Recipes for the New Year

Through the Christmas season I have enjoyed looking for recipes that are new to me, and in the process I came across some old favorites, like candied orange peel, that I haven't made in a long time.

It is fun to stick to tradition and prepare familiar family favorite recipes, but I also enjoy adding in new recipes to shake things up a bit.

I hope you can add one or more of these recipes to your collection as we look forward to the start of the new year ahead. Happy New Year!

Honey Pepper Bacon

If you thought bacon couldn't get better, I assure you, it can. The simple addition of peppery sweetness elevates this humble breakfast staple to the next level. Enjoy the bacon on a charcuterie board, breakfast sandwiches, with pancakes, on salads, as a snack or even sprinkled onto desserts.

• 8-10 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons honey

Fresh cracked pepper, to season

On a foil-lined sheet pan, lay bacon into a single layer. Season with fresh cracked black pepper and flip. Drizzle the other side with honey and season with more fresh pepper. Place on the center rack of a cold oven, then preheat to 350 degrees.

Depending on the thickness of your bacon and desired crispiness, cook for 20-35 minutes. I suggest checking the doneness every 10-15 minutes, until it is crisp enough for your liking. Serve warm.

Source: reluctantentertainer.com/honey-pepper-bacon-recipe/?fbclid=IwAR1MMqE30yIR8ovkNWzMd15mLisyvTpdnx69aVdAVfL67C_VIoqqCaauz1w

Breakfast Lasagna

An easy breakfast casserole that's perfect for breakfast or dinner, and filling enough for a family meal or a weekend brunch.

• 14-16 eggs
• Cream
• 12 pieces of frozen French toast
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• Diced ham
• Syrup
• 1 (20 ounce) package of refrigerated shredded hash browns
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Pour in a tablespoon or two of cream and use a whisk to whip them together until frothy and evenly incorporated.

Cook the eggs in a large, non stick skillet over medium heat. Stir them occasionally to prevent sticking and break them up into rough chunks as they're cooked. Remove the cooked eggs from heat and set aside.

Spray a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Place 6 slices of French toast into the bottom of the dish, in two rows of three each. Drizzle syrup lightly over top. Spread half of the cooked eggs evenly out over top, followed by half of the diced ham, and finally 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese.

Repeat the layer once more beginning again with the slices of French toast.

Spread the hash browns out evenly between several layers of paper towels, pressing them to remove any excess moisture. Top the casserole with the hash browns and spread them out evenly over top into a thin layer. Salt and pepper them to taste, before drizzling them with olive oil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Remove the lasagna from the oven and sprinkle the remaining half cup of cheddar evenly out over top. Return the dish to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust nicely crisped.

Let the dish rest for a minute or two before slicing and serving. Drizzle with additional syrup, if desired.

Source: 4sonrus.com/breakfast-lasagna/?fbclid=IwAR0r0L1LjgPf9K2byqOgzW5IGWSgcZpspKt5uvwLB3-ER_PEz3lc9RnU0NM

Crab Puffs

These homemade Crab Puffs are absolutely addicting, filled with an unbelievably delicious creamy crab mixture that's made with lump crab meat, like cream cheese, parmesan cheese, veggies, and so much more.

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 ounces lump crab meat
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chives, diced
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt or coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 sheets puff pastry

Make sure to thaw puff pastry before starting. Carefully unfold the puff pastry sheets as soon as they are thawed. (If puff pastry has to wait for you to make the filling, cover it with a couple of sheets of damp paper towel to keep from drying out.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a mini muffin pan.

Dice onion, bell pepper, and mince garlic. Preheat a small cooking pan over medium heat and saute onion and bell pepper with a little bit of olive oil. When the veggies are completely softened, mix in garlic, and let it cook until fragrant. Transfer cooked veggies into a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients for the filling to the mixing bowl with veggies and use a spatula or a fork to mix everything thoroughly.

Roll out the puff pastry sheets to about 12- x 12-inch size squares. Use a pizza cutter or a knife to cut each puff pastry sheet into 16 squares each.

Fit each square into the cup of the prepared mini muffin pan, forming a little cup out of the pastry square. (You will need to work in batches, so make sure to cover the pastry with damp paper towel in between batches to prevent it from drying out.)

Fill each pastry square with slightly less than 1 1/2 tablespoons of crab mixture. (I use a #40 cookie scoop to get even amount each time and fill it slightly less than full.)

Bake for about 17 minutes, until pastry is golden brown. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling.

Source: willcookforsmiles.com/crab-puffs/?fbclid=IwAR0x5JWtCo3tG3VWv8RzvgD_2gF0Z2L96B1iH7dxAg6SUZuSi5qY1uaMPj0

Orange Cranberry Pinwheels Appetizer

If the tortilla is on the stiffer side, microwave for only a few seconds first to soften up. Then spread the cream cheese and roll as instructed.

• 4 soft flour tortillas, or whole wheat tortillas
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (you can use light cream cheese)
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 orange, juice and zest
• 1 cup dried orange cranberries
• 2 bunches diced green onions, diced

Mix cream cheese and garlic salt together until well blended. Add 1 teaspoon of fresh squeezed orange juice to cream cheese mixture. Spread evenly over each tortilla.

In a small bowl, stir together the cranberries and onions. Sprinkle the mixture over the cream cheese spread. Lightly press cranberry/onion mix into cream cheese.

Roll up tortilla; trim off the ends. Cut each tortilla into about 10 even pieces using a serrated knife. Place on a platter and garnish with fresh orange zest.

Source: reluctantentertainer.com/orange-cranberry-pinwheels-appetizer/?fbclid=IwAR3zynZQqT7Rqdc0E28EXBQboH_yJyXB9ArwW_NdDbaGZxwuL8dyMwchbog

Bacon and Corn Griddle Cakes

This stack of savory pancakes served with warm maple syrup is a delicious breakfast treat.

• 8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
• 1 cup frozen, canned or fresh corn
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• Warm maple syrup, for serving

In a medium skillet, cook the bacon pieces until they begin to brown. Add the onion and continue to cook until the bacon is crisp and the onion is softened. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of the bacon mixture for topping the griddle cakes upon serving- and set it aside.

While the bacon is cooking, combine the flour, chives, baking powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the milk, egg and oil, just until moistened. Stir in the bacon mixture, corn and cheese. The mixture will be thick. If you'd like the griddle cakes to be slightly thinner add a little more milk to thin out the batter.

Heat and grease a griddle or large skillet. Pour a heaping 1/4-cup of the batter onto the griddle and cook until it is golden brown- 3 to 4 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve stacks of griddle cakes topped with a sprinkle of the reserved bacon/onion and a good dose of warm maple syrup.

Source: recipegirl.com/bacon-and-corn-griddle-cakes/?fbclid=IwAR3xm0SBiwyyfOF4Wa5ZkepZnC-ZKqAn3_wOESkLDoP1rxlzoFTwkz2DJEc

Orange Sugar Cookies

Delicious Orange Sugar Cookies are flavored with fresh orange zest and topped with a delicious orange glaze! Cut out into your favorite shapes for a delicious, sweet treat. These cookies are great year round!

For the cookies:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest finely chopped

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh orange zest

Make the cookies:

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This should take about 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract, almond extract and orange zest and beat another minute or so.

Add the flour mixture slowly. (Be careful not to add too much at a time or you will have a snowstorm of flour.) Blend until all of the flour is incorporated and the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Take the dough out of the bowl and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Using your hands, knead the dough a few times.

Place the dough in a large plastic (Ziploc type) bag and refrigerate for about 2 hours. If you want to speed up the chilling process, place the bag of dough in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes. Just don't forget it in the freezer, or it will become too firm to work with (and then you'll have to wait for it to thaw).

When it's almost time to remove the dough from the refrigerator (or freezer), preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Cut out desired shapes, and place on a baking sheet. Place the entire baking sheet of cookies in the freezer for about 5 minutes (this helps prevent the cookies from losing their shape when baking).

Once chilled, bake cookies at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies. Allow cookies to cool, and prepare orange glaze.

Make the glaze: In a medium sized bowl, melt butter in microwave (less than 30 seconds). Add all other glaze ingredients, and stir well with a whisk. If the glaze is too thick, add a tiny bit more orange juice, if the glaze is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.

Drizzle glaze over cookies, as desired. You can put the glaze into a small Ziploc-type baggie, snip off the end, and use that to drizzle on the glaze. Top with very finely grated orange zest if desired.

Source: glorioustreats.com/orange-zest-sugar-cookies/?fbclid=IwAR2Np5XzpkDaZlJRlhMYrdnQOvdJ9L0Csjb90ldAff2FD5T0KiTzyow0Wv4

Five Cheese Garlic Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash filled with 5 kinds of cheese, cream, spinach and plenty of garlic! What possibly is there not to love about this dish?

• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Fontina cheese, shredded
• 1 cup provolone cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan cheese), grated
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
• 4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 medium spaghetti squash, halved and seeds removed

Mix the mozzarella, Fontina, and provolone and divide in half.

Mix half of the shredded cheese mixture with the parmesan, ricotta, cream, spinach, garlic, and thyme before seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the cheese and spinach mixture between the spaghetti squash, placing it in the hollowed out centers where the seeds used to be, before sprinkling on the remaining mixture of the shredded cheeses.

Roast in a preheated 400 degree oven until the spaghetti squash is tender, the cheese has melted and is bubbling, about 30-40 minutes.

Either serve as-is in the shells, or shred the spaghetti squash into 'noodles', mixing it in with all of the melted cheese and serve in the shells or in a bowl.

Option: Use your favorite cheeses. Omit the spinach. Add chopped artichoke hearts. Add cooked and crumbled bacon. Add thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes. Add some spicy heat with red pepper flakes, or Sriracha, or other chili sauce or hot sauce.

Source: closetcooking.com/five-cheese-garlic-spaghetti-squash/?fbclid=IwAR24myyFUsatlUhK8ncOmtt9XVrbAJUi-MJO3VmHPAK30sJyj9c_GBuW8D0

Candied Orange Peel

A great way to use fresh winter oranges. The finished candied peel is sweet, both crisp and chewy, with a slight bitter undertone.

• 3 large oranges peel only
• 3 cups water
• 3 cups sugar
• 2-3 cups sugar additional, for coating

Cut off the ends of an orange, then cut into the peel, creating 6-7 sections, while making sure not to cut too far into the orange itself.

Pull off the sections of peel, then press flat onto a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut very thin (about 1/8-inch thick) slices of peel. If desired, before cutting into small strips, you may want to trim off some of the white pith from the underside of the peel.

In a large pot, heat the water and sugar and stir gently until the sugar dissolves. Add the strips of peel and cook over medium to medium-low heat (keeping a slow simmer) until the peel becomes translucent, this will take 45-60 minutes.

When the peel is quite flexible (limp) and translucent, drain the peel from the cooking liquid. If desired, use the sugar syrup to sweeten iced tea.

Prepare a large dish (such as a 9- x 13-inch casserole dish) by adding about a cup of sugar to the dish. Add the drained orange peel, then layer with an additional cup or more of sugar until the peel is full covered. Allow the peel to sit, covered in sugar for 15 minutes or so.

Remove orange peel from sugar and lay on a large cooling rack (with a baking sheet under to avoid a big mess). Feel free to save the sugar remaining in the dish, I added mine right back into my sugar canister (any remaining essence of orange would only enhance most recipes). Spread out the peel as much as possible so there is good air flow. Allow peel to sit out (at room temperature) for 48 hours. A couple times during the drying time, mix the peel around a bit, so that each piece is being exposed to air.

Once fully dry, the orange peel will be nice and crisp and can be stored in an airtight container of your choice and stored at room temperature. The dried, candied peel will last many months.

Source: glorioustreats.com/candied-orange-peel/

Sausage and Shrimp Kabobs

These Sausage and Shrimp Kabobs are packed with flavor and super easy. They are the perfect way to make dinner on the grill when you are busy yet these skewers are fancy enough to serve at your next dinner.

• 12 ounces smoked sausage rope
• 12 ounces shrimp jumbo, tail-on, peeled and deveined
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons barbecue seasoning

Preheat grill to 350 degrees. Make sure grill grates are clean.

Cut sausage into about 1-inch slices, the same thickness as the shrimp.

Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Place shrimp in bowl. Add sausage, olive oil and barbecue seasoning, toss to combine.

Tuck the sausage slices in the "C" curve of the shrimp and then thread them onto skewers.

Grill over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, flip and grill until shrimp are opaque and cooked through. Serve immediately.

Notes: If you are using wooden skewers remember to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes to prevent them from catching on fire when you grill.

Source: gimmesomegrilling.com/sausage-grilled-shrimp-kabobs/?fbclid=IwAR2bS_0dBiS6lIqbEjZwFSyWP7bWKu_8H4yt1benl0pdpFA2SPOfnzqVgkw

Cranberry Pecan Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

This cranberry pecan bread pudding is delicious and simple to prepare. It's a perfect dessert for the holiday season.

• 6 cups of bread, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup of hot water
• 1/4 cup of melted butter
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/2 cup of whipping cream
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of maple syrup
• 1/2 cup of chopped pecans
• 1 cup of fresh cranberries

Mix bread and hot water in one bowl. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over bread. Mix together very gently. Place mixture in a 2-quart baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until done.

Note: Serve with our homemade vanilla sauce or dust with powdered sugar.

Source: thesouthernladycooks.com/cranberry-pecan-bread-pudding/

Homemade Vanilla Sauce

This homemade vanilla sauce is wonderful over ice cream, bread pudding, breads, and much more.

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup whipping cream
• Pinch cinnamon or nutmeg, optional

Whisk together sugar, flour, egg, butter and whipping cream. Bring to a low boil in a saucepan on top of the stove. Cook on low about 5 minutes until sauce thickens to the consistency you like. Remove and stir in vanilla extract. Sprinkle on nutmeg or cinnamon to taste. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Source: thesouthernladycooks.com/vanilla-sauce-homemade/

Cheddar Bay Biscuit Sausage Balls

Sausage balls are a standard, savory appetizer perfect for so many different occasions. Giving them a little lift using cheddar bay biscuit mix takes them over the top, and will make them the quick and easy star of any party or gathering they're served at.

• 1 box Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuit mix
• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1 (8 ounce) block sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 (8 ounce) block pepper jack cheese, shredded

Add the biscuit mix and sausage to a large mixing bowl. Mix them together until evenly incorporated. Add the cheese to the mixture, and mix again until all the cheese is also evenly incorporated.

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the sausage mixture into roughly 1 1/2- inch balls.

Place the balls on the parchment, roughly spacing them out about 1/2- inch apart from each other. Repeat until all the mixture's been rolled into balls and added to the prepared baking sheets.

Bake the sausage balls at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Cover a clean surface with a double layer of paper towels. Transfer the cooked, still hot sausage balls from the baking sheets to the paper towels to drain off/soak up any excess grease.

Serve when still warm, but cool to the touch.

Source: 4sonrus.com/cheddar-bay-biscuit-sausage-balls/?fbclid=IwAR0x5JWtCo3tG3VWv8RzvgD_2gF0Z2L96B1iH7dxAg6SUZuSi5qY1uaMPj0

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.