Holiday Baking: Lemon Drop Cookies

If you like a lemony flavor and sweetness, this cookie is for you.  This is another new cookie recipe from Tastefully Simple.  I didn't put the decorations on the cookies as I really didn't have any small enough to work.  Also, my cookie didn't flatten out like the original pictures shown.  However, they are still delicious!

Ingredients:

1 pkg Sunny Lemon Pound Cake & Icing Mix
1/2 c butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp water
Decorations of choice such as sprinkles, pearls, candy-coated chocolates

Instructions:

1.  In large bowl, combine Sunny Lemon Pound Cake & Icing Mix packet 1, butter and eggs; mix until well combined and dough is formed.  Form into 1-inch balls.  Refrigerate 2 hours.

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place dough balls 2-inches apart on a large greased baking sheet.  Bake 13-15 minutes or until set.  Let cool on pan 1 minute.

3.  Place a cooling rack over parchment paper, wax paper or aluminum foil.  Transfer cookies to cooling rack.  Cool completely.

4.  In small bowl, combine Sunny Lemon Pound Cake & Icing Mix packet 2 and water.  Whisk until smooth.  Spread cookies with icing and decorate as desired.

Makes about 24 cookies.

Make Ahead & Freeze:  Prepare through step 1.  Place between sheets of Press 'n Seal plastic, sealing around each dough ball.  Place sheets of dough in a gallon freezer bag with packet 2 icing mix.  Seal well, label and freeze.  Thaw completely.  Continue with step 2.

Holiday Baking: Bite-size Monster Cookies

YUMMY!  and you don't have to wait for the holidays.  You can use regular candy pieces and bake year-round, especially with the Nana's Apple Cake Mix being in our standard line of products.

Ingredients:

1 pkg Nana's Apple Cake Mix
1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
2 c quick cook oatmeal
1 c red & green chocolate candy pieces (such as M&M's)
1/2 c semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Instructions:

1.  In large bowl, combine Nana's Apple Cake Mix, butter, peanut butter and eggs.  Mix until well combined.

2.  Gradually stir in oatmeal.  Stir in chocolate candies and chocolate chips.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto a greased large baking sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes.

4.  Let cool on baking sheet 1 minute.  Remove to cooling rack.  Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Make Ahead & Freeze:  Prepare through step 2.  Form into 1 1/2 inch balls.  Place in a gallon freezer bag or storage container between sheets of wax paper.  Seal well, label and freeze.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and continue with step 3, adding 1-2 minutes to bake time.

Holiday Baking: Snickerdoodles

A fun and quick way of making snickerdoodles.  I love how Tastefully Simple uses various cake and muffin mixes to make cookies.  This takes about 30 minutes to make (this includes baking time).

Ingredients:

1 pkg Cinnamon Muffin Melt Mix
6 Tbsp butter, melted
1 large egg

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In large bowl, combine Cinnamon Muffin Melt Mix packet 1, melted butter and egg.  Blend until dough forms.  Shape into 1-inch balls.

2.  Pour Cinnamon Muffin Melt Mix packet 2 into a shallow dish.  Roll dough balls in cinnamon-sugar coating.


3.  Place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake 11-12 minutes.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Make Ahead & Freeze:  Prepare step 1.  Place between sheets of Press 'n Seal plastic, sealing around each dough ball.  Place sheets of dough in a gallon freezer bag with packet 2 cinnamon-sugar.  Seal well, label and freeze.  Thaw completely.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and continue with step 2.

Holiday Baking: Chocolate Crackle Cookies

It's the start of the 2018 Holiday Baking.  I love making the various cookie recipes that Tastefully Simple has and their 2018 Holiday Baking Kit has some new ones and some returning favorites.

This was a fun recipe to make - my Kitchen Aid "died" while trying to make this that I had to switch over to my hand held mixer.  Not fun!

Anyway, this was a success at our Grange Christmas Party.  I didn't do any substitutions but you could use egg substitute if you want.

Ingredients:

1 pkg Classy Chocolate Pound Cake Mix

1/2 c butter, softened

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 c powdered sugar

Instructions:

1.  In large bowl, combine Classy Chocolate Pound Cake Mix, butter and egg; mix until well combined.

2.  Using hands, knead until the consistency of a thick, moist dough.  Form into 1-inch balls.  Refrigerate 2 hours.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place powdered sugar in a shallow dish.  Roll dough balls in sugar and place 2-inches apart on a large greased baking sheet.

4.  Bake 11-13 minutes or until set.  Let cool on pan 1 minute.  Transfer to a cooling rack; cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 24 cookies.

Make Ahead & Freeze:  Prepare through step 2.  Place between sheets of Press 'n Seal plastic, sealing around each dough ball.  Place sheets of dough in a gallon freezer bag.  Seal well, label and freeze.  Thaw completely.  Continue with step 3.

Creamy Wild Rice Stuffing

A perfect dish for the upcoming holidays.  This was a big hit last year at the various holiday parties.




Ingredients:

5 c hot water
1 pkg Creamy Wild Rice Soup Mix
2-3 Tbsp Onion Onion Seasoning
2 tsp Garlic Garlic Seasoning
6-8 slices bacon, chopped
1 c diced celery
1 (14 oz) pk unseasoned dry bread cubes
1/2 c dried cranberries


Instructions:

1.  In large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, combine first 4 ingredients.  Bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2.  Meanwhile, in large skillet over medium-high heat saute bacon until almost crispy.  Add celery and saute until softened and bacon is crispy.

3.  In large bowl, combine bread cubes, cranberries, bacon mixture and soup.  Toss to combine; salt and pepper as desired.

4.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Transfer stuffing to a greased  13x9 inch baking dish.  Bake, covered, 30 minutes.  Remove cover and continue baking 10-15 minutes.

Makes 10-12 servings.

Make Ahead:  Prepare through step 3.  Cover and refrigerate up to 1 day ahead.  Continue with step 4.

Serving Suggestion:  Add 3-4 cups cubed leftover turkey before baking for a main dish casserole; drizzle with leftover hot gravy just before serving.

Sausage, Broccoli & Cheddar Chowder

Soups are great to have for those cool, wet days.  This was from December and it was well liked.  I didn't add the kale or spinach so used extra carrots and other veggies.  This was a favorite for both of us.


Ingredients:

1 pkg Cheddar Broccoli Soup Mix
3 c water
3 c milk
1 (13 oz) pkg turkey polska Kielbasa sausage ring or smoked sausage, sliced, slices cut in half
1 lb red potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch dice (abt 2-3 med)
3 c chopped fresh kale or spinach leaves
1 c shredded or julienned carrots

Instructions:

1.  In large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, whisk together Cheddar Broccoli Soup Mix, water and milk.

2.  Stir in remaining ingredients.

3.  Bring to a simmer (do not boil).  Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Makes 6 servings.  Serve with a green salad and crusty bread.

Make Ahead & Freeze:  Combine Kielbasa, potatoes, kale and carrots in a gallon freezer bag.  Place in another gallon freezer bag with unopened packet Cheddar Broccoli Soup Mix.  Seal well, label and freeze.  Thaw completely.  Continue with step 1.

Black & Blue Burgers

What a name!  They aren't actually that color nor are they bruised.  However, they were good!  Hmmm . . . I just discovered I forgot to take a picture of the finished product before consumption.  We used ground elk.  Really took away the wild game taste.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 pkt Black & Blue Cheese Ball Mix
2 tsp Garlic Garlic Seasoning
1/3 c light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp Bacon pepper Jam
6 slices 2% milk Cheddar cheese
6 whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted
Lettuce leaves, tomato slices, optional

Instructions:


1.  In large bowl, combine first 3 ingredients; salt and pepper as desired.  Form into 6 patties.

2.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add patties.  Pan-fry, turning once, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 8-10 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine mayonnaise and Bacon Pepper Jam.  Set aside.  Top burgers with cheese.

4.  Spread toasted buns with bacon pepper aioli.  Top with burgers, lettuce and tomatoes, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.  Serve with a green salad.

Make Ahead & Freeze:  Prepare step 1.  Place patties in a gallon freezer bag between sheets of wax paper.  Place Bacon Pepper Jam in a quart freezer bag.  Place cheese in a quart freezer bag.  Place all bags in a gallon freezer bag.  Seal well, label and freeze.  Thaw completely.  Continue with step 2.

Skillet Chicken with Light Bacon Cream Sauce

This was fantastic!  I used chicken breasts (cut in half) instead of the thighs.  I can see this being made with pork chops or even with cubed steak.  I skipped the tomatoes.  Also, I used turkey bacon instead of real bacon and I cut it up into pieces instead of crumbling it.  Of course, as always, I used our Avocado Oil instead of the vegetable oil.  And in our house we have unsweetened vanilla almond milk.


Ingredients:

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, seasoned with salt and pepper
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tbsp Onion Onion Seasoning
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 c chicken broth
1/2 c 2% milk
1 pkt Artichoke & Spinach Warm Dip Mix
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (about 1/2 c)
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley, optional

Instructions:


1.  In a gallon freezer bag, combine chicken, 1/4 c flour and Onion Onion Seasoning.  Toss to coat.

2.  In large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat.  Remove chicken from bag; reserve bag with flour.  Add chicken to skillet; saute until browned on both sides, about 7-9 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, in small bowl, whisk together broth, milk, Artichoke & Spinach Warm Dip Mix and any remaining flour mixture from bag.  Add to chicken in skillet.

4.  Reduce heat and simmer until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer and sauce has thickened, about 5-7 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in bacon, tomatoes and parsley, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.  Serve with mashed cauliflower or potatoes and Vidalia Onion Spinach Salad.

Make Ahead & Freeze:  Place step 1 ingredients in a gallon freezer bag.  Place bacon in a quart freezer bag.  Place both bags and unopened packet Artichoke & Spinach Warm Dip Mix in a gallon freezer bag.  Seal well, label and freeze.  Thaw completely.  Continue with step 1. 

Potato Crusted Salmon

We love having salmon.  This was so moist and flaky, the way fish should be.  If you don't like salmon, use your favorite fish.



Ingredients:

1/3 c light mayonnaise or mayonnaise
1 pkt Artichoke & Spinach Warm Dip Mix
6 (4 oz) salmon fillets
1/2 c shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Onion Onion Seasoning
Olive oil spray

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  In small bowl, combine mayonnaise and Artichoke & Spinach Warm Dip Mix.  Place salmon, skin-side-down, on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Spread mayonnaise mixture over the tops of salmon.

2.  In medium bowl, combine crushed chips, cheese and Onion Onion Seasoning.  Press into salmon.  Lightly spray tops with olive oil.


3.  Bake salmon until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F on an instant-read food thermometer, about 10-15 minutes.


Makes 6 servings.  Serve with steamed broccoli.

Pork & Apple Burgers

It's grilling time . . . how about a variation on your burgers?  This was very good.  We didn't have it as a sandwich as we try not to eat very much breads.  We also didn't have the onions.  I used ground turkey instead of pork.  I also used our Avocado Oil instead of the vegetable oil.  Love the fact that we can modify our recipes to meet our dietary needs.


Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs ground pork
1 small Granny Smith apple, cored and grated
1 c shredded Cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp Bayou Bourbon Glaze
1 Tbsp Onion Onion Seasoning
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
6 hamburger buns, toasted
6 Tbsp Vidalia Onion Dressing

Instructions:


1.  In large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients; salt and pepper as desired.  Form into 6 patties.

2.  Prepare grill or large skillet to medium heat.  Place patties on grill or in skillet; cook, turning once, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees on an instant read food thermometer (about 10-12 minutes).


3.  Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions; salt and pepper as desired.  Saute until lightly golden (about 8-10 minutes) or until desired doneness.

4.  Place burgers on toasted buns and top with sauteed onions and drizzle with Vidalia Onion Dressing. 

Makes 6 servings.  Serve with a cucumber & tomato salad.

Make Ahead & Freeze:  Prepare burgers through step 1.  Place patties in a gallon freezer bag between sheets of wax paper.  Seal well, label and freeze.  Thaw completely.  Continue with step 2.