holidays

Creamed Sweet Pea Casserole

November 11, 2015 by Tiffany King 3 Comments

You know how Thanksgiving is more about the sides than the turkey? Well, this is one dish you are going to want as part of the feast.

Creamed Sweet Pea Casserole is similar to green bean casserole, only it has a creamy, homemade sauce. And it’s chock full of sweet peas. Specifically, Libby’s Sweet Peas. (Don’t miss the Cansgiving Sweepstakes below!)

I love simple, frugal recipes like this one. It rings in at about .60 cents per serving. It’s easy to put together and there’s a good chance you have all the ingredients in your pantry.

Here’s what you’ll need to make Creamed Sweet Pea Casserole:

The steps are as easy as making white sauce with chicken broth as the base. Sour cream gets stirred into the sauce, making it extra creamy.

Fold the sweet peas into the sauce.

All of this deliciousness gets poured into a greased casserole dish. Finally, sprinkle french fried onions on top. They give great flavor to the peas and crunch to every bite.

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5 from 1 vote

Creamed Sweet Pea Casserole

Servings: servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 Tbs. butter
1 1/2 Tbs. flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1/8 tsp. onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans Libby's Sweet Peas drained
2.8 oz french fried onions

Instructions

In a large skillet, melt the butter.
Stir in the flour to form a paste and cook for 1 minute.
Whisk in the chicken broth, cooking over medium heat until the sauce comes to a boil and begins to thicken.
Remove from heat and stir in sour cream, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Fold in the peas.
Pour into greased casserole dish.
Top with french fried onions.
Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, till hot and bubbly.

Cansgiving Sweepstakes

Libby’s is giving away 10 $350 electronic gift cards! You can have a chance to win by posting a photo of what you are thankful for on Twitter, Instagram or Libby’s Facebook page using the hashtag #Cansgiving. Find more information and all the details by going here.

Disclosure: Libby’s has supplied me with product and compensated me for my time, however all opinions are my own.

Easy Cranberry Strudel

November 21, 2013 by Tiffany King 3 Comments

Strudel is a beautiful dessert to serve to company. And this one happens to be easy enough for a weeknight treat too.

It’s an adaptation of an old recipe I have for Cranberry Braid Bread. For that recipe, you make the yeast dough by hand. It’s fun and not too hard, but it is time consuming.

This version makes use of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry. No hand making dough required. Puff pastry is fantastic, because it bakes up to impressive flaky layers.

This strudel is filled with sweet-tart cranberry filling. Start with a bag of fresh cranberries, some sugar and orange juice. It cooks up easily. I drizzled orange glaze over the top for an extra dose of sweetness.

Cranberry Strudel makes a great alternative to pie for Christmas or Thanksgiving. It would also round out a brunch nicely.

Here’s what you’ll need:

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Easy Cranberry Strudel

Ingredients

12 oz package fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1/3 cup orange juice
1 package Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry
1 egg beaten
1 Tbs. water
1 cup powdered sugar
3-4 Tbs. orange juice

Instructions

Rinse cranberries.
Combine sugar and cornstarch in 3 quart saucepan.
Stir in orange juice and cranberries.
Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly for 10-15 minutes. Cranberries will crush and thicken.
Remove from heat, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Place thawed puff pastry on parchment lined baking pans.
Spread half of cranberry filling down center section of each pastry sheet.
Cut 1″ slits in the side sections of pastry sheets.
Fold over filling, alternating the sides to create a braid.
Stir water and beaten egg together and brush tops of pastries.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool.
Stir orange juice and powdered sugar together to make glaze and drizzle over top of pastries.

Here’s a photo of the assembly process:

It’s quick and easy to make a pretty braid with puff pastry.

I’m always looking for ways to spark new creative ideas with my recipes. I hope you enjoy this recipe and don’t forget to check out more recipes at www.puffpastry.com.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry. The opinions and text are all mine.

Easy Almond Pastries

March 19, 2013 by KateS Leave a Comment

These pastries really couldn’t be easier. With just a few ingredients you have a fun and delicious brunch dish. What makes them so fun? Cookie cutters and food coloring.

I like to use cookie cutters to cut my pastry into seasonally appropriate shapes and then tint the icing on them to make them especially festive. With Easter coming up, I couldn’t resist making some Easter egg pastries.

Decorating the pastries would be a great kitchen project for kids. I usually put my icing in zippered sandwich bags and snip off the tips for decorating purposes, but you could also put the icing in little bowls and brush it on with a pastry brush or new paintbrush.

If you didn’t want to make them season-specific, you could make them as squares or triangles with a drizzle of white icing – they’re just as good!

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Easy Almond Pastries

Ingredients

1 box of frozen puff pastry thawed
1 can of almond pastry filling
1 egg lightly beaten
2 c. powdered sugar
3 T. milk
Food coloring if desired

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.
Using a cookie cutter (or a sharp knife) cut out an even number of puff pastry pieces.
Generously spread the almond pastry filling on half of the cut-out shapes, and then use the remaining shapes to top them off. Using a fork, press together the edges of the pastry to seal in the almond filling.
Transfer the pastries to a lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with the beaten egg.
Bake for 20 minutes, until the pastries are golden brown. Set them aside to cool.
Meanwhile, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk. Add more sugar or milk to reach desired consistancy. Stir in food coloring as desired.
Drizzle the icing over the cooled pastries to decorate. Alternatively, you can brush the icing on using a pastry brush or new paint brush.

5 Tips for Holiday Entertaining

December 12, 2012 by Tiffany King 6 Comments

The holidays mean getting together with friends and family. And that often means that you’re the host of the gathering. Here are my top 5 tips for Holiday Hosting:

1. Keep it simple.

I’m not a perfectionist. I’m not fancy. But I don’t let my lack of themed decorations and perfect place settings get in the way of having friends and family over. I just keep it simple and relaxed. And I’ve found that most people really enjoy a time to kick back and laugh together, without worrying about anything more.

2. Set up a buffet.

Whether you’re doing desserts or a full meal, buffet style is easier to pull of than a sit down dinner. Guests can serve themselves, go back for seconds and generally find what they need when a party is set up as a buffet.

3. Ask about special diet restrictions.

It’s always nice to know and plan for guests who may avoid sugar or who eat gluten free. They’ll appreciate your extra effort for them.

4. If you have kids coming, make it kid friendly.

Kids love munching bite-sized fruits and cheese cubes. Parents will appreciate if you keep the cookie and chocolate trays up high so toddlers and preschoolers can’t help themselves.

5. Think through the cooking time of your recipes.

If you’ve got two ovens, you’re in luck. You’ve got plenty of flexibility. If you only have one, you’ll have to plan well. Try using slow cookers for some of the dishes. I recently found this Breville Smart Oven and it’s now on my wish list. It can do anything from make toast to bake bread to make crispy pizza. It will even roast a chicken.

Breville has released new, time saving products such as the Smart Oven, just in time for the holidays! Take the guess work our of holiday cooking with the Smart Oven, the oven that does the thinking for you. Check out their website for more information on this product and other great gift ideas.

And don’t forget to reply below for two chances to win your choice of amazing Breville products either for yourself or as a gift to a loved one: YouBrew, Tea Maker and Smart Oven products ($250 ARV)

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Breville. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules

Low Carb Cranberry Sauce

December 9, 2010 by Tiffany King 4 Comments

This is a guest post from Dawn Farias. She is going to be sharing her favorite low carb dishes with us in a new monthly series.

Cranberry sauce is a staple around the holidays and is a snap to convert to a more low-carb version. You simply find a recipe you like and substitute your artificial sweetener of choice. The trick is not adding too much because doing so can make your final product fairly bitter. But in the final analysis, I suppose it’s all a matter of ‘taste’. (Yes, I went there!)

At any rate, here’s what you’ll need: [Read more…] about Low Carb Cranberry Sauce