Everyone’s Favorite Italian Salad

Start to finish: 15 minutes
Impresses: 6

Ingredients
1 5-ounce container spring mix salad greens
¼ cup jarred roasted red peppers, sliced
¼ cup canned artichoke hearts, quartered
¼ cup kalamata olives, halved
¼ cup pine nuts
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 bunch fresh parsley, sans stems
½ cup fresh basil leaves
¼ cup fresh oregano leaves
2 cloves garlic, smashed
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper

Method
Place pine nuts in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Toast, stirring frequently, until fragrant and slightly browned — about five minutes. Let cool.

In a blender, combine olive oil, vinegar, parsley, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Pulse until fully combined.

In a large salad bowl, toss together greens, red peppers, artichoke hearts, olives, pine nuts and red onion with ¼ cup (more or less as desired) prepared dressing. Top with extra Parmesan cheese.

Bacon, Leek & Gruyère Quiche

Start to finish: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Impresses: 12

Ingredients
2 packages applewood smoked bacon
2 leeks
8 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded
18 eggs
1 cup half and half
 salt and pepper, to taste
2 store bought pie dough crusts

Method
Preheat oven to 400 F and liberally butter two cast iron skillets. Unroll pie dough, lightly press into the skillet and prick the bottom of the crust with a fork. 

Slice bacon into small strips and cook in a large skillet over medium-low heat until crispy. While that’s cooking, slice the bottom white section of the leeks into thin, half moons. Remove bacon and let drain on a layer of paper towels. Reserve two tablespoons of the bacon grease and sauté the leeks for three minutes, until slightly softened. 

In a large bowl or blender, beat together eggs, half and half and salt and pepper.

Sprinkle bacon, leeks and cheese into each skillet and top with egg mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool five minutes and then cut into slices.

Prep ahead
The night before, assemble each quiche, pop in the fridge and bake in the morning. If you’re prepping more in advance, instead of cast iron, opt for foil pie pans. Make as directed above and then cover in plastic wrap and freeze until you need a no-fuss breakfast. Straight from the freezer, unwrap plastic wrap, cover with foil and reheat at 350 F for one hour.

Cowboy Lasagna

Recipe courtesy of Miranda Rice

Start to finish: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Impresses: 10

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
1 24-ounce jar spaghetti or marinara sauce
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup sour cream
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 stick butter
1 16-ounce package lasagna noodles, cooked al dente and drained
cheddar cheese, grated

Method
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine cream cheese, sour cream and ricotta cheese until blended. 

Combine meat and spaghetti sauce.

Place a few thin slices of butter in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. 

Place ½ of the lasagna noodles on top of the butter. 

Pour ½ of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles and spread well. 

Repeat last three steps and layer remaining noodles, cheese and meat. 

Top with grated cheddar cheese. 

Bake for 30 minutes.

Lasagna Roll-Ups

Recipe courtesy of Amber Talsma

Start to finish: 1 hour
Impresses: 10

Ingredients
20 lasagna noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds ground beef
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 30-ounce container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 pound mozzarella, grated
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 large eggs
¼ cup parsley, minced
¼ cup basil, minced

Method
Preheat oven to 375 F. Boil lasagna noodles in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water to cool and then lay flat on a sheet of foil. Set aside. 

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, bell pepper and garlic, then sauté for 4–5 minutes until vegetables start to soften. Remove vegetables from the pan. 

Add ground beef to the pan and cook until browned. Drain the excess fat. 

Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.

Add the vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Let the mixture simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. 

To make the filling, combine the ricotta cheese, ½ cup of the mozzarella, ¾ cup of the Parmesan, eggs, remaining salt and pepper, parsley and basil. Stir to combine. 

To assemble, spoon a thin layer of sauce into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan or five 6-inch disposable foil loaf pans. 

Spread 2–3 tablespoons of the filling on each noodle. Then, roll the noodles up so the cheese is on the inside of the roll. 

Lay rolls sideways in the 9x13-inch pan (four rolls will fit in each loaf pan).

Top evenly with the remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. 

Place pan(s) on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. 

Classic Lasagna

Recipe courtesy of Jenny Eisenga

Start to finish: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Impresses: 12

Ingredients
2 jars spaghetti sauce
1 pound hamburger
16 ounces cottage cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten
4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
9 lasagna noodles, cooked just until done

Method
Preheat oven to 350 F. Brown hamburger and drain excess fat if needed. Add spaghetti sauce and stir to combine. Let simmer for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, boil noodles until slightly undercooked. Drain and set aside. 

Combine slightly beaten eggs with cottage cheese, then set aside. 

In a greased 9x13-inch dish, pour ½ cup of the simmering spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the pan. Lay 3 noodles on top. Add another layer of the sauce, cottage cheese mixture, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese and ¼ cup mozzarella cheese. Layer one more time, starting with the noodles. To finish, top with the last 3 noodles, remaining sauce and the last of the mozzarella cheese. 

Cover and bake for 1 hour, uncovering the last 15 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

Fancy Green Beans

Whether you’re whipping up dinner for a crowd or dessert for someone special, preparing and enjoying meals is at the core of the holidays. And while traditional recipes vary from family to family, one thing remains true — flavor reigns. Add this green bean recipe made with Plugra European Style Butter to your dinner table this holiday season.

Fancy Green Beans
2 pounds fresh green beans, snapped
2 tablespoons Truffle Herb Butter (recipe below)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock
½ cup half and half
¼ cup parmesan, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup crispy onions

Heat oven to 350 F.
Steam or blanch green beans to where they are tender, but still have a slight snap to them. Set aside.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter over medium heat.
Whisk in flour until butter fully absorbs, about two minutes.
Continue whisking and add in the chicken broth. Once combined, add in the half and half.
Reduce heat to low and let simmer until slightly thickened, about five minutes. Stir in parmesan and salt and pepper.
Add the green beans and toss to coat.
Butter a deep casserole dish and pour in green bean mixture.
Top with crispy onions and bake 15 minutes, or until heated through and the top is crispy.

Truffle Herb Butter
8 ounces Plugra European Style Butter, unsalted
1 ½ teaspoons truffle oil
1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped

Combine softened butter in a medium-sized bowl with oil, thyme and sage. Beat until fluffy. Scoop butter onto one end of a rectangular piece of parchment paper, leaving room on the sides. Fold the end with the butter over, tucking tightly to form a log. Roll until you’ve reached the end of the parchment. Twist the ends and secure with string or bread ties. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Cheddar-Apple Slabble Pie

When it comes to apple pie, many of us have memories of the way our grandmother used to make it. Whether she used a mixture of butter and shortening, added vinegar or used her hands instead of a pastry cutter, the crust served as the bookends of a delicious tradition. By jazzing up a traditional, all-butter crust recipe with Borden® Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, this American classic is elevated into a slightly savory dessert, perfect for using up all those fresh-picked apples.

Crust
We opted for an all-butter crust, but this can be made by adding 1 ½ cups of shredded Cheddar cheese to your favorite pie crust recipe.
2 ½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 ½ cups Borden® Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
½ cup ice water

Filling
4 sweet apples, peeled and sliced (like Pink Lady or Gala)
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
½ cup sugar, or more to taste
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Egg wash
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon water

In the bowl of your food processor, pulse together the cold butter, flour and salt until a course texture is formed, where the butter is a similar size to peas.
Slowly add in the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition until a dough comes together. You may need more or less water.
Once the dough has come together, pulse in the grated Borden Cheddar Cheese.
Turn dough onto a floured countertop and gently knead into one solid mound. Separate the dough into two and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or for up to two days if making in advance.
While dough is chilling, heat the oven to 375 F.
Prepare the filling by tossing together the peeled and sliced apples, flour, cinnamon, sugar and lemon juice.
Once the dough is chilled, unwrap one disk and roll out on a floured surface in a rectangle large enough to hang over the edges of a small sheet pan.
Transfer the dough to the pan, pressing gently into the corners. Top with apple mixture and spread out evenly.
Unwrap and roll out the other disk on a floured surface into a rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, cut ½-inch strips lengthwise from the dough to make a lattice top.
To make the lattice, start by laying half the strips diagonally across the pan. Then, begin weaving the remaining strips to make the lattice design. This is done in an over-under pattern.
Once all the strips are successfully weaved, trim and crimp the edges with the edges of the bottom crust.
Mix together the egg and water and use a pastry brush to apply the egg wash to the top of the crust.
Bake 35–40 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden. Cool completely before serving.