Not A Pecan Pie

For Christmas day, I decided to use leftover pretzels from Strawberry Pretzel Salad to try this recipe that I have had marked in my reader for a really long time.  It always sounded so interesting to me.  It is from Southern Plate and she came up with the recipe as a workaround for the high price of pecans.  But we have a friend with a pecan allergy so it would be great for him too...since everyone should get to experience the filling of a pecan pie in their lifetime!  I didn't get a picture.  Next time I will crush the pretzel pieces better because I found it hard to fork some of the pieces like a traditional pecan pie.

Not A Pecan Pie

4 eggs
1-1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
3/4 c. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
deep dish pie shell, unbaked
1-1/2 c. crushed pretzels
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  For filling, place first five ingredient in a large mixing bowl and mix with wire whisk until well combined.  Pour into pie shell.  Combine all topping ingredients in medium bowl and stir well to coat pretzels.  Sprinkle topping evenly over pie.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour, covering with foil after 30 minutes to prevent over-browning.  Allow to cool completely before serving.

Spicy Sausage & Cheese Tarts

Earlier this month, we hosted our supper club for a Christmas dinner.  For an appetizer, I tried these Spicy Sausage & Cheese Tarts from Plain Chicken.  They were delicious and were gone in a big hurry.  I must have stuffed mine more than she did, because I only made 4 pans instead of the 5 the recipe called for.  I made them earlier in the week and froze them.  Such an easy appetizer.

Spicy Sausage & Cheese Tarts

1 lb. pork sausage
2 c. shredded cheese
8 oz. Spicy Ranch dressing (Hidden Valley)
5 (2.1 oz.) pkg. frozen mini phyllo shells (freezer section near pie crust and puff pastry)

Preheat oven to 350 (unless freezing for later).  Cook sausage in skillet, stirring until crumbles and is no longer pink.  Drain.  Combine the sausage, cheese and ranch dressing in a large bowl.  Fill each phyllo shell with a heaping teaspoon of the sausage mixture.  (Freeze at this point, if desired.)

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cheese melts. (Add 2-3 minutes to baking time if baking frozen tarts.)

Sausage Roll Casserole

My children aren't old enough to make a specific request that they want to eat for Christmas morning breakfast (unless you count Eggo waffles that the oldest would eat for EVERY meal), so I decided to choose myself.  This recipe was in Southern Living several years ago and I have been a little nervous to try it, because Sister Schubert rolls are so good just as they are.  I was worried that I would ruin a perfectly good pan of them.  But curiosity got the best of me.  This casserole was good.  I didn't taste flavors that made it taste different...just made it taste like a breakfast casserole with those yummy yeasty rolls!

My only problem was I baked in a 9x13 instead of 11x7.  The top of the casserole was a little toasted and I am sure that isn't the case in a smaller pan.

Sausage Roll Casserole

5 eggs

1 c. milk

1-1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

3/4 tsp. salt

1/8 - 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

1 frozen package Sister Schubert sausage rolls

1-1/2 c. shredded cheese

Whisk together first 5 ingredients until blended.  Break apart sausage rolls; cut each roll crosswise into thirds, cutting across sausage.  Layer half of rolls in a lightly greased 11x7 inch baking dish; sprinkle with half of cheese.  Repeat layers once.  Pour egg mixture over rolls and cheese.  Cover and chill 4 to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 325.  Bake casserole 50-55 minutes or until center is set.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  

Cauliflower Au Gratin

Well, hello there!  Something new that I made recently that was SO GOOD and such a good substitute for something like macaroni and cheese for The Dish Washer's low carb diet.  

Cauliflower Au Gratin

• 2-1/2 pounds cauliflower florets
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-1/4 c. milk
• 3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Spread out the florets on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat Place them in the oven to roast for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, stir the florets with a wooden spoon. Return to the oven and roast for about 15 minutes longer till the edges brown/caramelize and the cauliflower is tender.

While the cauliflower roasts, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper. Stir to form a thick paste.  Slowly whisk in the milk, ¼ cup at a time. Heat the milk mixture over medium heat for a few minutes, whisking frequently, till it thickens and begins to bubble around the edges. Do not let the sauce boil. Whisk in the grated cheddar cheese and stir till melted. Reduce heat to lowest setting, stirring frequently, until ready to assemble the gratin.

Place cauliflower in a baking dish.  (I used and 8x8)  Pour the cheese sauce evenly across the top of the cauliflower florets. Place the assembled gratin into the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes till edges begin to brown and the cheese sauce is bubbly.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Popcorn Ball Bars

Don't let the mouthful of a title fool you!  These are easy to make and delicious!  This was the other dessert that I made for the dedication lunch.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Popcorn Ball Bars

2 (16 oz.) pkg. refrigerated cookie dough
3 c. mini marshmallows
1 (3.3 oz.) bag popcorn, popped (about 10 cups) - remove all remaining unpopped kernels
2/3 c. Karo syrup
1/2 stick butter
1 (10 oz.) bag peanut butter chips
1 c. chocolate chips

In a 9x13 baking dish, press cookie dough into bottom of pan.  Bake 10-15 minutes at 350 until puffed and edges are golden brown.  While baking, heat Karo, butter and peanut butter chips over medium-low heat until melted.  Sprinkle marshmallows on top and return to oven for 1-2 minutes until puffed.  Pour melted peanut butter mixture over popcorn and mix well.  Spread on top of marshmallows and push down if necessary.  Melt chocolate chips in microwave and then put in sandwich bag with end snipped.  Pipe on top of popcorn mixture.  Allow to set.  (I gave mine overnight.)  Cut into bars and serve.

Pecan Pie Cake

Yesterday was a special day for our family as we dedicated Baby Pea at our church.  While the worship service is the most important part of the day, feeding our family as a thank you for participating is definitely something that I wanted to do.  I decided to serve soups because it would be easy to keep them warm while away at church.  We had Bacon Cheeseburger Soup, Creamy Chicken Divan Soup and Pork Green Chili.  For dessert I tried some new recipes.  This Pecan Pie Cake was my favorite of the day and there is no picture because it is GONE!  It is very easy to make and will definitely be made again.

Pecan Pie Cake

2 c. sugar
2 sticks butter, softened
1-1/2 c. self-rising flour
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugar; add remaining ingredients, stirring by hand.  Pour into 9x13 baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.  Allow cake to cool.  Crumble cake.  Prepare cake frosting.

1 (16 oz.) container cool whip
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

Cream milk and cream cheese together until smooth.  Fold in whipped cream until combined.  In a large serving bowl/dish, layer 1/2 of cake crumbs.  Spread with 1/2 of frosting.  Repeat layers once more.  Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Tomato & Egg Sandwich

This was my favorite sandwich from the summer.  I know it might seem gross, but it is delicious!  And super simple.  I just boiled a couple of eggs and kept them in the fridge during the week until I was ready for them.

Tomato & Egg Sandwich

bread
mayo
tomato
hard boiled egg
green onion
pepper

Smear mayo on each slice of bread.  Lay tomato and egg slices down.  Top with chopped green onion and pepper to taste.