Peppermint Punch

Great for Christmas Parties and very easy. Be prepared to share the recipe!
 1 Half gallon Peppermint Ice Cream
1 cup whole milk
2 liters of chilled Ginger Ale

Makes 1large punch bowl - plan on 2 - 3 servings per person

 In a large punch bowl...first put in the ice cream, then add milk, then slowly add chilled Ginger Ale, stirring to melt ice cream melt into the mixture. It will foam up like an ice cream float does..as it subsides, add more ginger ale.

 If it all does fit in your punch bowl, no worry, just add more ginger ale as you serve it.

 If desired, hang candy canes around your punch bowl.

ASSEMBLE 20 minutes before party.

Crustless Spinach, Bacon, Onion, Feta and Cheddar Quiche

Here you go..... I've been making this for years and I don't measure anything so I'll give you my guesstimates. You can't mess this up ...it's a great basic recipe to make your own creation. 

 Deep quiche dish, mine is pottery so I grease it with bacon grease. Mom's is glazed, I don't grease that one. (Or use a cast iron skillet or deep pie plate) I made this for low carb high fat diet...

 8 strips of your favorite bacon cooked, not crispy (crumbled)

 I large onion, sliced into thin rings

 1 TBSP sugar (skip if you don't want to Caramelize onions or are diabetic)

 1 package frozen spinach, thawed and very well squeezed and drained 

 1 hefty tsp chopped garlic ( I use stuff in the jar) 

 1 hefty tsp dried Italian herbs 

 1 pint heavy cream 

 3 oz feta cheese with tomato and basil (half of the 6 oz pkg)

 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded 

 3 large eggs well beaten (if I have an extra yolk or two around I will also add those) 

 Here we go: 

 Fry bacon in large skillet.... I do it in batches and leave grease in, just keep adding bacon, it cooks softer that way. Remove bacon to a plate covered with paper towels to drain and cool until you can crumble it. 

 To the skillet of bacon grease....add the large onion, sliced into rings....cook until they are limp and Caramelizing. I add the sugar and stir them constantly until well caramelized. DRAIN THESE WELL ON A LOT OF PAPER TOWELS.

 In a large bowl, beat 3 eggs well, add garlic and Italian herbs, heavy cream and add the well drained spinach and feta cheese. Set mixture aside. 

 Assemble quiche- 

 Bacon goes down first 

Top with cooked onions

Top with 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 

Slowly pour egg mixture over the top and spread evenly. 

 Bake at 350 degrees for 35- 50 minutes or until butter knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

 Remove from oven and let set 10-15 minutes before serving. 

Enjoy.

 It's good cold.

 Low sodium version - use chicken instead of bacon and use Swiss cheese instead of cheddar 

 Other combos you might like (don't expect them to top bacon) 

       Sausage , broccoli cheddar 

       Sausage zucchini, cheddar 

       Add mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, left over potatoes...etc 

There's no real recipe....you can't mess this up.

 I personally love the feta cheese combined with cheddar.

Easy Deli Chicken Enchiladas

This is a fabulous Chicken Enchilada recipe. Your family will love it and best of all, you can use deli chicken to make it easy!

2 lbs. whole roasted chicken (from deli) Sam’s Club best!

1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 1/4 cups sour cream

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies, drained

1 (1.25 oz) package mild taco seasoning mix

1 bunch green onions, chopped, divided

1 cup water

1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

5 (12-inch) flour tortillas

3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided

1 (10 oz.) can enchilada sauce

1 (6 oz.) can sliced black olives

Remove 2 lbs. of meat from whole roasted chicken. Shred chicken with fork and set aside.

In medium saucepan, combine cream of chicken soup, sour cream and chili powder. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat butter in large skillet over medium heat and add onion. Cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add shredded chicken, chopped green chilies, taco seasoning, half of the chopped green onion and cup of water. Stir until thoroughly combined and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in lime juice, onion powder, and garlic powder, simmering an additional 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir 1 cup of soup mixture into the skillet mixture. Spread remaining soup mixture on the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over the chicken filling before folding the tortillas, reserving half of the shredded cheese for topping the enchiladas. Fold tortillas over the filling and place seam-side down in the prepared pan.

Pour enchilada sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Cover with remaining 1 1/2 cups of Cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the reserved chopped green onions and black olives on top of the cheese. Bake in preheated oven until filling is heated through and cheese is melted and bubbling, about 25 minutes.

Serves 8

She Loves Wine's Cold Vegetable Pizza

It wouldn’t be Christmas without this, my boys can eat a whole one by themselves.

2 pkg of crescent rolls
1 cup of Hellman’s Mayo (NOT MIRACLE WHIP)
1 8 oz Cream Cheese - soft
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon Accent
1 TABLESPOON onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

2 cups fresh veggies ( broccoli, green onions, cauliflower,
radishes, zucchini,cherry tomatoes) ( If I don’t have these on hand...
I get them from the salad bar at the grocery store)

Pat rolls on a slightly greased jelly roll sheet or cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Combine mayo and cream cheese. add seasonings. Spread on cooled crust, sprinkle with finely chopped veggies and cheese.... place a sheet of wax paper of top of this and pat gently to set the toppings into it so it isn’t so messy when you eat it. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Sweet Italian Pasta Toss - Johnsonville

5 Johnsville Sweet Italian Sausage Links, cooked and sliced into thin "coins"
1  16 oz pkg Farfelle (bow tie) pasta
3 TBSP Olive Oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Onion sliced into thin wedges
1 zucchini sliced into "coins"
1 yellow squash sliced into thin coins
15 cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions, reserve.  Cook sausage per directions, remove from pan when fully cooked. Reserve drippings.

Place olive oil and drippings into a different saute pan with the garlic. Heat on low until the garlic releases its flavor, but is NOT browned. Add vegetables, saute until tender. Mix sausage and pasta with vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm, topped with Parmesan cheese.

Also good cold.

Easy Summer Fruit Galettes

2 (9 inch) refrigerated pie crusts
3 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced

1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced

1/2 pint fresh blueberries

4 tablespoons white sugar, divided

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided

6 tablespoons turbinado sugar, divided

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).               

Lay out one pie crust on a baking sheet lined with parchment or on a baking stone, leaving room
for the second pie crust next to it.               

Mix together the sliced peaches with half the blueberries, 2 tablespoons of the flour and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl.

Pour over one pie crust leaving a 1-inch border. Fold up the uncovered border over the edge of the fruit and pinch into pleats. Sprinkle the crust and fruit filling with 3 tablespoons of turbinado (or raw) sugar.               

Lay out the second pie crust on the baking sheet. Mix together the sliced strawberries, the rest of the blueberries, 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 tablespoons of sugar in the bowl. Pour over the second pie crust and form the galette the same as the first. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of turbinado sugar.               

Bake in preheated oven until crust is lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes.

Sprinkle with more sugar if desired.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Hot Dogs & Bacon Appetizers

        2 pounds (20) hot dogs, cut in thirds crosswise
       1 pound bacon (20 slices), cut in thirds crosswise
        brown sugar

Take a piece of hot dog and piece of bacon, wrap bacon around hot dog. Secure bacon to hot dogs with toothpicks. Place one layer of wrapped hot dogs in bottom of crockpot and sprinkle generously with brown sugar.

Repeat until all the hot dogs have been used, ending with more brown sugar. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, or cook on HIGH 3 to 4 hours.
Makes 60 hot dog and bacon appetizers.

Hot Artichoke Dip

Serve  with club crackers or Ritz crackers

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 can artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Just mix everything and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Makes 4 cups (16 servings) - from Pampered Chef

King Arthur Biscuits - Easy!

Are you looking for a very easy way to make tender biscuits? Here it is! Rather than cutting or rubbing butter into flour, then adding liquid, these biscuits are a simple matter of stirring cream into the flour and other dry ingredients. Pat into a round, cut, bake, and enjoy!

These 2 1/4" biscuits will be golden brown on top, lighter-colored on the sides, and about 1" to 1 1/4" tall. They'll be very tender hot from the oven, and will gradually become less so as they cool

And using King Arthur Flour, you can't go wrong! 


Recipe

Making Paninis - Tips from Kraft Foods

1. Skip the mess and use a cutting board as your work surface for panini creations. Any spilled ingredients easily can be thrown away, and you can cut and serve quickly after heating.
2. Italian bread and sourdough bread are both great options for paninis. These varieties are hearty enough to hold ingredients together while heating.
3. Roasted tomatoes are a classic panini ingredient. If you don't have the jar variety, make your own by roasting tomatoes in the oven and adding a little balsamic dressing. Faster than you can say "panini", you've got a classic Italian sandwich!
4. Store olive oil in a plastic squirt bottle to quickly squirt a small amount on sandwiches before placing them in your panini maker.
5. Alternating layers of meats, cheeses and other ingredients work best in keeping heated sandwiches intact and easy to eat. To keep too much cheese from melting out of the sandwich, slice cheese into strips to layer between meats and veggies.

Making Paninis -Tips & Videos for Panini | Kraft Foods Outstandwich Recipes

Kraft Easy Grilled Ribs

What You Need

4 lb. pork baby back ribs

1 cup  BULL'S-EYE Original Barbecue Sauce

 

 

CUT ribs into 2-rib sections.

 

PLACE ribs in Dutch oven or stockpot. Add enough water to completely cover ribs; cover with lid. Bring to boil; simmer on medium-low heat 20 min. Drain. 

 

HEAT grill to medium heat. Grill ribs 10 min. or until done, turning occasionally and brushing generously with barbecue sauce.

Photo by Kraft -  click on photo to be taken to the Kraft website for more easy & delish recipes.

Beverages Watermelon Lemonade Cooler

2 cups water

1/2 cup  COUNTRY TIME Lemonade Flavor Drink Mix

3 cups chopped seedless watermelon

1 cup  ice cubes

PLACE all ingredients in blender; cover.
BLEND on high speed until smooth.
POUR into four glasses to serve.

How to Prepare Watermelon-Flavored Ice Cubes

Puree additional chopped watermelon in blender until smooth. Pour into ice cube trays; freeze until firm. Use in place of plain ice cubes to add flavor to, and chill, your favorite cold drink, such as ginger ale or fruit juice.

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 It makes alot -  freeze some for the next day and take out to thaw a little, re-blend and have as a frozen treat.

Italian Cheese Potato Bake

• 2  lb.  red potatoes
• 3  or 4 cloves  garlic, minced
• 1-1/2  tsp.  snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
• 1/4  cup  butter
• 1  cup  buttermilk
• 4  oz.  fontina cheese, shredded (1 cup)
• 4  oz.  Parmesan cheese, finely shredded (1 cup)
• 1/3  cup  crumbled blue cheese
• 1/2  cup  panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
• 1/4  tsp.  dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1  Tbsp.  olive oil
•     Snipped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-quart square baking dish; set aside. Scrub potatoes; cut in 1-inch pieces. In large saucepan cook potatoes in lightly salted boiling water 12 to 15 minutes or until tender; drain.
2. In a 12-inch skillet cook and stir garlic and thyme in butter over medium heat for 1 minute; add potatoes. Coarsely mash potatoes. Stir in buttermilk, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Fold in fontina cheese, half of the Parmesan, and the blue cheese. Evenly spread in baking dish.
3. In small bowl combine remaining Parmesan, panko, Italian seasoning, and oil; toss with a fork to combine. Evenly sprinkle over potato mixture in dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden. Sprinkle with snipped fresh parsley. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Spinach, Ham and Cheese Omelet for one

• 2    eggs
• 1  heaping TBSP Hellman's Mayo
• 2  tablespoons  water
• 1  teaspoon  butter
•     salt and pepper
• 1/4  cup  shredded Italian cheese blend (1 oz.)
• 1/4  cup  baby spinach
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped ham

BEAT eggs and water in small bowl until blended.
HEAT butter in 7 to 10-inch nonstick omelet pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. TILT pan to coat bottom. POUR IN egg mixture. Mixture should set immediately at edges.
GENTLY PUSH cooked portions from edges toward the center with inverted turner so that uncooked eggs can reach the hot pan surface. CONTINUE cooking, tilting pan and gently moving cooked portions as needed.
When top surface of eggs is thickened and no visible liquid egg remains, season with salt and pepper. PLACE cheese on one side of omelet; top with spinach and ham. FOLD omelet in half with turner. With a quick flip of the wrist, turn pan and INVERT or SLIDE omelet onto plate. SERVE immediately.

Nutrition Facts

• Servings Per Recipe 1 to 2 servings
• Calories299,

Chicken-Broccoli Mac and Cheese

• 8  oz.  dried rigatoni
• 2  cups  fresh broccoli florets
• 1  2 to 2-1/4 lb.  whole roasted chicken (from grocery deli)
• 1  5.2-oz. pkg.  semisoft cheese with garlic and fine herbs (use boursin or make your own by using Philly Cream Cheese and adding garlic and herbs)
• 3/4  to 1 cup  milk
• 1/4  cup  oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and snipped
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
•     fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, optional

Directions

1. In large saucepan cook pasta according to package directions, adding broccoli florets during the last 3 minutes of cooking time. While pasta is cooking, remove meat from roasted chicken. Coarsely chop chicken. Drain pasta and broccoli; set aside.
2. In same saucepan combine cheese, the 3/4 cup milk, tomatoes, and 14 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Add pasta mixture and chicken. Heat through. If necessary, thin with additional milk. Sprinkle fresh parsley. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts

• Servings Per Recipe 4 servings
• Calories667,
• Total Fat (g)34,
• Saturated Fat (g)15,
• Monounsaturated Fat (g)1,
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g)1,
• Cholesterol (mg)163,
• Sodium (mg)872,
• Carbohydrate (g)52,
• Total Sugar (g)6,
• Fiber (g)3,
• Protein (g)40,

Healthy Yogurt parfaits in waffle cone

Use a waffle cone and fill with one of the following

Put a marshmellow in the bottom, fill with Pudding or yogurt ...then add one or more of the following:
fruit, nuts, crumbled cookies- you can even top with whipped cream and a cherry, if desired!

Flavorful Homemade Popcorn

Pop it and mix in one of these -

Parmesan cheese, chili powder and - if you like it spicy, a little cayenne pepper ( spray the popcorn first with PAM so the seasoning will stick to it, then place in a plastic bag with the seasonings and shake.) 

Using the same method as above, you could also use sugar and cinnamon

Or - mix in cheese gold fish

Or - mix in trail mix  or M& M's

Easy Homemade Dessert Nachos

Use plain flour tortillas - brush with melted butter ....sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar....using a pizza cutter, cut into wedges, and place on a foil lined baking sheet... you can bunch up foil to make them come out curled.

Then, put them under the broiler to crisp them.

Now comes the best part -- top the sweet nacho  with your favorite fruits, nuts and yogurt or whipped cream - or drizzle with caramel and chocolate.... or use them with a fruit salsa.

Easy!

Pesto - Frozen in Individual Portions

Take fresh pesto and spoon into a clean ice cube tray.... cover and freeze until firm - then put them in a plastic bag so you have it when you need it.

Easy!

Oven Omelet for a Crowd

These are not as pretty as a traditional omelet but you can feed everyone at the same time.

12 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Hellman's mayo

Whatever you have on-hand to add to your omelet ( grated cheese, mushrooms, onions, ham, bacon, tomatoes, etc) 

Beat the above together and poor into a 15" x 10" pan that has been sprayed with PAM
Bake at 350 for 8 - 10 minutes, or until eggs are set.

Remove from oven and cut in half lengthwise, then into thirds.
Remove each slice and fill 1/2 of it in a triangle shape, fold over and serve.

Serves 6