Author: Anglea Harris

Ingredients:
1 rotisserie chicken (pull chicken)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 sleeve buttery round crackers (such as Ritz®), crushed

1 teaspoon poppy seeds, or more if desired

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the butter and crackers in a bowl; set aside.
3. Blend the sour cream, cream of chicken soup in a bowl, chicken, cheese and poppy seeds in a bowl.
4. Pour the soup mixture into a 9×9-inch baking dish and top with the cracker mixture.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork sausage
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup Half and Half
6 slices Texas Toast
8 ounces Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:
1.Crumble sausage into a medium skillet. Cook over medium heat until evenly brown; drain.
2.In a medium bowl, mix together mustard powder, salt, eggs and milk. Add the sausage, bread cubes, and cheese, and stir to coat evenly. Pour into a greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight.
3.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4.Bake for 25 minutes

Ingredients
•1 cup packed dates, pitted (deglet nour or medjool)
•1/4 cup honey (or sub maple syrup or agave for vegan option)
•1/4 cup creamy salted natural peanut butter or almond butter
•1 cup roasted unsalted almonds, loosely chopped
•1 1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten free for GF eaters)
•optional additions: chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, banana chips, vanilla, etc.

Instructions
1.Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a “dough” like consistency. (mine rolled into a ball)
2.Optional step: Toast your oats in a 350 degree oven for 15-ish minutes or until slightly golden brown. Otherwise, leave them raw – I just prefer the toasted flavor.
3.Place oats, almonds and dates in a bowl – set aside.
4.Warm honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.
5.Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8×8 dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily.
6.Press down until uniformly flattened. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let set in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden.
7.Remove bars from pan and chop into 10 even bars. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days.

Ingredients
1 pound fresh cranberries, washed and dried
2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 orange, zested and juiced

Directions
In a medium pot, combine the cranberries, sugar and water. Stir to blend. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and add the cinnamon stick, allspice and nutmeg. Stir to blend and simmer for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Some of the cranberries will burst and some will remain whole. Add the orange juice and zest, stir and allow to cool before serving.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups milk
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for brushing
1/2 cup sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 cups all-purpose flour

Directions
Place milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and sugar and let cool. Dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit until foamy. Combine milk mixture, eggs, yeast, salt, and 1/2 of the flour in a mixer with the dough attachment and mix until smooth. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and stir until a smooth ball forms.

Remove from the bowl and knead by hand on a floured surface for about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 60 to 70 minutes. On a floured surface, punch down the dough and shape into desired shapes. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover again and let rise until doubled, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven 350 degrees F.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter before serving.

Ingredients
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
1 cup grated Monterey Jack
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon House Seasoning, recipe follows
2 to 3 tablespoons pimentos, smashed
1 teaspoon grated onion
Cracked black pepper

Directions
Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Add all of the remaining ingredients and beat until well blended. It can be used as a dip for crudite or as a sandwich filling.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Ingredients
1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
Butter, for pan
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows

Directions
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch thick each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 45 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden.

Praline Topping:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Spread over bread as directed above.

Ingredients
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
3 1/2 sticks (14 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Decorating sugar and Royal Icing, optional

Directions
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.

Put the butter into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until fluffy and light, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the flour and salt mixture to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing on low speed until the dough comes together and is smooth. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Cut the dough into quarters, wrap each piece in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 9- by 13-inch baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it soften slightly. Using a rolling pin dusted with flour, roll out one of the dough quarters (keeping the others refrigerated until you need them) on a lightly floured work surface to 1/4- to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut the cookies into the desired shapes, and then use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to one of the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 1/2 inches apart. Sprinkle the cookies with decorating sugar if desired. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Bake the cookies until they are light brown around the edges and on the bottom, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool briefly on the sheets, and then use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/3 cup fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Easy Tzatziki, recipe follows

Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the lamb, garlic, feta, allspice, parsley, salt and pepper, making sure not to overwork the mixture. Form the lamb mixture into 4 to 6 patties.

Heat a grill pan over moderately-high heat and cook the lamb burgers until a nice crust forms, about 4 minutes. Turn the burgers over and let cook another 4 minutes. Let the burgers rest 10 minutes. Serve topped with Easy Tzatziki on a roll or bun.

Easy Tzatziki:
1 cup Greek whole milk yogurt
1 English cucumber, seeded, finely grated and drained
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and dill. Season with salt and pepper. Chill.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 scallions, sliced
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (skin removed)
1 cup medium-grain white rice
1 plum tomato, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup diced dill havarti cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and about three-quarters of the scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the broccoli, chicken, rice, tomato, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; stir to combine.

Whisk the chicken broth and sour cream in a bowl, pour into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Stir in half each of the havarti and parmesan. Cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil, transfer to the oven and bake until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Turn on the broiler. Uncover the skillet and sprinkle with the remaining havarti and parmesan, then broil until golden, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the reserved scallions.