Barbeque Meatball Sliders

Meatball sliders are a huge hit in my family. I often take them to church functions, where they are always well-received. I usually make Italian style sliders, but a few weeks ago I decided to switch it up for our church business meeting. I didn't stick around for the meeting, but my Hubbie and Dad loved them. My Dad is a pretty picky eater, so it makes me happy when he enjoys my food. These are quick to put together, made with frozen meatballs. You could certainly use your own homemade meatballs, or make my delicious Meatballs. These would be a great addition to any finger food buffet or Super Bowl Party.

Ingredients:

24 Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls
36 frozen Meatballs
1 cup of your favorite Barbeque Sauce
24 Pickle Chips
6 Slices of Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. Place the frozen meatballs in a large, microwave-safe glass dish. Heat on high until warmed through, about 5-7 minutes. Stop and stir the meatballs about 3 minutes in.
While the meatballs are heating, separate the dinner rolls and slice in half. Place the bottom halves on a baking sheet. Remove the meatballs from the microwave, toss with the barbeque sauce. Slice the meatballs in half. Place 3 halves on each bottom half. 1 meatball just isn't enough for this size roll, and 2 unsliced meatballs creates too much of a mess. Cut each cheese slice into 4 pieces. Top each slider with a cheese slice and a pickle chip. Put the top half of the rolls on. Place in the oven untilt eh cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Stack on a platter and serve.

 

Chai Spiced Citrus Tea

I made a pot of this for us to sip while watching Christmas movies a few nights ago. I had intended to made a recipe I had been given for old fashioned Russian Tea, not the instant powdered stuff, but a recipe that sounded absolutely lovely. However, I was out of oranges, whole cloves and cinnamon sticks, and I didn't want ground up spiced floating in the tea, so I improvised and came up with my own recipe with what I had on hand. My Mother-In-Law gave me a tin of delicious loose-leaf Chai Tea last time she visited, it was awesome in this recipe.

Ingredients:
6 Cups of Boiling Water
3 Black Tea Bags
3 TBS Loose Leaf Chai Tea, or 3 Tea Chai Tea Bags
1 Cup of Water
1/4 Cup of White Sugar
the Juice of 4 Tangerines (you could use oranges)

Steep the black and chai teas in the 6 cups of boiling water for 8-10 minutes. While steeping, bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small sauce pan. Remove the tea leaves and tea bags, pour the sugar water into the tea, add the tangerine juice. Stir and enjoy.

We really enjoyed this tea. My Hubbie has requested a steady supply in the house until Spring.

Pecan Clusters

These Pecan Clusters are so easy to make. With only 3 ingredients, they are truly more than the sum of their parts. Everyone in my family enjoys these, even my two year old. They're a delightful addition to any gathering, or as a treat for a super sweet Hubbie. Don't skip the toasting step, it's mostly hands off and it really brings out the flavor of the pecans.

Ingredients:

3 cups of Pecan Halves
3 TBS of Butter, I use salted
12 oz Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 300 °. Scatter the pecans on a baking sheet. Dot with the butter. Place in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Line a baking sheet or large cutting board with waxed paper. Place the chocolate in a large microwave safe glass bowl, microwave on high for 1 minute, stir. Continue microwaving at 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval until melted. Stir in the pecans. Drop by the spoonfuls onto the waxed paper. Allow them to set and enjoy.

How gorgeous are toasted pecans?

Reindeer Crunch Snack Mix

I made up this snack mix to enjoy while watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for Family Night. We all agreed it was a hit, and I plan to make it for our Christmas Eve get-together. Santa Claus comes through our neighborhood on a firetruck. It is a tradition we had in my neighborhood growing up, and one I am glad I can continue with my son.

This snack mix is sweet, salty, crunchy, fruity, chocolaty, you know, delicious. You can buy a bag of caramel corn instead of making your own, but I think it tastes way better this way. Also, I have fond memories of making caramel corn with my Mom as a child, and it makes me feel nostalgic to make my own. I use the Karo recipe, just like my Mom did, it's fool-proof. I'll include it in the ingredients and instructions, but here is a link Karo Syrup - Classic Caramel Corn

Ingredients:

For the Caramel Corn:

8 cups of popped popcorn
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Corn Syrup
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter OR margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon  vanilla extract

For the Snack Mix:

1 Recipe Caramel Corn
2 cups of small Pretzels
1 cup of toasted Pecans
2 cups of Mini Marshmallows
1 cup of dried cranberries
1 cup of chocolate Chips
1 large paper grocery bag

Directions:

For the Caramel Corn:
Spray a large shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Add popcorn and place in preheated 250°F oven while preparing caramel.
Mix brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat.

Boil 5 minutes WITHOUT STIRRING. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla.(Mixture will foam)
Pour syrup mixture over warm popcorn, stirring to coat evenly.
Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and spread on foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Cool; break apart. Reserve foil-lined baking sheets for the next step.

To Make the Snack Mix:

Place the cooled caramel corn, pretzels, pecans, marshmallows, and cranberries into the paper grocery bag. Shake to combine. Spread mixture out on the reserved baking sheets.

Place chocolate chips into a microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir, return to microwave and cook on high for 30 second intervals until melted. This usually takes me 1.5 - 2 minutes depending on how cold it is. However, it is very important to stir it every 30 seconds, and stop heating it as soon as it is melted.

Use a spoon to drizzle the melted chocolate over the snack mix. You can let it cool, then break it up. Or you can place the snakc mix back into the bag as soon as you drizzle it with chocolate and shake shake shake to get the chocolate more evenly distributed, which is what I did.

Roasted Turkey

This turkey is easy and comes out deliciously moist and succulent. Start it today and have it ready to go in the oven Thursday morning.

Ingredients:
1 turkey
Kosher Salt
2 tsp Seasoning Salt

Pepper
1 stick Softened Butter
Optional: 1 TBS Finely chopped herbs such as sage, thyme, marjoram, etc. You could also add lemon zest or minced garlic, if you won't be using the dripping to make gravy, or if you don't mind the flavors in the gravy. I wouldn't mind a hint of garlic in the gravy, but I don't think I would enjoy the lemon.

Remove giblets and neck bone, set aside. Rinse the turkey inside and out and dry with paper towels. Set it in a roasting pan or on a large rimmed baking sheet. Loosen the skin on the turkey and sprinkle the meat and inside cavity with 2 teaspoons of seasoning salt. Sprinkle kosher salt on the outside of the turkey. Cover the roasting pan with a large bag such as an oven bag or large shopping bag. Place it in the fridge.

The night before you will be serving the turkey remove the bag, and allow the turkey to sit uncovered in the fridge. Just move produce away from it. This will help to dry out the skin, which will make it nice and crisp.

An hour and a half hours before your turkey needs to be in the oven, remove it from the refrigerator. Rinse it with cold water to remove some of the salt, and dry it with paper towels. Place it in a roasting pan and allow it to sit at room temperature, so the skin wont burn before the meat is warm enough.

At this time or right before going into the oven, mix the butter and the herbs, if you are using them. Rub half the mixture all over the turkey, and up under the skin. I use a combination of sage and thyme and it is delicious.

Preheat the oven to 425. Place the turkey in the oven. Roast for 45 minutes.

Baste with the pan juices and a little of the remaining butter/herb mixture.

 

Turn the temperature down to 325 and roast until a meat thermometer registers 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.

Baste with the pan juices every 30 minutes. The last 45 minutes, baste every 15 minutes with the butter mixture and pan juices.

Cooking time after the initial high heat roast took about 2.5 hours for my turkey, but please gauge doneness by the temperature, not the time.

 Seriously, how gorgeous is this turkey?









Let it rest, tesnted with foil for at least 30 minutes before carving.

Cabbage Rolls

These are so delicious and perfect for a chilly evening. This is the kind of meal my Mom would say "sticks to your ribs". Cabbage Rolls are simple food. They're made from easily found ingredients, and they're inexpensive. They do require a little bit of work, but it's actually not much. My favorite Cabbage Rolls are the Romanian kind, which are made with sour cabbage, but it is difficult to find anything that "exotic" in my small town. I plan to try to locate sour cabbage, or make my own so that I can make them and share them here. I also plan on making German Cabbage Rolls this winter and sharing them here.


Ingredients:
1 head of Cabbage
3 TBS Salt

Filling:
1 cup uncooked White Rice
1 lb Ground Beef (or turkey, pork, veal, etc)
1/2 an Onion, diced small
1 Carrot, grated
1 Garlic clove, grated or minced tiny
3 dashes of ground Cloves
1 TBS Paprika
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper

Sauce:
1 28 oz can of tomato sauce
1 TBS Paprika
1 tsp Pepper
1 small can of Sauerkraut

Rinse cabbage and remove 4 outermost layers, set aside. Chop off the stem of the cabbage, and use a knife to remove the core. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, return to a boil, add cabbage. Reduce to medium-high heat and cook 10-15 minutes, until the leaves begin to separate.

While the cabbage is boiling, prepare the filling, chop the onion and garlic pretty small, so the filling isn't chunky. You want it to be homogenous. Just combine all of the ingrentients in a large bowl. I use my hands. If you're averse to touching raw meat, you can do it the hard way and, use a spoon.

When the cabbage is nice and tender, remove it from the water and let it cool for a few minutes. Then, carefully remove the leaves. I've found that using a pair of kitchen shears to cut the stem of the leaf helps to remove them without breaking them. ------------------->

Now, get yourself set up somewhere comfortable. I actually sit at my kitchen table to roll the cabbage rolls, since I usually make more than one batch. I know a lot of people have trouble folding the cabbage so the rolls don't fall apart, so I prepared a little photo tutorial. Please excuse my grody nail polish.

Hold the leaf in one hand and add a spoonful of filling to the center. Fold the bottom up, fold the side over, then fold the other side over, nice and snug but not too tight, since the rice will exand during cooking. Repeat. I get about 20 rolls from 1 head of lettuce and this amount of filling. If Ihave leftover filling, I just add it to th sauce. The rolls will be different sizes since the leaves get smaller as you work your way inward. It's no big deal. Look at all of these beautiful cabbage rolls, time to get them cooking!

Tear the outer layers that you set aside earlier into pieces. Put them in the bottom of the pot and cover with the sauerkraut. Put half of the cabbage rolls on top of the sauerfraut. Top that with half of the sauce. Add remaining cabbage rolls, top with the rest of the sauce. Add water until you see it on the sides of the rolls. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for two hours. I like to physically turn the pot a quarter turn every 20 minutes, so the cabbage leaves on the bottom don't burn. Make sure the liquid remains simmering, add more if it evaporates. After two hours, check for tenderness and enjoy.

 Cabbage rolls really don't have much going for them in the looks department, so it's a darn good thing they taste so good. They are hard to photograph in a flattering light, but don't let that keep you from trying them.

Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I prepared these to go with a roasted chicken for dinner the other night, it was already dark, and the lighting in my kitchen is not good, so please excuse the funky pictures.
I've been trying to develop side dishes for Thanksgiving that are just a little bit different. I like to take a classic dish or ingredient and give it a little twist. I make a mean sweet potato casserole, but I prefer to enjoy them adorned with savory seasonings. My husband is not a big fan of sweet potatoes, but he gobbled these up and asked for more. They were so simple to make, and delicious. I plan on bringing them to my family's Thanksgiving dinner as a lighter option. (I'll also make a traditional sweet potato casserole, of course).


Ingredients:
2 Sweet Potatoes, chopped
1 Onion, diced
1 TBS Olive Oil
1 TBS Chili Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp gound Cumin
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper, only if you like spicy food

Preheat oven to 400. Combine chopped sweet potato and diced onion in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with spices. Toss to combine. Spread out on a sheet pan and roast for 25-30 minutes. Flip them about halfway through cooking.

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

I love Pumpkin Pie! I made one a few years ago following the recipe on the Libby's can, and it was good, but it wasn't as good as Costco's, so I never made one again. I've seen a couple of recipes floating around for Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie, but all of them called for evaporated milk, and I wanted to try something completely from scratch. I kept the recipes in mind, and last Friday when I decided to make homemade apple butter for the first time, I decided I would make an Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie for a church potluck on Sunday. I thought about making the pumpkin puree myself, since it is so easy, but I couldn't find any decent pie pumpkins. So, I used a can. It's even easier, and their is less water content than if you make it yourself, so it takes some of the guesswork out of the process. No worrying about a pie that won't set, or soggy crust. I got a lot of compliments on this pie. We did have 2 pieces left over, and they were even better the next day. I think this pie would make an excellent addition to your Thanksgiving table. It's also easy enough to be a special treat weeknight Fall dessert for your family.

Ingredients:
1 - 9 inch pie crust
1/4 cup white sugar
1 TBS cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1 cup of canned pumpkin
1 cup of apple butter
1/4 cup of brown sugar
3/4 cup of milk
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place the pie crust dough into your pie dish and prick several holes with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes. This is called blind baking and it helps to keep the crust from getting soggy. Remove the crust from the oven.

To make the filling, place the white sugar, cornstarch, and spices in a large bowl, stir to combine. When making liquid fillings like this, combining the spices with the sugar before adding the wet ingredients helps ensure that the pieces get dispersed throughout and that they don't clump together.

Add the the pumpkin and apple butter to the sugar and spice mixture, stir to combine. In a large measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk into the milk. Add this to the rest of the filling and stir until smooth. The extra egg yolk helps keep the filling from cracking.

Pour the filling into the pie crust. Place the pie onto a baking sheet and put it in the oven. Though I've never had it happen with a pumpkin pie, pie fillings can sometimes bubble up and over, and I hate cleaning my oven, it's much easier to clean a baking sheet.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for an additional 45 minutes. The filling should be set and no longer jiggly in the middle. Let it cool on the counter for an hour or so, and then place it in the fridge to cool completely. No pumpkin pie is complete without some whipped cream!