Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta, rotini or other

8 oz. bacon, cooked and crumbled

½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded in thick pieces

2 cups dill pickles, chopped

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup pickle juice

2 tsp. dried dill

½ tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 Tblsp. fresh dill, chopped

 

Preparation:

1. Cook pasta according to package (al dente). 

 

2.In a medium size bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, all seasonings, pickle juice and fresh dill. Set aside.

 

3. Once the pasta is done, drain and rinse under ice cold water to get the heat out. 

 

4. In a large serving bowl, add pasta, cheese, bacon and dressing (reserve 1/4 cup of dressing for serving), and toss together well. 

 

NOTE: If pasta soaks up all of the dressing, mix in reserved dressing before serving.

Butter Chicken

Ingredients:

Marinade:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp tikka masala

1 1/4 cups Greek Yogurt

Chicken seasoning:

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp tikka masala

2 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1 Tbslp. olive oil

Sauce:

1 Tblsp. olive oil

1 onion, diced

1/2 cup tomato paste

1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained

2 cups half and half

1/4 cup cashews

Preparation:

1. Mix all marinade ingredients together.

2. Once marinade is fully mixed, stir in chicken, being sure to coat it fully.

3. Leave chicken in marinade for at least 1 hour.

4. Mix together all chicken seasoning spices, except for the olive oil.

5. Once the chicken is fully marinated, put 1 Tblsp. oil in a large skillet.

6. Turn skillet to high heat, and add chicken and marinade.

7. Sprinkle chicken seasoning blend over chicken, and stir into chicken and marinade.

8. Turn heat to medium-high and and cover skillet. Cook chicken, stirring very frequently, so that the yogurt in the marinade doesn't burn. 

9. Once chicken is fully cooked (DO NOT OVERCOOK), remove it and the marinade from the skillet and put into a bowl.  Keep warm. Do not wash skillet.

10. Put the second Tblsp. olive oil into the skillet, along with the diced onion.

11. Saute onion until tender, then reduce heat to low.

12. Add tomato paste and diced tomatoes to onions, and stir to incorporate.

13. Turn heat off, and add half and half to tomato and onions. Whisk until fully incorporated.

14. In a food process with a large bowl, add cashews, then pour in onion, tomato and cream mixture.  Process/blend on medium-high until entire mixture is as smooth as possible.

15. Return blended mixture to skillet, and turn heat to medium.

16. Add chicken and marinade to blended mixture, and stir to incorporate.

17. Once everything in the skillet is warmed, serve over rice.

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients:
12 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped and divided*
6 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped*
1 ½ tsp vegetable oil or coconut oil, divided
1/2 tsp peppermint extract, divided
3-4 regular-size candy canes or approximately 10 peppermint candies, crushed
 
Preparation: 
1. Line the bottom and sides of an 8” or 9” square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, smoothing out any wrinkles.
 
2. Melt half of the white chocolate, carefully.
 
3. Once white chocolate is melted, add ½ tsp. of oil, and mix thoroughly.
 
4. Add ¼ tsp peppermint extract to the white chocolate, and mix thoroughly.
 
5. Pour melted white chocolate into the prepared baking pan, and, with an offset spatula or spoon, spread into a thin smooth layer. 
 
6  Place the baking pan in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes or until almost completely set. If it sets completely, the bark layers could separate. 
 
7. Repeat steps 2 through 5 with the semi-sweet chocolate, putting it on top of the white chcoolate layer.
 
8. Repeat steps 2 and3 with the remaining white chocolate. Do NOT put peppermint extract in this chocolate.
 
9. Spread final white chocolate batch over semi-sweet layer.
 
10. Sprinkle top layer with crushed candy canes.
 
11. Refrigerate the bark until completely set, about an hour. 
 
12. Once hardened, remove from the pan and peel off the parchment. Break or cut into pieces as large or as small as you want. If you chilled the bark in the refrigerator for longer than 3 to 4 hours, let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to slightly soften before breaking/slicing, or else the layers might separate.
 
13. Cover and store leftover bark in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. 

Christmas Light Bites

 Ingredients:
1 (15- or 16-ounce) bag square waffle pretzels
2 (13-ounce) bags Hershey’s Kisses (or Rolo chocolate caramel candies)
1 (14-ounce) bag M&M’s milk chocolate candies (choose colors)
 
Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 200 degrees.  
 
2. Unwrap the Kiss candies, and place the M&M candies in a bowl.
 
3. Place pretzels on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, in a single layer.
 
4. Top each pretzel with a Hershey’s Kiss. 
 
5. Bake for 5 minutes; Kiss will look slightly glossy, but won’t lose its shape. (If you bake longer, you risk that the chocolate will get too hot and will seize.)
 
6. Remove cookie sheet from the oven, and, working quickly, firmly push one M&M down on top of each Hershey’s Kiss, M side down. The Hershey’s Kiss will squish into the pretzel, and all three pieces will adhere. 
 
7. Remove cookies from the sheet onto a plate, and continue making more cookies.
 
8. Let cookies sit on counter for several hours, during which time the chocolate will re-harden. NOTE: You may re-harden them quickly in the refrigerator, but you risk the M&Ms losing their glossy appearance and the chocolate getting a white bloom on it.
 
Makes 160 cookies.
 
Variations:
Substitute Hershey’s Hugs for regular Kisses (check them after 3-4 minutes because they soften faster).
Substitute M&M peanut candies for regular M&Ms.
Substitute a Rolo candy for the Hershey’s Kiss, and bake for 3-4 minutes.

 

Christmas Tree Pretzel Bites

 Ingredients:
1 bag soft pretzel bites, thawed
1 jar onion mustard (or fancy mustard, just not yellow)
1 jar pizza sauce
1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
3 Tblsp butter, melted
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 Tblsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 Tblsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 Tblsp fresh parsley, chopped
ALT: Can use Italian seasoning blend instead of fresh spices.
 
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
 
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
 
3. Arrange thawed pretzel bites into a tree shape on the baking sheet.
 
4. Mix the parmesan cheese and melted butter in a dish. Brush mixture evenly onto the bites.
 
5. Sprinkle “tree” with mozzarella cheese.
 
6. Bake for four minutes, or until cheese begins to turn golden brown.
 
7. Garnish with chopped herbs or seasoning blend. 
 
8. Serve with sides of mustard and marinara sauce for dipping.

Sausage Balls (large batch)

Ingredients: 

3 lb. pork sausage (suggest 2 lb. regular and 1 lb. hot), divided

2 blocks of cream cheese, softened, divided

5 cups Bisquick or other baking mix, divided

2 1/2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese, divided (DO NOT USE BAGGED CHEESE)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine half of the sausage and half of the cream cheese. NOTE: This recipe is large. Unless you have an industrial-sized miser, you will need to separate the mixture into two roughly equal parts, as well as the rest of the ingredients.

4. After meat and cheese are thoroughly combined, add half of the Bisquick slowly, so it can be evenly incorporated. Mix until combined.

5. Add half of the shredded cheese, and mix until combined.

6. Using a spring-loaded cookie scoop, scoop mixture into roughly 1" balls and place on baking sheet, about 1" apart. Smooth out ball by rolling in hands, if necessary.

7. Repeat steps 3-6 with the other half of the ingredients.

8. Place baking sheets in refrigerator for at least 10 minutes, so that the balls get chilled. This helps keep them from spreading while baking.

9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until top is crispy. If baking in batches, be sure to replace the used parchment paper with a fresh sheet before baking the next batch.

Brownie in a Cup

Ingredients:

2 Tblsp. brownie mix

1 Tblsp. water

Pam, butter or Crisco

Whipped topping or vanilla ice cream, if desired

Mini chocolate chips and/or sprinkles, if desired

Preparation:

1. Grease the inside of a microwave safe mug.

2. Place brownie mix into the greased mug.

3. Add water to brownie mix, and mix with a fork until smooth.

4. Microwave batter in mug for 60 seconds.

5. Top with whipped topping, ice cream, chocolate chips and sprinkles, as desired.