Christmas Mesh Swag!
Easy Decorating Ideas
Centerpiece Tutorial
Peppermint Topiary with Edible Snow Tutorial
Candy cane Christmas trees
Pumpkin Spice Crunch Cake!
Ingredients:
- 1-29oz. can of Pumpkin (unsweetened)
- 1 box of Spice Cake Mix
- 1-8oz. bag of Toffee Bits
- 1 container of Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2-9×13 baking pans
- In a large bowl mix up the Cake batter according to the box directions. Now add in the Toffee Bits, making sure to reserve some (approx. 1/4 cup..or so) Toffee Bits for the top…
- Combine the Pumpkin and mix it well…
- Spray the baking pans with non-stick spray and fill each of them 1/2 to 3/4 of the way…depending on the depth of your pans.
- Bake both pans at 350 degrees for approx 45 minutes or until they’re cooked through.
- Let them cool.
- Frost them with the Cream Cheese Frosting and then top them with the reserved Toffee Bits…Dig into that baby and serve it up nice and warm-like…
Mini Shepherd’s Pot Pies
Ingredients:
- 1 box Pillsbury™ refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
- 1 1/2 cups Green Giant™ Steamers™ frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
- 1/3 cup beef broth
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 bag (24 oz) refrigerated mashed potatoes, heated as directed on bag (about 3 cups)
DIRECTIONS
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- Heat oven to 400°F.
- Unroll pie crusts. Roll each crust to 12 inches in diameter. Using 4-inch round cutter, cut 6 rounds from each crust. Firmly press each round in bottom and up side of each of 12 ungreased regular-size muffin cups. Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven. Reduce heat to 350°F.
- In small microwavable bowl, microwave frozen vegetables and 2 teaspoons water tightly covered with plastic wrap on High 3 minutes; set aside.
- In 8-inch nonstick skillet, heat butter over medium heat until melted and hot. Add onion to skillet; cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add beef to skillet; cook 5 to 7 minutes longer, stirring to break up any large pieces; drain. Add broth, salt and pepper. Cook 3 to 5 minutes longer or until mixture is hot and liquid is absorbed. Stir in vegetables.
- Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup beef mixture. Top each pie with about 1/4 cup of the warm mashed potatoes. Bake at 350°F 25 to 30 minutes or until crusts are golden brown and mashed potatoes are lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes in pan before serving. Run knife around outside of each pie to loosen before removing.
Cinnamon Roll Stuffed Baked Apples
INGREDIENTS
- 4-12 large apples (1 apple per person. Round, wide apples work best with this recipe if you can find some)
- dough
- 1⅓ cups very warm water
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 4 tablespoons very soft butter
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
Frosting
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- heavy cream or milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough attachment (*see notes for alternate method) add water, yeast, and honey and stir with a spoon to combine. Allow to rest for 5 minutes (mixture will rise and foam).
- Add flour and salt to yeast mixture. Turn the mixer on low and mix until all ingredients come together. Increase speed to medium-low and knead for 2-3 minutes longer until dough is more smooth. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- While dough is resting, prepare the filling by whisking together sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. (Don't do anything with the butter yet).
- Chop off the tops of the apples and scoop out the insides. Discard or use for another recipe. Place hollowed apples on a greased baking sheet and preheat oven to 350.
- After 10 minutes of rest time, roll the dough into a 9x15 (approximate) inch rectangle (make sure the surface is well-floured and use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to trim any uneven sides of the rectangle of dough - discard trimmings)
- Spread softened butter (from filling ingredients) over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Tightly roll one long end (the 15-inch of the rectangle) toward the other long end so you have a long log-shape. Trim the ends with a sharp knife or pizza cutter and discard. Cut remaining dough into 1½ inch wide sections (cut as many sections as you need for your apples. If you are preparing 10 apples, cut 10 sections, etc) Place cinnamon roll sections swirly-side-up inside each of the apples.
- Bake apples in preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until tops are lightly golden and rolls are cooked through. While those are baking, prepare the frosting by creaming together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Slowly mix in powdered sugar until incorporated and smooth. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until a pourable or spreadable consistency is reached.
- When cinnamon rolls are finished baking, spread or drizzle with frosting and serve warm. Enjoy!
NOTES
*If you do not have an electric stand mixer with a dough attachment, you can stir the ingredients together, and then knead by hand for 5-7 minutes until dough is smooth.
*If you do not have an electric stand mixer with a dough attachment, you can stir the ingredients together, and then knead by hand for 5-7 minutes until dough is smooth.
Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. Italian Sausage, rolled into 1/4 teaspoon size balls
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 red bell peppers, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups chopped kale
- 2 cups cheese tortellini (fresh or frozen)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
1. In a large skillet, brown the mini sausage balls until cooked through. This will take about 5-7 minutes. Drain off the grease and place the sausage balls on a plate lined with paper towels.
2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the red peppers, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes. Cook until peppers are soft, about 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, and kale. Add the cheese tortellini and cook until tortellini is tender, 7-8 minutes. Stir in the fresh basil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the mini sausage balls and heat until warm. Remove the bay leaf and serve.
Note-you can make this soup vegetarian by using vegetable broth and omitting the sausage. Josh always ladles up my bowl first, and then adds the sausage. This soup recipe is very adaptable!
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Cheddar Pull-Apart Bread Cheese, butter, and bread.
Ingredients
- 1 stick Butter
- 1 clove Garlic, Large, Peeled And Minced
- 1 bunch Green Onions, Trimmed And Minced
- 1 pound Loaf Of Italian Bread
- 1 pound Grated Extra-sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1 bunch Fresh Parsley, Minced
- Preheat oven to 350°F (or preheat grill to medium heat). Lay out a double thickness of standard foil (or a single thickness of heavy-duty foil.) Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, or a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the butter until melted and mix in the garlic and sliced green onions. Stir with a serving spoon.
- Lay the loaf of bread on the cutting board and cut a ½” grid pattern into it, stopping about ¼” above the base of the bread so that it stays connected. Gently pry apart the bread and spoon the butter mixture along the seams. Gently wrap the foil up around the top of the loaf and put on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven, open the foil and sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top, gently pushing some of the cheese down into the cut bread.
- Leave the foil open and return the pan to the oven or grill and raise the heat to 425°F or High for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and bubbly and lightly browned on top.
- Let set for 3 minutes before showering with freshly minced parsley and serving.
Baked Brie & Sun Dried Tomato Dip
Ingredients:
- (8 oz) packages Brie cheese
- 2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, stripped from strips
- 1 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained well & chopped
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- French bread crostini or crackers
- Remove the rind from the Brie. Cut the Brie into chunks. Drain the sun dried tomatoes well, and chop into bite sized or small pieces. Combine the minced garlic, fresh thyme leaves, and sun dried tomatoes.Add in cracked black pepper.
- Stir to combine.Layer cheese, then topping in an oven proof casserole or black iron skillet. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes. I gave it a stir about halfway through. The Brie will get all bubbly and melted, and slightly toasted on top. Serve hot with French bread crostini or crackers.
S'more dessert pizza
Ingredients:
For the dough
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup graham flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 package dry yeast
- Gourmet marshmallows
- Milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Marshmallow cream
- Heat your cup of water in a saucepan. Once very warm, add brown sugar to dissolve. Turn off heat and add yeast. Allow to stand for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Pour yeast mixture into a mixer. Slowly mix in molasses, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and butter. Mix in a little of the flour, and then the rest of the flour with the salt.
- Use dough attachment on mixer or hands to knead dough until smooth. Allow dough to sit in covered bowl in a warm area to rise for about an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough and bake on a pizza stone for 10 minutes.
- Remove dough from the oven and top with your ingredients. Homemade or gourmet marshmallows or marshmallow cream work very nicely with chocolate chips.
- Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake pizza for another 10 to 15 minutes or until crust is slightly brown. Serve immediately.
Heavenly Oreo Dessert
INGREDIENTS
- 1 (15.35 ounce) package Double-Stuffed Oreo cookies
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 packages (3.9 ounce, each) Instant Chocolate pudding mix
- 3 1/4 cups cold milk
- 2 (8 ounce) containers Cool Whip
- 1 (8 ounce) block Cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Take a large zip-lock bag and place all the Oreo cookies inside. Seal bag shut and place on counter. Using a rolling pin, crush the cookies until they are small chunks/crumbs. You want them to still be chunky and small, but not fine crumbs.
- Set aside half of the cookie crumbs for the topping. Pour the other half of cookie crumbs into a 9×13 baking pan. Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and mix well to combine. Once combined, press into the pan to form a crust.
- In a bowl, whisk together the 2 pudding mixes and milk. Cover and place in fridge to set.
- In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar. Fold in one container of Cool Whip. Spread mixture over the cookie crust. Next, take chocolate pudding and spread over the cream cheese mixture. Spread the other container of Cool Whip over the chocolate pudding layer. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cookie crumbs. Cover and chill in fridge at least 2 hours before serving.
- Enjoy ♥
Gluten Free Crab Cakes
Ingredients (Makes 12 Cakes)
- 1 lb. Lump Crab Meat (Note: This recipe also works with cooked crab meat.)
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper
- ¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ Teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ Stalk of Celery, finely diced
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley, chopped
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
- 1 Tablespoon Coarse Ground Dijon Mustard
- 2 Egg Whites
- ½ Cup Gluten Free Breadcrumbs
- ½ – 1 Cup Vegetable Oil, just enough to cover the bottom of a large skillet
- Add the vegetable oil to a large, heavy-bottomed skillet. Heat over medium heat until oil starts to ripple.
- While the vegetable oil is heating up, add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Use a rubber spatula or large spoon to mix the ingredients together.
- Once the oil starts to ripple, take a heaping tablespoon of the crab mixture and add it to the skillet. Use the bottom of the spoon to gently flatten out the crab cake. Don’t press too hard, as you don’t want the crab cakes to fall apart. Keep popping in the scoops of the crab mixture and flattening them until either the pan is full or you run out of crab mixture.
- Cook the crab cakes for five minutes on each side. The crab cake should be golden brown and crisp when you go to flip it.
- When the crab cakes are all cooked, place them on a plate lined with a paper towel of parchment paper to drain and cool.
While the crab cakes are cooling, make this cool chive aioli.
Ingredients
- 12 Chives, roughly chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- A Pinch of Salt and Pepper
- ½ Cup Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Spoon the sauce into a small serving bowl and use right away on the warm crab cakes. Or make ahead of time and store up to a week in the refrigerator.
Loaded Baked Potato Balls
Ingredients:
- Left over mashed potatoes if you have them. They need to be thick and stiff, not watery.
- I had none, so I used 4 russet potatoes....and wow! That is a LOT!
- I also used 3 Tbsp butter, a splash of milk (maybe 1/2 cup), salt and pepper
- Cheddar/mozzarella blend string cheese
- 1 small bag of real bacon bits
- feel free to used real bacon or even crumbled turkey bacon, but I wanted to make this as easy as possible.
- Chopped chives
- Panko bread crumbs - they are much lighter and crunchier than regular bread crumbs
- Canola oil for frying
- Whatever dipping sauce you want (sour cream, salsa, salsa verde, maybe even ranch dressing)
- You can skip half of this whole recipe if you have left over mashed potatoes! To make the mashed potatoes, I peeled and cut the potatoes into medium chunks and boiled in salted water until fork tender. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot.
- While potatoes are cooking, get the cheese ready. I used a cheddar/mozzarella blend string cheese because I knew it would have a good "melting" factor. I chose the bagged "real bacon bits" because after work today, I just wanted fast and easy. Besides, this is much less mess and time than making your own sometimes.
- Drain the fork-tender potatoes, then return them to the pot. Add butter, milk, salt, pepper, chives, and bacon to the potatoes and whip them up by hand or with a hand mixer until smooth. Add butter and milk. Add salt and pepper. Blend. Add the bacon bits. Add some chopped chives. I added an egg to bind everything together.
- Allow the potatoes to cool. Hot potatoes will stick to your hands and make a big mess. The cool ones like to stick together better. Roll the potatoes into balls. Place a piece of cheese inside a depression in the potato balls and reform the ball around the cheese. Roll the potato balls in Panko bread crumbs. Fry for about a minute or until golden in oil (about 375 degrees F). Sprinkle with salt immediately when you get them out of the oil. Serve hot (while the cheese is all melty).
“Bacon & Egg” Candy Treats
Ingredients:
- Pretzel sticks (bacon)
- White candy melts or white chocolate (egg white)
- Yellow M&M's or Reese's Pieces (egg yolk).
- My pretzel sticks were a bit long so I broke them in half and placed them in pairs on a sheet of parchment paper.
- I heated up the candy melts in a disposable piping bag in the microwave. Then piped a small mound onto the pretzels.
- Then top with a yellow M&M (m side down). Let the white candy harden and you're done! I made 60 of these in about 20 minutes.
Ham and Cheese Pretzel Bites
Ingredients:
- 1 can Pillsbury refrigerated thin crust pizza dough
- 1 package (8 ounce) sliced cheddar cheese
- 1 package (7 ounce) sliced deli ham1 egg, beaten
- Coarse sea salt1 tablespoon butter, melted
- Progresso Recipe Starters Creamy Three Cheese cooking sauce, for dipping
- Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Unroll pizza dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Top dough evenly with sliced cheese and ham slices. Carefully and tightly roll up dough from the long end into a log; pinch seam to seal.
- Slice log into 16 equal pieces. Set each piece cut side-down on baking sheet.
- Brush dough with beaten egg, then sprinkle sides and tops with coarse salt. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Brush dough with melted butter. Sprinkle with more salt, if desired. Serve with warm Creamy Three Cheese cooking sauce on the side for dipping.
Fried Pizza Poppers
Ingredients:
- Pillsbury Pizza Dough (thin crust or regular)
- Pepperoni slices..one per each popper
- Mozzarella Cheese 1″ cubes..one per each popper
- Marinara Sauce for dipping
- Oil for frying
- Parmesan, Garlic Powder & Oregano for sprinkling..OR YOUR FAVE BL
- Roll out the Pizza Dough, just until it’s even and cut out approx. 2″ circles. I used a small glass to cut them out.
- Fill each circle of dough with whatever Pizza toppings you normally like. I used a slice of Pepperoni, and a chunk of Mozzarella.
- Roll the filling up tightly inside the dough, making sure to seal it very well.
- Fry up the filled dough balls in small batches, and drain them on paper towels.
- Make up your seasoning blend and set aside.
- Season them up with your blend while they’re warm…
Seven-Layer Tostadas
Ingredients:
- 1 can (16 oz.) refried pinto beans (or use homemade refried beans)
- 1 1/2 cups guacamole (purchased or homemade guacamole)
- 1 cup light sour cream
- 1/2 tsp. Kalyn's Taco Seasoning Mix (or use your favorite Taco Seasoning)
- 1 cup finely grated low-fat cheese such as Four Cheese Mexican Blend (or more if you like a lot of cheese)
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives (or use a 4 oz. can sliced olives)
- 6-8 whole wheat flour tortillas, 6 or 8 inch inch size
- olive oil for greasing baking sheet, about 1 tsp.
Instructions:
Place a baking sheet inside the oven or toaster oven and let it get hot while you preheat oven to 450F/230C, about 10 minutes. Carefully remove baking sheet, drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil on it and spread around with a paper towel, and put flour tortillas on the baking sheet. Toast tortillas in the oven until they're crisp and barely starting to brown, turning several times. This will take less than 5 minutes so watch them carefully.
While tortillas are crisping, put the refried beans in a bowl, stir to break them apart, and microwave 2-3 minutes, or until they're hot. Stir the Taco Seasoning Mix into the sour cream. Chop the onions, slice green onions, and slice the olives. (If you're using homemade guacamole and cheese that needs to be grated you'll need to prepare those as well.)
Put crisped tortilla shell on a plate and top with:
--a thin layer of refried beans (1-2 tablespoons)
--a thin layer of guacamole (1-2 tablespoons)
--a thin layer of seasoned sour cream (1-2 tablespoons)
--several generous pinches of finely grated low-fat cheese
--chopped tomatoes
-thinly sliced green onions
--sliced olives
Serve right away, with salsa or hot sauce if desired. You can keep the topping ingredients in the fridge and crisp more tortillas later to use any leftovers.
Christmas party food!
Peppermint Brownie Bites
Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treat Pops
Bourbon Black Forest Cupcakes
Gingerbread house
Sassy Tailgate Sandwiches
Ingredients:
- 20 small Hawaiian sweet rolls, cut in half crosswise
- 1 pound deli black forest ham, sliced
- 20 slices provolone cheese
- 8-oz. container spreadable cream cheese
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons dried minced onions
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with the bottom halves of the sweet rolls. Top with the ham, then the provolone cheese slices. Spread the cream cheese onto the bottoms of the sweet roll tops and place them in a layer on top of the cheese.
- In a medium bowl, combine the butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onions and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and pour evenly over tops of the sandwiches. Sprinkle the poppy seeds over the top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until warmed through. Cut at the seams with a knife and serve warm!
Spicy Drunken Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound shrimp
- 1 can of beer
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1-2 bay leaves
- fresh chopped parsley
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Add shallot, garlic, red pepper flakes, bay leaves and beer in a large saucepan and turn heat on high. Bring to a boil and reduce beer sauce by half, stirring occasionally.
- Add shrimp and cook until pink, about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with crusty bread or on top of rice.
The greatest Queso that ever lived
Ingredients:
- 3/4 lbs. lean ground beef, browned and drained*
- 2 lbs. block of Velveeta, cubed
- 2 (10 oz.) cans Rotel (original, mild, or hot- whatever your preference), drained
- 1 (7 oz.) can diced, roasted green chiles
Combine all the ingredients in a crock pot. Melt on low until smooth (approx. 2-3 hours) or high (approx. 1 hour). Once melted, keep crockpot on low.
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