Christmas Pretzel Bark

 

INGREDIENTS

• 15 oz bag of pretzel sticks
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• ¼ teaspoon salt 
• 20 oz high quality chocolate, chopped
• Optional: Christmas sprinkles

PREPARATION

1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lay an even layer of pretzel sticks across entire sheet, set aside.
3. Add butter, brown sugar, and salt to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Continue boiling mixture for 4-5 minutes while stirring frequently. When mixture thickens and darkens remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
4. Pour mixture evenly over the pretzels and place baking sheet in the oven for 5 minutes.
5. While the first layer is baking, melt chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time until smooth.
6. Remove baking sheet from oven and let cool 1 minute, then pour melted chocolate evenly across the top. Add holiday sprinkles if desired.
7. Place in fridge (not freezer!) for 3-4 hours or overnight. Once cool, cut into squares and serve.
8. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes.

source: https://12tomatoes.com/christmas-pretzel-bark/?partner=cookingpanda&utm_source=glp-12t&utm_medium=social-cp&utm_campaign=christmas-pretzel-bark&fbclid=IwAR0ZYZ-8r9AWRE_1VuYTI_DmFO0hwe274__-oOokqeruKxLtgC_Xx8L3VEM

Yellow Dal

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs. canola oil

• 3 tsp. whole cumin seeds

• 2 tsp. red pepper flakes

• 1 medium onion, diced (1 1/2 cups)

• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 1/2 cups yellow lentils (yellow split peas), sorted and rinsed

• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

• 1 tsp. ground turmeric

Preparation

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in cumin and red pepper flakes, and sauté 1 minute. Add onion, garlic, and salt, and sauté 1 minute more.

2. Add lentils, vegetable broth, 2 cups water, and turmeric. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 25 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.

Source: https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/yellow-lentil-dal-reciipe/

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

• ▢ 
6-7 Boneless Chicken Thighs 
• ▢ 3/4 cup Honey
• ▢ 3/4 cup  soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tbsp hoisen sauce 
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic crushed I used 1 ½ T minced garlic
• ▢ 1 tbsp fresh ginger root I used 1 T dry ginger
• ▢ 1 tsp seseame oil 
• ▢ 2 tbsp cornstarch
• ▢ 1/4 cup water

• In a 5 quart slow cooker add the chicken thighs. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, hoisen sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours. 
• Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred. Whisk togther the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Whisk it into the sauce in the slow cooker. Return the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker and let cook for another 15 minutes to let the sauce thicken. Serve over rice ane enjoy!
  Source: https://therecipecritic.com/slow-cooker-honey-garlic-chicken/
  

Chicken Shepherd's Pie

                        

Servings: 6 people

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 45 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins

Chicken Shepherd's Pie is an easy dinner idea with chicken and vegetables smothered in a savory gravy filling and topped with mashed potatoes. This is a great recipe for leftover chicken or mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, see notes
• ▢ Salt/Pepper
• ▢ 3 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 4 Tablespoons butter
• ▢ ½ small yellow onion, finely diced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon EACH: Onion Powder, mustard powder, dried thyme, dried rosemary
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon EACH: Ground sage, black pepper
• ▢ 1/3 cup flour
• ▢ ½ cup Half and half
• ▢ 1 chicken bouillon cube , or 1 tsp better than bouillon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 2 cups frozen vegetables, (peas, carrots, corn)
• ▢ 5 cups warm mashed potatoes

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Pat the chicken dry and season with salt/pepper. Add 3 cups of chicken broth to a medium saucepan and add the chicken. Gradually bring it to a gentle boil. Let the chicken cook with the lid cracked for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Don’t boil rapidly or the chicken will be tough. Remove the chicken and use forks to shred. Set aside and reserve the broth that the chicken cooked in.
• While the chicken cooks, melt 4 Tbsp. butter in a wide (12-inch) pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté them for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and seasonings. Toss to coat and cook for 1 more minute.
• Add the flour and toss to coat. Cook for 2 minutes or until you can no longer smell raw flour.
• Reduce heat to low. Add 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth in small splashes, stirring to incorporate. Add the half and half in the same manner. Adding the liquid too quickly will break the roux and interfere with the thickness of the gravy.
• Add chicken bouillon and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce. Then add the shredded chickenand stir to combine.
• Increase heat to medium and continue to add splashes of the remaining 1 cup of chicken broth while letting the filling simmer, reduce, and concentrate for 10-15 minutes. I usually use ¾ of the remaining cup.
• Add the frozen vegetables and stir to combine and heat through. Remove from heat.
• Transfer filling to a lightly greased 9 x13-inch baking dish if your skillet isn’t oven/broil safe.
• Let the filling cool slightly, then carefully place scoops of warm potatoes on the top. Try to add several scoops that are all almost touching each other to eliminate the amount of spreading you’ll need to do. (See process shots in post above.)
• Use a silicone spatula to gently spread the warm potatoes in an even and smooth layer over the filling. Don't push down hard to ensure the potatoes stay on the top.
• If desired, use a fork to “rake” a design on the top. Place in the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes.
• Set broiler to high (550 degrees), and let the top brown for about 4 minutes, watch it carefully during this time to ensure it doesn’t burn. Don’t do this with glass or Pyrex baking dishes.
• Remove and garnish with parsley. Let it sit for 5 minutes prior to serving.
  Source and image:https://thecozycook.com/chicken-shepherds-pie/