Must-Have Holiday Dessert Recipes

Posted on December by Passanante's Home Food Service

With Christmas only days away we thought it was only appropriate to start bringing out the recipes people really care about … desserts! No holiday gathering is complete without a fully stocked sweets selection to tempt everyone’s taste buds from chocolate lovers to gingerbread men. These next recipes are the perfect addition to any menu and go great with that nightcap cup of decaf!

We hope all of our customers, friends and family have an incredible Christmas next week. We hope your freezers are fully packed with a delicious assortment of meals you can whip up for the family during a movie night at home, or when the neighbors drop in to catch up. Enjoy!

Chocolate-Praline Jumbo Holiday Mud Squares:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (12 ounce) jar carmel-flavored topping
1 cup butter (sinful, we know!)
4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine graham cracker crumbs, pecans, brown sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl stirring well
Press crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch square pan
Bake at 350 for 6 to 8 minutes then cool slightly
Combine 3 tablespoons flour with caramel topping and spread with 1/4 inch from edge of the pan. Set aside
Combine 1 cup butter and chocolate in a heavy saucepan; cook over low heat until melted.
Stir in sugar, 1 cup flour, eggs and vanilla
Pour mixture over caramel topping in the pan
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
Cool slightly and spread with chocolate frosting (see below)

Homemade Chocolate Frosting:

1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons water
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Combine butter, cocoa, and water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until thickened.
Remove from heat; stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.

Gingerbread Cookies:

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons molasses
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar together, add the egg and mix well
Mix in the molasses
In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt
Gradually add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients
Mix until well-combined
Chill dough for at least 2 hours (overnight is preferred)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease the cookie sheets
On a lightly floured surface, or between 2 sheets of wax paper, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick for chewy cookies or 1/8 inch thick for crispy cookies
Cut desired shapes using cookie cutters
Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until cookies are firm and lightly toasted on the edges.

Happy Eating & Happy Holidays!
Passanante’s Home Food Service

Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust

Posted on December by Passanante's Home Food Service

Burrr! These below freezing temperatures call for some classic comfort food to warm you up from the inside out and homemade chicken pot pie with cornbread crust is just the ticket. If you have a freezer full of Passanante’s Home Food Service foods you probably already have all the ingredients needed to make this simple cold weather favorite.

Interested in expanding your horizons with more hormone-free meats, organic produce and irresistible pre-made meals?? Check out our full product listing here.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 cups hot chicken stock
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 potato, diced and boiled
1 1/2 cups cooked carrots, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
dash of Tabasco sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Place oil and butter in a pan with onion and saute for 4-5 minutes
Blend in flour and slowly whisk in the chicken stock
Cook the mixture until thickened (3-4 minutes)
Stir in chopped cooked chicken, frozen peas, potato, cooked carrots, salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce
Pour evenly into a 2-quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray
Cook until heated through and thickened.

Cornbread Crust:

3/4 cup yellow corn meal
3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil

Combine yellow corn meal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl
In a separate mixing bowl, combine milk, egg, and canola oil
Add this mixture to the dry ingredients stirring until just moist
Spoon the batter evenly over the top of the chicken pot pie-filled casserole dish
Bake until golden brown; about 22-25 minutes.

Serve with warm rolls and enjoy!

Leftover Recipes: Turkey Stroganoff & Turkey Chili

Posted on December by Passanante's Home Food Service

From everyone at Passanante’s Home Food Service, we hope you had an incredible Thanksgiving weekend with your family and friends. We look forward to this holiday each year and have had a great time sharing recipes with all of our customers and fans over the last month.

Preparing a huge and elaborate feast is such an exhausting task that it’s no wonder we’re thrilled to have leftovers for days — BUT if you’re anything like us, you’ve had just about all the leftover turkey sandwiches you can take and there’s still tons left in the fridge. Luckily we crawled out of our turkey coma just long enough to post a few simple recipes you can try out this week… they’re simple, delicious, easy to whip up, and can be ready in less than 30 minutes. Enjoy!