It’s that time of year when the days are shorter but there’s more to do. Patients to squeeze in, Fee Guides to update, family visits to prepare for. We all celebrate a variety of holidays and prepare for them in different ways but there’s one thing our holidays have in common, delicious food. For this holiday season, we thought it might be fun to ask around Open Dental and share with you some of our favorite holiday recipes. Who knows – maybe you’ll find your next Thanksgiving dinner or dessert hit in this post.
Main Courses
Poor Man’s Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 large onion, minced
- 1 family size can, condensed cream of chicken soup
- 16 oz sour cream
- 2 packages sliced cremini mushrooms (slice them yourself for bigger savings)
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Cook minced garlic, onion, and ground beef until meat is fully cooked. Drain.
- Stir in soup, sour cream and mushrooms, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes until mushrooms have cooked down
- Add butter and mix once melted.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Add sugar at the end.
- Serve over egg noodles, rice, or riced cauliflower.
- Serves 8. Even better the next day, and makes great left-overs!
Christmas Morning Quiche
Ingredients
- 9 inch Pie Shell
- 1 cup Shredded Swiss Cheese
- ⅓ cup Chopped Green Onions
- ¼ tsp Sugar
- 12 Slices of Bacon (fried and crumbled)
- 4 Eggs
- 2 cups Half & Half
- ⅛ tsp Cayenne Pepper
Directions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees
- Sprinkle bacon, cheese, and onion in the bottom of the shell, make sure to cover the bottom evenly.
- In another bowl, beat the eggs with whisk slightly, then add half & half, sugar and cayenne pepper. Using a whisk, beat about 30 seconds or until mixed well.
- Place the pie shell on a baking sheet (in case it spills over). Then pour the egg mixture into the pie shell all the way to the edge of the shell.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake for 30 more minutes.
- Test if the middle is fully cooked by inserting a butter knife into the middle and pulling it out. If the knife comes out clean and not wet looking then it should be ready. If not then only cook for 3 minutes at a time. DON’T overcook it.
- Let stand for 10 minutes, then it’s ready to serve.
Bacon Habanero Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 24 oz Penne Pasta
- 1.5 lb. Medium Cheddar Cheese, sliced thin
- 1.5 lb. Colby Jack Cheese, sliced thin
- 3-5 medium-sized habanero peppers (sub jalapeno peppers or ancho chili peppers if habaneros are too spicy)
- 1 lb. bacon
- 2 sticks butter, cut into pats
- 1 cup whole milk (sub heavy cream optional)
- Grated parmesan cheese and/or Italian bread crumbs (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400*F.
- Boil water in a large pot; add 1/8 cup salt. Add pasta; rolling boil until al dente, approx. 8 minutes. Drain water, do not rinse.
- Dice habanero peppers, remove seeds. Should yield about a quarter-cup
- Fry bacon semi-crispy; crumble by hand or cut into small pieces.
- Pour half of the pasta into a casserole dish, layer Colby Jack cheese slices and 1 stick butter (in pats) on top of pasta.
- Pour a cup of milk into a casserole dish from the corner.
- Evenly distribute bacon and habanero pieces on top of cheese slices.
- Pour remaining pasta into the casserole, layer medium cheddar on pasta with the remaining butter pats. Sprinkle parmesan cheese/breadcrumbs on top of cheddar cheese.
- Bake at 400*F for approx. 20 minutes, or until the top layer of cheese/breadcrumbs has lightly browned and milk has boiled off.
Desserts
Oatmeal Chews.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 Cups Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup Butter
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 1/2 Cups Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 Cups Rolled Oats
Fudge:
- 2 Cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tbsp Butter
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream together brown sugar and room temp butter. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt and add 1/3rd at a time until well incorporated. Add oats and mix them together thoroughly.
- In a well-greased 8×13 inch pan press down 2/3rds of dough into an even layer. Spraying the back of a large spatula with cooking spray and using that to press down the dough can help with this process. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan on low heat melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt. Keep mixing until smooth, then add vanilla and butter. Keep mixing until the chocolate is shiny and butter has disappeared.
- Pour chocolate over dough in the pan and spread into even layer across the top. Drop remaining dough in spoonfuls across the top.
- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. They will not cut cleanly until well cooled.
Chocolate Babka
Ingredients
For dough
- 3/4 cup warm milk (105–115°F)
- 1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast (from two 1/4-oz packages)
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
- 2 whole large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
For egg wash
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk
For chocolate filling
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, well softened
- 2 (3 1/2- to 4-oz) bars fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), finely chopped
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 8 3/4- by 4 1/2- by 2 3/4-inch loaf pans
- 1 parchment paper
Special Equipment
- a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; 2 (8 3/4- by 4 1/2- by 2 3/4-inch) loaf pans; parchment paper
Directions
- Make dough:
- Stir together warm milk and 2 teaspoons sugar in the bowl of the mixer. Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If yeast doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
- Add 1/2 cup flour to yeast mixture and beat at medium speed until combined. Add whole eggs, yolk, vanilla, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low, then mix in remaining 2 3/4 cups flour, about 1/2 cup at a time. Increase speed to medium, then beat in butter, a few pieces at a time, and continue to beat until dough is shiny and forms strands from paddle to bowl, about 4 minutes. (Dough will be very soft and sticky.)
- Scrape dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Assemble babkas with filling:
- Line each loaf pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper (1 lengthwise and 1 crosswise).
- Punch down dough with a lightly oiled rubber spatula, then halve dough. Roll out 1 piece of dough on a well-floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into an 18- by 10-inch rectangle and arrange with a long side nearest you.
- Beat together yolk and cream. Spread 2 1/2 tablespoons softened butter on dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Brush some of the egg wash on long border nearest you.
- Sprinkle half of chocolate evenly over buttered dough, then sprinkle with half of the sugar (2 tablespoons). Starting with long side farthest from you, roll dough into a snug log, pinching firmly along the egg-washed seam to seal. Bring ends of log together to form a ring, pinching to seal. Twist entire ring twice to form a double figure 8 and fit into one of the lined loaf pans.
- Make another babka with remaining dough, some of the egg wash, and remaining butter and chocolate in the same manner. Chill remaining egg wash, covered, to use later. Loosely cover pans with buttered plastic wrap (buttered side down) and let babkas rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until dough reaches the top of pans, 1 to 2 hours. (Alternatively, let the dough rise in pans in refrigerator 8 to 12 hours; bring to room temperature, 3 to 4 hours, before baking.)
- Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
- Brush tops of dough with remaining egg wash. Bake until the tops are a deep golden brown and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped (when loaves are removed from pans), about 40 minutes. Transfer loaves to a rack and cool to room temperature.
Eggnog Pie
Ingredients
- 1 package vanilla pudding
- Eggnog
- Milk
- Graham cracker pie crust
- Cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)
Directions
- Follow instructions on the package, substitute 2 parts Eggnog, 1 part milk. Mix thoroughly.
- Pour into the pie crust and let sit in the fridge.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg when ready to serve.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this post as much as we have enjoyed sharing some of our best recipes with you. We are thankful for amazing food and most of all, thankful for you. Have a safe and happy holiday season!
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