8 (5 ounce) boneless chicken thighs
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed
½ medium onion, finely chopped
7 cloves garlic, chopped, or to taste
1 cup honey
½ cup soy sauce
1 pinch onion powder, or to taste
1 pinch garlic powder, or to taste

Pat chicken dry and season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on one side, 5 to 7
minutes.
Flip chicken; continue to cook until chicken is mostly (but not fully) cooked and onion and garlic
are soft, 3 to 5 minutes more. Remove chicken to a plate.
Cook onion and garlic in chicken drippings.
Add honey, soy sauce, onion powder, and garlic powder to the skillet. Stir and scrape the bottom
of the pan to get garlic and onion to mix with the liquid.
Return chicken to the skillet and reduce heat to medium. Cook until no longer pink in the center
and juices run clear, about 10 more minutes, turning once halfway through. An instant-read
thermometer inserted into the center of a thigh should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
Arrange chicken on a serving plate and drizzle liquid from the pan on top.

1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz.) can sweet corn kernels, drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (12.5 oz.) can chicken breast, drained and shredded
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
1 (1 oz.) packet taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cumin, optional
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, optional
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, optional
1/2 teaspoon onion powder, optional
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Garnish options: sour cream, tortilla chips, avocado

Place pinto beans, black beans, corn, tomatoes, chicken, green chiles and chicken broth in a large
stock pot over medium-high.
Stir in taco seasoning, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder, then add salt and
pepper, if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until
desired thickness is reached.
Serve hot, garnished with sour cream, tortilla strips and avocado.

15 phyllo cups ((aka phyllo shells, fillo shells))
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup red pepper jelly ((or pepper jelly of choice!))
15 pecan halves (toasted)
1 tbsp Fresh Herbs (thyme, parsley, etc) (chopped (optional))

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line up phyllo cups on a baking sheet.
Cut 1/2 of a block of cream cheese into 15 small cubes. To make this easier, freeze your cream
cheese for about half an hour before cutting. Place each little cube of cream cheese into a phyllo
cup.
Bake for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven and use the back of a spoon to press down the warm,
softened cream cheese.
Add a small spoonful of pepper jelly to each phyllo cup. Top with a pecan half.
Return to the oven for 3 minutes.
Optional: Garnish with thyme sprigs or diced parsley!

16 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese (avoid pre-shredded cheese)
1 c bleu cheese
2 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
dash freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup pecans, finely chopped
Black olive for eyes, tomato for nose, 2 pretzels for antlers

Mix cheeseball ingredients: Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl then mix until smooth. Add
cheeses, green onion, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, parsley, garlic powder, oregano. and
pepper then mix well to combine.
Form into ball: Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and gather the mixture into
one lump. Lightly grease your hands and form the mixture into a round ball.
Coat with nuts: Place the pecans on a plate. Hold the cheese ball in one hand and use the other
hand to scoop the pecans onto the outside of the ball, pressing them in gently and turning the ball
to coat all sides.
Chill and serve: Cover the cheeseball in cling wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour to allow it to
firm up. Remove from fridge about 20 minutes before serving to allow it to soften just slightly.
Garnish with the olives, tomatoes and pretzles.
Serve with crackers, pretzels, vegetables or anything else you'd love to dip in cheese!

2 cans crescent rolls
1 8 oz block cream cheese (softened)
2 1/2 cups frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
1 cup mozzarella cheese (grated)
3/4 cup canned artichoke hearts (chopped)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 egg (optional)

Make the filling
Mix all ingredients except crescent rolls in a bowl until fully combined. This should be easy to
do with a spatula as long as the cream cheese is soft. *make sure spinach is drained of excess
liquid.
Refrigerate for 1 hour before assembling the crescent ring.
Assembly and baking
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place a 5-inch bowl top-down in the middle
of the parchment paper.
Arrange crescent rolls in a concentric, overlapping circle around the bowl. You maybe not need
all of the rolls. Just use enough to get around the bowl and save the rest.
Once all dough triangles have been arranged, remove the bowl and use your hands to press the
dough around the center of the circle and create a little lip around the edge of the center of the
circle.
Remove filling from the fridge and place large cylindrical chunks around the center of the circle.
Gently lift the tip of each triangle over the filling and press into the inner edge of the circle.
Brush with beaten egg if desired.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until evenly golden brown.
Enjoy!

8 ounces cream cheese softened
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
⅓ cup chopped fresh chives
1 ½ cups dried cranberries
4 large flour tortillas 10-inch

Place cream cheese in a small bowl and beat until fluffy.
Add in remaining ingredients (except tortillas) and mix well. Spread the mixture evenly over the
4 tortillas.
Roll each tortilla in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cut into slices and serve.

1 1/4 lbs green beans look for thinner green beans
6 slices bacon cut in half, do not use thick-cut bacon
1 teaspoon garlic salt or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley optional
cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the bacon on a sheet pan and bake for 7 minutes. Remove
the bacon from the oven.
Trim the ends of the green beans. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
Place the green beans in the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Drain and put the
green beans in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
Pat the green beans dry. In a small bowl mix together the garlic salt, butter, brown sugar and
pepper. Pour the butter mixture over the green beans and toss to coat.
Wrap 8-10 green beans with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place the green bean
bundles on a sheet pan coated with cooking spray.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bacon is crispy. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

1 (24 oz) package frozen or refrigerated cheese ravioli
1 lb ground beef
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
`1/4 c chopped basil
8 oz small mozzarella pearls, divided

Preheat broiler. Cook ravioli according to package directions, drain and set aside.
Cook ground beef in a large cast iron or broiler safe skillet, drain grease as necessary. Season
with oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Add tomatoes and basil, bring to a simmer. Fold in the ravioli and half the mozzarella pearls.
Scatter remaining mozzarella balls over the top of the pasta.
Transfer pan to the oven, broil until the cheese is melted.

1 butternut squash peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 cup fresh cranberries
1-2 tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup feta cheese

Preheat oven to 400º. Place parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet.
Toss squash with olive oil, salt and pepper and garlic powder and pour onto prepared baking
sheet. Roast for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and add cranberries. Return to oven and roast an additional 10 minutes, until
cranberries are soft and have burst slightly.
Remove from oven and drizzle with honey and cinnamon. Add feta and serve.

8 oz cream cheese softened
8 oz Monterey jack cheese shredded
¼ cup cooked and crumbled bacon
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
10 jalapenos sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed
12 oz Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 egg lightly beaten with 1 Tbsp of water (for egg wash)
40 small candy eyeballs or sliced olives

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a large baking tray with foil and lightly spray with olive oil
cooking spray.
Slice your jalapenos lengthwise and remove the seeds. Partially remove the pith/ribs of the
jalapeno.
Add the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, bacon, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and
black pepper to a large bowl and stir to combine.
Spoon the cheese mixture into the jalapeno halves.
Unroll the crescent rolls. Divide them into 4 rectangles; to do this, you will need to push together
2 triangles, sealing them at the perforations. You will end up with 4 rectangles total. Slice each
rectangle lengthwise into 10 strips.
Wrap each cheese-stuffed jalapeno half with 2 strips of dough. Try to leave room for where the
eyes will be.
Arrange the dough-wrapped, cheese-stuffed jalapeno halves on the prepared baking tray. Lightly
brush the dough with egg wash.
Bake until they’re golden, about 12 minutes.
As soon as they’re out of the oven, carefully press 2 candy eyeballs into each mummy.
Cool slightly and serve warm.