Slow Cooker Tomato-Lentil Soup

• Lentils are a type of bean that pack a flavorful, nutrient-rich punch. In this easy recipe, they're combined with tomatoes, Italian herbs, and just a few basic vegetables, yet the soup tastes wonderfully complex.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-1/2 cups dried lentils, rinsed
• 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1-1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh marjoram
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped oregano
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

Preparation:

• Put the olive oil, onions, carrots, garlic, salt, pepper, and bay leaf into a 6-quart slow cooker and toss until evenly coated. Add the rinsed lentils, crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, water, marjoram, and oregano. Stir until well combined.



• Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 9–10 hours or high for 4–5 hours, or until the lentils are tender. When the soup is done, remove the bay leaf and add the chopped parsley and basil. Stir and serve.

Carrot Cake Donut Holes

• This was my first attempt at making homemade donuts. I was surprised how easy the process was and how much more flavor homemade donuts really have.

Ingredients:

• Donuts:
• 1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1-1/4 cups finely chopped or shredded carrots
• Oil, for deep frying

• Icing:
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp milk

Preparation:

• To prepare the donut holes, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium-size bowl. Set aside.



• Fit a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until creamy. Add the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the carrots with a spatula.



• Pour 3 quarts of oil into a 5- or 6-quart sauce pot and heat to 375°F. With a small ice cream scoop, spoon a few donuts into the hot oil and fry for 2 to 2-1/2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Make sure to rotate them so they brown evenly. Place the fried donut holes onto a paper towel-lined plate.



• To prepare the icing, cream together the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth and free of any lumps. Slowly add the milk until the mixture is thick but runny enough to coat the donuts. Dip the cooled donut holes into the icing and place them onto a wire cooling rack so the icing can harden.

Broccoli Swiss Quiche with Canadian Bacon

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil spray
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 cup Canadian bacon, chopped
• 1 10-oz package frozen broccoli florets, thawed and well drained on paper towels
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups Bisquick
• 3 cups milk
• 6 large eggs
• 1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1-1/2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray an 8'' square baking dish with the vegetable oil spray.
2. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the Canadian bacon and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the broccoli. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the vegetable-bacon mixture into the prepared baking dish.
3. Whisk together the Bisquick, milk, eggs, parsley, thyme, salt, and cayenne in a large bowl with a spout until thoroughly blended. Pour the batter evenly over the vegetable-bacon mixture. Sprinkle the Swiss cheese evenly over the top.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until puffy and golden brown. Remove from the oven to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Warm Mulled Cranberry Punch

Ingredients:

• 2 (64-oz) bottles cranberry juice
• 1 (12'' x 12'') piece cheesecloth, folded in half twice
• 1 6'' piece butchers twine
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 24 whole allspice berries
• 24 whole cloves
• Zest of 2 oranges, removed with a vegetable peeler
• Zest of 2 lemons, removed with a vegetable peeler
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and scraped
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Orange slices (optional garnish)
• Lemon slices (optional garnish)

Preparation:

1. Pour the cranberry juice into a large stockpot; set aside.
2. Lay the cheesecloth on a flat surface and place the cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, cloves, zest of the oranges and lemons, dried cranberries, and the vanilla bean with its scrapings in the center. Gather the edges of the cheesecloth together and tie with twine. Place the sack in the pot of cranberry juice.
3. Bring the juice to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat enough to maintain a slow simmer. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Keep simmering for 15-30 minutes, depending on the desired level of spice.
4. To add even more spice-flavor, refrigerate the juice (when cool) overnight with the spice sack. Before serving, remove the sack and squeeze out the excess liquid. Warm the punch and pour it into mugs or wine glasses. Garnish each glass with an orange or lemon slice, if desired.

Christmas Chocolate Fondue

1 cup heavy cream
4 cinnamon sticks
8 oz. finely chopped semisweet chocolate

Dippers:

Fresh or dried orange slices
Mini bananas
Fresh or dried pears
Strawberries
Cubed pound-cake cookies
Anything else your heart desires!

Directions:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream and cinnamon sticks to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside to steep for 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon and discard. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer, pour it over the chocolate, and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir the chocolate mixture until it's completely melted and smooth. This will make a thick fondue. For a thinner sauce, simply add more cream. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a fondue pot, and keep warm over a low sterno flame. Serve with your favorite dippers.

Chicken Cheesesteak Egg Rolls

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp canola oil, plus more for frying
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red or green bell pepper, or a combination
• 1 (9-oz) package Steak-umm Chicken Breast Sandwich Steaks
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 6 oz Velveeta, cut into 1/8" cubes
• 8 egg roll wrappers

Directions:

1. Heat 1 teaspoon of the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté until soft, 4–5 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl.
2. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet and raise the heat to medium-high. Add the chicken to the skillet. Season with the salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until brown, 5–7 minutes. Stir, breaking up the chicken into smaller pieces. Transfer the cooked chicken to the bowl of onion and bell pepper. Toss to evenly distribute and then refrigerate until cool. When the ingredients are cool, stir in the Velveeta.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Clip a deep-frying thermometer to the side of a heavy deep pot. Add 2" of canola oil to the pot and slowly heat the oil to 350°F.
4. To assemble the egg rolls, position 1 wrapper on a work surface like a diamond. Place 2-1/2 tablespoons filling close to the corner nearest you and spread it up toward the middle. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges with a little water. Fold the corner closest to you up over the mixture, fold the left and right corners toward the center, and continue to roll. Brush the final corner with water to help seal the egg roll. (The egg rolls can be frozen for up to 1 month before frying.)
5. Using a slotted spoon, lower 4 egg rolls into the hot oil and cook until golden brown, 3–5 minutes, turning them halfway while frying. Transfer the cooked egg rolls to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Fry the remaining egg rolls and serve hot.

Antipasto Pinwheels

Antipasto Pinwheels

• When it's hot outside, we need easy dinner ideas. Enter my Antipasto Pinwheels! It's my take on an Italian specialty and will be perfect for nights when you just can't bear to turn on the oven.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup giardiniera
• 2 pepperoncini peppers, stemmed and seeded
• 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup oil-packed sundried tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp capers
• 4 whole canned artichokes
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp prepared pesto
• 4 sundried tomato or spinach-flavored 10" flour tortillas
• 8 thin slices mortadella
• 12 thin slices Provolone
• 16 thin slices Genoa salami
• 12 thin slices prosciutto
• Sandwich picks

Preparation:

1. Add the giardiniera, pepperoncini, olives, tomatoes, capers, and artichokes to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until all of the ingredients are finely chopped. Reserve.
2. Combine the mayonnaise and pesto in a small bowl. Place the tortillas on a flat work surface.
3. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the pesto mayonnaise on each tortilla. Layer 2 slices of mortadella, 3 slices of Provolone, 4 slices of salami, and 3 slices of prosciutto over the mayonnaise spread, covering most of the surface of the tortilla.
4. Spread about 1/3 cup of the reserved chopped vegetables over the surface of the meat. Roll the filled tortillas and secure with 5–6 sandwich picks along the seam of each, about 1" apart. Slice about 1/2" off of each end of the tortilla and discard. Repeat the process with remaining tortillas.
5. Slice each tortilla between each sandwich pick, creating pinwheels. Serve.