St. Patrick's Day Recipes

Sadly, Ken is in Hawaii this St. Patrick's day (sad for me but not for him!) so we won't be having our annual feast. In honor of our favorite holiday, here are the best recipes we've made.

• Shepherd's Pie
• Irish Heritage Cabbage
• Guinness Cake
• Irish Soda Bread
• Bangers and Mash
• Corned Beef and Cabbage

Valentine's Day Dinners

Sometimes, the nicest thing you can do for your spouse, partner, significant or whatever - is to make them a great meal (and give them a night off). I do most of the cooking so when my husband cooks for me, it's a really nice break.

If you want to surprise someone on this day, here are the best sites I could find for a wide variety of Valentine's day meals. :)

• The Food Network's Meals for Two
• Delish.com's Valentine's Day Meals
• Allrecipes Romantic Meals for Two
• Taste of Home's Valentine's Day Dinner
• Epicurious Valentine's Day Meals

Valentine's Day Ideas

Need an idea as to what to get your honey for Valentine's Day? Why not try a wine gift basket? Check out the site below for more interesting ideas.

Brought To By Wine.com, Purveyors of Fine Wine and Champagne

Easy Banana Cream Pie

You know what's great about having kids who are old enough to read the directions, use the stove and not burn down the house? They can bake when you literally don't have the time!!! I put our three girls to work over the holidays because it was just too hard to keep my 10-month-old out of the cupboards and bake 10 pies.  I would like to add that dealing with an infant who is going through the tantrum phase, is far less stressful than refereeing the battles between my 9-year-old daughter and fourteen-year-old daughter. Sometimes, I'd like to stick them in the playpen for some time out!

If only I could get this kid to brush her teeth without being told she'd be perfect!

Ingredients:

• 1 pre-made 9-inch graham cracker crust (Serious time saver & there are often coupons for them)
• 1 - 3.4 ounce box of instant vanilla pudding (serves 4)
• 3 medium-sized bananas sliced (see above)
• 1 - 8 ounce container of Cool-Whip
• 2 cups of cold milk

Preparations:

1. Use electric mixer to combine pudding mix and milk. Beat/whisk for 2 minutes. (Should be thick.)
2. Layer sliced bananas onto bottom of graham cracker crust. Pour pudding mix on top. 
3. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Last step: top with Cool Whip right before serving.

Chocolate Mousse Oreo Pie

We did something kind of crazy this year for Christmas - we served a ton of pies and no actual turkey. This is just one of many. It's easy to make and is very rich.

Ingredients:

• 1 Oreo crust
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Preparations:

1. In medium sauce pan over low heat, combine eggs, milk and sugar and cook until mixture thickens. 
2. Add chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir until dissolved. 
3. Fold in whipped cream and pour filling into pie crust. 
4. Chill for 2 hours before serving and top with Redi-whip.

Korr's Easy Spinach Dip

Last week we had our office holiday party and I signed up to bring Spinach dip. I considered buying a pre-made container at the grocery store but was shocked to see it was $4.99 for a small container. It may seem way uncool to have a stockpile but it honestly comes in handy when it comes to having people over and attending potlucks. I bought Lays potato chips on sale for $2.00 a bag and bought 16 ounce containers of sour cream on sale for $1.09.  You can serve with chips or veggies. This dip is easy, fast and economical. :)

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Korr's vegetable dip mix
• 1-16 ounce container of sour cream
• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 1-10 ounce package of frozen chopped spinach

Preparations:

1. Cook frozen spinach in a microwave-safe bowl with 1 teaspoon of water for seven minutes. Stir have way through. 
2. Cool spinach and drain. Stir in sour cream, mayonnaise and vegetable dip mix.

Leftover Turkey Recipes

Got Turkey leftovers? Then here are ten great recipes for leftover turkey. Check them out at Taste of Home's website - Top Ten Turkey Leftovers

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

Last night, I went to make the pumpkin pie recipe from Better Homes and Garden's cookbook and realized - I didn't have any evaporated milk. Thanks to Google, we came up with this recipe from allrecipes.com. My 14-year-old did all the hard work. I just made sure it baked long enough. This pie baked up way better than the BHG recipe. I always have a hard time getting that one to bake all the way through.

Ingredients:

• 1 - 15 ounce can of pumpkin
• 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 - 9 inch prepared pie crust (can be graham cracker)

Preparations:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Whisk pumpkin, milk, eggs, spices & salt until mixture is smooth. Pour into prepared crust.
3. Bake 15 minutes.
4. Turn heat down to 350 degrees. Bake 35 - 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean.
5. Cool before serving. Top with whipped cream.
   

Holiday Drinks from Hershey's Kitchens

Martha Stewart's Spicy Sweet Potatoes

The first time I made sweet potatoes it was a disaster. I bought them at the store and had the hardest time peeling those suckers. Then I learned that you can just bake them and scoop the insides out. It would have been awesome to learn that four years ago.

If you're assigned sweet potatoes this year, check out Martha's spicy sweet potatoes.

Paula Deen's Deep Fried Turkey

You won't ever catch me deep frying a turkey for one very simple reason - I'm very accident prone and kind of klutzy. I imagine if I deep fried a turkey, I'd need to have to an ambulance and the fire department on standby. Did I mention I've knocked over my fair share of space heaters and set carpets on fire? (Don't tell my boss. :)

If you are going to deep fry a turkey this year, watch this helpful video from my heroine, Paula, on how to. Note: she has a non-set-yourself-on-fire-and-burn-down-the-house-deep-fryer.

Martha Stewart and Snoop Dog make Mashed Potatoes

I'm posting this because it's Friday and we all need a good laugh...

Pillsbury's Twice-Baked Potato Casserole

The holidays are closing in on us and I can say the presents are wrapped and just waiting for a tree to house them. What? No tree yet? Nope! With a 9 1/2 month old who's already broken a crockpot, we're not putting up a tree until the very last minute - December 21st to be exact. :)

Here's a new take on the holiday tradition of mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 6 medium baking potatoes (2 1/2 to 3 lb), peeled, cut into fourths
• 1/2 cup milk, heated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded Cheddar cheese (6 oz)

Preparations:

1. In 4-quart saucepan, place potato pieces and add enough water to cover. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook uncovered 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and return to saucepan. 
2. Heat potatoes over low heat about 1 minute to dry potatoes, shaking pan often to keep potatoes from sticking and burning. (This will help make mashed potatoes fluffy.) 
3. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Add milk, salt and pepper to potatoes. Mash with potato masher until no lumps remain. Beat in sour cream, chives and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Spoon into baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. 
4. Bake uncovered 10 to 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.

Martha Stewart's Easy Cranberry Sauce - Holiday Recipes

You can buy canned cranberry sauce or you can wow your relatives/friends with Martha's basic cranberry sauce. It's easy and inexpensive to make.

Ingredients:

• 1 - 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 cup water

Preparations:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, sugar. lemon zest, and water. Bring to a boil. 
2. Reduce to a simmer; cook until cranberries are soft. (Should be about ten minutes.)
3. Let cranberries cool to room temperature.

Crock Pot Stuffing - Holiday Recipe

You can use this recipe for a holiday meal or just when you feel like eating stuffing. It comes from food.com.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
• 1 cup diced tart apple, peeled and cored
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon ground sage
• 1 teaspoon ground marjoram
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon savory
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 12 cups lightly toasted bread, cubes
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock

Preparations:

1. In a large fry pan saute onions, celery and apple in butter until onion is just translucent.
2. Stir in sage, marjoram, salt, pepper, savory and thyme.
3. Combine vegetable mixture with the bread cubes and parsley.
4. Toss well.
5. Pour stock over mixture, tossing well.
6. Spoon into your crock-pot.
7. Cover and cook on high for one hour.
8. Reduce to low and continue cooking for 2-3 hours, stirring every hour.

 

 

Martha Stewart's Holiday Cookies - Strawberry Thumbprints

This is one of Martha's easier recipes and it makes a great holiday cookie if you're putting together goodie baskets. The recipe didn't say if butter should be softened or not however, butter straight out of the fridge does not mix well. I let mine sit out so it was room temperature.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparations:

1. Combine butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Beat well.
2. Separately, mix flour and salt. 
3. Add flour to butter mixture slowly with electric mixer on low.
4. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Bake dough for seven minutes. Remove from oven and make sure well of cookies is still deep. If not, press with end of wooden spoon or baby spoon.
7. Return to oven and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are firm. 
8. Let cool completely. Spoon jam filling into thumbprints. 

 

Cock pot mashed potatoes

There are so many great things about about crock pots! You can leave them on and not worry about them boiling over on the stove, setting off the smoke detectors and waking the baby that refuses to sleep. (Not that I have issues or anything.:) If you are cooking an entire holiday dinner, your stove can easily be taken up with pots and pans so boiling potatoes in a crock pot also frees up stove space. (If you want more crock pot recipes, check out Stephanie's 365 days of crock pot cooking website.) Note: I used a 6 quart crock pot.

Ingredients: 

• 5 lbs of potatoes, washed, peeled and cuts into fourths
• 1 cup sour cream (use light if you're watching calories)
• 1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
• 1/4 cup of butter, softened
• Salt and pepper

Preparations:

1. Fill crock pot with water or chicken broth. (If you use chicken broth then expect the potatoes to have a bit of chicken-ish aftertaste.)
2. Place prepared potatoes in crock pot and cook on high for two hours or until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork or knife. 
3. Drain potatoes and either mash in crock pot with a potato masher or in a Kitchen Aid. 
4. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/8 cup of butter. Mix well. 
5. Check the consistency of your potatoes, butter and add remaining milk and sour cream until potatoes are smooth and creamy. If you mash your potatoes in a Kitchen Aid, add a few potatoes to start with and slowly add the others. If you don't, expect to be wiping potatoes off the walls. :)
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Easy Sausage Stuffing outside the bird

You don't have to bake stuffing inside the bird. If you have a huge group coming (10+) then you might need to make additional stuffing. This recipe is easy and can be placed inside a well cleaned bird or baked in 13x9 ungreased pan.  Rather than take the time to cut and toast bread, I bought a 14 ounce bag of pre-cut and toasted bread breadcrumbs at Target for $1.49. Compared to the cost of a loaf of a bread, it was money well spent.

Ingredients:

• 14 ounces of pre-cut/toasted bread crumbs or a large loaf of white bread, toasted and cut into pieces. 
• 1 lb of Jimmy Dean pork sausage
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, washed and chopped
• 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• 2 1/2 - 3 cups of chicken broth
• 1 stick of butter, melted

Preparations:

1. Cook sausage until brown. Add celery and onion. Saute until onions are soft.
2. Combine melted butter and chicken broth.
3. In a very large bowl, mix bread crumbs with broth/butter. Add sausage/onion mixture and poultry seasoning. Mix very well. 
4. Either stuff in a bird or bake in an ungreased 13x9 pan at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until stuffing is slightly crunchy. DON'T LET STUFFING BURN. Be sure to check at 30 minutes. 

Easiest Pumpkin Pie

I have pie issues. I suspect they stem from not really liking pie. Alas, I still feel obligated to bake them. If you have NO baking experience, got roped into bringing a pie to Thanksgiving dinner or just want to prove that you can in fact bake without burning the house down - this is the easiest pumpkin pie recipe I could find.  Follow the directions carefully.

Ingredients:

• 1 - 9 inch prepared graham cracker crust
• 1 - 30 ounce can of pumpkin pie mix
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 5 ounces of evaporated milk

Preparations:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn temperature down to 350 degrees after those first 15 minutes. 
2. Combine pumpkin, eggs and milk. Beat well. 
3. Pour pumpkin mixture into prepared pie crust. 
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until middle of pie is solid. (Test by gently putting a knife into it.) Place pie on cookie sheet in oven if you want to avoid spillage and setting off the smoke detector. :)

I think I could have cooked this for 60 minutes. This is what it looked like at 55 minutes.

Thanksgiving Recipes, Menus, Videos and more...

There are so many different types of recipes and menus that you can use for a Thanksgiving meal, that I could never really cover them all. I wanted though to post resources now so that anyone who is getting geared up, could have plenty of choices.

Check out what Epicurious has to offer. They have it all in one place.

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/thanksgiving/thanksgiving