Tag: #Appetizers

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Pizza Tots

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Who said pizza needs a traditional doughy crust? We’ve seen pizza crusts made with cauliflower, zucchini, portobello mushrooms and pita bread. These pizza tots top them all. I’ve always been a sucker for combo dishes, and this nontraditional pizza idea is pure mashup magic.

Crispy, golden Tater Tots form a pizza base piled high with mozzarella, tangy sauce and pepperoni. Make pizza tots once and they’ll be your new go-to for game days, late nights and any evening you don’t feel like wrestling with pizza dough. If you have time, elevate the dish using scratch-made sauce and tots. But this recipe is just as satisfying when you let the freezer aisle do the heavy lifting.

Ingredients for Pizza Tots

Ingredients for making Pizza Tots recipe.
ALLISON CEBULLA FOR TASTE OF HOME
  • Frozen miniature Tater Tots: Mini Tater Tots get super crispy in the oven and cook faster than regular-sized tots, making a perfect pizza base. If you use regular-sized tots, you may need to bake them a bit longer before adding the toppings. If you love the process, homemade tots are delightful.
  • Pizza sauce: A tangy, tomato-rich layer pushes the tots into classic pizza territory. A jarred version works great, but making homemade pizza sauce is quicker than you think!
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese: One of the best melting cheeses, mozzarella provides that essential cheese-pull moment we all secretly crave.
  • Pepperoni: For that classic pizza vibe, pepperoni adds salty, savory and slightly spicy notes. Arrange the slices artfully or scatter them haphazardly—you can’t go wrong.
  • Italian seasoning: A famous blend of oregano, garlic, basil and black pepper, Italian seasoning brightens the flavors and makes the whole tray smell like your favorite pizzeria.
  • Crushed red pepper flakes: These are optional, but they are an excellent way to add a little heat to balance all the melty richness of these pizza Tater Tots.

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37 No-Bake Christmas Cookies and Treats

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Baking isn’t everyone’s forte—we get it! But just because you’re oven-averse doesn’t mean you can’t make great desserts at home, especially during the holiday season when every hour is sweets-o’clock. Here’s proof: This list has our best no-bake Christmas cookies and treats that are still indulgent and super festive.

There’s a range of Christmas desserts in this list, so there’s a little something for everyone. Of course, Christmas no-bake cookie recipes dominate the list, with cute reindeer, thumbprints, Christmas wreath cookies and even a no-bake version of the iconic peanut butter blossoms. But there are lots of other treats in store, too, like peppermint pies, fudge and frozen desserts, all sorts of chocolate-covered bites and balls, no-bake bars and even a glorious Christmas trifle that feeds a crowd.

While these are easy no-bake holiday cookies, some require a stovetop or microwave and a few require baking tools like a food processor or mixer. Others are truly no-heat with zero baking tools involved, so read through the recipes that catch your eye before claiming them for Christmas dinner.

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30 Best Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

One of the best parts of Christmas is the food: decadent Christmas mains and sides, festive appetizers and cocktails, and, of course, Christmas cookies. But if you have a gluten allergy, at times it can feel as if your options are limited or nonexistent.

Our gluten-free Christmas cookies are here to save the day because no one should miss out on the fun of making and decorating cookies because of an allergy! In this collection, you’ll find gluten-free holiday cookies like snowballs, pumpkin cookies and crinkle cookies to bake and enjoy worry-free. You’ll even find allergy-friendly recipes for classic Christmas cookies, including gingerbread men, spritz and shortbread.

These gluten-free festive cookies will be welcome additions to your gluten-free dessert spread and will have even your non-allergic family members coming back for more.

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100 Easy Holiday Appetizers To Elevate Your Party

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Our Best Holiday Appetizer Recipes

If you ask us, one of the best parts of the holiday season is the snacking that happens before the main meal. Who wouldn’t want to mix up a festive cocktail or two and treat themself to an assortment of small bites before a special holiday dinner? Cheese balls and cheese logs, party-ready dips, wow-worthy platters—with so many delicious options, choosing what to make can be difficult. One of the recipes we always include in our pre-dinner spread however, is this baked brie.

We like to dress it up for the holidays; we stuff it into little golden parcels of puff pastry along with a hit of cranberry sauce and crunchy walnuts—for the ultimate sweet-and-savory bite.

Food Network

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27 Traditional Holiday Cookies You’ll Want To Bake Every Year

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Traditional Christmas and Holiday Cookie Recipes

If you ask us, holiday baking season is the most wonderful time of the year. That’s when we get to break out the royal icing, sprinkles and colorful candy pieces—and give all our favorite holiday cookies an extra special touch. And, while we always make sure to include something new in our roundup, there’s nothing better than a freshly baked batch of the classics.

If you ask us, holiday baking season is the most wonderful time of the year. That’s when we get to break out the royal icing, sprinkles and colorful candy pieces—and give all our favorite holiday cookies an extra special touch. And, while we always make sure to include something new in our roundup, there’s nothing better than a freshly baked batch of the classics. We’re talking buttery shortbreads, all different types of sugar cookies and, of course, plenty of gingerbread. If looking for a handful of recipes that rely on classic flavors and tried-and-true techniques, these are the ones to add to your repertoire. You’ll find snowballs, thumbprints, biscotti and more. No matter which cookies you decide to bake, spritz are a holiday must. The green and white tie-dye effect gives these classic cookies a modern-retro look, and the red sprinkles add a bit more holiday cheer.

Food Network

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The 23 Best 5-Ingredient Holiday Treats (That Anyone Can Make!)

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Festive Treats With 5 Ingredients or Less

With ambitious holiday party planning comes the potential to spend the entire time cooking in the kitchen—while your guests wonder where you are. Let’s skip all that. Instead, take the quick-and-easy route: put together something festive and enjoy your limited time together, with treats that only require a handful of ingredients. Each clocks in at just five or fewer—and will fill everyone you love, including you, with holiday cheer. One of our favorites? This reimagined take on the Yule log. Using store-bought Swiss roll cakes ensures this version is a breeze—but still impressive enough to dazzle your family and friends.

Food Network

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Pecan Pralines

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

When traveling in the southern United States, you’ll find pecan pralines as easily as you will find a chocolate bar. Legend has it that this treat originated from nuts accidentally spilling into a vat of caramel. Regardless of how they came to be, they are irresistible and delicious. Pecan pralines offer buttery, sweet and rich flavors that melt in your mouth. It is nearly impossible to eat just one.

Pecan Praline Ingredients

  • Butter: The butter aids in creating a melt-in-your-mouth caramel that envelops the pecans in this recipe.
  • Sugar: We use granulated and brown sugar to prepare the caramel for these pecan pralines.
  • Half-and-half: The half-and-half is essential for creating this recipe’s creamy and rich caramel.
  • Condensed milk: We depend on condensed milk to provide these pecan pralines with a nostalgically sweet and comforting flavor.
  • Corn syrup: The corn syrup helps solidify these pecan pralines so they do not fall apart as soon as you pick them up.
  • Pecans: We mix pecans into the batter of these pralines because they give the confection a necessary crunch.
  • Vanilla extract: The vanilla helps deliver the warm flavor profiles in this pecan praline recipe.

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25 Diabetic-Friendly Christmas Desserts

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Having diabetes can make the holiday season feel more frantic than festive, especially when searching for diabetic Christmas desserts that people actually want to eat. As a dietitian, let me let you in on a little secret: you can enjoy delicious, easy Christmas desserts and treats, even if you’re working hard to manage your blood sugars. While traditional desserts can lead to blood glucose spikes, these diabetic-friendly Christmas treats have all the flavor and fun you need, with a lot less sugar.

From apple desserts to peppermint cookies and eggnog mousse, these blood sugar-friendly sweets are the perfect sweet addition to your diabetic-friendly Christmas recipes. So you don’t have to sacrifice flavor for health, I’ve rounded up the best diabetic Christmas desserts that balance sweetness with nutrition, so you can feel good about your macros while joining in on the holiday fun.

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Mexican Wedding Cookies

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Lavishly dusted in powdered sugar, buttery pecan-packed Mexican wedding cookies are synonymous with celebration. These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are equally beloved in regions around Mexico and the U.S., a staple at weddings, holiday parties and virtually any festive gathering. Texture-wise, the cookies are a lot like shortbread—crumbly rather than chewy, thanks to the fact these tasty treats are baked without eggs.

With their resemblance to snowballs, Mexican wedding cookies are just begging to be included in your Christmas cookie swap, but are delicious any time of year, boxed up as edible gifts or dunked into a cup of milky tea.

We’re counting down the top Christmas cookies—here’s one of them! To join the countdown and for more festive fun, sign up for our Holiday newsletter.

Why are they called Mexican wedding cookies?

Also called Mexican wedding cakes, these nutty, buttery delights are sometimes called Russian tea cakes and polvorones. Look across the world, and you’ll encounter similar cookie recipes: Pecan sandies, Italian wedding cookies, Greek kourabiedes and qurabiya, to name a few. Ingredients vary (more than anything, it’s the nuts used), and sometimes they’re round, while other versions, like this Mexican wedding cake cookie recipe, are crescent-shaped.

The precise origins of this sweet treat are lost to the mists of time. Many food historians believe these cookies have medieval Middle Eastern roots, with recipes spreading to new regions via trade routes across the centuries. They also think the recipe traveled to Mexico with the Spanish in the 16th century. There’s speculation that the name Mexican wedding cakes replaced Russian tea cakes around the 1950s, at the height of the Cold War. Whatever you call them, they’re delicious!

Mexican Wedding Cookie Ingredients

Butter, sugar, confectioners sugar, flour, vanilla extract and pecans in small bowls
TASTE OF HOME
  • Butter: I like using salted butter to balance out the sweetness in these cookies. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the recipe if you opt for unsalted.
  • Confectioners’ sugar: Creaming the confectioners’ sugar with butter helps give Mexican wedding cookies their wonderfully delicate texture. You also roll the still-warm cookies in confectioners’ sugar when they come out of the oven.
  • Vanilla extract: Along with pecans, vanilla is the main flavor that floods your taste buds when biting into a Mexican wedding cookie. Since it’s so prominent, use the best vanilla extract you can. Almond extract is a lovely substitution, or combine half of each.
  • Flour: Regular all-purpose flour yields the perfect crumbly Mexican wedding cake cookies.
  • Pecans: Both regular and toasted pecans are phenomenal in this recipe. Lightly toasting the pecans for a few minutes in the oven will give them a deeper, richer flavor.

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52 Christmas Candy Recipes for a Sweet Holiday

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Christmastime gives you loads to look forward to: decorating the tree, making snow angels, listening to your favorite holiday songs on repeat and breaking out those once-a-year Christmas candy recipes. While we love gooey cinnamon rolls before opening gifts and Christmas cookies with a mug of hot cocoa, there’s nothing like biting into a rich fudge square or snapping off a piece of crunchy, nutty brittle.

This roundup has festive candy treats for all skill levels, whether you have experience cooking sugar for chewy caramels or want a simpler melt-and-mix style candy. You’ll find the holiday flavors you crave around Christmas, like peppermint, cinnamon, eggnog and chocolate. You can also use this holiday season to iron out common chocolate truffle mistakes or teach yourself to make your favorite copycat candy bars for gifts.

Making these homemade Christmas sweets can be a fun activity to do with your friends and family. Spend time creating and decorating the treats together, and then set out supplies for these creative food gift wrapping ideas to package them into delicious and memorable presents!

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