The holidays are my favorite time of the year. There’s something truly magical about walking into grandma’s house and being fed her freshly baked cookies. Waking up to the warming smell of cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. Seeing the smiles on your friend’s faces as you walk in with your favorite side dish or dessert to share.

With the holidays being all about sharing, this year our office staff is sharing their favorite holiday recipes with all of you. Besides, who doesn’t love food?

We hope you have a joyous and enriching holiday season full of love, laughter, and of course, some great food.

From,

Your HIRTA family

Spinach & Artichoke Dip Wonton Cups

From Julia Castillo, Executive Director

12 wonton wrappers

Cooking spray

1/2 of a 10-oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and very well-strained

1 (8-oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

2 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

1)     Preheat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the wonton wrappers in a standard 12-cup muffin pan then spray them lightly with cooking spray. Bake the wonton cups for 5 minutes. Remove and set them aside.

2)     In a medium bowl, stir together the chopped artichoke hearts, spinach, mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and minced garlic.

3)     Divide the mixture evenly among the wonton cups then return them to the oven for 10 to 12 minutes until the spinach mixture is warm and the wonton cups are golden brown.

Chocolate Dipped Orange Balls

From Julia Castillo, Executive Director

1 pound powdered sugar

1 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers, crushed

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

¼ pound butter

1 (6 ounce) can or ¾ cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

12 oz. chocolate, melted (you can use milk, dark, white, semi-sweet depending on your taste.

1)     In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla wafers, walnuts, butter and orange juice. Mix well and shape into 1 inch round balls; allow to dry for 1 hour or place is freezer for 30 mins

2)     Place chocolate chips in top of double boiler. Stir frequently over medium heat until melted.

3)     Dip balls into melted chocolate - you can half dip them, just drizzle over the top, or if you prefer no chocolate you can just roll them in powdered sugar.

Boston Brown Bread

From James Roach, Safety Manager

2 eggs

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup molasses

4 cups buttermilk

4 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped walnuts

Butter or cream cheese, optional

1)     In a large bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar. Add molasses and buttermilk; mix well. Combine the flours, salt and baking soda; stir into egg mixture just until moistened. Fold in raisins and walnuts.

2)     Transfer to two greased 9x5-in. loaf pans. Bake at 325° for 80-85 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve with butter or cream cheese if desired.

Peppernuts

From Mildred Chihak, Volunteer Coordinator

2 packages of yeast

2 T sugar

¾ cup lukewarm water

1 tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. ginger

2 ½ cup sugar

1 T salt

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 stick oleo, melted

3 eggs, well beaten

1 qt milk

14 cups flour, more as needed

1)     Dissolve yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar in warm water. In a large pan, put one quart of scalded milk. Add 2 ½ cup sugar, salt, nutmeg, black pepper, oleo, ginger and eggs. When lukewarm, add yeast mixture. Add flour until right consistency for kneading is reached, about 14 cups or more.

2)     Knead well and place in greased bowl. After first rising, knead down. Upon second rising, divide in 3 portions and roll out as for cinnamon rolls.

3)     Cut in strips with scissors, then place in bits on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350°, watching carefully.

Sugar Cream Pie

From Taylor Thomas, Office Assistant

1 deep dish pie crust at room temperature

4 Tbsp cornstarch

¾ cup sugar

4 Tbsp butter, melted

2 ¼ cups heavy cream

1 Tbsp vanilla

FOR TOPPING:

4 Tbsp butter, melted

¼-½ cup cinnamon sugar mix

1)     Preheat oven to 325°. Place the pie crust onto a baking sheet. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until partially baked. Set aside.

2)     In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and sugar until blended. In a medium saucepan, bring the cornstarch-sugar mixture, melted butter and heavy cream together over medium heat, stirring constantly. The mixture is done when it’s thick and creamy. Stir in the vanilla.

3)     Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust and smooth out the top. Drizzle on the melted butter and evenly sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broiler for about 1 minute, watching carefully. Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature before refrigerating for at least one hour to set. Keep in fridge.

Overnight Blueberry French Toast Casserole



12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (Italian bread works best I have found)

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

12 eggs, beaten

2 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅓ cup maple syrup

1 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup water

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 tablespoon butter

1)     Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes.

2)     In a large mixing bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup. Pour this mixture over the bread cubes. Press down the cubes a bit to sort of “soak” them and make them “French toast-like”. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

3)     Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 25-30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned. Enjoy warm!

4)     In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries begin to burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast. Enjoy!

Buckeyes

From Danny Schnathorst, Outreach Coordinator

1 stick butter, melted

2 cups creamy peanut butter

2 cups powdered sugar

4 cups Rice Krispies

1 package chocolate almond bark

1)     Mix powdered sugar, Rice Krispies, peanut butter and butter until well combined. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, chilling the mixture again as needed to work with.

2)     Make into small balls and chill until cold.

3)     Microwave the almond bark in 1 minute intervals, or melt in a double boiler. Dip the balls into chocolate. Let the chocolate drip off then put on wax paper. Work quickly as the chocolate mixture will begin to harden. Reheat as needed. Chill again.