Craveable crowd pleasers

Gear up for the holidays with these simple yet satisfying recipes

BY JESSICA RERICK

‘Tis the season for gatherings and time together with friends and family! Naturally, that means additional people to feed on lazy mornings, and neighborhood kiddos coming in for a warm cup of hot chocolate after playing in the snow. It’s that time of year when you Google recipes that will feed everyone and be impressive at the same time.

I am going to share a few tricks on how to look like the “Hostess with the Mostest” without a lot of additional work or one-time-use ingredients to purchase.

To start with, Tortilla Bowl Quiches are great for a crowd because the flavor possibilities are endless. Think: individual quiches that are made inside of tortilla bowls. Tortilla bowls can be found in the taco section of the grocery aisle and come eight per package. Quiche sometimes gets a bad rap as being dull and boring, but really, it’s what you make of it. You can spice up the base with the addition of green chilies and top with black beans and salsa after it’s cooked, or you can go mild and have cheese only.

My boys get to be as picky as they want, and all of us can be equally happy with our choices while enjoying our meal. As an additional bonus, I’ve found most kiddos will be more likely to eat their meals when they are in charge of picking out what’s in it. When we made these, my 5-year-old was positive that his bacon and cheese was the best ever even though my 11-year-old believed that his bacon-only version was the way to go. I, however, knew all along that my spinach, bacon, mushroom, and feta was the real winner!

While quiche is simple enough, the key to a light and creamy quiche is to use plenty of cream and a lower oven temperature. Too many eggs can make a quiche dense and rubbery, and too high heat will scramble your eggs instead of letting them slowly cook to remain soft. If you are making this milk-free, you can use a dairy-free cream base, and it will work just fine. It’s better to have some type of cream in there than to omit it completely.

The possibilities for add-ins are endless, but here are a few of my favorites:

Cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, smoked gouda, goat, feta

Meats: diced ham, bacon, sausage, crab

Veggies: sauteed garlic spinach, broccoli, sauteed peppers, caramelized onions, cooked asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms

Other: chopped parsley, green chiles, Old Bay seasoning, all purpose seasoning

Tortilla Boat Quiches

Ingredients:

8 tortilla bowls

6 eggs

1 cup half and half

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Add-in fillings

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and prepare your add-ins. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, and place the tortilla bowls on it. Crack the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add half and half, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk together until smooth. Add your add-ins to each boat. They should not be higher than 1/2 the height of the tortilla bowl walls. Fill each boat with 1/3 cup of egg mixture or until the eggs are within 1/2 inch of the top of the tortilla boat. Carefully place the sheet pan in the oven, and bake for 25 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and serve. Note: Leftover Quiche can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days for an easy, on-the-go meal.

Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls are not only festive but also adorable! They are such a fun and easy baking project that the kids can help with. Of course, you can use your own homemade cinnamon roll dough, but for me, using pre-made refrigerated dough takes away 90% of the dishes and leads to full stomachs and smiling kiddos in less than 30 minutes. That leaves me with plenty of time to drink my morning coffee in peace!

Christmas Tree Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

1 tube of refrigerated cinnamon roll dough with icing (8 count)

Pretzel sticks

Green food coloring

Sprinkles

Yellow Chocolate Candies (one for the top of each tree)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Open the tube of cinnamon rolls and separate each roll out. Unroll the dough and then arrange dough onto a sheet pan like you would be drawing a christmas tree. (narrow at the top and wider on the bottom).

Bake at 400 degrees for 13-17 minutes or until cooked through. While the cinnamon rolls are still warm, insert 2 pretzel sticks into the bottom of each “tree”. Let cool. Add green food coloring to the icing container and stir until blended.

Spread the icing over the cinnamon rolls. Top each “tree” with a yellow chocolate candy and cover the tree with sprinkles. Enjoy!

Snowman Hot Chocolate is a cute surprise regardless of the time of day. They also make a great gift. They can be made several days in advance, which is often ideal when you are planning for company to come. No matter what your hot chocolate recipe is, these little guys are sure to grab all the attention! Jessica Rerick / On the Minds of Moms

Snowman Hot Chocolate Toppers

Ingredients:

Large marshmallows for snowman bodies

Candy corns for noses

Pretzel sticks for arms, legs, and bodies

Melted chocolate for eyes, mouth, and buttons

Directions:

Place three large marshmallows onto one pretzel stick. It’s ok if the two end ones are only half on because that will allow for the head to bend on the edge of the cocoa mugs. Use two pretzel sticks to create the arms, and one pretzel stick cut in half as the shorter legs. Add the candy corn nose, and then either pipe on or use a toothpick to draw the eyes, mouth, and buttons. Let dry, and store in an airtight container until ready to serve.