10 Recipes to Try this Christmas!

I love to bake. 

And cook. 

And eat. 

I really love to eat. 

I mean, who doesn't, right? 

One of the best things about the holidays is all of the food. Traditional favorites, and new creations! This year I comprised a list of all the recipes I want to try. Some I have already made and they turned out wonderfully, others are on my (ever increasing) To Do list. 

Check out my list of Top Ten Recipes to Try and let me know how they turn out for you!

1. Chocolate Pie with Toasted Coconut Pie (made this for Thanksgiving, OMG good! Dark chocolate and coconut, where can you go wrong? With only 5 ingredients its a perfect little pie.)

2. Baked Hawaiian Ham and Swiss Sandwiches (these looks so good! There always seems to be tons of leftover ham at every family event, so why not make these the next day for all of those house guests?)

3. Peppermint Bark Cheesecake (apparently, this is a Cheesecake Factory knock-off recipe. I don't really go to the Cheesecake Factory ever so I wouldn't know, but I do LOVE peppermint bark and I LOVE cheesecake, so why not combine the two? Hello awesomeness!)

4. Frozen Whip Cream Shapes (how cool is this? Some people are totally brilliant. This is not a hard thing to think of, simply make whipped cream and spread it on a sheet; freeze then cut into fun shapes with cookie cutters and watch it melt in your mug of hot chocolate.)

5. Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge (made this last week. Having never made fudge before, this recipe was super straight-forward and it turned out unbelievably delicious.)

6. Cranberry Ice Cream Pie (another from the Brown Eyed Baker, I just love her recipes. This pie looks so yummy and I think it would be a nice addition to the warm pies that are usually serves with Christmas dinner, or even better for Christmas Eve.)

7. Grasshopper Bars (I have made these before. My husband who isn't a huge sweets person is still talking about how much he likes these bars. They are perfect for this time of year because of the wonderful minty green color.)

8. Gingerdoodles/Snickersnaps (if gingersnaps and snickerdoodles had a love child these cookies would be that baby. Making them for my sister-in-law's cookie exchange.)

9. Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix (this has been on my to do list for a while. I love the idea of making my own mixes and this time of the year I seem to be drinking a ton of hot cocoa. Why not make my own mix, save money and I won't be worried about all the chemicals in the stuff in the packets. This would also make a great holiday gift.)

10. Melted Snowmen Cookies (how stinking cute are these guys?)

Wheat-Free Maple Sausage and Cheese Oatmeal Sandwiches

I love those (totally processes, fat-filled, sugary, fake, and all around unhealthy) Sausage McGriddles with cheese from McD's. For some reason the sweet from the maple syrup and the salty from the cheese mixes so well. However, I am trying to be healthier and thrifty. So, I came up with these (still fattening, but oh so yummy) Wheat-Free Maple Sausage and Cheese Oatmeal Sandwiches.

I made oatmeal for breakfast a few days ago and stuck the leftovers (there seems to always be leftover oatmeal) in the fridge. Found a blog post  about using leftover oatmeal to make pancake like fritters. I changes up the recipe and the little cakes turned out wonderfully. They are really good just on their own, but add the sausage and cheese patties and you have a breakfast fit for cool fall weather. Almost enough to make me want to live in a tiny cabin in the woods where I could sit outside, wrapped in a blanket, and watch the leaves change while drinking hot coffee and munching on these beauties.

Wheat-Free Maple Sausage and Cheese Oatmeal Sandwiches

Oatmeal Cakes

• About 3 cups leftover oatmeal (I used Irish steel cut oats) 
• Two eggs
• 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (divided)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Raisins (optional. I had cooked my oatmeal with the raisins, so they were already in with the leftovers)
• Butter for cooking

Mix everything (except the butter) together in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Scoop the batter into the skillet and cook until crispy and golden brown on each side. 

NOTE: Because this recipe uses leftover oatmeal, 3 cups is not an exact measurement. I am estimating that is about how much I used. To make sure you get the proportions right, add one egg at a time and 1/2 cup of flour at a time. Your mix should resemble a very lumpy (because of the oatmeal) thick pancake batter. If the egg-flour ratio isn't right the cakes will fall apart when you try to flip them. No worries though, just adjust the ratios before cooking the next cake.

Maple Sausage and Cheese Patties

• 1 lb. sausage (the kind that comes in a tube, like Jimmy Deans)
• 1 and 3/4 cup shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese (or one brick Cracker Barrel cheese)
• 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup 

Preheat oven to 350F and spray a cookie sheet with cooking oil. Mix everything together in a large bowl, I used my hands to make sure everything came together completely. Spray a skillet with cooking oil or use a non-stick pan. Form patties with your hands and cook them over medium heat until each side is golden brown and crispy. Transfer the patties to the cookie sheet and finish cooking them in the oven for about 7-10 minutes, or just until they are cooked (no pink) all the way through.

Assemble the sandwiches by stacking a oatmeal cake and then a sausage patty and then another oatmeal cake. Serve with maple syrup hot. These are also great at room temp or cold!

If you don't care about being wheat-free then just use regular all-purpose flour.

One more thing. I hate eggs (like they turn my stomach in the worst way kind of hate), but I am sure if you like eggs these sandwiches would be great with an egg (over easy/over hard) in the middle. The sausage patties would also be awesome on an English Muffin!