Pre-pandemic, buying a large turkey or ham seemed pretty perfect for a large family gathering. Instead of going big this year, we suggest being mindful of the limited amount of guests you will have sitting around the table. Keeping your menu restricted to fewer, smaller items can be a crowd pleasure for sure. Maybe this year your menu includes a meat, a side or two, a gravy suitable for multiple sides and a favorite dessert.
We encourage everyone to eat small and enjoy big. Afterwards, get outside and experience a hike, a walk, or even just a nice family conversation over a good old board game. Let us stuff our day full of family time instead of too much food!
COFFEE RUBBED STEAK TIPS
Ingredients:
- 1 lb Steak, cut into 1/4" cubes
- 2 tsp Roasted Coffee Rub (sold by The Bottled Olive Kitchen)
- 2 Tbsp Sea Salt
- 2 Tbsp Oil
- Green Onions for garnish
Instructions:
- In a Ziploc bag, add steak, coffee rub and sea salt. Shake to coat steak evenly with seasoning. Let sit until ready to cook.
- In a large sauté pan, heat the oil. Once hot, sear the steaks on all sides using tongs. Cook to desired doneness. Three minutes for medium rare.
- Serve steak garnished with green onions.
BALSAMIC WHISKEY CREAM SAUCE
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp Oil
- 1 Onion, sliced thin
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/2 cup Whiskey
- 2 Tbsp Chocolate Espresso Balsamic Vinegar (sold at The Bottled Olive Kitchen)
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
Instructions:
- In a large sauté pan, heat the oil. Add the onions, season with salt, and cook until soft and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
- Add the whiskey and Chocolate Espresso Balsamic Vinegar to deglaze the pan. Scrape up any yummy brown bits and stir as the liquid reduces over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the cream and allow to cook another 1-2 minutes.
- Serve over coffee rubbed steak and use as a gravy for smashed or mashed potatoes.
CHIVE SMASHED POTATOES
Ingredients:
- 4 pounds red potatoes, quartered
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
- 1 carton (8 ounces) spreadable chive and onion cream cheese
- 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
- 1/4 cup butter, cubed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- Chopped chives, optional
Instructions:
1. Place potatoes and bouillon in a Dutch oven and cover with 8 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook until tender, 15-20 minutes.
2. Drain and return to pan. Mash potatoes with cream cheese, cream, butter, salt and pepper. Garnish with chives.
PUMPKIN PIE BARS LAYERED WITH SWIRLS OF CHEESECAKE
Ingredients
For the Cookie Crust
- 7 oz Biscoff cookies crumbled (25 cookies)
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
For the Cheesecake Layer
- 16 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1/3 cup sour cream room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
For the Pumpkin Pie Layer
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling!
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
Instructions
For the Cookie Crust
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine Biscoff crumbs, melted butter, and brown sugar in a bowl and stir so that crumbs and sugar are well saturated with butter.
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Press into bottom of a 9x9 square baking pan, pressing down with fingers or the bottom of a dry measuring cup.
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Bake crust in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Let cool slightly.
For the Cheesecake Layer
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Reduce oven heat to 325°F.
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Beat cream cheese on medium speed in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth and creamy (do not overbeat). Add sour cream and beat until smooth, scraping sides of bowl to fully incorporate everything.
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Add sugar, vanilla and salt and beat until smooth.
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Beat in egg until smooth. Remove ½ cup of cheesecake filling and set aside.
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Pour the rest of cheesecake filling into prepared crust and smooth to cover the crust evenly.
For the Pumpkin Pie Layer
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In a bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, spices and salt and mix well.
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Beat in egg until smooth. Pour over the cheesecake layer and spread evenly.
For the Swirl Topping
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Drop spoonfuls of the reserved cheesecake filling all over the pumpkin pie layer.
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Use a toothpick, knife, or dowel to swirl the pumpkin and cheesecake layers together to create a marble pattern.
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Bake bars in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until center is set and only slightly wobbly.
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Remove from oven and allow to cool fully at room temperature.
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Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight before slicing into bars.
