Tag Archives: On Hand Entertaining

Food

Sweet Wonton Crisps

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I love making these super easy Sweet Wonton Crisps. I use them as the base for napoleons, bite sized desserts and just as a chip. I use the square wontons for full size dessert napoleons and I cook them the same way.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Then lay out premade wonton skins (found in the Asian section of the grocery)  on cookie sheets. Then take a spray bottle of water and mist the tops of the wontons. Then sprinkle sugar over the top. Pop the cookie sheet in the oven for 8 minutes or until the wontons crisp start to brown around the edges.

Then transfer them to a cooling sheet with a spatula (they will still be bendy) and let them cool completely. If you cool them on the sheet they can be a little gummy on the bottom.

Then throw them in a zip top bag and they will keep for a few days!

Food

Crescent Pizza Rolls

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So I was bored today and wanted to do something different for the kids at lunch. So I went through the frig and came out with some crescent roll dough, pizza sauce, cooked sausage and mozzarella. I thought about those hot dog rolls that I used to see people make and if you can put those into crescent rolls why not pizza? I just layered everything on each triangle and then rolled it up like traditional crescent rolls. It is so easy that next time I will put out different fillings and let all the kids help! I cooked it at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.

They were so yummy and the kids loved them! So much that my 6 year old daughter just asked for them at her birthday dinner;)!
Super easy and super yummy!

Food

Chocolate Cream Pie in Minutes

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When I was a kid Lyons restaurant had a chocolate cream pie that my family loved! You could go in an order out a whole pie (like Marie Callendar’s or Baker’s Square before I had heard them) and my family did for all major holidays or treats. Then we discovered a Dream Pie Recipe on the Dream Whip box! Dream Whip is a powdered whipped topping. You can change it up by adding different types of extracts (like orange, peppermint, or almond) but NerdDad likes it plain. I love that I keep most of these ingredients in the pantry. It is super easy, super quick!

Ingredients:
2 packets Dream Whip (half a box)
1 tsp Vanilla
2 small boxes Instant Chocolate Pudding
1 3/4 cups Milk
Chocolate Shavings (as desired)
1 prepared crust (I use graham cracker crusts or oreo crusts, premade)
Process:
Put vanilla, Dream Whip and 1 cup of milk into a mixing bowl. Mix on high for 6 minutes or use a whisk attachment on a stand mixer for 3-4 minutes. You are looking for peaks. Then add the remaining 1 3/4 cups of milk, pudding and some of the shavings. Start blending on slow until mixed. Then beat on high for 2 minutes (scrapping down the sides as needed). You need to make sure that you see an even color. Then turn out the filling into the pie shell. Sprinkle the remaining shavings on top. Then place the pie in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up.
That is it! I told you it was super easy!

Food

Easy Refrigerator Cookies

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These are super easy cookies! You can keep them in the fridge and just slice them up when you are in need of fresh cookies! You can even freeze the dough.

Ingredients:
1 cup of softened butter or margarine
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 cups of AP flour
sprinkles, nonpareils or sugar
Process:
Just blend it all together, adding the flour last. Then form logs of the dough. Roll logs in sprinkles, nonpareils or sugar. This isn’t just for decoration because you need the sweetness. Wrap logs in wax paper or parchment and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Then heat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the cookies (if the diameter is 2 inches then slice 1/8 of an inch, if thinner then cut thicker) and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until they turn golden (the bottom will turn light brown). Cool completely on a wire rack!
That is it! How much easier can it get?

Food

Brownie Peanut Butter Bites

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I got this recipe out of a Pampered Chef cookbook. I made them for MOPs. I also make these for all my parties and they are always a huge hit. The only problem is that they are a bit rich so they go great with milk. This is an awesome recipe to make with kids. You mix up everything while they unwrap the peanut butter cups

***Frugal hint: If you watch the after holiday clearance, you can also get the mini peanut butter cups for a fraction of a price. They always come out with different holiday themed wrappings that the stores have to get rid of them. Then remember, chocolate and peanut butter store well.

Ingredients:

1 package of brownie mix (I use about a 20 oz family size box but the original recipe calls for 15oz)
1/3 cup hot water
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
48 mini chocolate covered peanut butter cups

Process:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients well except for mini chocolate peanut butter cups. Place liners into your mini-muffin tins (you really needed to line them). Fill the cups half way with batter and then press in a mini chocolate peanut butter cup into each cup. Bake 13-20 minutes or until the brownies are set. I use 2 Pampered Chef mini-muffin tins and it takes 13 minutes. Cool completely.

Food

Pecan Tassies

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This is another one of those Pampered Chef recipes that come in that little $1 cookbook. I have made these for a variety of social gatherings and they have always been a hit. They are great for dessert or as a brunch addition. Just factor in the hour for the dough to firm up. The recipe is done in 2 parts so I am splitting it up totally. The recipe says it yields 30 but I always make 24 (the size of the mini-muffin pan).

Crust:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup flour

Process
Mix the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Then mix in the flour until it is smooth. Then wrap it air tight and put it in the frig for 1 hour but it can stay until overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put walnut sized pieces of dough into a mini-muffin tin. Then use a Mini-Tart Shaper (from Pampered Chef but it is a little wooden dumbbell) dipped in a little flour and press each ball into the tin until is forms a cup. Now it is important that it actually come up around the sides and form a full cup.

Filling:

Ingredients:
2 tbls butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Process:
Mix all the ingredients together and fill each uncooked cup, do not over fill. Bake for 15-20 minutes of until the dough looks golden. Dust with powdered sugar when cool.

Food

Freezer Friday: Garlic Herb Butter

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Welcome to Freezer Friday. We are back! The goal here is to make our lives easier. Due to the fact I have 4 little ones and homeschool, I need all the help I can find. Simply post a recipe that can be made, frozen and then later reheated(thawed, etc) and consumed. Make sure that you include freezing and reheating instructions in your post. Then come here and add you post (not your blog) into Mr. Linky.
Now for some disclaimers:
If it isn’t a recipe, I will delete it.
If it can’t be made ahead, I will delete it.
If you don’t have a family friendly site, I will delete it.
Now onto the food fun!


Garlic Herb Butter:

With is being BBQ season it is always great to have garlic herb butter ready to go! I also use this in my Chicken Kiev. This is also a grat alternative to all those pricey spreads for French bread that you can get in the supermarket (and who knows what is in them;). I make it in bunches and then keep it wrapped in either wax paper or parchment and in a plastic bag in the freezer.

These proportions are based on my preferences for strong flavors. If it is to strong just adjust but use the same procedure. I have also used a dried Italian herb mix instead of Parsley before.

Ingredients:
1 stick Unsalted Butter
2 tsp Chopped Garlic (I use a jar)
2 tsp Dried Parsley

Procedure:

Put your butter in the microwave until smushy (yes, that would be a technical term;). Do not liquefy or your seasonings will not be suspended and just sink. Then add your seasonings and mix with a spoon until they are even distributed as it is in the first picture.

Then place a couple of spoonfuls on a sheet of wax paper or parchment. Fold over the paper and use a cutting board to push against the butter to form a log (as in the second picture). Then twist the

ends, put them all in a freezer bag (to prevent funky odor taste) and place in the freezer). Then to use you just take out a roll and cut your desired amount. I find it is easier and cleaner to just cut through the paper and peel it off after. That is how you get that restuarant quality flavored butters on hand! Put them on top of a well cooked steak, a cob of corn or just on a great loaf of French bread!

Technorati Tags: Garlic Butter, Freezer Friday, Make Ahead

Food

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

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Here is a great recipe for WFMW! This is an easy and yummy dressing. During the sumer I always make this and have it on hand for entertaining. The original version was to just go with a spinach salad but I have found this works with any bitter green salad also. The recipe serves 16-24 so you can just make a half recipe or stick it in the frig because it lasts a long time!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup Sugar
2 tsp Dry Mustard
2 tsp Salt
2/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 medium Onion, chopped
2 cup Vegetable Oil
3 tbsp Poppy Seeds

Process:
Mix first 5 ingredients (Sugar through Onion) in a blender, food processor or in a bowl that you can use a stick blender in. Then blend until everything is smooth. Pour in the oil slowly while blending. Keep blending until the mixture changes color (white if you use a white onion and pink if you use a red onion). Stir in poppy seeds by hand. Refrigerate!

Technorati Tags: Salad Dressing, Poppy Seeds

Food

Easy Chocolate Souffle

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So I found this easy individual chocolate souffles that only have 79 calories (and 0.6g of Fat) in Cooking Light. These are all ingredients that are usually on hand, so it is great to meet that craving or entertaining guests.

Ingredients:
4 1/2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons Dutch process cocoa
2 Tablespoons fat-free milk
1/4 Teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg white
1 Teaspoon powdered sugar

Process
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Coat 2 (6 ounce) ramekins with cooking spray; sprinkle each with 3/4 teaspoon of sugar
3. Combine 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, flour, cocoa and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook 2 minutes, stirring until smooth. Spoon chocolate mixture into a medium bowl; cool 4 minutes. Stir in vanilla.
4. Place egg white in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Add remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form(do not overbeat). gently stir 1/4 egg mixture into chocolate mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Spoon mixture into prepared dishes. Sharply tap dishes 2 or 3 times to level. Place dishes on a basking sheet, bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until puffy and set. Sprinkle each souffle with 1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

Now of course I had to make a couple of changes. I used 2% milk (that is what we had). I also used sweetened cocoa because NerdDad doesn’t like things to dark chocolately. It was great!

Technorati Tags: Chocolate,Desserts, Entertaining