Homemade Bread
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Servings: 6
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Meal Tags: Appetizer
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Dietary Tags: Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Pescatarian, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp yeast, active dry yeast or instant
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Preparation
In a measuring cup, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate. If you’re using instant yeast, you can stir it directly into the flour without activating it.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt together. Add the yeast mixture to flour and mix just until combined. The dough will be sticky and straggly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm spot in your home. Allow the dough to rise for at least 12 hours; overnight is ideal.
Lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper and transfer the risen dough into the center. Gently fold the dough into itself 3 or 4 times and then flip it over, seam-side down to create a ball. Use the edges of the parchment paper to lift the dough into a clean bowl. Cover it with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise for an additional 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place an empty Dutch oven into the oven and allow it to heat for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove Dutch oven from the oven. Use the edges of the parchment paper to carefully transfer the dough into the Dutch oven, cover it with the lid, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid from the Dutch oven and bake for an additional 12 minutes.
Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and allow the bread to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing it. Enjoy.
Spanakopita
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Servings: 8
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Meal Tags: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch
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Dietary Tags: Nut-free, Pescatarian, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 lb baby spinach
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
- 2 large eggs, divided
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 package phyllo pastry sheets
- 1/2 cup butter
Preparation
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook just until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the spinach into a clean kitchen towel over a bowl. Allow the spinach to cool for 5 minutes before handling it. Once the spinach has cooled, use the kitchen towel to squeeze out the excess liquid. Roughly chop the spinach and set it aside. If using frozen spinach, simply let it thaw and then squeeze out the excess water with a kitchen towel.
In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the green onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, for another minute, just until it’s heated through. Stir in the dill and remove the skillet from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool for at least 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk 1 egg. Stir in the spinach mixture and feta cheese until everything is well combined. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
To assemble the spanakopita triangles, cut the phyllo pastry into 2” strips. Arrange two strips on a board and brush them with melted butter. Place one strip of phyllo on top of the other.
Spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons of filling into one corner of the phyllo. Fold one edge of the phyllo over on a diagonal so it creates a right angle triangle. Fold the triangle over and continue folding until the triangle is completely sealed on all sides and you’ve reached the end of your phyllo.
Arrange the triangles on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Using a pastry brush, brush each triangle with egg wash – 1 beaten egg.
Bake until the triangles are crisp and golden on top, 18 to 20 minutes.
Enjoy immediately or store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the oven.
Crispy Ravioli Bites
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Servings: 4
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Meal Tags: Appetizer, Dinner
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Dietary Tags: Nut-free, Pescatarian, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 package fresh cheese and spinach ravioli
- 1/4 cup Italian dressing
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce, warm
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large pot of boiling water, cook the ravioli according to package directions. Drain the pasta and transfer it into a large bowl. Toss the pasta with the Italian dressing. Set the ravioli aside and allow it to cool slightly before handling.
While the pasta is cooling, in a medium bowl, whisk together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning.
Once cool enough to handle, arrange the pasta on the baking sheet. Top each ravioli with some of the breadcrumb mixture. Bake the pasta until the breadcrumbs are golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Serve immediately with the marinara sauce.
Parmesan Thyme Shortbread
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Servings: 18
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Meal Tags: Appetizer, Make-ahead
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Preparation
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set them aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and salt. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add half of the dry ingredients into the butter and combine. Mix in the remaining flour mixture. Fold in the Parmesan cheese and thyme leaves.
Scoop the dough onto the baking sheet. Flatten the cookies slightly into discs. Refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking.
When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Bake the cookies until the bottoms begin to brown, about 12 to 14 minutes.
Allow the cookies to cool slightly before serving.
Festive Pretzel Treats
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Servings: 12
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Meal Tags: Appetizer, Holiday, Make-ahead
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Dietary Tags: Pescatarian, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 48 waffle pretzels
- 48 Hershey’s Hug chocolates
- 48 M&Ms
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Arrange the pretzels on the baking sheet. Top each pretzel with a Hershey’s Hug. Bake the pretzels until the chocolate has softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove them from the oven and top each pretzel with an M&M. Place the tray in the refrigerator until the chocolate has hardened, about 10 minutes.
Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Peppermint Pretzel Treats
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Servings: 12
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Meal Tags: Appetizer, Holiday, Make-ahead
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Dietary Tags: Pescatarian, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 48 waffle pretzels
- 1 cup white chocolate
- 1/4 cup candy cane dust
Preparation
Arrange the pretzels on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. One melted, dip half of each pretzel into the chocolate. Place the dipped pretzels back onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle the pretzels with the candy cane dust.
Allow the chocolate to harden before serving or store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Cheesy Pull-Apart Tree
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Servings: 12
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Meal Tags: Appetizer, Holiday
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Dietary Tags: Egg-free, Nut-free, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 ball store-bought pizza dough
- 6 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the pizza dough ball in half. Roll each half of the dough into a log. Cut the pizza dough into 1-inch pieces. Working one piece at a time, flatten the dough out into a disc. Place a piece of mozzarella into the center of the dough. Fold the sides of the pizza dough to cover the cheese. Roll the dough into a small ball. Repeat until all of the dough pieces have been filled with the cheese. Arrange the dough balls on the baking sheet in the shape of a pine tree. Shape the final dough ball into the shape of a star using your hands or a cookie cutter. Place the star at the top of the tree.
Bake until it is golden, about 10 to 12 minutes.
While the tree is baking, in a small bowl, combine the butter, Parmesan cheese, parsley, basil, and garlic powder.
Serve the tree immediately brushed with the melted butter.
Olive Tree
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Servings: 12
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Meal Tags: Appetizer, Holiday
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Dietary Tags: Nut-free, Pescatarian, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 styrofoam cone wrapped in aluminum foil
- 50 toothpicks
- 2 cups assorted olives
- 12 sprigs rosemary, cut into smaller sprigs
- 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Salt to taste
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Starting at the base of the cone, press a toothpick into the styrofoam so that it is secure. Place an olive onto the toothpick. Repeat this until the entire cone is covered. Once all of the olives have been arranged on the cone, fill in any gaps with the rosemary sprigs.
Using a star cookie cutter, cut the puff pastry sheet into stars. Transfer the stars onto the baking sheet. Brush them with the egg wash. Season the puff pastry with the garlic powder and salt.
Bake the stars until they are golden, about 4 to 6 minutes. Once the stars have cooled, insert a toothpick in the top of the tree. Place one puff pastry star onto the toothpick.
Serve the olive tree immediately with the puff pastry stars.