AwesomeBites

From sowing the seeds blog.
This recipe is a great one for using your leftover turkey from your holiday meals, as it uses only 2 cups of diced turkey. The combination of the turkey and cranberries, along with finely chopped celery, walnuts and Swiss cheese gives it not only an absolutely delicious taste, but its presentation makes a beautiful, festive, centerpiece for your holiday buffet table or family gathering. Even picky eaters seem to love it–although I did make half of the wreath without nuts. It uses purchased refrigerated crescent rolls, and the braid-like assembly works up easily and quickly for a dish that looks so spectacular! If you’re looking for something new, festive, easy, and very tasty, I recommend this recipe from Pampered Chef for TURKEY CRANBERRY WREATH.

TURKEY CRANBERRY WREATH
2 pkgs. (8-oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons honey Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 Cups cooked turkey, diced (about 12 oz.)
1/2 Cup diced celery
3 Tablespoons parsley, snipped
1/2 Cup dried cranberries (craisins)
4 oz. Swiss cheese, shredded (1 Cup)
1/4 Cup walnuts, chopped (opt.)
1 egg, separated
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll crescent dough, and separate into 16 triangles. With wide ends of the triangles towards the center, arrange 8 triangles in a circle on a large cookie sheet or pizza pan. Corners of side ends will touch and points will extend out over the pan usually. Seal seams gently with fingers. (Points will overlap, but don’t seal them). Combine mayonnaise, pepper and mustard. Dice turkey and celery. Snip the parsley. Add turkey, celery, parsley and cranberries to mayonnaise mixture. Add grated Swiss cheese and gently toss together. Scoop filling over the seams of the dough, forming a circle. Coarsely chop the walnuts, if desired, and sprinkle over filling. Then, beginning in the center, lift one dough triangle across the mixture. Continue alternating with outer strips, slightly overlapping, to form the wreath. Tuck the last end under the first one. Separate the egg. Beat egg white lightly and then brush over the dough using a pastry brush. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cut and serve. Yield: 10 servings

Serve as you would a salad bar, this way everyone get the perfect salad since they choose their own toppings.

OUR FAVORITE TACO SALAD
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 packet mild taco seasoning
1 8-oz. tomato sauce
1 can Black beans, drained
Brown beef. Add taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Heat through, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Drain kidney beans and add to meat mixture. Heat through. Layer with your favorite toppings and condiments, serving out of individual bowls for people to choose from.
Our favorite things to top it off with:
fritos or your favorite corn chips
broken or shredded lettuce
chopped green onions
chopped olives
grated cheeses
chopped cucumbers
chopped tomatoes
chopped red and/or green peppers
guacamole
your favorite salsa
thousand island, ranch or Catalina dressing
ketsup and/or sour cream

This luscious warm winter lemon cake is just the perfect treat or simple dessert for a chilly winter night. If you are a lemon-lover, like I am, try adding a little lemon zest and a couple tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice to the pudding mix–you’ll love it! I like to serve it warm, spooned into individual serving dishes, with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator–it’s also great chilled!

WARM WINTER LEMON CAKE
1 pkg. yellow cake mix (2-layer size)
2 cups cold milk
1 1/4 cups water
2 pkg. (4 oz) Jell-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Whipped cream (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake matter as directed on package. Pour into greased 13X9-inch baking dish. Set aside.
PUDDING LAYER: Pour milk and water into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes and granulated sugar. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes, or until well blended. Pour over batter in baking dish. Place baking dish on baking sheet to catch any sauce that may bubble over the sides of the dish as it bakes. Bake 55 minutes to an hour, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes (Sauce will thicken slightly as it cools). Dust with powdered sugar. Spoon into individual dessert dishes and serve warm, with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

BEST-EVER BUTTERMILK PANCAKES
3 eggs yolks, beat (save whites)
2 cups buttermilk (or 2 Tbls vinegar & enough milk to make 2 C)
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2-3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 scant cups flour
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
Combine egg yolks, buttermilk (or milk with vinegar) and salad oil. Sift dry ingredients and add to egg yolk-buttermilk mixture. Whip egg whites until very stiff. (Be sure to use a glass or metal bowl, with metal beaters). Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Don’t over mix!) If batter seems too thick, you can add a little more milk. Cook on heated griddle until done on one side, flip, and cook until done. You can easily double this recipe for an ice cream bucket full. You get about 45 pancakes per batch. These are great with homemade vanilla syrup, (see vanilla sauce post 2/7/2010). Any leftovers? Just store in a baggie in the refrigerator and either reheat in the microwave, or in the toaster on a light setting–they’re just as good the next day! These also freeze well, then you can take out just what you need and keep the rest frozen.
from sowing the seeds.

LACY ROLLED COOKIES
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 cup flour
1 cup minced nuts (I like almonds or pecans best)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheet or use parchment (my preference). In top of double boiler over hot water, combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Heat until butter melts. Stir in flour and nuts. Keep batter warm over hot water while working. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches in between. (I make about 6 per big cookie sheet, because they will ‘grow’ and flatten out). Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool 2 minutes, then loosen cookies carefully, one at a time, and roll around the handle of a wooden spoon, until firm. Work quickly, but make sure they are firm before you go on to the next one. Yield: Makes 4 dozen cookies. HINT: If cookies become too firm to shape, return to oven for several seconds until they can be rolled. You can also make them a little larger, increasing the baking time a minute or two. I like to fill the cookies. To do so, spoon your favorite filling in a pastry bag, and pipe the rolled cookies until filling is to the top. Delicious!

LEMON CREME FILLING
1 small package instant lemon pudding
2 cups cold milk, whole or 2%
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 scant Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix the pudding and milk together until smooth. In another bowl, whip cream, adding sugar and vanilla. When soft peaks form, carefully fold the whipped cream into the lemon pudding mixture. Immediately fill a pastry bag, or a big Ziploc baggie with a hole cut in one corner, and fill the ‘horns’ by piping filling into them until it reaches the top.

Or, you might like this recipe a little better, using Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (not instant or quick)
BROWN BUTTERCRUNCH OATMEAL ROLLED COOKIES
1/2 cup salted BUTTER, softened
1/2 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats (not quick or instant)
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE GLAZE
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (may substitute milk chocolate)
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with waxed paper. In a saucepan, melt butter, corn syrup and brown sugar over moderate heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and when it boils, remove from heat and stir in oats, flour, and vanilla. Drop by 1/2 teaspoonfuls 3″ apart onto the paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake one pan at a time, for 8 minutes, or until mixture spreads, bubbles, and begins to brown–and then be ready to work fast, as in previous recipe! Roll, widest edge of cookie around the handle of a wooden spoon. Cool completely. Make glaze by heating the cream in a saucepan until scalded. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and corn syrup. Cover and let stand for about 15 minutes, until chocolate is melted. Mix until smooth, being very careful not to create bubbles. When cookies are cool, dip 1/2 of the cookie into the glaze and transfer back to waxed paper and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes to set the chocolate. NOTE: You can also drizzle the chocolate instead of dipping it, using a baggie with a very tiny hole cut in one of the corners, then zig-zagging it back and forth over your cookie.

OKAY! The book is “Cordials from your Kitchen” by Pattie Vargas and Rich Gulling. They recommend that you toast 1 cup shelled black walnuts, then infuse with 1 cup 100 proof vodka and 1/2 cup bourbon for one month, shaking occasionally. Then you strain out the nuts. If you want to make a drinkable sweet liqueur add an equal amount (or to taste) of simple syrup; if you plan on using the extract for baking, you can use it as-is! Oh man, i think I have to make this now. it sounds amazing!

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening melted with 2 ounces chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup black walnuts
3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Beat eggs. Gradually add sugar. Add melted chocolate and shortening. Add dry ingredients. Pour into greased 8×12 pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Ice.

Icing:
3 tablespoons melted chocolate
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 egg white

Beat together and frost the brownies

These are very chocolatey.