Creamy Dill Salad Dressing

I planted dill among my flower pots this year and it was a very good move.  What a great summer flavor!  We've had an abundance of it so I whipped up this salad dressing to use tonight.  Amounts are estimates since I didn't measure anything. I mixed this up in a small mason jar.

Creamy Dill Salad Dressing

1/3 c. mayo

2-3 T. sour cream

1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce

a few dribbles of lemon juice

less than one clove grated garlic

salt and pepper

milk to thin it out a bit

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c = cup

T = tablespoon

t = teaspoon

Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad says summertime, am I right?  Here is a great recipe and it is really flexible where you can add or subtract ingredients or amounts you prefer.  Here is what I did this time and it was fab. This is best if it is made a couple hours ahead of time so the dressing has a chance to absorb.

Pasta Salad

16 oz. box of tri-colored rotini, cooked per package instructions

Salami, chopped or sliced 

Pepperoni, chopped or sliced (I probably had 8 oz. total with the salami and pepperoni)

1/3 c. or so red onion, diced small

large bell pepper ( I used a combo of red, orange, and yellow)

1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered

small can of sliced black olives

8 oz. pepper jack cheese, diced (could also use mozz)

3/4 t. Italian seasoning

1/2 c. grated parmesan

3 T. fresh chopped parsley (I didn't add this--I forgot!)

dressing

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. vegetable oil

3 T. red wine vinegar

1 t. Dijon mustard

1 t. sugar

1/2 t. Italian seasoning

1/2 t. salt

several cracks of pepper

Whisk together and toss it with the pasta salad mixture.

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c = cup

T = tablespoon

t = teaspoon

oz = ounce

Crustless Quiche

 I made this for Easter this year since we had a small group for a change.  Repeat!!

Crustless Quiche

8 strips bacon, cooked and chopped

16 oz. bag frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (I didn't have a full bag, maybe 13 oz or so?)

6 eggs

2 oz. onion, thinly sliced

3/4 c. heavy cream

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

a pinch of nutmeg

Combine all of the ingredients with a mixer.

Grease a pie plate or 8x8 glass dish.

Pour the mix in the prepared dish and spread it evenly.

Back for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

While scrolling through facebook one day, a post popped up about Dolly Parton's Stampede Soup.  Apparently, she doesn't share the recipe but there were a few copy cat versions that I found and tried my version of it.  As I was making it, it occurred to me that it is basically like the base for my Chicken Pot Pie recipe minus the chicken and the addition of an overload of heavy cream.  That's fabulous, so what could go wrong??  Pretty good, I must say.   Serve with Biscuits and it really hits the spot.

This recipe only makes about 4 servings so you won't have to worry about eating leftovers for the rest of the week.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

4 T. butter

1/4 c. flour

1 t. onion powder

1 t. garlic powder

3/4 t. pepper

3/4 t. salt

2 1/2 c. chicken broth

2 c. frozen mixed vegetables

1 c. heavy cream

Melt the butter, then add the flour and spices.  Combine and cook for a couple minutes until it's a nice golden brown.

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and veggies and cook to simmer a few minutes.  It will thicken up a bit.  

Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend the veggies in to your desired consistency.

Place back on the heat and stir in the heavy cream until the soup comes back to a hot temperature.

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T = Tablespoon

t = teaspoon

c = cup

Make Ahead Egg Muffins or Mini Loaves

Here is another Christmas breakfast item I made ahead for a stress-free, delightful Christmas Morning.  

After they were baked and completely cooled, I froze them.  After thawing in the fridge for a day, I warmed them up in the oven at the same time I warmed the Hash Brown Casserole.

The original recipe was to put these in muffin tins, but I used my mini loaf pan (makes 8) so we could have servings that were a bit larger.  

The main idea here came from spendwithpennies.com

Make Ahead Eggs

10 eggs

1/4 t. pepper

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. garlic powder

1 1/2 c. ham, 8 slices of bacon, or 1/2 lb. browned sausage (I think I may have used 1 lb. sausage?)

1/2 red bell pepper, diced (I used green)

1/4 c. onion diced small

1 c. shredded cheddar, or other blend of your choosing

1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

Sauté the bell pepper and onion a bit.

Whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper.

Grease the muffin or loaf pan generously with butter.

Divide the pepper and onion mix, meat of your choosing, and cheese in each muffin or loaf.  Pour the egg mix over the cheese mix.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until set.

Let them rest a couple minutes and then run a knife around the edges to release them for the tin.

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c = cup

t = teaspoon

Jingle Juice

 Looking for a festive holiday cocktail for a crowd?  Look no further.  This recipe came from our friend Dawn and has been made several times in the neighborhood.

Jingle Juice

2 bottles red Moscato

1 bottle prosecco

1/2 c. vodka

4 c. cranberry apple juice

2 c. frozen cranberries

1/3 c. mint leaves

2 limes sliced 

In a large vessel or punch bowl, combine all the ingredients.

Hash Brown Casserole

I made this for Christmas breakfast this year and our crowd of 7 almost finished the whole dish!  I was trying to keep things manageable and stress free, so I baked this several days ahead of time and put it in the freezer after it was cool.   

There is a lot of stuff in here, so it was good to get it done early.  After thawing in the fridge for a day or two, I popped it in the oven to heat it through day-of.  A very good decision and one I would make again!  Recipe source:  chefsavvy.com

Hash Brown Casserole

30 oz. frozen shredded hash browns, thawed and patted dry

3 T. butter

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c. flour

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

2 c. milk

1 t. Dijon mustard

1 t. Worcestershire 

1 t. Italian seasoning

1 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

2 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar, divided (I shredded a block of cheddar.  It melts a lot better than pre-shredded)

1 c. sour cream

1/4 c. parmesan cheese, grated

Melt butter over medium high heat and sauté the onions for a few minutes until they start to get tender.  Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Stir in the flour and cook for a minute.

Slowly whisk in the broth, milk, Dijon, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes.  The idea here is to get it to thicken up a bit.

Remove from the heat and add the 2 cups of the shredded cheddar.  Whisk it until the cheese is melted.  Stir in the sour cream.

Layer the hash browns in a 9x13 casserole dish.  Pour the cheese mixture on top.  Top with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheddar and 1/2 cup parmesan.

Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees until it is golden brown and bubbly.  Allow it to rest 10 minutes or so before serving.

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nutrition notes for 8 servings: 325 cal, 13g carbs, 13g protein, 25g fat

c = cup

t = teaspoon

T = tablespoon