Christmas Salad

This is one of my favorite salad recipes. We always have it for Christmas dinner at my parents' house. The colors are very festive and the flavors always remind me of Christmas. I recently made this salad for our ward party and it was a huge hit. It's so delicious!

Printable Recipe

Christmas Salad
Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp poppy seeds

Salad Ingredients:
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup swiss cheese, cut into cubes or shredded
1 medium apple, cubed
1 medium pear, cubed
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup cashews, coarsely chopped (optional)

To make dressing blend together sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, onion, and salt. With blender running, gradually add oil. Then add poppy seeds and blend together until well mixed.

In a large bowl, combine lettuce, cheese, apple, pear, and dried cranberries. Add desired amount of dressing and cashews. Toss to coat.

*Note: This makes a lot of dressing. You probably won't use all of it to dress the salad.

Andes Mint Fudge

Chocolate and mint is one of my very favorite flavor combinations. This fudge was so delicious and it was so easy to make. The only problem is it's a little addicting!

Printable Recipe

Andes Mint Fudge

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow creme

1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk

1 (10 oz) bag Andes Mint Baking Chips

1 tsp vanilla extract

Line a 9x13 baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside. In a large saucepan, heat butter, sugar, marshmallow creme, and evaporated milk over medium heat until it boils, stirring constantly. Let boil and stir constantly for 5 minutes. Add Andes Mint chips and vanilla and stir until the chips are melted. Immediately pour into prepared pan. Refrigerate for about 2 hours to set up. Cut into 1 inch squares.

Recipe adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff

Peanut Butter Truffles

These truffles taste just like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. They are so delicious!

 

Printable Recipe

Peanut Butter Truffles

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 bags milk chocolate chips (about 18 oz)

Mix together graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Shape into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes. 

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate at 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until completely melted. Dip each ball into the chocolate and place on the parchment lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate until completely set. 

Makes 4-5 dozen truffles

Chocolate Orange Brownies

When I was a little girl, my grandma used to give us chocolate oranges for Christmas. Now I always get one in my stocking, even if it means buying it myself. It's one of my favorite Christmas treats and it brings back so many memories. When I tasted these brownies, it brought back all of those Christmas memories. These brownies taste just like a chocolate orange. They were so heavenly!

Printable Recipe

Chocolate Orange Brownies

Brownies:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla

Orange frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp orange extract
red & yellow food coloring

Chocolate topping:
2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350. Beat together butter, sugar, and cocoa. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add flour, salt, and vanilla and mix well. Spread onto a greased cookie sheet (10x15x1). Bake for 22-25 minutes. Cool for about 30 minutes before frosting.

To make orange frosting, mix together butter, powdered sugar, milk, and orange extract. Add 10 drops of yellow food coloring and 3 drops of red food coloring to get the pale orange color. Frost brownies and place in the freezer for about 20 minutes.

To make chocolate topping, melt chocolate chips and butter in the microwave at 30 second intervals until melted, stirring in between. Spread over frosting. Place in the refrigerator to set.

Makes about 35 brownies

Recipe adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff

Great Deal at Alaska Airlines: Flights as low as $49 one way plus a 5% discount!

Right now at Alaska Airlines, you can get an additional 5% off their already low prices using the discount code EC6208. You have to book by December 22, 2014 and travel between January 4, 2015 and February 11, 2015. Some flights are as low as $49 one way before the discount. So you could fly from Salt Lake to San Francisco for just $93 per person round trip! If you're thinking about traveling in the next few months, you definitely need to check this out. Click here to book.

Andes Mint Cookies

These are my favorite Christmas cookies. They are seriously so good! I make these every year at Christmas time.

Printable Recipe

Andes Mint Cookies
2 eggs
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1 pkg Andes mint baking bits, divided (or 2 cups Andes mint candies chopped)

Beat together eggs, butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add cocoa, baking soda, and flour. Mix well. Add chocolate chips and 1 cup Andes mints. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.

Pour about 1 cup of sugar in a small bowl. Roll cookie dough into balls and then roll in sugar. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 9-13 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately place a small amount of chopped Andes mints on top of each cookie. Press down into the cookie so it melts. Cool cookies on wire racks.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Grocery Coupon Apps

There are a lot of apps that save you money on groceries. It's like using coupons at the grocery store without actually having to clip coupons. They all work pretty much the same way. Each app has different items with a designated amount off. After you buy the items, you submit a picture of your receipt and you're credited the amount of money you saved. When you reach a certain amount you can cash out. You can get cash or a gift card, depending on the app. It's pretty simple.

Here is a list of the apps that I use:

Checkout 51

Snap by Groupon

Savingstar

Ibotta

I usually check all of these apps before I go grocery shopping to see which coupons I would like to use. I only buy things that I would normally buy. I don't buy something just because there's a coupon for it. Each time I go shopping, I usually get anywhere from $ .25 to $4.00. I know that's not a lot of money but if you do this every time you shop, it will add up fast.

Also, if you shop at Smith's (or a Korger affiliated store) you can load coupons to your rewards card. When the item is scanned, it automatically comes off your total. So easy! 

Pasta Fagioli Soup

Printable Recipe

Pasta Fagioli Soup
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 carrot, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, undrained
1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, undrained
2 cans (8 oz) tomato sauce
12 oz V-8 juice
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
dash of cayenne pepper
8 oz bowtie pasta

In a large pot, brown ground beef and drain. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour. With about 10 minutes left, cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta, then stir into soup. Simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Serves 8

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Chili Over Rice

I love meals like this. Just throw everything in the crock pot and let it cook all day. When you're ready to eat, there's not much to do. So easy and so delicious!

Printable Recipe

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Chili Over Rice
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (15 oz) can corn, drained
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic salt

Place all ingredients in a crock pot. Cover and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours. Shred chicken into bite size pieces. Serve over cooked rice. Top with cheese and cilantro, if desired.

Serves 6-8

Recipe adapted from Picky Palate

Earn 4x Fuel Rewards Points at Smith's

Smith's is offering 4x fuel rewards points through Dec. 9th. So you have just under a week to buy gift cards for Christmas. Or if you just want to stock up on restaurant or retail gift cards, it's a great way to save money on gas.

Chocolate Toffee Pie

This is one of my favorite pies. Not only does it look good, it's also super easy to make. It only takes about 10 minutes to make this delicious pie. It doesn't get any easier than that! My kids love this pie and they're always asking me to make it. I made this for Thanksgiving but it would be great any time of the year.

Printable Recipe

Chocolate Toffee Pie
1 oreo or chocolate pie crust (6 oz)
2 cups milk
2 pkg. (4 serving size) instant chocolate pudding
1 tub cool whip, thawed, divided
6 Tbsp. Heath toffee bits, divided
1 square semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted

Pour milk into a large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk for 2 minutes or until well blended. Gently stir in 1 1/2 cups of the cool whip. Stir in 3 Tbsp of the toffee bits. Spoon into crust. Top with remaining cool whip. Sprinkle with remaining 3 Tbsp toffee bits. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 8

Recipe adapted from Kraft