and next six ingredients. Let mixture cook at medium to low heat for about 15 minutes allowing flavors to cook together. Stir in spinach and cheeses and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of low fat sour cream and hot sauce on top if looking for an extra kick!
One other note- this soup could also be cooked in the crock-pot! Just add the spinach and cheeses about 30 minutes before serving.