White Bean Chicken Chili

White Bean Chicken Chili
From: Jamie C.

Ingredients and Directions:
1 lb chicken breast, cut in small pieces
1 medium chopped onion
1 Tbsp oil
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Sautee in a pot until cooked.

Add:
2 cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cans chopped green chilis, drain some of the juice
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Cook to boil and reduce to summer for 30 min.

Remove from heat. Add:
1 c sour cream
1/2 c whipping cream
Serve.

Cheese Pinwheels

Cheese Pinwheels
From: Kristen B.
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
½ c mozzarella
¼ c parmesan
½ block cream cheese (softened)
1 T mayo
Crescent Sheets or Puff Pastry sheet

Directions:
Blend all together. Spread crescent sheet or puff pastry out. Spread cheeses evenly over and roll tight. Slice and back at 375 for 15-20 min or until golden brown.

This is the basic recipe. You can mix it up. I did one that was a mix of ¼ mozzarella, ½ gouda and cream cheese and then added chopped spinach. I also eyeballed the cheese amounts.  I created another that was ½ cheddar, ¼ mozz and added bacon. I went with the puff pastry, I like the flaky texture better. Keep in mind also that the Crescent sheets aren’t always easy to find, but I guess you could go old school and pinch together the regular cresents!

Beef and Cheese Cheese Ball

Beef and Cheese Cheese ball
From: Kristen B.
Serves: 6-10

Ingredients:
8 ounces Cream Cheese (softened)
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Accent Seasoning (you can eliminate, but it really does enhance the flavor and it isn’t the same without it)
2 packages Carl Budding Beef (or corned beef or pastrami)
2 sprigs Green Onion

Directions:
Put the cream cheese in a mixing bowl and add your Worcestershire sauce and Accent seasoning. Mix everything together.

Cut the beef into small pieces. Thinly slice the green onion (including the green tops). Mix into the cream cheese mixture. Shape into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow to sit overnight and then serve with crackers.

Alternate: I’ve had this for years, every holiday! I decided to change it up this year and I rolled the cheese ball into small bite size balls. Cover and let it sit overnight. Before serving, roll each ball in crushed Ritz crackers (the go to cracker for this cheese ball!). It’s now an all in one bite! I even stuck a pretzel stick in it for easy pick up.

Chili Queso

Chili Queso
From: Michelle C.
Serves: 6-10

Ingredients:
2 cans chili
1 block of cream cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Directions:
In a medium pot on medium to low heat, slowly melt and heat together all ingredients. Pour into a serving bowl and serve immediately with tortilla chips.

Brown Butter Sweet Potato Alfredo

Brown Butter Sweet Potato Alfredo
From: Megan S. taken from TableforTwoblog.com
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, browned
1 medium sweet potato, cubed into 2-in cubes
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 3/4 c water, divided
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound dried spaghetti pasta, cooked according to directions on the box
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less depending on heat preference)

Directions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the cubed sweet potatoes and cook until fork tender. Carefully place sweet potatoes into a blender and puree until smooth.

In a large pot over medium hear, ad the brow nbutter and shisk together with flour for 30 seconds. Turn the heat up to medium-high heat and carefully add the milk and continue whisking until mixture thickens, about 3-4 minutes. At this time, add the pureed sweet potatoes and 1 1/2 c of water. Let the mixture simmer for 5-7 minutes until thickened then add the Parmesan cheese, cayenne, salt and pepper, and turn off the heat. If the mixture seems to thick, you can add the remaining 1/4 c of water to thin it out.

Add the cooked pasta to the pot and toss until well-coated.

Notes:

How to brown butter: place butter in a skillet on medium hear. Immediately begin whisking it. It will start to foam an within 2-3 minutes, brown bits will start showing up on the bottom. At this point in time, I usually will take the skillet off the heat and start swirling the butter around in the pan, in the air so it doesn't quickly go from browned to burned. Once you see a nice brown color in the butter (and start smelling the amazingness), you have achieved brown butter awesomeness!

Ham and Onion Cheese Ball

Cheese Ball
From: Andrea R. 
Serves: 6-10

Ingredients:
1 pkg cream cheese
1 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbs ranch
1 small pkg sliced ham cut into little pieces
1 cup shredded cheese
1 green onion chopped

Mix all ingredients together and form into a ball. Eat with crackers or celery. :)

Vermont Maple Blueberry Salad

Vermont Maple Blueberry Salad
From: Brittni H.

Ingredients:
2 granny smith apples, diced
Romaine lettuce, washed and torn to medium pieces
1/2 C. blueberries
1/2 C. crumbled bleu cheese
1/4 C. candied nuts (I used almonds, chopped finely)


Dressing:
1 shallot
2 T. apple cider vinegar
3 T. pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/3 C. extra virgin olive oil

Place shallot, vinegar, salt, pepper, and syrup in a food processor and puree.
Add olive oil gradually with the food processor on to emulsify.

Place salad ingredients in large bowl, toss together. Pour dressing over salad when ready to eat, or let people pour their own dressing.

Chickpea and Corn Salad

 

Chickpea and Corn Salad
From: Andrea R.

Ingredients:
1/2 can chick peas, rinsed
1 cup corn, canned or fresh
2 avocados, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 tsp salt
1 bunch chopped cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced
2 green onions, chopped including green part
1/4 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients together EXCEPT avocado. Chill before eating or serve right away. Add in avocado right before serving.

Black Bean and Corn Tostadas with Chipotle Sweet Potato Drizzle

Black Bean and Corn Tostadas with Chipotle Sweet Potato Drizzle

From: Alyssa Gosselin

Ingredients:

~Black Bean and Corn Salad~

-2 cups Frozen corn (thawed)

-1-2 cans black beans (or black and kidney)

-1-2 diced tomatoes 

-1/4 cup diced green onion

-1/4 cup chopped cilantro

-One jalapeño, seeded and diced small

-Juice from half a lime

-Salt, pepper and cumin powder to taste.

~Chipotle Sweet Potato Drizzle~

-Half of a sweet potato (baked, peel removed)

-1 Tbs. chipotle in adobo

-2 Tbs.+ of almond milk (or preferred milk)

~Other Ingredients~

-Tostadas

-avacado, sliced thin (garnish)

-lime wedges (garnish and to squeeze)

-hot sauce 

Prepare salad in large bowl. Chill if not eating right away. Blend sweet potato, chipotle and almond milk, adding milk as needed to make consistency thin enough to drizzle (sauce can be chilled and then warmed  before serving). Put about 1/4 cup bean salad on tostada, garnish with sliced avocado. Drizzle sauce on. Squeeze lime juice and add hot sauce of desired. Enjoy! 

*This is a delightful vegan dish, but can be adjusted with meat and dairy additions as desired. 

Bacon Vinegar Green Beans

Bacon Vinegar Green Beans

From: Kelly S.
Time: overnight marinate, 15 min prep, 3 hour cook
Makes: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb bacon - fried, semi crispy
3-4 large cans of green beans, drained (not french cut)
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar (or a combination of the two)
1/8 - ¼ cup of reserved bacon grease

Directions:
Fry bacon. Cool bacon and crumble. Set aside. Drain all but about 1/8 - 1/4 C of the grease. Add vinegar and sugar to grease. Cook on a low, rolling boil until sugar is dissolved. Dump drained beans in a casserole dish. Pour hot bacon/vinegar/sugar mixture over beans. Stir to coat beans. Allow beans to soak in mixture overnight in fridge, stirring once or twice. Next day, bake beans at 250 degrees F for 2 ½ - 3 hours. Add crumbled bacon during last half hour of baking.

Notes:
I have let the beans marinate longer and I have let the beans cook longer. I have also not marinated at all and just cooked them with all the ingredients together in the dish for an hour. I have also used more vinegar and sugar according to how many cans of beans I use. Just play with different combinations. Its all good!

Butternut Squash Casserole

Butternut Squash Casserole
From: Kelly S. (By: Sugar and Spice by Celeste)
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into small cubes (about 5-6 cups)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
2 large yellow onions, trimmed, peeled and chopped (about 3 cups)
1 cup whole or low-fat buttermilk
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup whole wheat Ritz crackers, smashed into crumbs)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
2 cups coarsely grated cheddar cheese (I used 6oz Blue Cheese)


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9-x-13-inch baking dish or 4-quart casserole.

Place 3 quarts water in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the squash to the water, return to a boil, and cook for 6 minutes. The squash will turn a deeper orange. Drain it and set aside.

Melt the butter in the stockpot. Add the onions and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent and limp, about 8 minutes, stirring to prevent browning.

Add the warm squash and the buttermilk, eggs, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, 1/4 cup pecans and 1 1/3 cups cheese. Blend with a wooden spoon or spatula until the ingredients are well combined.
Spread the mixture evenly in the baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup pecans and 2/3 cup cheese. Bake 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Chips and Guacamole

Sweet Potato Chips and Guacamole
From: Amy B.
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
1-2 cups of guacamole
OR
Make your own by mixing a packet of guacamole spices usually found in the produce section and avocado according to directions.
OR
Mix:
Avocados
Favorite chunky salsa
Fresh lime juice
Garlic salt
Cilantro
A bit of sour cream for creaminess

Mix together to taste. Enjoy with chips!

Any favorite brand of sweet potato chips. The ones brought were from Aldi's and they were delicious!

Creamy Baked Cabbage

Creamy Baked Cabbage

From: Kelly S. (taken from Southern Food at About.com)

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:
1 medium head cabbage sliced thin
10 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
4 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup bread crumbs

Directions:
Boil sliced cabbage in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and add 2 tablespoons butter; set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons butter; stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Continue cooking and stirring until thickened and bubbly.

In a greased 3-quart or 13x9x2-inch pan, layer half of drained cabbage, pour on half of the cream sauce, then the rest of the cabbage and cream sauce on the top. Sprinkle the top with the shredded cheese. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and toss with bread crumbs; sprinkle over the cheese layer. Bake uncovered in a 350° oven for about 40 to 45 minutes.

*Picture from Savor The Earth

Favorite Things Party

Here is a list of things that people brought to the favorite things party! It was so fun and I loved the variety of things that were brought! 

Colorful Pens and Journal

Cara Cara Oranges

Burts Bees lemon cuticle butter

Handmade/sewed pouch for holding CC and phone and other small items

Tupperware flour scoop 

Sugar Scrub 

Count down chalk board and chalk marker with Lindor Chocolates

Homemade lemon curd with blueberry scones

Working hands, hand cream 

White Eye liner 

Stephan's hot chocolate with a quilting square stack 

Laundry detergent booster and smore cookies 

Jewelry- Earrings  

Pineapple corer 

Wire head massager 

Strawberry Brownie Kabobs

Strawberry Brownie Kabobs

From: Lunch Bunch

Brought By: Jamie C. 

yield: 24 KABOBS

Ingredients:
1 box brownie mix
2 16-oz packages of large strawberries
1 bag marshmallows
2 squares of Baker's melting chocolate
Wooden skewers, cut in half

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray mini muffin tins with non-stick spray. Prepare the brownie batter according to the package's instructions and divide batter among muffin tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Allow brownies to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Clean, dry, and cut the strawberries so both ends are flat (I just liked the look of them this way). Layer the strawberries, brownies, and marshmallows on the skewers and lay them out on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30 second intervals until completely melted. Transfer to a piping bag or ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle each kabob. Transfer to the fridge to allow the chocolate to set and until ready to serve.

Biscuits and Sausage Country Gravy

Biscuits and Sausage Country GravyFrom: Favorites Night

Brought By: Jamie C. 

Ingredients:
Old fashioned or Buttermilk Biscuits
8 ounces sage or maple flavored bulk sausage
¼ cup (½ stick) butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Prepare the biscuits and bake them while you make the gravy
2. Cook and stir the sausage in a medium skillet over medium heat, crumbling with a wooden spoon. Drain the fat, if necessary.
3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Cook until the roux begins to darken slightly. Slowly whisk in the milk, water, salt, and pepper. Continue stirring until the gravy thickens and comes to a simmer. Stir in the sausage.
4. Break the warm biscuits in half and cover with the gravy.

Double the recipe and freeze the left overs for later use.

Fruity Baked Oatmeal

Fruity Baked Oatmeal
From: Favorites Night

Brought By: Kelly S.

Total Prep: 15 minutes
Total Bake: 45-60 min
Adapted From: Taste of Home Cookbook

Ingredients: 

3 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
½ cup butter, melted
¾ cup chopped peeled tart apple
1/3 cup chopped fresh or frozen peaches
1/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, if using frozen do not thaw
Additional milk , optional

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Combine the eggs, milk, and butter; add to the dry ingredients. Stir in the apple, peaches, and blueberries.

Pour into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees F for 40-60 min or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cut into squares. Serve with milk if desired.

Notes: I used old-fashioned oats and increased the amount of peaches and blueberries and apples by ALOT. I decreased the amount of butter to a couple TBSP and added about 3/4 cup applesauce. I also decrease the amount of sugar to a little more than a 1/2 cup. I also had to bake it for about an hour, until the center wasn’t giggly. Can be warmed up and eaten as leftovers or frozen for later use. I love to warm it up until its super hot and pour milk over it.

KC Smokehouse Baked Beans

KC Smokehouse Baked Beans
From: BBQ Night
Sugessted Recipe by: Kristen B.

Use these amazing sauces for baked beans and your next BBQ sauce. The baked beans recipe is on the bottle and can be found with the other BBQ sauces at Walmart!

Poppy Seed Muffins

Poppy Seed Muffins
From: Favorites Night

Brought By: Alyssa G. 

Ingredients
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup milk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp almond extract

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line 12 muffins tins with paper liners.
Mix together the eggs, sugar, butter, and almond extract until well blended.
In large bowl, combine flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add the flour mixture and the milk alternately to the wet mixture. Mix until just incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared muffin tins. Fill them to the top.
*They will be full muffin tins, but they puff up perfectly!

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Place on cooling rack in pan for about 5 min. Then remove from pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Serve when they are fresh out of the oven, that’s when they taste the best! Adding a slab of butter doesn’t hurt either, in fact, just do it, it’s reeeeeal tasty!

Zesty Sweet and White Potato Spears

Zesty Sweet and White Potato Spears
From: BBQ Night

Brought By: Kelly S. 

Time: 10 min prep, 1 hr bake
Servings: 6
Adapted From: Kraft foods.com

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lb. sweet potatoes (about 3), cut into spears
1-1/2 lb. russet potatoes (about 3), cut into spears
1/2 C. Italian Dressing
1/4 C. grated parmesan cheese
2 T. chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss potatoes with dressing. Place on lightly greased baking. Cook 30 minutes. Turn potatoes. Cook an additional 30 minutes, sprinkling with cheese during the last 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

Notes: I added salt and pepper to taste. I also added more dressing and parmesan cheese.

Yogurt Dill Potato Salad

Yogurt Dill Potato Salad
From: BBQ Night

Brought By: Megan S. 

Ingredients:
2 lbs unpeeled red potatoes
1 cup (8oz) plain lowfat yogurt (Greek or regular)
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3 green onions, chopped (1/4 cup)
2 ribs celery, dices (1/2 cup)
1 ½ Tbsp chopped FRESH dill
1 Tbsp chopped FRESH Italian parsley
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt (or more to taste)
½ tsp ground black pepper

Directions:
Scrub potatoes and remove any bad spots. Leave the skin on. Steam or boil whole potatoes until fork tender in center. Let cool. Chop into ¾ in. – 1 in. pieces and set aside.

In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, stir until mixed. Add potatoes and stir to combine. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Best if chilled over night.

After the chill time, if creamier consistency is desired you may stir in milk or more yogurt a tablespoon at a time.

Add dill or green onions or bacon for garnish.

Makes 6 cups of potato salad.

Macaroni Salad

Macaroni Salad

From: Blue and Gold Banquet

Brought By: Lisa P.

Ingredients:
2 boxes of Ditalini pasta, cooked, drained and cooled
15 hard boiled eggs, peeled then separated whites chopped and yolks placed in a bowl for later
3 cans of medium black olives, drain and chopped (or throw in food processor)
1 cup dill relish (or kosher dills thrown in food processor)
4-6 cups Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Course ground mustard
1/3 cup Yellow mustard
1/4 cup Complete Seasoning (picture attached)
1 Tbsp Garlic powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

Place the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium size bowl put the egg yolks, blending then well with the seasoning and mustard (I use a immersion blender or beaters) until smooth.

Mix into the pasta mixture. Then add 4 cups of mayo. Stirring it well to coat pasta well. Add mayo a 1/2 cup more at a time until you have it the consistency you wish. Taste! Add more "complete seasoning" as you think. The complete seasoning has salt & pepper in it so you don't need to add those.

Super easy to make!  The eggs were fresh free ranged from our farm. Since it is easy to throw together I like to bring it to potlucks. Most people don't feed that many at a time so you can cut the recipe in half quite easily.

Here is a picture of the seasoning used in the recipe above.

Homemade Waffles

Waffles

From: Favorites Night

Brought By: Amy B. 

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cup milk
4 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions: 
Beat egg whites; set aside. Sift dry ingredients. Combine egg yolks, milk, and butter. Add to dry mixture. Beat until smooth. Fold in egg whites. Add sugar and vanilla.

Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese
From: BBQ Night 

Shared This: Amy B. 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or colby)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease square baking dish. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Melt the butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk; cook and stir until mixture is thick and bubbly. Reduce heat to low and add the cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Combine cheese sauce with macaroni and place in prepared baking dish. Bake 35-40 minutes or until heated through.

Pesto Dip

Pesto Dip:

From: Appetizer Night

Bright By: Amy B. 

Ingredients:
1 jar pesto sauce
1 package cream cheese
1 cup shredded mozarella cheese

Directions:
Combine ingredients, warm in microwave or oven to make it melty! Serve with wheat thins or triscuits.

Pumpkin Pie Caramel Apple Dip

Pumpkin Pie Caramel Apple Dip

From: Fall Favorites

Brought By: Megan S.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

¼ cup light colored corn syrup

¼ cup water

1 cup half and half

1 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

apples

Directions:

Prepare caramel by bringing sugar, corn syrup, and water to boil in a medium heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Then bring to boil over medium high heat. Cook without stirring, 9 minutes or until lightly golden (about 260 degrees F). Once your caramel is made you can add the remaining ingredients when you are ready.  Stir in half and half, vanilla, salt into mixture. Simmer until candy thermometer registers 235 degrees, stir frequently. Then stir in pumpkin pie spice. Serve with apples. You can keep the caramel warm by putting it into a bowl that is siting in a hot water bath.

Oat Topped Sweet Potato Crisp

Oat Topped Sweet Potato Crisp


From: Fall Favorites

Brought By: Kelly S.

Time: 20 prep, 40-60 min cooking

Servings: 6-8

Adapted From: Kraft foods

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened 


1 large can and one small can or 40 oz cut sweet potatoes, drained 


3/4 C. firmly packed brown sugar, divided 


1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon 


1 large apple, chopped (I have used several kinds of apples)

2/3 C. craisins


1/2 C. flour 


1/2 C. old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked 


1/3 C. cold butter or margarine 


1/4 C. chopped pecans, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat cream cheese, sweet potatoes, 1/4 cup of the sugar and cinnamon with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Spoon into 1-1/2-qt. casserole dish; top with apples and cranberries. Mix flour, oats and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in medium bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over fruit mixture. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through and top is golden brown.

Notes:

I do 1-1/2 the topping, so I almost double it. I also have tried white raisins and nuts but I like craisins and no nuts better.