Hawaiian Haystacks

Sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup flour
1 48 ounce can low-sodium chicken broth
2 cans white chicken
Salt and white pepper to taste


Toppings:
Rice
Crunchy chow mein noodles
Cheddar cheese
Celery
Tomato
Pineapple tidbits
Toasted slivered almonds
Toasted coconut
Green onion


Melt butter in large pot. Whisk flour in, stir about a minute. Slowly whisk in broth and continue stirring until sauce thickens. Add broken up chicken and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until time to assemble haystacks. Layer noodles, rice, sauce, cheese and other desired toppings.


Source: The Mathews family

S'mores Brownies

1 box brownie mix (or homemade recipe)

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 1/2 sticks butter

16 jumbo marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 (or to directions on brownie mix).

In a 9×9 pan, melt butter. Add graham cracker crumbs, making sure they are fully moistened and press into a sturdy crust.

Mix up brownies, and pout batter over crust. Bake for recommended. Test with a toothpick before removing – the brownies likely need another 15-20 minutes because of the graham crust on the bottom.

Once fully finished baking, add on jumbo marshmallows. Set under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, or back into the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Watch closely to make sure marshmallows don’t burn.

Let cool completely – 2-3 hours.

Source: How Sweet It Is

7-Layer Greek Dip

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened (I used low-fat)
1 teaspoon dill weed or Greek seasoning (salt free--go for a mix that just has herbs)
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cup hummus
1 cup seeded, diced cucumbers
1 cup seeded, diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1/3 cup chopped green onions (about 3 green onions completely chopped)
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/8-1/4 cup minced fresh parsley


With an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, seasoning, garlic, and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Spread in the bottom of a pie plate or a small, shallow baking dish. Then spread a layer of hummus. In order, create layers by sprinkling the cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onions, Feta cheese, and parsley. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. Serve with pita chips, fresh vegetables, and/or flatbread.


Source: Adapted by Our Best Bites from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

Classic Pretzels

1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups room-temperature water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast or 2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 cups King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour
2 teaspoons non-diastatic malt powder or sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Mix the sugar, water and yeast; stir to dissolve. (If you're using instant yeast, skip this step, simply combining all of the ingredients at once.) Add the white wheat flour, malt, salt, and enough unbleached flour to make a soft (but not sticky) dough. Knead well, place in a bowl, and let rise till doubled.

Divide the dough into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a log, and shape the logs into pretzels. In a large pot, boil together 6 cups of water and 2 tablespoons baking soda. Put 4 pretzels at a time into the boiling water, and cook for 1 minute. Transfer boiled pretzels to a lightly greased baking sheet.

When all the pretzels have been cooked, paint them with an egg glaze (1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water) and sprinkle with salt or seeds (if desired), then bake in a preheated 450°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the pretzels are well-browned.  Yield: 16 soft, chewy pretzels.

Source: King Arthur Flour

Won Tons

1 pound lean ground beef
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon Accent
1/2 bunch green onion
1/2 can water chestnuts
1 package won ton wrappers

Chop green onion and water chestnuts small. Mix all ingredients except wrappers. Place 1 teaspoon mixture in center of wrap. Fold into triangle and fold again so it looks like a diaper. Don't seal completely, grease needs to be able to escape while cooking. Deep fry in oil until golden. While hot, shake salt over won tons.

Source: Ann Mori

Caprese-Stuffed Meatballs

5-6 slices of bread, torn up
3/4 cup milk
1 pound ground sirloin
1 pound ground veal
4 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
Small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon allspice
1 egg
Salt and pepper
8 bocconcini, about the size of a cherry tomato.
Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 425.
Place torn bread in small bowl with milk and reserve.
In large bowl, combine meats, garlic, parsley, Parmesan, allspice, egg, salt and pepper. Squeeze out excess milk from bread and add to meat mixture. Mix everything with hands to combine. Divide meat into eight portions. Take one portion and slightly flatten outing your hand. Place a bocconcini in the center and evenly wrap the meat around the ball, completely encasing it in the meat. Repeat with each portion of meat.
Transfer stuffed meatballs to baking sheet. Drizzle meatballs with olive oil, transfer to oven and roast 15-18 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch.
Serve with pasta and sauce.

Makes 8 meatballs

Source: Rachael Ray Show

Fish Sticks

3 tilapia filets
2 egg whites (or whole eggs), beaten
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese


Preheat oven to 450.

Lay a wire rack on a baking sheet and spray it with non-stick spray.

Cut the tilapia once down the middle, then in half, creating four “sticks.” Season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, beat the eggs. In a separate bowl, add the panko, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Dip each fish stick in egg whites, than in the panko mixture, pressing to adhere. Lay on the wire rack and spritz with olive oil.

Bake for 10 minutes, then flip and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve hot!

Makes 12 sticks

Source: Slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is