Chocolate Banoffee Pie

I made this for Christmas Day dessert.  It didn't seem complicated and that is my kind of dessert, if I have to make them.  I bought the Dulce de Leche pre-made in the can which made it even easier.

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

We love tater tots and I like using them in casseroles once in a while.  🎄🎅 Christmas day is a good one for this. The ingredients I used were:

Dill Pickle Soup

My friend loves everything pickles.  I always chuckle to hear her banter with my son who despises everything pickles.  They are at complete odds on the subject.  As I was having her over for Christmas time cheer and appetizers at my house, I decided to make this for her.  The recipe was very appealing actually...I added an onion as I just can't make a soup without one.  It is against all my principles not to as far as soup is concerned 😉.  I also added some dill and changed her preparation a bit to suit my needs.  The edits are below.

Egg in a Frame with Fried Salami

Appy night left me with lots of leftover salami!  So, I remembered seeing Chef Symon prepare this on "The Chew" and decided to do it for my son this morning.  My dad used to make this for me when I was a little girl too, though he called it "egg in a frame" rather than "egg in a hole".

Christmas Season Appetizer Night

I made many dishes tonight for guests. It was a bit of work planning (a child too so I had to consider that for spice, etc) and trying to fit what I could in my small (kitchen) home.  It all worked out in the end, and was a wonderful, fun evening.  Here's a list and links to recipes of what I made.  Some are from my blog, others direct to the recipe I used:

Tortellini Skewers

I made these with an array of other dishes for guests.  It seemed like a nice appetizer to do.  I didn't follow her recipe quantities as I didn't need to make that much and frankly, they seemed a little off.  I used:

Mission Fig Jam

I am having guests over for Christmas appies, and am doing a cheese plate.  I wanted to have some kind of jam for it.  I had bought some dried apricots and Mission figs and discovered a recipe for a quick and easy jam!  I was excited and decided to try it and made my own edits to it.  I added in a good dash of balsamic vinegar as well.

Spicy & Sweet Pretzel Nut Mixture

I thought these would make nice token gifts for friends over the Christmas season.  I have never made any kind of "Nuts n Bolts" or nut snacks so I wanted to give it a try.  I looked at lots of recipes but liked this one  and tried it first.  I'm glad I did as it wasn't sweet enough and was also very spicy.  I didn't mind that, but I wasn't sure friends/guests would be so enthused.  What I didn't like was the smoked paprika (my own personal dislike).  My son ate some and I crushed the rest using them in a grain pilaf with dates, which was good.

PB&J Cereal French Toast

I saw this on "The Chew" and thought I'd try it out for my son.  I was only making one sandwich so obviously had to cut my ingredients down from the recipe.  I was going to put a banana in it too but alas, I forgot to buy it when I was at the grocery store.  I used: