December 6th - Family Favorites.

Chicken Cabbage Salad

1 pkg ramen noodles

2-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1/2 - 2/3 head cabbage, shredded

1/3 c slivered almonds

Dressing:

3 Tbsp sugar

3 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 1/2 seasoning packets from ramen

Combine cabbage, chicken, and almonds. Combine dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and mix. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours. Add crumbled noodles right before serving.

- Tiffani Christensen

Cream Puffs

1/2 Cup butter or margarine

1 Cup Water

1 Cup flour

1/4 tsp Salt

4 Eggs

Melt butter on stove. Add Water; Bring to a boil.

Add flour, Salt. Stir Vigorously. Cook and stir until 

mixture forms a ball that does not separate. Remove

from heat cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs

1 at a time. Beat with a wooden spoon after each egg

until batter is smooth. Drop by heaping tablespoons

3 inches apart on a greased baking sheet.

Bake 400 for 30 minutes

makes 10 large or 24 small

Fill with 8 oz cool whip mixed with vanilla pudding.

-Candice Hansen 

Stromboli

Shared by: Janelle Willis

Enjoy! This is a great crowd-pleaser everyone will drool over and ask you for the recipe. It makes a lot, so it’s great for big get-togethers or dinner parties or houseguests. And the best part is that leftover Stromboli reheated the next day is often better than when it came out the oven the first time! Of course, any uneaten Stromboli can be frozen for a quick meal later. It looks complicated, but it’s really not. It’s just a bit time-consuming and a little messy due to the homemade bread aspect of it. But it’s worth every minute in the end!

1.  Start making the bread dough, as it will need time to rise (about 30-45 minutes). Microwave water to get to needed temperature. Take temperature with a kitchen thermometer (digital works best), adding cold water or reheating to get to the proper temperature so the yeast will work.  In a large bowl, mix water and sugar together until sugar is dissolved. Then add the yeast and stir mixture until it is bubbly. If it is not bubbly, you need to start over because the temperature has killed the yeast or the yeast was old or otherwise didn’t work like it should.

Bread Dough, part 1:

3 c. warm water (about 105 degrees)

¼ c. sugar

2 T. yeast

2. Add the oil and salt to the mixture in the large bowl. Stir with a wire whisk. Add 4 cups of flour. Stir with wire whisk until the mixture is smooth like cake batter. (There will be some small lumps though, but try to break apart what lumps you can by pressing against them). Add the last 4 cups of flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Remember to only stir long enough to incorporate the flour evenly; do not over-stir or the dough will be tough later. Knead the dough just a little bit in the bowl. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise to about double its initial size. It will most likely take about 30-45 minutes if using the quick-rise yeast.

Bread Dough, part 2:

¼ c. oil (canola, vegetable, or olive oil)

2 tsp. salt

8 c. flour (bread flour is best), divided

3. While dough is rising, make the meat and cheese mixture.

Meat Mixture:

2 12-oz. packages of ground Italian sausage

16 oz. sliced deli ham

8 oz. pepperoni

16 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

6-8 oz. shredded parmesan cheese

Brown the Italian sausage. Slice the deli ham into bite size pieces. Slice the pepperoni into bite-size pieces (usually cut each circle in four). Put all the meat in a large bowl. Add the shredded cheeses. Mix with a large spoon or your hands.

4. While the dough is rising, make the egg and herb paste.

Egg and Herb Paste:

2 eggs

2 Tblsp. olive oil

½ tsp. dried or fresh oregano

½ tsp. dried or fresh parsley (and more later for garnishing)

½ tsp. dry mustard

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 tsp. fresh, minced garlic

In a small bowl, mix the eggs and herbs with a fork or whisk.

5. After the dough has risen, punch it down in the bowl. Take it out and divide the dough into three piles of dough. Sprinkle some flour on your countertop. Take the first pile of dough and put it on the floured countertop. Sprinkle some more flour on top of the dough and on your rolling pin. Do not knead the dough or the dough will get too tough and will spring back when you try to roll it out to shape. Roll out the dough so it eventually looks like a rectangle.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 or 3 cookie sheets with cooking oil spray.

5. Pour a third of the Egg and Herb Paste onto the slab of rolled-out dough. Using a paste brush, spread the paste evenly across the surface of the dough. Make sure it goes to the very edge of the dough as this is the paste to keep the jelly roll together later.

6. Sprinkle a third of the Meat and Cheese Mixture on the slab of rolled-out dough that now has paste on it.

7. Starting at long edge of the rectangle of dough that is closest to you, carefully peel the dough from the counter surface and roll it forward into a jelly roll. Tuck the ends under so the mixture is sealed and won’t leak out while baking. Make sure the long edge of the jelly roll is sealed as best you can and is on the underside of the jelly roll.

8. Carefully transfer the large jelly roll from the countertop to the greased cookie sheet. (You might need someone to grab one end). You could put the Stromboli jelly roll on one side of cookie sheet to make room for the next one, as two can bake on one sheet.

9. Repeat steps 5-8 for the other two piles of dough.

10. Bake at 350 degrees on the center rack for 25-35 minutes until light brown on top. Once out of the oven, spread butter on top and garnish with fresh or dried parsley sprinkled on top. Serve the Stromboli sliced.  Delicious served with marinara sauce for dipping. Enjoy!

Garnishing:

Fresh or dried parsley for garnishing

Butter for spreading on top of baked Stromboli

A jar of your favorite marinara sauce for dipping

Honey Curry Chicken

1 Cup Honey

1 tsp curry powder

1/4 cup butter

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup mustard

Mix all together and pour over enough chicken to fill a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for about an hour, turning chicken every 15 minutes to evenly coat.  Serve over rice.

-Alixa Winn

 Andes Mint Cookies

1 Devils Food Cake mix

1/2 C oil (I used olive, but any will do)

2 eggs

1 pkg Andes Mints

Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs together. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes. Don't cook any longer than that! You don't want them to be overdone!
Take sheet out of oven and while the cookies are still very hot, place an Andes Mint on top of each cookie. In about 5 minutes, the mint will be melted. Take a spoon and smooth out each mint like frosting.

-Kiersten Allred
  

Chicken & Broccoli Wreath
Pampered Chef

Filling:
2
cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped broccoli
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2
tsp dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1
garlic clove, pressed (1/2 tsp minced garlic)

Topping:
1
egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 cup slivered almonds (optional)

Crust:
2
(8-ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions:
1.
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Combine chicken, broccoli, cheese, bell pepper, mayonnaise, dill,
salt, and garlic; mix well.
2.
Scoop filling over desired shape (wreath or braid); finish shape as directed (see picture
below). Brush with egg white. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 20-25 minutes or until
golden brown.

Unroll 2 packages of crescent rolls; separate into 16 triangles. Arrange 8 triangles in a circle on
a large round stone with the wide end 3 inches from edge of baking stone and points towards the
outside. (Points will extend off the edge of the baking stone.) Arrange remaining triangles in the
center of the baking stone, matching wide ends with triangles already in place.

Using a small Baker’s Roller, roll over seams of triangles where wide ends meet, creating a
smooth surface for filling. Do not seal center triangles.

Scoop filling evenly over dough in a continuous circle.

Beginning with the last triangle placed in the center of the baking stone, bring point of triangle
straight across filling. Next, bring point of opposite outside triangle diagonally across filling,
covering point of previous triangle. (Filling will show) Repeat this process, overlapping points
of inside and outside triangles to form a wreath. Tuck the last end under the first.

-Audrey Stone