Crunchy Kale Salad (Like Chick-fil-a)

 via Our Best Bites

https://ourbestbites.com/kale-crunch-salad-chick-fil-a-copycat/#wprm-recipe-container-77641

Love this Kale salad! Easy to make ahead!

Ingredients

Dressing

• ¼ cup olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 pinch garlic powder or a few grates of fresh garlic on a microplane

Greens

• 4 cups finely chopped kale
• 2 cups finely chopped green cabbage
• 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped toasted almonds
• fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

Dressing

• Combine all dressing ingredients in a mason jar (or other similar tightly-sealing container and shake vigorously until combined. Set aside.

Salad

• Wash and dry your kale and cabbage. To prepare kale, run a knife along both sides of the stem all the way up the leaf to remove it and discard. Take your kale leaves and roll/scrunch them and chop finely. Continue to chop from different directions until it's finely chopped. 

  Chop cabbage into similar sized pieces. 
• Add toasted almonds and drizzle on dressing. Toss salad well to well-coat all the greens. I like to use food-safe gloves to massage and toss. If desired, finish salad with a few cracks of freshly cracked black pepper. 

  This salad is a great base for other inclusions as well. Some things you can experiment with are cheeses like feta or parmesan, dried fruits like craisins or yellow raisins, proteins like chopped steak or chicken, etc.

Rice Krispy Treats

 One that uses the whole box! https://gluesticksblog.com/bake-sale-rice-krispies-treats/ 

If I was really feeling fancy I'd brown the butter

Ingredients

• ▢8 Tbsp. butter 1 stick, salted
• ▢3 10 oz packages mini marshmallows (I used about 2 1 3/4 bag I had leftover and a jar of marshmallow fluff
• a squirt of clear vanilla
• ▢12 cup crispy rice cereal (12 oz. box)
• ▢sprinkles

Instructions

• In a LARGE microwaveable bowl add butter and 2 packages of marshmallows*. Reserve the 3rd package for later.
• Microwave in 45-second intervals, stirring in between until melted and gooey. Stir.
• Place cereal in a large bowl or stock pot. Pour melted marshmallow/butter over and stir until completely combined, add vanilla if desired and mix in. Add last package of mini marshmallows. Stir. As they cool add sprinkles at the end of mixing and kinda sprinkle them on each side and smush. Sprinkle more on top and press in.
• Pour mixture into a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper (or sprayed with nonstick spray). I use a 13×18″ jelly roll pan. Spray you hands with non stick cooking spray or grease with a small amount of butter and pack down really well.


• Refrigerate until firm or leave out overnight, covered with plastic wrap or parchment
• Cut into large squares

Greek Chicken Meatballs

 https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/herby-chicken-meatball-pitas/

• For the meatballs:
• 1 pound lean ground chicken or turkey (around 93% lean is best)
• 1 egg
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup finely diced red onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (or sub ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1 jalapeño, finely diced (optional)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or ½ teaspoon dried)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil

• Prepare the meatballs: Fill a small bowl with water and place it on the counter.
• In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, egg, panko, red onion, garlic, jalapeno, parsley, mint, dill, oregano, lemon zest, salt and black pepper. Use a had mixer to mix until well combined; avoid overmixing otherwise the meatballs will become tough. Form into 16 golf ball sized meatballs, dipping your hands in water between each meatball to prevent sticking.
• To pan-fry the meatball (my preference for more flavor!): In a large, deep nonstick skillet, warm 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs, leaving about ½ inch between each (you may need to do this in batches, depending on how many meatballs you can fit in your skillet without overcrowding them), and brown on all sides until cooked through (a meat thermometer should register 165°F degrees), 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and repeat with the remaining meatballs, adding more oil, if necessary.
• To bake the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the meatballs at least an 1 inch apart on the parchment paper. Bake until a meat thermometer inserted into the meatball reads 165°F, 17 to 22 minutes.
  served with Pita bread, with brown rice, and tomatoes, Kalamata olives and cucumbers. Also made a quick sauce with tzatziki, feta, lemon juice, garlic powder and dill

Latkes

 Just a really good, classic latke. My kids love the book "Latkes, Latkes Good to Eat." And asked if we could try them so we did last year. A once a year treat celebrating Hanukkah. One batch is enough for all 5 of us for dinner. They freeze well. Haven't tried air frying yet. Yes sprinkle the little bit of salt on top or sprinkle your own with a spicy seasoning. I weigh the potatoes and onion. Serve with applesauce and heated frozen peas and chives and sour cream. 

via: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015533-classic-potato-latkes

About 3 dozen

• 2large Russet potatoes (about 1 pound), scrubbed and cut lengthwise into quarters
• 1large onion (8 ounces), peeled and cut into quarters
• 2large eggs
• ½cup all-purpose flour
• 1teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1teaspoon baking powder
• ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Safflower or other oil, for frying (we used peanut)

Using a food processor with a coarse grating disc, grate the potatoes and onion. Transfer the mixture to a clean dishtowel and squeeze and wring out as much of the liquid as possible.

Working quickly, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the eggs, flour, salt, baking powder and pepper, and mix until the flour is absorbed.

In a medium heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, pour in about ¼ inch of the oil. Once the oil is hot (a drop of batter placed in the pan should sizzle), use a heaping tablespoon to drop the batter into the hot pan, cooking in batches. Use a spatula to flatten and shape the drops into discs. When the edges of the latkes are brown and crispy, about 5 minutes, flip. Cook until the second side is deeply browned, about another 5 minutes. Transfer the latkes to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and sprinkle with salt while still warm. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Cheese Sauce

 We had some pretzel bites and my kids really hate fake cheese. We whipped this up and it's delicious. It also reheats really well. Definitely Beschumel sauce vibes. 

via: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/278141/homemade-cheddar-cheese-sauce/ 

• 2 tablespoons salted butter

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup whole milk (used 2%)

• 1 ¾ cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (used Colby-jack)

  1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and salt until a paste forms.

  2. Slowly add milk; cook and stir until fully incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add cheese.

  3. Cook and stir until cheese is melted, about 1 to 2 minutes.

  
  

Birthday Cake Crumbles (Milk Bar)

 Cake by Courtney uses these in her confetti cakes and that's what I made for Lucy's birthday this year. These really do add a special extra something to the cake and are so fun!

https://milkbarstore.com/blogs/christina-tosi-bake-club/bday-cake-crumbs?srsltid=AfmBOorCkbA69LRXOgF9Ep-hlO2UAHKQHh6WTvpZYTPa5Dcli1VZDLgA

Makes about 2 cups, she doubles it because they snack on them, I had to fight the kids off from doing that so I had enough

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 ½ tablespoons light brown sugar 

¾ c cake flour 

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt 

2 tablespoons  rainbow sprinkles

¼ cup vegetable oil 

1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract 

Heat the oven to 300F

In a medium bowl, combine the sugars, flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles, mixing until combined. Add the oil and vanilla and mix again to distribute. The wet ingredients will act as glue to help the dry ingredients form small clusters; continue mixing until this happens.

Spread evenly on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 300F

Let the rainbow crumbs cool completely before snacking. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.