Need Awesome Recipe Idea for Family Meal

I went to a potluck for a business meeting and one of the girls made Harvst Salad. It was amazing. I made it for Thanksgiving and I am going ot make it for Christmas. It has cranberries (and I added strawberries) with spinach, (I also added mixed field greens) nuts, feta cheese (or blue cheese), onion, tomatoes, avocado with a raspberry dressing. It is so good and with unusal ingredients.
Here is the link http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Harvest-Salad/Detail.aspx

As a side note, one of my husband's favorites is the corn casserole recipe everyone keeps mentioning, and it would go well with the stew. For a dessert idea, but you would have to make a lot for a large family, is a recipe from kraftfoods.com. If you like chocolate this is to die for, and it's really simple. It's called molten chocolate cakes, and they are individual little servings with a gooey chocolate center. They make 4 cakes per recipe, and I don't have any tart cups like they talk about so I've just used small cups or bowls (my dishes have coffee cups that are very shallow almost like a teacup, and work perfectly). I've even used the unsweetened chocolate squares and they taste like a dark chocolate cake and goes very well with the whipped cream on top. Anyway, may be too much work to make for a lot of people, but a great recipe for a small dinner party or special dinner with hubby.

Something that I find people really like (and it's pretty easy) is a green bean dish with bacon and shallots.
Fresh green beans - washed and snapped into pieces
2-3 shallots - cut into large dice
approx. 1/2 to 1 pkg of uncooked bacon - sliced into small pieces

Saute the bacon until almost done; add shallots and saute; add green beans and saute until green beans are cooked, but not soft - still crisp; season with salt & pepper.

My family likes this dish with a full pkg of bacon; sometimes i also add some minced garlic at the end, to give a little more flavor.

well if she is making the stew how about a sopapilla cheesecake-2 8 oz pakages of cream cheese,2 pkgs of pillsbury crescent rolls,1 cup of sugar,1 teaspoon vanilla extract,1/2 cup melted butter,1/2 cup cinnamon sugar.9x13 pan unroll 1 pkg of crescent rools and flatten in pan,mix cheese sugar and vanilla and spread over crescent rolls,unroll other pkg of crescent rolls and place over top of cheese mixture.pour melted butter over top and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cinnamon sugar and bake on 350 for 30 minutes. delicious!

i was at a holiday party this past weekend.
someone at the party made the most delicious meal in her crockpot
turkey breast
cream of celery soup
cream of mushroom soup
celery stalks chopped
onion chopped
and velveeta cheese

everyone at the party was gobbling it down

she called it a "white trash" dish because of the velveeta

i'm sorry i don' tknow how much cheese to add but i'm sure you can figure out how much your family likes

delicious

The 2 things that we make that always get rave reviews are Corn Casserole:
1 can whole kernal corn (do not drain)
1 can cream corn
1 stick butter (melted)
8 oz sour cream
1 egg (beaten)
1 pkg Jiffy Corn Bread mix
Mix all together.
Pour into 9X9 square baking dish.
Bake @ 350 for 1 hour
Feeds 4-6 (Can be doubled but may req a little longer cooking time)

The other is a sweet potato casserol:
I don't have the recipe memorized but we pretty much follow the recipe on the back of Trappies Sweet Potato cans. The exception is we don't add coconut and substitute walnuts instead of Pecans. After it is cooked we top with mini marshmallows (Put oven on Broil and cook until marshmallows brown - DO NOT WALK AWAY!!! It only takes about a minute or two).

Hi, J.!

I think you could make a hit with any of these recipes! The Cheese Straws are a truly Southern offering, and could either be an appetizer or served with the meal (depending on what else is served). It has been awhile since I've made the Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes, but they are truly one of the best appetizers of all time. Everyone loves them! They are tedious to make...just give yourself time and make plenty, because they go fast!

The Cheese Pecan Spread gets rave reviews anywhere I take it! It looks nice if you can buy a miniature mold to chill it in. When you release it from the mold onto a platter, spoon some jalepeno jelly on top, or raspberry preserves, and serve surrounded with assorted crackers. There will be no left-overs, I promise! The chocolate chip pound cake is the same way - I have never had left-overs, and everyone wants the recipe (I originally got it from a Southern Living cookbook). I love to serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Other dessert ideas are a mix of chocolate rum balls and orange coconut balls - if you've never had them, that might sound unappetizing, but they are a holiday staple in my family and are so yummy! Both need to be made at least 2-3 days in advance, to let the flavors marry. Just Google for a good recipe. I have to admit that I'm upstairs right now and all my recipes are down, so I just Googled around to find them - these are exactly the same.

Good luck - I know how important it is to kind of make your place and build your reputation in the new family structure! I'm happy for you to be walking closer with God and looking for His work in Your life...and I wish you the best as you work towards getting pregnant. It will be the most incredible experience you'll ever have! God bless you this season - have fun with all your family!

(BTW, the pound cake would look really festive if you used one of those special shaped Bundt pans you can get at Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table - google Sur la Table and look at Christmas bundt pans)

Cheese Straws

yield: Makes about 2 dozen hors d'oeuvres

active time: 20 min

total time: 1 hr (includes cooling)

Don't let the delicate look of these hors d'oeuvres fool you. A touch of cayenne gives them a hint of heat that makes them a tasty accompaniment to a pre-dinner cocktail—or even a cold beer.

Ingredients1/4 pound coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon salt
Rounded 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

Pulse cheese, flour, butter, salt, and cayenne in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and pulse until dough forms a ball.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12- by 10-inch rectangle (1/8 inch thick). Cut dough with a lightly floured pizza wheel or lightly floured sharp knife into 1/3-inch-wide strips. Carefully transfer to 2 ungreased baking sheets, arranging strips 1/4 inch apart. (If strips tear, pinch back together.)

Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until pale golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheets on racks, about 15 minutes.

Bacon Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 pints cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (NOT packaged)
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
16-oz. pkg. bacon, crisply cooked, drained, and crumbled
Preparation:
Cut the top off each cherry tomato, and using a melon baller or a sharp knife, carefully scoop out the seeds and pulp. Place each tomato upside down on paper towel to drain.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl. Stuff each cherry tomato with the bacon mixture. Chill in fridge for at least 2 hours to blend flavors. To serve, I like to line the serving tray with parsley to keep the little tomatoes from rolling around. It's very pretty too. Serves 8

Pecan-Cheese Spread
Ingredients:
1 package (12 ounces) bacon strips, chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
4 cups (1 pound) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups mayonnaise
green onions, chopped (amount to your taste)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Assorted crackers

Directions:
Cook bacon until crisp; drain. Meanwhile in a large bowl, add the next ingredients. Stir in bacon. Serve with crackers. Yield: 4 cups.

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/8 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, instant pudding and sugar. Add the water, oil, eggs, and sour cream, mix until well blended. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared Bundt pan.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar before cutting and serving.

**** One last thought: cheesecake is always delicious and not so difficult to make. You can find lots of great recipes on Recipezaar or Allrecipes. A plain cheesecake topped with cherry pie filling would look so festive!

J.,
Trifles always work really well regardless of the event. And you can be as creative as you want. If your family loves chocolate, here's one I love to make:

Fudge Toffee Trifle

1 box family size chocolate pudding
1 box chocolate fudge brownie mix
1 large container of Cool Whip
1 bag of toffee shavings (like Skor)

Make the chocolate pudding and cook the brownies according to package instructions. Once brownies are cool, you can start putting the trifle together. Get a trifle bowl or a pretty glass bowl of some sort and start layering. Break the brownie up in to pieces and put a layer on the bottom of the bowl, then a layer of pudding, a layer of cool whip and a layer of toffee. Continue in this manner until you get to the top of the bowl or run out of ingredients. Finish off the dish with a top layer of cool whip and toffee pieces. When you're ready to serve, just get a big spoon and dig in. People LOVE IT!

If you don't want so much chocolate, you can vary it in any way you wish. You could do angle food cake, vanilla pudding, cool whip and fruit for a lighter dessert. You could do butter cake, chocolate pudding, cool whip and oreo chunks for a different variation...whatever you want. I find that brownies stand up better and help the dessert last longer without becoming all mushy, but it always tastes good for days after regardless of the recipe I use.

If you have any questions, just email! Merry Christmas!

Hilary

Okay if you haven't already, you have to check out Allrecipes.com-it's the best! I recommend making the Corn Casserole or the Chocolate Chip Pie-both got rave reviews on Thanksgiving at our house. HTH

I have two that I make and everyone seems to really like,

Braised Green Beans

1 lb. fresh green beans

1/2 of a medium or large yellow onion, chopped or slice ( depends on how much you like onion )

2 medium sized garlic cloves, minced or pressed in a garlic press, you can even use minced garlic in a jar but be mindful that can be a little bit stronger than just cloves so add a little and if you feel that you need to add more then do so ( easier to add than to take away )

Olive oil, just enough to coat bottom of pan when swirled

1 1/2-2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth, I like to use Knorr's concentrated chicken broth in a bottle, follow directions. I have also used Knorrs chicken boullion cubes before also.

Salt and Pepper to taste

OPTIONAL= I c. Slivered or sliced almonds toasted , this is used as an garnish, you toast in oven under broiler ahead of time or while cooking, but toasts quickly so keep an eye on them.

Ok..so you use a saute pan with a lid. Prepare you green beans, onions and garlic. Add olive oil to pan on about med. - to med. high heat, you dont want to smoke your oil that destroys it! Ok add green beans, onions and garlic and cook stirring occassionally so green beans look bright green and have little sear marks on them.
Then deglaze ( pour in ) your chicken broth. Reduce heat to med. low, kinda to a simmer and cover pan. Stir occassonally and check for done ness. Should be soft but not soggy. Sprinkle with toasted almonds if desired.
The simplest things are often times the yummiest.

Broccoli Cheese Rice Cassarole

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Broccoli-Rice-Casserole/Deta...

This is just like my grandma's except she adds chopped water chestnuts for added crunchy texture!

I hope this helps and you have a great holiday!

J.

J., You've gotten some great ideas! In fact, I'm going to make the corn casserole in the next couple of days - I've never had it, but I keep seeing it on this website, so I think it's time! I have a recipe that is always a hit and that's very simple to make. I brought some to work for lunch one day and let a co-worker taste it. She's made it and brought left-overs to share twice in the past week!

Seven Layer Spinach Salad

1 bag spinach (I use Popeye brand, but any will do)
1 pouch or bottle of real bacon bits
1 can tender green peas, thoroughly drained
8 hard boiled eggs, chopped or sliced
1 bunch green onions, trimmed and chopped
16 oz. jar mayo, thinned out with enough milk to make it the consistency of ranch dressing
8 oz. pkg. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Start with the spinach: pull off the larger stems, tear into bite-size pieces and rinse thoroughly, then dry completely. Place the spinach into a 13x9 baking dish (or similar capacity serving dish). In any order, sprinkle the peas, the bacon bits, the chopped eggs and the chopped green onions over the spinach. Mix your mayo up and pour it over the rest of the ingredients. With the back of a spoon, gently press down on the mayo to force it through the layers. Finish with the shredded cheese over the top of the mayo. Cover and refrigerate overnight for the best flavor - of course, it tastes great when it's first made, too, but it's even better the second day! It will last 3 or 4 days in the fridge. I hope this helps. Enjoy! God bless and Merry Christmas!

My favorite family recipe can be found here: http://burbmom.net/?p=629. We like to serve it in big bowls with a "taco topping bar" in pretty dishes...cheese, sour cream, chives, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.

This recipe is one of my favorite and gets rave reviews!

Creme De Menthe Brownies (a Paula Dean Recipe)

Ingredients

* 1 cups (2 sticks) butter, softened
* 2 cups sugar
* 4 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 11/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 (10-ounce) package Creme de Menthe baking chips (recommended: Andes)
* Shaved Creme de Menthe thins (recommended: Andes)
* Chocolate frosting

Frosting:

* 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
* 1/3 cup cocoa
* 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Using an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, mixing well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Gradually stir into butter mixture. Fold in mint chips. Spoon into greased pan. Bake for 35 minutes.

While brownies are baking, prepare frosting. Combine butter, cocoa, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until dry ingredients are moistened. Beat at high speed until spreading consistency.

Remove pan from the oven and allow brownies to cool in pan on wire rack. Spread with chocolate frosting. Top with shaved mint thins.

Will it be a Tex-Mex kind of meal since your SIL is making the green chili stew? If so, how about homemade guacamole and salsa? I can give you recipes for both that are super easy, but people love!

yeah, i really like the idea of both cheese straws and corn casserole to go with the chili. that way, you will be bringing sure-to-be-a-hit food people don't get often (they will appreciate it and feel loved by your thoughtfullness) AND you don't appear to be 'trying too hard' to upstage the chili (or competing with your sis-in-law).

*OR* you could make a birthday cake for Jesus -- kind of corny so it'd go great with the chili, too. lol (a simple but tasty beer cake II from allrecipes.com would be a great accompaniment to the meal...)

praying for you that you feel only happy for sis-in-law's chili accolades; remember: to God be the glory, anyway, right?! <3 <3 <3
ok -- ok, off my soapbox now (it's ugly & cracked all the way through in several places, believe me!) happy Christmas!

I love the website: www.allrecipes.com It gives wonderful recipes and beside each recipe there are stars on how readers rate it (and how many people have rated it). I usually go for the most stars by the most readers...And, at the bottom of each recipe, you can read how everyone has modified it and take what you want to use that way.
I know you said that you wanted a side dish, but I have a wonderful cheesecake recipe if you would like...
Good luck, I am sure that everything will be wonderful!

www.marthastewart.com or www.lhj.com (ladies home journal)

What about jalapena cornbread, or for dessert you could try your hand at a flan (a mexican dessert) or Bread Pudding, with a whiskey or rum sauce...they are so good and easy!

Good luck!

For me the WOW dish was always Creme Brule. Not a lot of work for a really amazing turnout. I always used the Joy of Cooking recipe. I'm sorry I don't have the book handy.

Good luck!

Corn Casserole is SO good! I make mine just like the recipe below.

I wholeheartedly agree with the cornbread idea that the others have mentioned. I have a variation somewhere that ends up with a middle layer of diced green chilies, jalepenos, and cheese in the middle. I'll try to remember to send the recipe.

Another idea would be to take pinto beans (they are super easy to cook) and some "home-cooked" tortillas. The WalMart near me (and probably other stores) carries two types of ready-to-cook tortillas that come out fairly close to authentic. One type is in the bread row and has a dark purple stripe on the part of the bag that hangs over the shelf, and the other type is found in the refrigerated area near the sour cream and the specialty cheeses from Mexico (Oaxaca cheeses).
For both of them, you heat up a large frying pan - no oil - and put the torts on one at a time and cook them according to package directions. They are best made shortly before serving (like within the same day), but also warm up well as leftovers.
These taste fairly authentic and are MUCH BETTER than the precooked torts in the packages sold at stores. My daughter loves to make cheese quesadillas with them. Oh - that's an appetizer idea! Make ch qu ahead of time, cut them into quarters and put them on a platter - best to serve warm, but a microwave or oven could help reheat them!

A.

How about Pumpkin Pie Cake -- it's basically pumpkin pie filling with a cake mix and nuts on top -- I'm sure you can find it at recipes.com, or something like that. You bake it in a 9 x 13 pan.
A.

I faithfully go to Food Network.com. Every Paula Deen recipe always gets me tons of compliments.

First of all- so glad God is working in your life!!! That's so sweet that you want a baby so bad. How precious. Well, I actually ventured out myself on Thanksgiving and made a homemade Double Coconut Cream Pie. The cream and everything was homemade. WOWZERS!!! It was to die for! Instead of typing the whole thing in here, email me if you'd like the recipe and then I'll type it up for you. I found it in a little Betty Crocker recipe pamphlet that I had gotten in the mail. I don't even like coconut and I loved this pie!

This recipe tastes great and is super easy to make:

I have this Chicken Pesto Pasta that I make and it is super easy to make and tastes like it came straight from an Italian Restraunt.

4 servings
4-boneless/skinless chicken breast (cut into cubes)
1-heaping tbsp of pesto in a jar
1-jar alfredo sauce
1-can of mushrooms(optional)
Salt
Pepper
1-can drained mild rotel tomatoes
2-tbsp olive oil
1-pkg of angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti
Preparations:
season chicken breast with salt & pepper, cook in skillet with olive oil until well done; put chicken to the side for now. Combine alfredo sauce, pesto, mushrooms, & drained can of rotel tomatoes in pot; cook for about 10 mins. While you are cooking the sauce, cook your pasta. After pasta is done, make sure to drain pasta thoroughly. Combine sauce and chicken cook for additional 5 to 10 minutes, Now pour sauce over pasta and mix well.
Note: Serves well with cheesy garlic bread 

Corn casserole would go GREAT with that stew.

I don't have any recipe ideas but I think the corn casserole and cheese straws sound great with the dish your SIL is making. Please let us know what you end up making and how it turned out!

i was looking at this in hopes of finding something for my dinner wih he in-laws! i say go with J. b's sopapilla cheesecake. it is sooooo good & everyone loves it. my sister-in-law makes this for every family gathering & it is absolutely to die for. she didn't make it one year & never heard he end of it. it's so popular now that she makes 2 & every bit is gone. i only wish i had found it first!

J.,

White Chocolate Macadamia Sweet Potatoe Layer Cake!

When I've made this dessert, it has always been a WOW dish, getting rave reviews. Very festive, very special, very "holidays". Recipe is from Martha Stewart from Thanksgiving issue years ago. Issue highlighted a "southern" Thanksgiving.

Here it is:
http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/martha-stewart/recipe2162/w...

Good luck!