Recipes for a Marvelous March!
Did you know... that there is a “food calendar” that highlights featured foods for each day and month of the year?
This week, we will provide some March recipes from this calendar.
Cheese Doodle® Chicken Tenders
Cheese Doodle® Day:
March 5
Olive oil, for greasing
1 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 lg. eggs
1 tsp. hot sauce
2-1/2 C. finely ground Cheese Doodles®
about 2 lbs. chicken tenders
Note: Cheese Doodles® are a name brand of cheese puffs/curls.
Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly grease two baking sheets with olive oil.
Gather three shallow dishes or pie plates. In the first, stir together the flour, salt, and pepper. In the second, whisk together the eggs, hot sauce, and a splash of water. In the third, place the ground Cheese Doodles®.
One at a time, dredge each chicken tender in the flour, knocking off any excess. Then dip in the egg and then dredge in the Cheese Doodles®. Place on the baking sheets about 1-inch apart. Repeat until all are used.
Bake for about 17-19 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Serve barbecue sauce, or other dipping sauce such as ranch or honey mustard.
White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints
White Chocolate Day:
March 6
Prep: 25 min. + chilling
Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling
Servings: about 3 dozen
3/4 C. butter, softened
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
2 lg. eggs, separated, room temperature, divided use
1-1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 C. baking cocoa
1-1/4 C. finely chopped pecans or walnuts
Filling:
4 oz. white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 T. butter
1/4 C. seedless raspberry jam
In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg yolks. Combine flour and cocoa; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until easy to handle.
In a shallow bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Place nuts in another shallow bowl. Shape dough into 1-in. balls. Dip into egg whites, then roll in nuts.
Using a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in center of each cookie. Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° until set, 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
In a microwave, melt white chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2 tsp. into each cookie. Top each with about 1/4 tsp. jam. Store in an airtight container.
Coffee Glazed Coffee Cake
Cereal Day: March 7
1⁄2 C. Post Grape-Nuts® cereal
1⁄2 C. sugar
2 tsp. instant coffee
1-3⁄4 C. flour
1 C. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1⁄2 tsp. baking powder
1⁄2 tsp. salt
1 C. sour cream
1⁄2 C. butter, softened
2 lg. eggs
1⁄2 tsp. vanilla
Coffee Glaze:
2 T. cold brewed coffee
1-1⁄2 C. powdered sugar
Mix cereal with 1/2 C. sugar, the instant coffee and cinnamon, set aside.
Mix flour with 1 C. sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large mixer bowl.
Add sour cream, butter, eggs, and vanilla.
Blend at low speed of electric mixer, then beat 1 minute at medium speed.
Spread one third of the batter in a greased 8-inch square baking pan.
Sprinkle with half of the cereal mixture.
Repeat layers and top with remaining batter.
Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.
Cool in pan. Spread with easy coffee glaze.
To prepare glaze: Gradually blend 2 T. cooled brewed coffee into 1-1/2 C. powdered sugar till smooth.
Makes enough to glaze top of 8 to 9-inch square or 10-inch tube pan.
Peanut Clusters
Peanut Cluster Day:
March 8
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Additional Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Servings: 36
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (12 oz.) pkg. peanut butter chips
12 oz. peanuts
Place chocolate and peanut butter chips in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until melted, about 5 minutes. Stir in peanuts.
Drop teaspoonfuls of mixture onto a waxed paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, 30 to 45 minutes.
Meatball Bake
Meatball Day: March 9
Total Time: 15-30 minutes
Servings: 5-7
1 (12 to 16-oz.) frozen garlic bread
1 C. ricotta cheese
2 T. Parmesan cheese
1 32-oz. bag frozen meatballs, thawed, cut in half
1 C. spaghetti sauce
10 slices mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Place garlic bread open face on baking sheet and bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 350°·F.
In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese and evenly spread on garlic bread. Place meatballs on top of cheese and evenly spoon spaghetti sauce over meatballs.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until meatballs are heated through. Top with mozzarella cheese and continue baking 3 to 5 more minutes, or until cheese melts.
Homemade Milky Way®
Milky Way® Day:
March 12
Prep Time: 5 min.
Chill Time: 35 min.
Total Time: 40 min.
Servings: 8
1 jar marshmallow fluff (7 oz.)
2/3 C. chocolate spread
12 oz. chocolate candy melts
7 oz. soft caramels
2-3 T. milk or cream
In a microwave safe bowl, melt 6 oz. of the chocolate candy coating according to package instructions, and stir until smooth.
Spread evenly into a parchment lined 8 1/2” x 4 1/2” loaf pan. Refrigerate until set (about 5-10 min.).
In a separate bowl mix together the fluff and chocolate spread.
Microwave for about 30 seconds, stir, and pour evenly over the hardened chocolate in the loaf pan.
In a microwave safe bowl melt the caramels with the milk. Stir until smooth and pour over nougat layer.
Refrigerate about 30 min. or until firm enough to cut.
Remove the candy from the pan and peel off the paper. Cut into 8 bars for full size candy bars or 16 for fun size bars.
Melt remaining candy coating in a bowl and dip the tops and sides of the candy bars until completely coated. Let the chocolate set and store in a sealed container.
Ribbon Pudding Pie
Pi Day: March 14
Prep: 20 min. + chilling
Servings: 8
4 C. cold fat-free milk, divided
1 pkg. (1 oz.) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
1 reduced-fat graham cracker crust (9 inches)
1 pkg. (1 oz.) sugar-free instant butterscotch pudding mix
1 pkg. (1.4 oz.) sugar-free instant chocolate pudding mix
Optional: Whipped topping and finely chopped pecans
Whisk 1-1/3 C. milk and vanilla pudding mix 2 minutes. Spread into crust.
In another bowl, whisk 1-1/3 C. milk and butterscotch pudding mix 2 minutes. Carefully spoon over vanilla layer, spreading evenly.
In a third bowl, whisk remaining 1-1/3 C. milk and chocolate pudding mix 2 minutes. Carefully spread over top. Refrigerate until set, at least 30 minutes. If desired, serve with whipped topping and pecans.
Grandma’s Homemade Noodles
March is National
Noodle Month
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 10 min.
Add’l Time: 2 hrs 20 min.
Total Time: 2 hrs 40 min.
Servings: 4
1 lg. egg, beaten
2 T. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. sifted all-purpose flour, or more as needed
Combine egg, milk, and salt in a bowl. Add sifted flour and stir until a dough forms, adding more flour as needed, a little at a time, for the dough to come together. Separate into two balls.
Sprinkle a work surface with flour and roll out each piece of dough as thin as you like. Let rolled dough rest for 20 minutes.
Cut into strips and spread to dry, dusting with a bit of flour so the noodles don’t stick together. Let dry for approximately 2 hours.
Cook noodles in boiling salted water, or hot soup, until tender, about 10 minutes.
Note: For thicker noodles, add 1/2 tsp. baking powder when you add the flour in Step 1.
Quote of the Week:
“Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don’t try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.”
~ Tony Robbins