Cream Puffs

Filling

1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk

Whisk together vanilla instant pudding mix and milk until combined, then whisk in cream. Cover and refrigerate to set.

Cream Puffs (makes 12 large or 40 mini puffs)
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

Heat oven to 425°. Grease two cookie sheets. In a saucepan, mix water, butter and salt. Heat to a full rolling boil, allowing butter to melt completely. Immediately add flour, stirring vigorously until mixture leaves sides of saucepan in smooth ball. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes.

Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mixture will be soft and shiny. An electric mixer can be used for this step (it's much easier). Spoon 12 mounds of dough (about 1/4 cup each) 3 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets.*

Bake 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; prick cream puffs with tip of knife to allow steam to escape. Remove from cookie sheet and place on cooling rack; cool completely, about 15 minutes. Split cream puffs and fill with vanilla filling.

*I make Miniature Cream puffs: Drop dough by tablespoons, making 40 small cream puffs. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Corn and Mac Casserole - Kids LOVE

1 can cream style corn
1 can whole kernel corn
1 c. uncooked macaroni
1 stick butter, melted
1 lb velveeta cheese cubed ( I vary on how much cheese I add)

Mix all together and bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour

Verdean's Famous Dip

1 tub sour cream (16 oz)
1 pkg cream cheese
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Salsa

Soften cream cheese to make it easier to stir, add sour cream and shredded cheese. Stir until well blended then add salsa to taste (I usually add about ½ to ¾ cup).
Serve with tortilla chips

Submitted by Verdean

Baked Brie

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Apricot preserves
1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed
1 (8 oz) Brie cheese round, cut in half horizontally
Apple slices
French bread slices or crackers

Heat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Place cheese half, cut-side up, in the center of the pastry sheet. Spread the apricot preserves on the cheese and place the remaining cheese half, cut side down.
Brush the edge of the pastry with the egg mixture. Fold the pastry up over the cheese to cover. Trim the excess pastry and press to seal. Brush the seam with the egg mixture. Please seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Decorate the top with the pastry scraps, if desired. Brush with the egg mixture. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Let stand for 30 minutes. Serve with the apples and bread or crackers

Submitted by Verdean

Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs

1 2-pound bag frozen, pre-cooked, cocktail-size meatballs, thawed (or you can make your meatballs from scratch)
1 (14 oz) can jellied cranberry sauce
1 12 oz jar chili sauce (Heinz)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

In a slow cooker or large saucepan over low heat, blend the cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Add meatballs, and simmer for 1 hour before serving.

Submitted by Verdean

Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip

3 chicken breasts, grilled and cubed
1 bottle cookies hot wing sauce
1 package cream cheese
1 bottle chunky blue cheese dressing
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Heat oven to 350º

In a casserole dish spread cream cheese along bottom. Put cubed chicken breast in a small bowl and add ¾ bottle of the cookies hot wing sauce and stir. Spread chicken mixture on top of the cream cheese. Add blue cheese dressing over the chicken and layer the cheese on top.

Cook for about 20 min or until cheese is bubbly.

Serve with tortilla chips

Submitted by Verdean

Smoked Salmon Spread

1 package smoked salmon (I find it at HyVee by the lunch meat)
2 package cream cheese (softened to stir easily)
Green onion

Remove skin from salmon and flake. Soften the cream cheese and mix in salmon. Chop green onion and add to mixture (I don’t measure, just put in as much as you like).

Serve with crackers

Submitted by Verdean

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri

2-3lb pork tenderloin (2 small-med pork loins)
1 1/2 C chopped parsley
1 1/2 C chopped cilantro
1/2 C loosely packed oregano leaves*
2 T fresh lime juice
1 T red wine vinegar
3 T chopped garlic (6-7 cloves)
1 t kosher salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

*Fresh is best, but if you don't have access to fresh oregano, you could use fresh cilantro and parsley and add in 1 Tbs plus 1 tea dried oregano leaves.

Place pork tenderloins in a ziplock bag and set aside.

Place parsley, cilantro, oregano, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse several times until finely chopped. Remove mixture and place in a bowl. Add red pepper flakes and then stir in olive oil by hand.

Remove 1/2-3/4 C chimichurri (the herb mixture you just made) and place in bag with pork tenderloins. You just need enough to coat them well. Be careful to not cross-contaminate since you will be serving the remaining chimichurri over the top of the finished meat. Seal bag and set aside to marinade for about an hour or longer if you need to. Place plastic wrap over the remaining chimichurri and set aside until ready to serve.

When ready to cook, preheat grill. Remove tenderloins from bag and let excess marinade drip off. Place on grill and cook for about 5-8 minutes before flipping to the other side. You want the internal temp to be about 160 degrees, so check with a thermometer and take it off the grill when it reaches 155-158 since it will continue to cook a bit as it sits. Remove from grill and let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Slice, and serve with remaining chimichurri drizzled on top.

Recipe by Ourbestbites.com

Southwest Chicken/Cheese Dip

16 oz. pkg. Velveeta Mexican cheese, cut into cubes
3/4 cup Thick and Chunky salsa
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
9 oz. pkg. frozen, cooked, Southwest chicken strips, thawed and cubed.
(I used a container of Oscar Mayer Delifresh Southwestern chicken, found in lunch meat area. It comes in 6 oz. containers.)
8oz. container of Southwest ranch sour cream.
(I get a packet of dry ranch or spicy ranch and mix it with some sour cream.)
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped*
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped*
tortilla chips

Directions: Place everything in a Crockpot, except chips several hours before serving.

*I used 3/4 cup of the peppers instead of 1 cup.

Submitted by Emily

Cran-Pomegranate Martinis

Also known as Cheesecake Martinis

In a martini mixer with ice, mix equal amounts of cran-pomegrante juice and vanilla vodka and shake. Coat the rim of glass with lime and sugar. Pour drink into glass. Garnish with a few pomegranates and enjoy!


Submitted by Kimberly

Cranberry Salsa

12 oz. pkg. fresh cranberries
2 large ribs of celery, finely diced
1 small white onion, finely diced (about 4oz)
1-2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (I usually double this because I like cilantro)
1/2 t. salt
3/4 cup sugar
3 T. fresh lime juice
chips

In bowl or food processor fitted with metal blade, process the cranberries until coarsely and evenly ground. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with chips.

The salsa is best if made several hours ahead and up to a day in advance to allow the flavors to meld. We also enjoy this over turkey and chicken.

Submitted by Kimberly

Chicken Fillo Cups

1 6 oz can white chicken
1-2 Tablespoons Mango Chutney
1 green onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon light mayo
Salt and Pepper
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
10 mini fillo shells (found in frozen section)

Mix all ingredients except cheese and fill the fillo cups, top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes.

Submitted by Kimberly

Spinach Pull-A-Parts

3 T. butter, melted
1 t. garlic salt
8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing, I prefer mayo
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, I prefer shredded
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 box (9 or 10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach- thaw and drain well
1/2 t.dried basil leaves, if desired
1/4 t. pepper
2 (8 oz.) cans Pillsbury refrigerated garlic butter crescent dinner rolls (16 rolls)
marinara sauce, heated, to serve with pull-aparts


Heat oven to 350. Spray fluted tube cake pan (bundt pan) with non-stick cooking spray. In small bowl, mix butter and 1/2 teaspoon of the garlic salt; set aside.
Then mix together: cream cheese, mayo, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, spinach, basil, pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon garlic salt. Separate crescent rolls into the 16 triangles. Cut each triangle in half lengthwise to make a total of 32 small triangles. Press or stretch the triangles slightly being careful not to tear. Spoon 1 tablespoon of spinach mix onto triangle; pull dough around spinach into a ball; roll around to make sure edges are sealed.
Roll each ball in butter mixture; layer in pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes and then turn over pan and place rolls onto plate. Serve with marinara sauce.

I did not have a separate bowl of the butter and garlic salt. I just put that in the spinach mixture. I skipped the rolling the balls in the butter/garlic mixture. This worked quite well.

Submitted by Emily