6 Holiday-Friendly Recipes for the Entire Gang to Enjoy
With the holidays just a few short days away, we have decided to put together a few of our personal favorite recipes, JUST for YOU! Having trouble deciding what to bring to the family Christmas party this year? No problem! Just swipe one of our family and friend approved holiday recipes below and enjoy!
Sweet Party Mix – Twyla
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ c. brown sugar
- 1 ½ sticks butter
- 1 pkg. mini pretzels – broken
- 2 c. mixed nuts
- ¾ c. white Karo syrup
- 1 box Crispix cereal
Instructions:
Mix brown sugar, Karo and butter. Cook to boil (bubbles). Pour over Crispix, broken pretzels and nuts. Bake 1 hour at 250° Stir every 15 minutes. Cool. Stir often while cooling. Put on wax paper; move around so it doesn’t stick together. Makes 6 ½ quarts.
Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes – Carla
Ingredients:
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small jar (3-4 oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil, or use 3-4 oz. fat-free sun dried tomatoes
- 1 lb. chicken breast tenders
- Salt
- Paprika (just a little bit)
- 1 cup half and half (half milk – half cream to form a lighter cream)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 8 oz. penne pasta (for gluten free, use Tinkyada gluten free brown rice pasta)
- 1 tablespoon basil (if using dry basil), if using fresh basil you can add more
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (add more to taste)
- ½ cup reserved cooked pasta water (or more)
- Salt, to taste
Instructions:
- Note: if using sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in a jar), make sure to drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, before using them. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this drained oil for sautéing as described below:
- In a large pan, on high heat, sauté garlic and sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil) in 2 tablespoons of oil (reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes jar – see note above) for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant. Remove sun-dried tomatoes from the pan, leaving the oil, and add chicken tenders, salted and lightly covered in paprika (for color) and cook on high heat for 1 minute on each side. Remove from heat.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some cooked pasta water. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water (to stop cooking).
- Slice sun-dried tomatoes into smaller bits and add them back to the skillet with chicken. Add half and half and cheese to the skillet, too, and bring to a gentle boil. Immediately reduce to simmer and cook, constantly stirring, until all cheese melts and creamy sauce forms. If the sauce is too thick – don’t worry – you’ll be adding some cooked pasta water soon. Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the creamy sauce, and stir to combine. Add 1 tablespoon of basil, and at least 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
- Add about 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water because the creamy sauce will be too thick (do not add all water at once – you might need less or more of it). This will water down the thickness of the cheese sauce and make it creamier. Immediately, season the pasta with salt and more red pepper flakes, to taste, if needed. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes for flavors to combine.
Note: Make sure to salt the dish just enough to bring out of the flavors of basil and sun-dried tomatoes.
Read more at: http://juliasalbum.com/2014/10/chicken-mozzarella-pasta-with-sun-dried-tomatoes/
Peanut Butter “Cheese Ball” – Marie
Ingredients:
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter (not all-natural)
- 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- ¾ cup milk chocolate chips
- ¾ cup peanut butter chips
- Graham cracker sticks, teddy grahams, and/or apple slices for dipping
Instructions:
- Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until blended.
- Spoon onto a large piece of plastic wrap; bring up all four corners and twist tightly forming into a ball shape.
- Freeze for 1 hour 30 minutes or until firm enough to keep its shape. Place peanut butter and chocolate chips in flat dish. Remove plastic wrap from ball and roll ball into morsels to completely cover, pressing morsels into the ball if necessary.
- Place ball on serving dish; cover and freeze for 2 hours or until almost firm. (Can be made ahead. If frozen overnight, thaw at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.)
- Serve with graham cracker sticks, teddy grahams, or apple slices for dipping or spreading.
Read more at http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2011/08/peanut-butter-cheese-ball.html#YhFU4tQCoesUKTCA.99
Hashbrown Casserole – Leanna
Ingredients:
- 1 bag of hash brown potatoes
- 2 cups shredded cheese, your choice, if you prefer cheese on top add more.
- 1 8 oz. sour cream
- 1 can of cream of chicken soup
Instructions:
- Partially thaw the hashbrowns so they are easy to stir.
- Combine the soup, sour cream, salt and pepper.
- Mix in the cheese and add into a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
- Cook for 40-45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Read more at: http://www.servedupwithlove.com/2011/04/beckys-hashbrown-casserole.html
CLEAN EATING Turkey Meatballs – Michelle
Ingredients:
- 5 lb turkey
- 1 cup oats
- 3 Tablespoons tomato chopped (canned or not)
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon italian spice
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1/4 tablespoon ground cloves
- *1 EGG
Instructions:
- Mix ingredients well, the cloves give these a very nice, fall feel to them!
- Make into about 20 palm size balls.
- Place on parchment paper or baking sheet and bake at 400 for 20 min!
- Place in crockpot to keep warm.
- Add your favorite barbeque sauce + jelly for a finishing touch.
Read more at: http://www.fitthisgirl.com/2012/10/recipe-clean-eating-turkey-meatballs.html?m=1
Peanut Butter Trifle Recipe
Ingredients:
- Brownies or Cake {these can be homemade or store bought}
- 2 Containers of Cool Whip or 1 Large container
- 1 Package of Reese Cups
- 1 pack of Instant Chocolate Pudding
- 1 pack Instant Vanilla Pudding
- 2 tbsp. Peanut Butter
- 2 tsp. Vanilla
- Optional – Chocolate Chips
- Extras: you can add caramel sauce or hot fudge
Instructions:
- Start by preparing the brownies or cake.
- If you choose to use store bought brownies or cake, then you can get started right away, otherwise wait until your brownies/cake have cooled.
- Next, prepare your pudding. I added the peanut butter and vanilla into the vanilla pudding. I recommend using the instant pudding.
- You will then need to crush up some of the Reese cups unless you prefer them to be whole. I did this by placing them into a baggie and just smashing them with my hands. I like to save a few extras just in case you want bigger pieces on top of the peanut butter trifle.
- Now you will begin your layers into the Trifle Bowl. I like to start with the brownies/cake so that it has a base at the bottom. I think it makes it easier to serve, but you can layer it however you want.
Here are the layers I did:
- Layer of Brownies and chocolate chips
- Layer of Chocolate Pudding
- Layer of Cool Whip
- Layer of Vanilla Pudding
- Layer of Brownies, Reese Cups and Chocolate Chips
- Repeat
Read more at: http://www.frugalfanatic.com/candy-recipes-reese-peanut-butter-trifle/#_a5y_p=863753
We hope you all have a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season filled with many blessings!
If you have a recipe that you LOVE and would like us to share on our social channels, please email it to hello@branditonline.com and we would be happy to share!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!