PEPPERMINT WHITE HOT CHOCOLATE

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups of milk of your choice
• 8 oz. white chocolate, chopped into small pieces (or white chocolate chips)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (or more/less to taste)
• optional toppings: whipped cream, crushed peppermints, marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:

Stir the milk and chopped white chocolate together in a medium saucepan.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a simmer and the chocolate is melted.  (Do not let it come to a boil or let the chocolate burn on the bottom.)  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and peppermint extract.

Serve warm, with optional toppings if desired.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

• 8 ounces rotini pasta
• 12 ounces broccoli florets
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breasts
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 cup milk, or more, as needed
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Within the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add broccoli; drain well.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, to taste. Add to skillet and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces.
• Melt butter in the skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and garlic powder until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
• Stir in Parmesan until well combined, about 1 minute. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed.
• Stir in pasta, broccoli and chicken. Gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Pepperoni Pizza Pull-Apart Bread

PEPPERONI PIZZA PULL-APART BREAD

 

PREP TIME

15 mins

COOK TIME

15 mins

TOTAL TIME

30 mins

 

Cheesy pepperoni pizza bread, easy to pull-apart and dip into your favorite pizza sauce! A quick, delicious, and FUN meal that's ready in less than 30 minutes!

Author: Tiffany

Recipe type: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 round or oval loaves of bread (doesn't matter exactly what kind, just make sure it is something with a more firm crust)
• 2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup pepperoni slices, cut in half
• ½ cup butter
• 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
• 2 cups marinara/pizza sauce (I prefer a basil-garlic blend but use whatever you like best)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil (use a lot of overhang on the sides because you are going to wrap the bread loaves) and spray with cooking spray.
2. Use a long bread knife to slice the bread. Make long slices about 1.5 inches apart all across the bread, and then in the opposite direction so that you get a checkerboard effect. **Be careful not to slice all the way through the bread, do not cut through the bottom crust!**
3. Gently stuff the mozzarella into all of the spaces in the bread. Stuff pepperoni slices into the spaces next. Melt butter and whisk in italian seasoning. Drizzle or brush seasoned butter over the whole bread.
4. Place loaves onto prepared baking sheet and wrap the loaves with the overhanging foil. Bake 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and bread start to brown lightly. Serve pull-apart bread with warmed pizza/marina sauce. Pull-apart your pizza bread, dip, and enjoy!

NOTES

*recipe adapted from Let's Dish

Slow Cooker Buttery Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes

SLOW COOKER BUTTERY GARLIC HERB MASHED POTATOES

 

PREP TIME

10 mins

COOK TIME

4 hours

TOTAL TIME

4 hours 10 mins

 

Author: Tiffany

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds red potatoes, washed and chopped into 2-inch pieces (you don't need to peel them)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup sour cream (or plain greek yogurt)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes)
• ½ teaspoon dried or fresh basil
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup milk

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add chopped potatoes to a greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low or 5-6 hours on low.
2. When potatoes are cooked and fork-tender, add all remaining ingredients (let the butter melt for a couple of minutes). Use a hand mixer or a masher to mash the potatoes. (*see note) Serve warm.

NOTES

*recipe adapted from Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
**This recipe can easily be doubled for large groups - just increase the cooking time by 1-2 hours. 
**Although I have never had this happen to my potatoes, I have heard some people complain of "gluey" potatoes after mashing. Click HERE for my tips on making perfect, never-gluey mashed potatoes!

Honey Sriracha Chicken

HONEY SRIRACHA CHICKEN

 

PREP TIME

10 mins

COOK TIME

20 mins

TOTAL TIME

30 mins

 

Sweet and spicy Chinese honey sriracha chicken - better tasting and healthier than take out!

Author: Tiffany

Recipe type: Main Dish

Cuisine: Asian

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 chicken breasts, diced
• ⅓ cup cornstarch

sauce

• 1 cup water
• 2-3 tablespoons sriracha (depending on how spicy you want it)
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons honey (depending on how sweet you want it)
• 2 tablespoons corn starch + 1 tablespoon water
• optional: crushed red pepper flakes, cooked rice for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small-medium sauce pan, combine the 1 cup of water, sriracha, soy sauce, garlic, sugar, and honey and stir. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Whisk together the 2 tablespoons corn starch and remaining 1 tablespoon of water until dissolved. Add to sauce pan and stir until thickened. Reduce heat to low.
2. Add diced chicken and ⅓ cup corn starch to a large plastic bag. Seal the bag and shake to coat chicken. Drizzle a large pan or skillet with oil over medium heat. Add chicken and sauté until browned and chicken is cooked through. Add the sauce and stir to coat. Sprinkle with crushed pepper flakes if desired and serve over warm rice.

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites

HOMEMADE SOFT PRETZEL BITES

INGREDIENTS

Soft Pretzels:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil
3 quarts water
1/2 cup baking soda
1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
Coarse sea salt

For the cheese sauce:
½ Tablespoon unsalted butter
½ Tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ cup milk
8 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

For the Pretzels: Combine the 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.

Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and add the baking soda.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each. Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches and shape. Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make the pretzel bites. Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches. We did about 15 bites at a time. Boil for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon. Place pretzel bites on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are not touching. Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.

Remove to a baking rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating. Serve with cheese sauce.

To make the cheese sauce:
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese until smooth and all of the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

*If you want to make cinnamon and sugar pretzel bites-instead of adding salt, sprinkle the bites with cinnamon and sugar. For the frosting mix-soft cream cheese-about 3 T, powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a little bit of milk. Whisk together. Add more milk if it is too thick, if it is too thin, add more powdered sugar. I don't measure. I just guess until the consistency is right.*

Recipe makes a lot of bites-perfect for sharing!

Adapted from Bobby Flay

Pinkalicious Strawberry Brownies

Strawberry Brownies

Author: Family Savvy

Serves: 10-12

 

Everyone will go crazy over these strawberry brownies~they are beyond yummy!

Ingredients

• 1 box strawberry cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)
• 
2 eggs
• 
1/3 cup oil
• 
1 cup powdered sugar
• ½ -2 TB water or milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line 8" square baking pan with parchment (and spray with Pam).
3. Mix strawberry cake mix, eggs, and oil with hand mixer until well combined.
4. Spread batter evenly into pan.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until just set; be careful not to overcook.
6. Allow brownies to cool for 10 minutes; lift carefully from pan using ends of parchment to lift.
7. Mix powdered sugar and water until smooth.
8. Pour glaze over brownies, spreading to edges so that glaze will drip down sides.
9. Allow brownies to cool and glaze to set before cutting into squares.