Pear Budt Cake - Pick the Ingredient

1 can 15 oz pears

1 box white cake mix

2 egg whites

1 egg

Drain pears and reserve syrup. Chop pears. Put in bowl and add cake mix, eggs. Beat low 30 seconds and high for 4 minutes. Grease and flour bundt pan and add batter. Bake 350 for 50-55 minutes. Can dust with confectioners sugar or glaze if desired.

Orange Pistachio Cookies - Pick the Ingredient

Prep: 20 min + chilling.      Bake: 10 min/batch. Makes:  About 4 1/2 dozen

3/4 cup butter, softened                 

1 cup sugar              

1 large egg

1 tablespoon grated orange peel                                       

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour                  

1/4 cup cornstarch     

1/2 cup pistachios, roasted and finely chopped   

For the icing...

2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar                

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Additional pistachios, roasted and finely chopped, optional

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg,orange peel and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour and cornstarch; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Roughly shape each portion into a 7-inch roll along the long end of a 14x8-inch sheet of waxed paper. Tightly roll waxed paper over dough, using the waxed paper to mold the dough into a smooth roll.  Securely wrap waxed paper-covered roll in plastic wrap; freeze 30 minutes or until firm, or refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 350*. Place the pistachios in a shallow bowl. Unwrap and roll each roll of dough in pistachios. Cut dough crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Place slices 1/2 inch apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until bottoms are light brown.  Cool slightly on pan. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, orange juice and butter until smooth.  Spread over cookies. Sprinkle with pistachios if desired. Let stand until set.

To toast nuts, bake in a shallow pan in a 350* oven for 5-10 minutes or cook in a skillet over low heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

Eggnog Bread Pudding - Pick the Ingredient

Serve it warm from the oven with a big glass of eggnog. Each bite practically melts in your mouth.

6 cups White Bread, cut into 1 inch cubes

Cooking spray

4 cups eggnog

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 egg

2 egg whites

Icing sugar & raspberries, for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Set aside. In a large bowl, stir together eggnog, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, egg and egg whites. Add in bread cubes. Stir to combine. Leave mixture sit for 10 minutes. Pour mixture into springform pan. Bake 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes and release the sides of the springform pan. Top with icing sugar and raspberries, if desired.

Easy Baked French Style Cauliflower - Pick the Ingredient

Prep Time:  5 min.     Cook Time: 40 min.           Total Time: 45 min.

Serves: 6 portions.           Calories: 197   

4 garlic cloves, peeled.                      

1 teaspoon "Herbs De Provence"

1 teaspoon sea salt.                          

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large cauliflower

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a small food processor mix the garlic, herbs, salt, and oil, until a smooth cream is formed. Clean the cauliflower from the bottom leaves, and hard core. Slice the cauliflower into inch thick pieces. Place the cauliflower slices and pieces (It will crumble and break a bit, on a large cookie sheet.

Brush with the garlic and oil cream, using a pastry brush or fork. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the bottom part is brown, then flip the pieces and bake for another 15 minutes, until the other side is also browned. Serve warm as a side-dish to meats or chicken.

Spinach Artichoke Flatbread - Simply the Holidays

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. finely chopped artichoke hearts
1/2 c. finely chopped spinach
2 c. shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Crescent dough sheet
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon chopped parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line medium baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, artichoke, spinach, cheeses, garlic and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper; fold until smooth. 

Remove crescent dough from can and lie flat on baking sheet. Spread cream cheese mixture on dough, leading a 1/2 inch crust. Brush crust with egg wash and bake until crust is golden and cheese is melted and bubbly; about 30 minutes. Garnish with more Parmesan and parsley. Slice and serve.

Savory Sausage Rice - Simply the Holidays

2 lbs. Bulk pork sausage

2 ½ cup coarsely chopped celery

1 cup finely chopped green pepper

¾ cup chopped onion

2 (2 ⅛ ounce) packages chicken noodle soup mix

4 ½ cup boiling water

1 cup regular rice

1 cup blanched slivered almonds

¼ cup melted butter

Lightly brown sausage in Dutch oven; pour off excess fat. Add celery, green pepper and onion; saute until tender.

Combine soup mix and boiling water in 3 quart saucepan. Stir in rice. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Add rice mixture to sausage; stir well. Pour into greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with almonds and drizzle with butter. Bake in 375 degree oven 20 minutes or until hot. Makes 10 servings.

Pear-Butterscotch Crisp - Simply the Holidays

1 1 lb-13 ounce can pear halves, drained

½ cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange pear halves, cut sides down, in greased pie plate. Mix sugar, flour, salt and cinnamon. With fork or pastry blender, work in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle thickly over and around pears. Bake 15-20 minutes or util crumbs are golden brown. Serve warm, with cream, ice cream, or chilled custard sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Beet Soufle - Simply the Holidays

2 beets with greens

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

3 eggs separated

Fresh mozzarella cheese

Cook beets and lay on top of Parmesan cheese. Beat egg whites until almost stiff.
Blend in yokes. Blend in cut beet greens and mozzarella cheese with eggs and pour
mixture over beets and Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 for about 15-minutes.