Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Tried and True Christmas Food Favorites

This season it is all about traditions and memories, here is one way to save some of your Holiday memories. Every group of good friends have favorite food items they share during the Holidays. Often, they only show up at this time of year, not because they aren't delicious but because they symbolize the special occasion. My good friends are no different, when I think of Chex or Popcorn mix, I think of Bonnie Lynn, and when I think of Sausage Pinwheels, I think of Margo. Several years ago, we constructed a cookbook (nothing formal of course) with all of our favorite recipes, and we loved it so much we expanded it to Volume 2. It is a great way to have all of your good friend favorites at your fingertips. It is also a great way to preserve some pretty special memories.

Here are some food favorites from my friends. If you have some you would like to share, I am always looking for new recipes and ideas!!

As a disclaimer, I am sharing these with you in the same format I receive them, they are by no means written professionally, most are hand written or copied.

Blue Cheese Dip (Dressing)

3 or 4 ounce pkg. blue cheese

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 ½ tablespoons sugar

1 cup mayonnaise

¼ cup ketchup

½ tsp. paprika

2 eggs boiled and chopped

Mix all ingredients together.

*Serve with cauliflower, crackers, celery, carrots, or use as salad dressing

*Stores nicely in a container – keep in refrigerator

Cheese Topping for Baked Potatoes

1 Carton Sour Cream

1 Large Cheese Whiz

1 Stick Margarine

2 tablespoons Bacon Bits

Garlic Salt to Taste

2-3 tablespoons Chopped Green Onions & Peppers

Mix and Heat in Microwave until Melted. Store in container in refrigerator until ready to use. This one can be used in place of all the condiments you have to purchase for serving baked potatoes.

Cranberry Punch “The Recipe”

1 Large Bottle Cranberry Juice

1 Large Can Pineapple Juice

2 teaspoon Almond Flavoring

2/3 Cup Sugar

2 Liters Ginger Ale

Mix together and store in refrigerator until ready to drink. This is a great festive drink to have around.

Note: I cut the sugar at least by half when making “the recipe”

Kirstie Alley Chicken

4-6 chicken boneless chicken breast

1 clove garlic, minced

½ stick of butter, melted

1/3 cup sour cream

Fresh grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

Mix fresh garlic and melted butter

Once cooled, add 1/3 cup sour cream, stir

Roll chicken breast in sour cream mixture

Roll in fresh Parmesan cheese

Bake at 325 for 30 minutes (or more depending on # of breasts)

(Do not spray pan)

Pulled Marinated Turkey

Turkey Breast

Italian Dressing, your favorite

Capers, to your taste

Onion Powder, to your taste

Garlic Powder, to your taste

Cook turkey breast. When slightly cool, pull apart in shreds.

Toss with dressing and remaining ingredients and store in refrigerator in a zip lock bag to marinate before serving.

Sausage Balls

1 pound Shredded Cheese

3 Cups Bisquick

1 pound (Hot) Sausage

½ Tsp. Red Cayenne Pepper/Tabasco Sauce

Mix and roll into small balls. Place on baking sheet, cover, and freeze. When frozen, store in zip lock bags. Remove as many as needed and bake for 10-12 mins. at 425 degrees.

Tam’s Pimiento Cheese

1 8 ounce block sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 8 ounce block Colby/cheddar cheese, shredded

1-2 tablespoon chopped green chilies with juice

1 4 ounce diced pimientos

1 cup mayonnaise (can use light)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

4 – 5 shakes red pepper

4-5 shakes black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped jalapenos (may use more)

Combine ingredients and chill.

Chocolate Love

(Sweetheart Truffle)

1 box German Chocolate cake mix

10 ounces peanut butter chips

½ cup whipping cream

4 1/4 cups cold milk

2 - 5.9 ounce instant chocolate pudding

Large container cool whip

Heath Bar Almond Toffee Chips

Bake cake as directed - let cool.

Mix peanut butter chips, whipping cream, and 1/4 cup of milk - melt over low heat - cool to room temperature. Mix pudding with remaining 4 cups of cold milk. Stir until of pudding consistency.

Crumble ½ of cake in bottom of dish. Cover with ½ of peanut butter mixture,then ½ of pudding, followed by ½ of cool whip and sprinkle with Heath Bar chips. Repeat layers with remaining items in same order. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

*** Do not add last layer of Heath Bar chips too far in advance - they will get soggy

Chunky Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup butter, melted

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced

1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Cream Cheese Frosting

Chopped pecans, toasted (optional)

Stir together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl until blended.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture, stirring until blended. Stir in apple slices and 1 cup walnuts. Spread into a greased 13- x 9-inch pan.

Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Spread with Cream Cheese Frosting; sprinkle with walnuts, if desired.

Yield: 12 to 15 servings

Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe goes with Chunky Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar and salt, beating until blended. Stir in vanilla. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Cream Cheese Danish

2 (8 ounce) cream cheese (room temperature)

2 pkgs crescent rolls

1 egg yolk

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup confectionery sugar

Spread 1 package of crescent rolls into bottom of 9 x 13 pan.

Combine other ingredients and pour over dough.

Put other crescent roll package on top, pinching sides and seal together.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

For the topping Mix together milk and confectionary sugar and pour over top.

Crock Pot Pepperoncini Beef

2 pounds London broil

16 ounce jar sliced pepperoncini – do not drain

Provolone Cheese

Hoagie rolls

Place London broil and pepperoncini in Crockpot and cook 5 hours on medium. This recipe can also be done with a pork loin or turkey breast.

Serve on hoagie rolls w/provolone cheese.

Hershey Chocolate Cake

For the Cake

1 Stick Butter

1 Cup Sugar

4 Eggs

1 Cup Self-rising Flour

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1 (16 ounce) can Hershey’s Syrup

For the Icing

1 Stick Butter

1 Cup Sugar

½ Cup Evaporated Milk

½ Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

For the Cake - Cream together butter & sugar. Add eggs one at a time mixing well. Add flour, vanilla and chocolate syrup.

Pour into a greased 13x9x2 in. cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Punch holes in cake with grilling fork.

For the Icing - To make frosting, combine butter, sugar and mild in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, and continue to boil for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in chocolate chips until melted. Pour frosting over cake.

Jalapeno Poppers

24 Jalapeno Peppers (make sure cut in half lengthwise -- cut out all membranes and wash)

1 – 8 ounce block cream cheese

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 pound sausage (I use Bass Farm mild)

Brown sausage - drain - combine cheeses together with sausage and put into peppers - bake at 425 for approximately 25 minutes.

Popcorn Snack

3 cups Popcorn

2 cups Gold Fish

2 cups Oyster Crackers

2 cups Pretzels

2 cups Cheerios

1 package Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

1/3 cup Safflower Oil, or other lighter oil

Mix oil, ranch – pour over dry ingredients – bake at 200 degrees.

Sausage and Rice Casserole

1 pound Bass farm hot sausage

1 box wild rice

1 16 ounce sour cream

1 large bag sharp cheddar cheese

Brown & drain sausage

Cook rice according to directions on box

Mix sausage, wild rice, and sour cream in large baking dish

Spread cheese on top and bake in 350 degree oven until cheese is melted and light brown

Note: I sometimes mix cheese in with rice and sausage along with spreading it on top

Sausage Pinwheels

1 pound sausage, hot

1 pound sausage, mild

4 rolls of crescent dough, refrigerated

Lay crescent dough flat; pinch together perforated edges.

Crumble sausage in an even layer on top of the dough.

Use a serrated knife to cut in ½ inch slices. You’ll have about 25 pinwheels.

Bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Note: You can make ahead, keep refrigerated, or frozen and cut when ready to cook.

---

Neuse News is a locally-owned small business startup in downtown Kinston. Our goal is to provide free, hyper-local news to Lenoir, Greene and Jones counties. The kind of news our grandparents read in a format fit for today's times.

We provide this by having supportive advertisers and we encourage you to click on their ads, shop with them, and eat with them. Every bit of financial support is important to help us sustain free, hyper-local news.

Please consider supporting Neuse News with as little as $5 one-time or via a monthly option. Every little bit helps us, help you.

---