VLTA Board Members’ Favorite Holiday Recipes

Happy Holidays from the VLTA! Please enjoy the gift that keeps on giving…Your favorite board members’ favorite recipes, perfect (and just in time) for the holidays! Choose your favorite recipe below, give it a try, and let us know how it turns out!

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Becky Taylor – Rum Balls:

• Vanilla Wafers, mashed or grind ¼ cup to ½ cup light corn syrup in food processor
• Powdered sugar
• ¼ cup rum

Mix ¼ cup to ½ cup light corn syrup with mashed vanilla wafers. Mix ¼ cup rum with mixture. Roll out in small balls then roll in powdered sugar.

COCA COLA CAKE
Chocolate lovers will LOVE this one!

For Cake:

• 2 cups unsifted flour ½ cup buttermilk
• 2 cups sugar 2 beaten eggs
• 2 sticks butter or margarine 1 tsp soda
• 3 Tbsp cocoa 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup Coca Cola 1½ cup miniature marshmallows

1. Combine flour and sugar in mixing bowl.
2. Heat butter, cocoa and Coca Cola to boiling and pour over flour and sugar mixture, mixing thoroughly.
3. Add buttermilk, eggs, soda, vanilla and marshmallows. Marshmallows will float on the top; don’t be alarmed.
4. Bake in greased 10 x 13 cake pan at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

For Icing:

• ½ cup butter or margarine (1 1 box confectioners sugar
• stick) 1 cup chopped pecans, highly
• 3 Tbsp cocoa toasted
• 6 Tbsp Coca Cola (½ cup)

1. Combine butter, cocoa, and Coca Cola and heat to boiling.
2. Pour over confectioners sugar in pan.
3. After heating well, add 1 cup chopped pecans, which were toasted while oven was warming. Spread on hot cake.
4. After cooling, refrigerate until serving.

STACY’S CORN CASSEROLE

• 2 cans Mexi-Corn or Fiesta Corn
• 2 Tbsp flour
• or Southwest Corn 8 green onions, sliced
• 1 large bag of frozen white jalapenos to taste (jar is better shoepeg corn than fresh) 3 whole or sliced
• 1 – 8oz block cream cheese about ¼ cup presliced
• 1 stick butter 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup parmesan cheese

Mix ingredients together and bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes until slightly brown and bubbly.

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Jen Skrabak – Pumpkin Dessert Squares:

Ingredients:

• 1box yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup cold butter
• 3 large eggs
• 2 Tbs milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 jar Muirhead Pumpkin Butter
• 1 Tbs flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan.
2. Reserve 1 cup of the cake mix. 
3. Combine the remaining cake mix, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 1 egg: Stir until well mixed and press into the bottom of the pan.
4. Whisk together the entire jar of pumpkin butter, 2 eggs, and 2 Tbs milk. Pour over cake mixture already in the pan.
5. Using a pastry blender, combine reserved 1 cup of the cake mix, 1Tbs flour, 1/4 cup cold butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon.
6. Crumble over top of cake.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.

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John Mashack – Pizzelles:

Pizzelles will require a pizzelle iron

• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter or margarine, melted and cooled
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. anise seed
• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tbsp. baking powder
• Powdered sugar

1. Beat eggs and sugar, add cooled melted butter, vanilla and anise seed.
2. Sift flour and baking powder and add to egg mixture. Batter will have a dough-like consistency.
3. Bake in pizzelle iron for 30-45 seconds.
4. Let cool for 30-60 minutes, then dust both sides in powdered sugar.

Chocolate Pizzelles:

Same recipe as above but omit vanilla extract and anise seed. Add 3 tbsp. cocoa and 3 tbsp. sugar.

Almond Pizzelles

Same recipe as above but omit vanilla extract and anise seed. Add 1 tbsp. almond extract or 2 tbsp. Amaretto. Add 1 cup finely chopped almonds to the batter.

Date Roll-Up Cookies

• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter or margarine
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp. salt
• Powdered sugar
• Dates
• Egg whites

1. Mix margarine, cream cheese, flour and salt.
2. Roll dough in powdered sugar until less than ¼ inch thick.
3. Cut into 1 inch by ½ inch strips and wrap around date.
4. Coat with beaten egg whites and cook at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

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Elaine Cook – OH HENRY Bars:

(Bottom layer)

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 6 cups Special K Cereal

1. MIX  FIRST THREE INGREDIENTS IN A MICROWAVE SAFE BOWL.
2. HEAT 2 MINUTES – STIR. HEAT ANOTHER 2 MINUTES
3. ADD 1 1/2 CUP PEANUT BUTTER AND STIR
4. PUT 6 CUPS SPECIAL K CEREAL IN LARGE BOWL AND POUR MIXTURE ON TOP – MIX WELL UNTIL CEREAL COATED
5. PRESS EVENLY INTO LARGE 11 X17 COOKIE SHEET

(Top Layer)

• 12 oz semi-sweet Chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• MIX TOGETHER AND HEAT 2 MINUTES AND STIR, THEN HEAT ANOTHER TWO MINUTES AND STIR
• SPREAD EVENLY ON TOP OF CEREAL MIXTURE IN PAN. ALLOW TO COOL COMPLETELY 
• CUT INTO 1’ SQUARES AND SEAL IN CONTAINER. (I PUT MINE IN A 8X11 TUPPERWARE CONTAINER AND LAYER WITH WAX PAPER.)

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Jerry Booth – Paleo Butternut Squash Stuffing with Apples and Cranberries:

Ingredients:

• One large butternut squash, peeled and cut into half inch cubes. About 6 cups. (Microwave the squash for 3 minutes to soften it so you can cut it without superhuman strength. And poke few holes in it so it doesn’t explode….)
• One and 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil or avocado oil for roasting
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil or avocado oil
• One small onion, chopped
• Three celery stocks, chopped
• 1 pound of sausage (I use turkey)
• 1 large apple or two small cored and chopped
• One quarter or 1/2 teaspoon of salt,
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh sage leaves, minced
• Three-quarter cups, dried cranberries
• One egg
• Fresh parsley, minced for garnish

Preparation:
Prepare to roast butternut squash cubes: preheat oven to 425°F. Toss the butternut cubes with the one and half tables of oil, salt and pepper and spread on a single layer on a large baking sheet line with parchment paper. Roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Browning the squash until it is soft and toasted.

While the squash is roasting, prep your other ingredients.

1. Get a large skillet ready on medium to medium high heat, and add the 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil of ghee.
2. When hot, add chopped onions, celery, and cook about 3 to 5 minutes until softened, Add the ground sausage to the skillet and use wooden spoon to break up lump and stir as it cooks.
3. Cook the sausage with the onions and celery until browned, then lower the heat to medium.
4. Add chopped apples and herbs and cook on medium 2-4 minutes just to soften, then add salt.
5. Lower the heat and stir to combine all flavors for two more minutes.
6. Remove from heat and set aside. Once the butternut squash is roasted, it should be light brown and crisp. Add it to the sausage mixture along with the dried cranberries and if want your stuffing to add the egg, add it to the mixture and toss.
7. Lower the oven to 375, and mix all in a large baking dish. Spread out evenly, and be gentle with the squash. You want it crisp and cubed, not mushed. Trust me!
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
9. Garnish with fresh parsley.

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Matt Lindner – Apple Crumb Pie:

Ingredients for crumb topping:  

• ½ cup sugar
• ¾ cup AP flour
• 1/3 cup butter (or margarine)

Ingredients for rest of pie:

• 4-5 large tart apples
• 1 plain pie crust
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions for making crump topping:

1. Allow butter to come to room temperature
2. Sift ½ cup sugar in with ¾ cup flour
3. Cut in room temperature butter into sugar/flour mixture until you have a “crumbly” texture mixture; note: if you overwork the cut-in, you will get a finer crumb which will make for a harder baked top, so try to leave crumbs bigger – you can always make more crumb topping with the stated proportions to make sure you fully cover the top of the pie

Instructions for making rest of pie:

1. Pare apples; cut them into thin slices, or core & spiralize the apples (if you have the tools for it) and then cut the spiral stack in half from the top down to create two stacks of half-moon shaped slices
2. Line a pie pan / plate with the pie crust
3. Arrange the apple slices in a general spiral pattern pile in the pie crust
4. Mix ½ cup sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle the mixture over the apples; (optional, sprinkle cinnamon sugar over apples AS YOU BUILD LAYERS of apple slices in the pie crust)
5. Sprinkle crumb topping over apples
6. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes. Then, lower oven temp to 300F and bake additional 40 minutes. Finally, turn oven off and let pie come down to room temperature overnight IN THE OVEN.

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Charley Gates – Avis’ Sweet and Savory Country Ham Rolls (makes 24):

Ingredients:

• 1lb country ham very thinly sliced
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 12 pack Kings Hawaiian dinner rolls (2 Packs)
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• Poppy seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In small saucepan melt ½ cup butter over low heat, stirring in the brown sugar until it dissolves. Keep mixture warm.
3. Carefully butterfly slice the rolls in a way to separate the top portion of the rolls from the bottom.
4. Spread the butter/brown sugar onto both sides of the rolls.
5. Assemble sandwiches using the country ham.
6. Melt the additional butter and brush onto the tops of the rolls and sprinkle with poppy seeds
7. Wrap 12 rolls into aluminum foil and place in oven for at least 20 minutes. 

Serve warm and enjoy!

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Stephanie Armstrong – Corn Pudding:

It’s best if given time to set for a while after cooking (at least one hour) and is even good made ahead and reheated the next day! Adding the cayenne pepper is my personal addition to give it a little kick. You can use two cans of kernel corn if you want to make it…cornier (lol)!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 – 14.5 ounce cans of cream-style corn
• 1 to 2 – 14.5 ounce can(s) of kernel corn, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper or cayenne pepper
• 4 well-beaten eggs

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2-quart casserole. 
2. Melt butter in saucepan. Whisk milk and flour mixture together in a separate bowl and then add to butter in saucepan. Stir until thickened.
3. Add corn, salt, and pepper, and mix until heated. Fold in eggs and put in prepared casserole dish.
4. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes to 1 hour or until pudding has set. 

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Remember to let us know if you tried any of these recipes or if you have your own favorite you’d like to share, comment below!