Chinese New Year Cookies

This was one of the first recipes that I learned.. thank you Mom!  We made these for Christmas every year so when I made them this year, great memories of cooking with Mom in the kitchen came flooding back to me!  Sometimes these are called haystacks but they are Chinese New Year cookies to us!  They're easy with ingredients that you probably have on hand in your pantry and they are no bake!  That's a double bonus.  Since it's New Year's Eve, I made them today to welcome in the New Year!

Here's our recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup peanuts
1 can Chow Mein noodles

Directions:
Melt the butterscotch chips and peanut butter in a double boiler over medium  heat.  Stir until smooth and stir in peanuts and chow mein noodles.

Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper.  Cool until set... and enjoy!

Variation:  you can make these with a combination of chocolate & butterscotch chips or just chocolate chips.

Almond Curried Fruit

Baked almond curried fruit is a great side dish for ham or pork... but we love it with almost anything!  It makes a beautiful presentation and is so yummy.  It's been a family favorite for many years.

Almond Curried Fruit

1 29-oz can sliced peaches

1 15 ½-oz can pineapple chunks

1 16-oz can pear halves

1 6-oz jar maraschino cherries

½ cup slivered almonds

1/3 cup butter, melted

¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tablespoon curry powder

Drain all fruits and arrange in a 9x13x2-inch  baking dish. Sprinkle fruit with almonds. Combine butter, brown sugar, and curry powder.  Top fruit with brown sugar mixture.  Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Serves 8.

Upside Down Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Chicken pot pie is one of my all time favorite comfort foods... as is home made soup.  So what could be better than to combine the two into one yummilicious bowl!   If  you have left over soup & biscuits, toast the biscuit halves before placing them in the bowls of soup... delicious with just the right amount of crunch!

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 cups chicken broth

1 can cream of celery soup

1 bag frozen green peas

1 bag frozen corn kernels

1 bag frozen O’Brien hash brown potatoes

1+ Tablespoon Herbes de Provence

Fresh ground pepper to taste

½ cup half & half

Put all except half & half in slow cooker and cook on low for about 8 hours.  Thirty minutes before serving, remove the chicken breasts, dice or shred them and add back into the slow cooker.  Then stir half & half into the soup.

Make your favorite biscuits!  I used Pillsbury Southern Style frozen biscuits.  Slice each biscuit in half and place one half in the bottom of each individual soup serving bowl and ladle the soup over the biscuit!  Top with the other biscuit half.  Oh so yummy and comforting and warm!!!

Baked Creamed Spinach

When you want to serve a healthy green side dish, you can't go wrong with spinach!  As creamed spinach is one of my favorites, I started with a recipe by Sunny Anderson of Food Network.  I made a few changes to make it more to family taste and used ingredients that I had on hand.  The result was delicious!

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
1/2 red onion, chopped (I used sweet Vidalia)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons red chili flakes (I used about 1/2 teaspoon to reduce spiciness)
1 3/4 cups heavy cream (I used one cup half & half and 3/4 cup low fat milk)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sour cream (I used light sour cream)
2 (10-oz) packages frozen chopped spinach. thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup packaged fried onions (recommended French's)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Butter an 8 by 8-inch baking dish.  Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high  heat.  Add the onion & a pinch of salt.  Saute for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and red chili flakes and saute for 2 more minutes.  Add the cream, Parmesan, and nutgmeg.  Heat until the cream is just beginning to bubble, stirring often.  Turn the burner off and stir in sour cream and spinach.  Adjust the seasoning with salt & pepper to taste.  Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top evenly with fried onions.  Bake until golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Carnival Cruises Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

The warm chocolate melting cake is one of my most favorite things about a Carnival cruise!  If you're a chocolate lover, then this recipe will bring a smile to your face & joy to your life!  Really... I could have this every single day for the smile factor alone!  This is the recipe that was published in the December 2011 edition of Carnival's Funville Times.

• 8 ounces of semisweet chocolate
• 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter
• 7 eggs, divided use
• 6 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/2 cup of flour

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Melt the chocolate and butter and cool for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix four eggs with sugar. Whisk. Then add flour and whisk. Add the remaining three eggs and add the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture. Pour this entire mixture into individual ramekins. Bake until just done, about 15-20 minutes (interior will be melting). Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls & Dipping Sauce

Sausage balls have always been a family favorite, especially during the  holidays or for tailgating parties.   I saw this recipe for cream cheese sausage balls on Pinterest and just had to try it!  It did not disappoint!  I made my own dijon sauce but have also served these with Hickory Farms Sweet Hot Mustard.   But they are really yummy without any sauce!

Ingredients for Sausage Balls:
1 lb. hot sausage, uncooked
2 cups Bisquick
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used lower fat)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F
Mix all ingredients until well combined (can use hands or mixer)
Roll into 1-inch balls
Place on lightly greased baking sheet or better still on Silpat mat*
Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise (I'm partial to Hellman's)
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
Mix all ingredients together until well combined and chill until ready to serve!

*I just LOVE the Silpat baking sheet mats!  No sticking and easy clean-up!

Note:  Sausage balls may be frozen uncooked.  If baking frozen, add a few minutes to the baking time. I mixed the ingredients by hand but you could use a mixer.

Crunchy Ramen Noodle Cole Slaw

This Southern girl just loves sweet & tangy cole slaw!  I made a  huge pot of brunswick stew and wanted appropriate side dishes to accompany the dinner.  Being in the mood to try something new, I found this recipe & decided to give it a try.  Oh me.. oh my!  It has become my new "to go to" recipe for slaw!  It was light, crunchy, a bit sweet but a bit sour.  Try it!

1 3-oz package beef or chicken ramen noodles
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (I used toasted & salted sunflower kernels)
1/4 cup chopped green onions (optional)
1 10-oz package angel hair slaw
5 1/2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar (I used Splenda)
1/2 cup vegetable oil

In large bowl, crush the ramen noodles in the bottom.  Next layer almonds, sunflower seeds, green onion, and then the slaw.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, oil, and the seasoning packet from the noodles.  Pour over the slaw; cover and allow to  marinate several hours or overnight.  Toss before serving.

Charleston Cheese Date Crackers

 (adapted from The Local Palate Magazine)

Oh how I love cheese!!!  Always have; always will!  Cheese just makes me smile.  I found this recipe in "The Local Palate Magazine:  Food Culture of the South" and just had to bake these this morning!  I made it a bit differently as I used the cheese that I had in my fridge, which was a combination of sharp cheddar, Vermont cheddar, and mild cheddar.  I also reduced the spiciness because hubby doesn't care too much for spicy.  They turned out great but next time I plan to make them as the recipe directs... how spicy can they be??? 

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick butter, softened

½ pound extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

2 cups all purpose flour, sifted

¼ teaspoon or more cayenne pepper, sifted with flour

8 ounces chopped dates

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream butter.  Add cheese, flour, and cayenne and mix to form a stiff dough.  Then add dates.

Make small rounds on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Press tops with a fork.  Cook for 12-15 minutes or until bottoms begin to brown.

 Here they are ready to pop into the oven!

Note:  It takes a while to combine the ingredients into a stiff dough!  I used my stand mixer and it took about 10 minutes so be patient!  The dough was still a bit crumbly, but was easily formed into rounds.