Christmas Calendar Recipes

Every year I make a calendar for my family.  I put birthdays and anniversaries for everyone in the family.  I also include a favorite recipe for each month.  Usually it's something we enjoyed during that season the year before.  I always add a little note about the recipe.  That is my gift to my family each year.  

My sister once made each recipe and posted pictures of it on her blog.  My brother once made the recipe of the month (whatever it was) for the missionaries when they came to dinner. This year I thought I'd post the recipes on my blog for all our friends to see too.   I hope you enjoy it! 

(To my family.  I haven't sent the calendars out yet.  They should come by January.)

January 

This is one of those recipes I found when we were having missionaries for dinner and I completely forgot.  Three hungry young men coming and all I could find was some leftover steak from the night before.  I love it when you find the perfect recipe to save the day.

Hearty Beef ‘n Noodles

1-1/2 pounds beef top sirloin steak, cut into 1/2-inch strips

3 Tablespoons olive oil (divided)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 Tablespoons flour

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 cup milk

1 1/3 cup beef broth

5 cups uncooked egg noodles

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.   Brown beef in oil on all sides; remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute onion until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

Add remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil to pan.  Stir in flour and heat until bubbly. Return beef to the pan; stir in the soup, milk and, beef broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until meat is tender, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions. Add the sour cream, paprika and pepper to skillet; heat through. Drain noodles. Serve with beef. Yield: 6 servings.

February 

After our baby was born I went looking for some freezer meals to make.  This is a winner.  I made it several times for my family and to take to people in the ward. Everyone loves it.

Baked Chicken Alfredo

(A Freezer Meal)

1 box (16 oz.) penne riggati

1 recipe Guiltless Alfredo Sauce (see March)

2 C chicken breasts, grilled and chopped

1 C shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Prepare pasta according to package directions.  While pasta is cooking, prepare Guiltless Alfredo sauce. When pasta is done, drain and add to the sauce. Toss with chopped chicken and 1/3 c. mozzarella. Season to taste.  Transfer mixture to 2- 8×8″ baking dishes.

To Bake:  Sprinkle each with 1/3 c. mozzarella cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

To Freeze: Cover each pan with plastic wrap.  Place 1/3 C each mozzarella cheese in a baggie, place on top.  Cover each pan with foil.  Freeze for up to three months.

To Bake Frozen: Remove foil and plastic from pan and set cheese baggie aside.  Place foil back on pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours at 350.  Remove foil, stir pasta, and top with cheese.  Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbly throughout.

March 

This is an “Our Best Bites” recipe.  There is a reason they are hitting the best sellers list.  This is the first recipe of theirs I tried.  It’s a keeper!

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce
2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese
Place milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.  In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don’t want to burn it.
 Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it’s nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.



April

You save a ton of money making yogurt this way.  It’s pretty easy too.  It takes a little organization, but so worth it!

Crock Pot Yogurt

1/2 gallon milk*

1 cup plain yogurt with active cultures

* 1/2 cup powdered milk if using 2% or lower milk or ultra-pasteurized milk

Pour milk into crockpot.

Cover, turn on high and let the milk heat until almost boiling.  The actual temp is 180F, but I don't use the thermometer.  Mine takes about 2 hours.

Turn the crockpot off. Take the lid of and let cool back down to 115F or where you can stick your finger in and leave it for 10 seconds.   Stir it around every once in a while as it's cooling (about 3 hours).

Stir in 1 cup of plain yogurt from the store.  If you're using powdered milk or flavoring, stir in now.  Put lid back on, wrap entire crockpot with a beach or bath towel and set away for 8-12 hours (or overnight).   You can stick it in the oven--keeps it away from drafts and it will retain some more of the heat longer.

Stir it up and put in your containers. Remember to freeze some of this in 1 cup portions (of this first batch that has been cultured from store bought yogurt) for your next batch!

Vanilla Yogurt

Add 1/3 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract with the plain yogurt and powdered milk.

Thicker Yogurt

Refrigerate yogurt for several hours and it will set up thick and creamy.

 

 

May

This is a great recipe.  I love that you can put in frozen chicken and have dinner in four hours.  I use this for company, taking meals to people and quick dinners.  We use it to make taco salad, nachos and chicken quesadillas too.  We usually make the chicken really mild and then spice up individual servings with taco sauce.  If you have a bigger crock pot you can easily double or even triple this recipe.  It freezes well too.

Chicken Soft Tacos

1-11/2 lbs frozen boneless, skinless chicken

12 ½ oz. can diced tomatoes

1 envelope taco seasoning

Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker (5 or 6 quart).  Mix tomatoes and taco seasoning.  Pour over chicken.  Cover.  Cook on low 6-8 hours (high 3-4).  Shred chicken and return to slow cooker for 15 more minutes or until heated through.  Serve in soft tortillas.  Top with salsa, shredded cheddar cheese, guacamole, and fresh diced tomatoes, or whatever you like.

June

In the summer it can sometimes be challenge to want to heat up the kitchen and bake a cake.  I heard about microwave cakes a few years ago, but this is the first recipe I’ve seen that didn’t require some sort of specialized “something.”  I got it from my Aunt Luetta.  She got it from my cousin in Arizona and likes it because they can celebrate with homemade cake without have lots of leftovers.

3-2-1 Cake

1 angel food cake mix
1 cake mix of your choice
2 tablespoons of water

Mix the two mixs together. To make a single serving cake put 3 tablespoons of the powder mix and 2 tablespoons of water in a coffee mug. Mix well. Cook 1 minute in the microwave.

It makes a delicious single serving cake that easily comes out of the mug. I served it with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

JULY

Blueberries always come on sale the first week of July.  They often put the strawberries on sale then too.  I found this super easy way to store up the savings.  I blend the berries up in a little food processor.  My kids love this stuff.  They asked me to make banana jam too. . . maybe next year.  J

4^th of July Freezer Jam

5 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit™ Instant Pectin
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 cups crushed blueberries (about 2 4.4-oz container)
2cups crushed strawberries (about 1 1-lb container)
Zest of 1 small lemon
5 Plastic Ball® (8 oz) Freezer Jars

1.) STIR sugar and instant pectin in a bowl until well blended.
2.) ADD blueberries, strawberries and lemon zest. Stir 3 minutes.
3.) LADLE jam into clean jars to fill line. Twist on lids. Let stand until thickened, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately, refrigerate up to three weeks or freeze up to one year.

August

We eat a lot of cold cereal for breakfast.  I can usually still find it for a good price or find a good coupon.  Still I think it would actually be more healthy and cheaper to make my own.  So I found this recipe.

Slow Cooker Granola

This was designed for a 3 1/2 quart slow cooker. If you have a larger one, you can double the recipe.

• 2 1/2 C oats
• 1/2 C nuts, chopped
• 1/2 C dried fruit
• 1/4 C sweetener (honey, maple syrup, etc.)
• 1/4 C seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, etc.)
• 2 T butter (or nut butter)
• 1 t cinnamon

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and set to high for 3 hours. Place a chopstick or other utensil under the lid so it doesn’t close all the way. Check and stir the granola around every 30 minutes, or when it becomes fragrant. Once it looks a bit browned and toasted, it’s ready to go. Turn off slow cooker, let granola cool, then store in airtight bag in fridge.

September

Last year we were moving around this time.  I was trying my best to empty the pantry.  I had all of the canned ingredients for this salad, so a got some feta and presto.  I had some quick, healthy mommy food to get me through the move.

Kate’s All-Time Favorite Quick and Easy Lunch Salad

Recipe by Our Best Bites

 1 1/2 c. green leafy lettuce, chopped (like Romaine or Red Leaf)
1 1/2 c. baby spinach
1/4 c. chopped roasted red peppers
2 Tbsp. finely chopped red onions
2-3 Tbsp. chopped black or Kalamata olives
1/4 c. marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1/4 c. feta cheese, any flavor (I used Athenos lemon, garlic, and oregano)
1/2 c. chopped, grilled chicken
2 Tbsp. Italian salad dressing
Optional: 3-4 Tbsp. garbanzo beans

In a container with a lid, combine all the ingredients. Place the lid on the container and shake until the dressing and other ingredients are evenly distributed. Serve immediately. Makes 1 large meal-sized salad or 2 smaller salads.

 

October

I based this on a recipe from Our Best Bites too.  I made it freezable, which is nice because here’s another recipe that makes two dinners -one for now and one for later (or the neighbor.)  To make it even easier sub 1 T dehydrated onion for the fresh onion and butter.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 unbaked pie crusts

2 Cups cooked, chicken, chopped

1 12-16 oz. bag of peas and carrots or mixed vegetables, thawed

1 onion, minced

1 T butter

2 ½ C frozen hashbrowns

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 tsp. salt

Ground black pepper to taste

Heat butter in a medium skillet. When the butter is bubbly, saute the onion until it’s translucent and fragrant. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine cream of chicken soup, chicken, vegetables, onion, and potatoes. Season to taste.  Fill the dishes with the chicken mixture and then top with a piece of pie crust slightly larger than the opening of the dish. Crimp the edges and cut some vent holes.  Place pie plate/individual pies on a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.

If frozen, thaw pie overnight and then bake as directed.  Or bake from frozen and increase baking time to 1hr to 1 hr 15 minutes.

NOVEMBER

This soufflé is so rich, it could be dessert. I also used the topping to kick up whipped sweet potatoes.  I just added 3 T honey and 1 t salt.  It was good too.

Sweet Potato Soufflé

Souffle:

3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes, from about 2 to 3 small baked potatoes

1 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, about 1 stick, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:

1 cup packed light brown sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, about 1/2 stick, cubed, at room temperature

1/2 cup self-rising cake flour (I used pancake mix)

1 cup chopped pecans

Souffle: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, milk, butter, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Topping: Combine the brown sugar, butter, flour, and pecans in a separate bowl. Crumble the topping over the sweet potato mixture.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the topping is golden brown. Serve hot.

December

I got the basic recipe for this from a friend.  I decided to make a mint version.  It reminded me of Mindy Mint from Cavanaugh’s Chocolates in Bountiful. Yum!  Maybe I’ll make it again for Easter and cut it into egg shapes. 

Minty Fudge

2 cups Andes Mint chips

1 Cup semi sweet chips

1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. Vanilla

a dash of salt

Line a 8x8pan with foil or parchment paper.  Preheat a double boiler or two sauce pans--one that can fit inside the other over medium heat until hot.

Add the mint and chocolate chips.  Melt completely, stirring constantly (about 5- 10 minutes). Once the chocolate is melted, pour in the entire can of condensed milk. Stir. The fudge will start to set up immediately. Quickly pour in the vanilla, dash of salt, stirring until all ingredients are gently mixed. The mixture should be fairly thick at this point. Take pan with chocolate mixture away from heat. Now get your lined pan and a rubber spatula. Scrape chocolate into your lined pan, spread out, and allow to set. Will be soft set, but tastes best after at least 2 hours. Cut into small squares and enjoy. Yields two pounds of fudge or about 36, 1"-ish squares.