Dennis Family Recipes – Page 6

December 29, 2024

Tater Tot Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

2 lb hot breakfast sausage
1 (30-32oz) bag frozen tater tots
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
8 eggs
2 cups milk

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.
In a large skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink. Drain fat.
In a large bowl, toss together tater tots, cooked sausage and cheeses. Pour into a lightly greased 9×13-inch pan.
Whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and milk. Pour over tater tot mixture.
**Cover and refrigerate at this point if baking later.**
Bake uncovered for 60 – 70 minutes, or until eggs are set.

Notes:

Can make casserole in advance and refrigerate or freeze for later.

If baking after refrigerating, you may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.

To bake after freezing, thaw completely and bake as directed above.

To reheat casserole after freezing, thaw completely. Cover casserole with aluminum foil and bake at 350ºF for 30 to 40 minutes, until heated through.

December 29, 2024December 29, 2024

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Ingredients

For the Muffins:

2¼ cups all-purpose flour 313g
2 teaspoons baking powder 8g
¼ teaspoon baking soda 2g
2 tablespoons poppy seeds 23g
1 cup sugar 186g
2 tablespoons lemon zest 6g
1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt 245g
⅓ cup whole milk 78mL
½ cup unsalted butter melted (113g)
2 large eggs 110g
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 15mL
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5mL
¼ teaspoon kosher salt 2g

For the Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar 113g
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 30mL

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
For muffins: In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk in poppy seeds and salt.
In another large bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest. Working with your hands, rub zest into sugar until fully combined. Add yogurt, milk, melted butter, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Pour into flour mixture and fold just until combined. (Batter will be thick.) Divide batter evenly among paper liners.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let muffins cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove and finish cooling on a wire rack.
For glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over cooled muffins.

Notes

Make sure you use Greek yogurt or a thicker yogurt, like Skyr, and not plain yogurt in this recipe. Plain yogurt is too runny and will add too much moisture to your batter causing them to spread more than puff. We have used mayo which works too.
If you don’t have fresh lemons, 2½ teaspoons lemon extract can be used in place of the lemon zest. Substitute the lemon juice for ½ teaspoon white vinegar. (Don’t worry! You can’t taste the vinegar in the baked muffins!)
Use a spring loaded scoop to fill muffin tin with batter for more evenly sized muffins. A heaping ¼ cup scoop fit my muffin liners perfectly.
Try using Meyer lemons, oranges, or limes in place of regular lemons for a fun flavor twist!
Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with sugar before baking for a sugary crust on top when baked.
For a perfect drizzle, place the lemon glaze in a zip-top bag, seal, and cut the very tip of a corner off. Squeeze the glaze out over the muffins.
Store leftover muffins at room temperature in an airtight container. Muffins are best if eaten within 3 days.

December 27, 2024December 27, 2024

Slow Cooker Nacho Soup

1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained of fat (Sausage works great)
1 C yellow onion, chopped
1 C green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeds removed and diced
15 oz corn, drained
15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed well
15 oz petite diced tomatotes, drained
1 1/2 tsp chili powder (did not use as much chili powder)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
3 1/2 C chicken or beef broth
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
1 C heavy cream
3-4 Tb all purpose flour* (can use corn starch to make gluten free, 1 1/2 to 2 TBS)
Green onions, chopped for topping (optional)

Instructions

To the bowl of a 5-6 quart slow cooker, add cooked beef, vegetables, beans, seasonings and broth. Stir gently to combine. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
When 4 hours is up, stir in shredded cheese. Whisk together flour and heavy cream until smooth. Pour into slow cooker, stir to combine. Cover and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.
Serve warm with chopped green onions and tortilla chips.

May 12, 2024

Chicken Salad – Grandma Linda Dennis

4-6 Chicken Breast – cook and shred (or canned chicken)
4 Stalks Celery – chopped
1 Bunch Green Onions – chopped
Purple Grapes – halved or quartered
Optional – Apples – Chopped

Dressing

1/2 Cup Mayonaise
1/2 C Salad Dressing
1/2 C Sour Cream
Dill Weed

Mix all together. Let set 1-2 hours or overnight

Serve on croissants or bread.

March 19, 2024

Homemade Coconut Cream Pie

Ingredients

1 unbaked pie crust
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup (30g) cornstarch
1 (14 ounce) can full fat coconut milk
1 cup (240ml) half-and-half
2/3 cup (130g) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (80g) sweetened shredded coconut
2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
optional: 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Whipped Cream

1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
3 Tablespoons (20g) confectioners’ sugar or granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
optional for garnish: unsweetened coconut shavings, coconut chips, or sweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

Pie crust: I like to make sure my pie dough is prepared before I begin making coconut cream pie. Make pie dough the night before because it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before rolling out and blind baking (next step).
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Fully blind bake the pie crust. (Follow how to blind bake pie crust instructions through step 9. I skip the optional dough strip trick in step 4, though that trick guarantees thick pie crust edges. Crimp or flute the pie crust edges before baking.) Cool pie crust completely. You can do this up to 3 days ahead of time. Cover cooled crust tightly and refrigerate until ready to fill.
Make the coconut filling: Whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together. Set aside. Whisk the coconut milk, half-and-half, granulated sugar, and salt together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisking occasionally, bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then reduce temperature to medium-low heat. Once boiling, remove about 1/2 cup of the mixture and, in a slow and steady stream, whisk into the egg yolk and cornstarch mixture. Keep those egg yolks moving so they don’t scramble. In a slow and steady stream, pour and whisk the egg yolk mixture into the pot.
The pudding will immediately begin to bubble and thicken. Stand back and use caution as the bubbles may burst. Whisk and cook for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut, butter, vanilla, and coconut extract (if using).
Pour warm filling into cooled pie crust. Cover tightly with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding (to prevent a skin from forming) and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight until chilled and thickened. Pie may be refrigerated for up to 1 day.
For the whipped cream: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks and are the perfect consistency for topping and piping on desserts.
Pipe or spread the whipped cream on top. I used Ateco 849 piping tip to pipe. Garnish with extra coconut, if desired. Chill the pie uncovered up to a few hours or you can serve it immediately.
Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

sallysbakingaddiction.com/coconut-cream-pie/#tasty-recipes-69101

February 5, 2024December 27, 2024

Cocktail sausages – Little Smokies

32 oz. Cocktail Sausages
1 cup bbq sauce
3/4 cup grape jelly

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook 3-4 hours on low.

December 28, 2023

Crepes – Stephanie’s for on a pan

Ingredients

2 cups milk
4 large eggs
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and slightly cooled
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour , sifted if desired

Instructions

In a blender, blend milk, eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, and flour 15 to 20 seconds, or until batter is smooth. You could also whisk in a bowl. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
Heat an 8-inch frying pan over medium-low heat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into the pan, tilting pan immediately from side to side to form an even circle. Cook about 1 minute per side, or until lightly browned. Remove from heat and stack until ready to serve. Repeat with remaining batter.
Serve with your favorite toppings. Fresh fruit, jams, pudding, Nutella, whipped topping and nuts are a few of our favorites.

We made 1 1/2 times for 7 people and had a perfect amount of extras for leftovers.

December 28, 2023

Pistachio Cake – Essie Gomm from West Clinton El.

1 White Cake Mix
1/2 Cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/3 Cup flour
2 pkgs. instant pudding (small)
1 Cup oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 Cup club soda
1 pkg. Dream Whip

Mix cake mix, flour, and one pkg. of pudding mix. Push to side of bowl.

Add eggs, oil, nuts, and club soda. Mix together until blended and beat 4 minutes on medium speed.

Bake in 9X13 pan on 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Cool and frost.

Frosting

Blend pkg. of Dream Whip with 1 cup plus 2 TBS of cold milk. Add other pkg. of pudding mix gradually and beat on high speed for 3 minutes.

Store cake in the fridge.

December 28, 2023

Baked Tortellini with Chicken Gratinati – Brittney and Alex love this

Yield: 4–6 servings (depending on the size of your dish)

INGREDIENTS

1 14.5–ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 pound of sliced bacon
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
3 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano, divided
6 ounces shredded fontina cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh garlic
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast ,cut into bite sized pieces
13-ounce bag frozen tri-colored tortellini (we used regular and it worked great)

INSTRUCTIONS

Place tomatoes into a strainer over a bowl and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and let sit at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Cook bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels. Cut bacon strips into bite sized pieces and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat.
In a medium pot, melt butter over medium heat and add flour. Cook for four minutes stirring often. While this is cooking, heat cream to hot but not scaled either in a small sauce pan or in the microwave.
Add the hot cream to the butter and flour mixture one third at a time whisking on each third to form a smooth sauce. Add ½ teaspoon of salt, pepper, nutmeg, ½ cup of Parmesan cheese, 3 ounces of the fontina cheese, fresh basil and minced garlic. Stir to combine, heat to hot and remove from heat. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large saute pan over medium high, heat two tablespoons of bacon fat and cook chicken for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Should be slightly under-cooked as it will cook further in the oven. Remove cooked chicken to a dish or plate.
Boil a pot of water and cook tortellini according to package instructions but remove from the water before the tortellini is fully cooked, as it will cook further in the oven.
Depending on the size of your dishes, arrange four to six oven-safe, wide flat gratin-crème Brule dishes on a parchment-lined sheet pan and spray each dish lightly with pan spray. (We made in one pan instead and served from there)
Spoon about two tablespoons of sauce on the bottom of each dish and spread to cover bottoms.
Divide the cooked tortellini, cooked chicken, cooked bacon and the drained diced tomatoes among the individual dishes.
Pour the sauce over each filled dish, dividing evenly.
Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and Fontina over the tops of the six dishes.
Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops are browned and bubbly.