Cream Cheese Sausage Balls

Ingredients:

• 1 lb hot breakfast sausage, uncooked - good luck finding a MSG-Free version :(
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cups Bisquick
• 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (feel free to be a little on the generous side)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients until well combined.- easier to use hand or stand mixer with dough hook attachment.
3. Roll into 1-inch balls and place onto lined (I used Reynolds non-stick aluminum foil - they slid right off!) baking sheet. 
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until brown.
5. Prepping for a party? These may be frozen if left uncooked. Just add a few minutes to the baking time.

Recipe courtesy of Plain Chicken

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Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

Makes ~28 servings

Ingredients:

• 7 cups instant non-fat dry milk
• 1 lb confectioners sugar, sifted
• 2 cups cocoa powder, sifted twice
• 2 cups dry non-dairy creamer (french vanilla or your personal favorite will work!)
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1 cup (or use the whole bag!) mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup (or use the whole bag!) mini white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Sift cocoa powder into a large seal-able storage container.
2. Add the rest of the dry powder ingredients and chocolate chips.
3. Place lid securely on the container and SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE!, SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE! (Make sure you do a little dance while shaking)
4. Store in air tight container if you are keeping it for yourself or this makes a perfect inexpensive Christmas gift to be given in those cute little mason jars! 
5. If using as Christmas gift Mason jar: Place mix in the bottom of the jar (I would recommend measuring out in 1/3 cup intervals since this is a serving) - leave enough room for the marshmallows. Place marshmallows on top of the mix, then place the lid on the jar. Make sure you make it cute with  ribbon/fabric/tag etc!

Expiration: 1 year if kept in an air tight container

Directions for Reconstitution:

1. Place 1/3 cup mix into 8-10 ounces of hot milk. Stir until dissolved. Add marshmallows or whipped cream to the top. Then enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of my wonderful aunt! (not sure where she got it from)

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Vegetable Gratin a la Goat Cheese

This recipe is a hybrid of 2 recipes I found online and decided to tweak a little bit. I must say the results did turn out quite tasty, especially if you like the unique tangy flavor of goat cheese. I omitted the potatoes from the original recipe because we were already having 2 carb heavy dishes in our Thanksgiving meal - feel free to add them back in if you want.

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 zucchini, 1/4 inch sliced
• 2-4 yellow squash, 1/4 inch sliced
• 3-4 large Roma tomatoes, 1/4 inch sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. 
2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 60 seconds. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the greased baking dish.
3. Layer ½ of the goat cheese on top of the onions.
4. Slice the zucchini, squash and tomatoes in 1/4 inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly into a spiral, making only one layer. 
5. Season with sea salt, black pepper and dried thyme, to taste. 
6. Drizzle the last tablespoon of olive oil over the top.
7. Pour the milk over the entire dish.
8. Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Uncover and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until browned. Enjoy.

Inspired from :

• Potato, Squash, & Goat Cheese Gratin
• Vegetable Tian

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Eggnog Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups of graham cracker crumbs
• ¾ cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• ¾ cup eggnog
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon brandy (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon + 1½ teaspoons all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus extra for dusting
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray; set aside.
2. Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, and the melted butter.
3. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is just brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool.
4. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ¾ cup granulated sugar and beat for an additional couple of minutes, until smooth. Add the eggs and yolk, eggnog, brandy and vanilla and beat again until completely combined and smooth. Finally, beat in the flour, nutmeg and salt and mix until smooth.
5. Pour the filling over the crust. Set the pan in a larger pan (a 9×13-inch works for this), and add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Bake until just set, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the baking pan from the water bath, and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
6. Cut into 1½x3-inch bars. Lightly dust the tops of the bars with freshly grated nutmeg just before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

(Courtesy of Brown Eyed Baker and Martha Stewart)

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