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If your family is anything like mine, food is central to any gathering. Whether it’s a family reunion, birthday bash, game day gathering, or holiday shindig, we almost always end up in the kitchen snacking and sampling everyone’s dishes. Nowadays, though, family and friends can live a little farther away, which means you need to transport your culinary masterpieces. Thankfully, we’ve compiled a list of easily transported holiday favorites.

Download the recipe book: Holiday Recipes

An Easily Transported Appetizer

This snack is easy finger food, and is even easier to transport!

Chicken salad pita recipe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicken Salad Pitas (4 dozen)

Ingredients

½ cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup red pepper jelly

¼ cup minced green onions

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tsp lime zest

¼ Tsp ground red pepper

2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken

½ cup finely chopped toasted pecans

24 mini pita pockets, halved

 

Instructions

  1. Whisk together first 6 ingredients in large bowl.
  2. Stir in cooked chicken and pecans until well-mixed.
  3. Cover and chill in refrigerator overnight or for a few hours.
  4. Open up one end of the pita pocket and fill with chicken salad.
  5. Serve and enjoy!

 

A Move-Ready Main Dish

Put together this simple lasagna the night before your event, or even the day before Christmas Eve! It takes just 25 minutes of prep and 45 minutes to bake.

Easy Cheesy Holiday LasagnaHoliday Lasagna

Ingredients

12 lasagna noodles (prepared as package instructs)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 pkg (16 oz) Italian ground sausage

1 medium onion, chopped

¼ Tsp powdered garlic

1 jar (24 oz) tomato & basil pasta sauce

4 cups ricotta cheese

1 Tbsp dried parsley

1 large egg

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Tsp dried oregano

1 9×13 inch baking pan

 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. In medium saucepan, sauté the sausage in olive oil until it crumbles and is no longer pink.
  2. Add chopped onion and garlic powder to saucepan and continue to sauté for 4 minutes.
  3. Add pasta sauce to the sausage mixture. Remove from heat and set aside.
  4. In medium bowl, blend ricotta cheese, egg, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, and parsley. Set aside.
  5. Line baking pan with foil for easy clean up and spray with no-stick cooking spray.
  6. Spread 1 cup of the sauce mixture on the bottom of the pan. Top with 2 lasagna noodles.
  7. Spread ¼ ricotta cheese mixture on the noodles and layer 1 cup of the sauce mixture.
  8. Sprinkle ½ cup of mozzarella cheese over your last layer.
  9. Repeat this layering process two more times, starting with the noodles and finishing with the last bit of parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with oregano.
  10. Bake for 45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

 

A Dessert That’s “A Piece of Cake” To Move and Make!

This tart is such a treat! Using frozen berries, this scrumptious dessert can be made the night before and transported without fear of spilling or melting!

Delicious berry tart recipeMixed-Berry Pretzel Tart

Ingredients

CRUST

2 cups crushed pretzels

3 Tbsp sugar

12 Tbsp (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted

FILLNG

8 oz cream cheese

¾ cup plus 1 tbsp sugar

7 oz plain Greek yogurt (not fat-free)

2 tsp vanilla extract

2, 3 oz packages strawberry jello

1, 16 oz package frozen, unsweetened sliced strawberries

1, 16 oz package frozen, unsweetened blueberries

Whipped cream to taste

 

Instructions:

Make Crust

  1. Preheat oven to 400°. Spray 9×13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
  2. Place crushed pretzels in bowl of a food processor. Add sugar and melted butter and “pulse” to combine.
  3. Press pretzel mixture into baking dish and bake for 8 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.

Make Filling

  1. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese with ¾ cup sugar until well blended.
  2. Fold in yogurt and vanilla.
  3. Spread mixture over cooled pretzel crust and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Make Fruit Mixture

  1. In large bowl, dissolve both packages of jello in boiling water. Let cool until mixture gets syrupy (about 15 mins).
  2. Stir in strawberries and blueberries and pour over cream cheese layer.
  3. Chill until firm (about 2-3 hrs).
  4. When time to serve, slice tart into squares and top with whipped cream. Enjoy!

Download the recipe book: Holiday Recipes