Candy Cane Crinkles

The perfect peppermint cookie for the winter season that just melt in your mouth!

Every year, the kids and I choose a cookie recipe off my cookie board on Pinterest to make for Santa. Even though my big kids are of the "knowing age", they still love this tradition and are really excited to continue it with their little brother who will have his first big Christmas where he understands what is going on other than just presents. I think we're going to have his first visit to Santa which will be really exciting.

I'm not sure what cookie we will make this year, but last year, these Candy Cane Crinkles were the chosen cookie for Santa. They are buttery and melt-in-your-mouth with the cool bite of peppermint. They don't look like anything more than sugar cookies, but they are so fantastic. Don't underestimate them! Also, I don't know if every place will carry them but I discovered crushed candy canes at my local grocery store (Kroger) this past week and I was so excited. Crushing candy canes is one of my least favorite tasks to do and I love that they now have precrushed candy canes! Perfect for cookies!

Countdown to 2020 [All the Details]

It's almost time! The end of the year is upon us and that means I am once again hosting the Countdown - this year, the Countdown to 2020. It's my sixth year hosting - it's so much fun. If you are a food blogger, keep reading :)

From December 26 until January 1, food bloggers will share their best recipes posted in 2019 to bring in the new year. Each day has a different category and bloggers are not required to join in for all the days if they don't want to. Each day a blog hop will open at 12:00am EST and close 36 hours later. The first day of January is the Wild Card category, which means you get to choose what category you want to share. It can be YOUR favorite recipes posted in 2019, underrated gems from 2019, recipes you want to try in 2020, best beverages of 2019, etc. It's totally up to you!

If you have any questions, please email me at fantasticalsharing1 at gmail dot com. I'll see you back on the 26th for the first Countdown to 2020 post all about the best appetizers and snacks recipes of 2019! Sign up for the mailing list is below the image at the end of the post.

Please feel free to post on your blog about the Countdown or share the button on your sidebar or one on your social media. To save, right-click and upload from your computer, tablet, or phone. Do not copy/paste.

Sign up for the mailing list: here.

BLT Deviled Eggs

Spruce up those deviled eggs with a little BLT fixings!

Y'all. Is it just me or is romaine lettuce always being recalled and linked to e. coli? I feel like I am always reading about another outbreak and it kind of drives me nuts because I eat romaine lettuce a ton. The original recipe for these deviled eggs calls for romaine, but when I made them last year (yes, last year), romaine was recalled and I settled for spinach which isn't as pretty to photograph. The flavors are that of a lovely BLT sandwich but kind of also remind me of egg salad sandwiches, so it's like a combination of the two. I have to say, didn't hate that at all! :)

Menu Plan Monday - November 25, 2019

I am so happy it's Thanksgiving. Halloween is my favorite holiday and then I always go back and forth between Thanksgiving and Christmas as my next favorite holiday. Thanksgiving is such a good holiday. Lots of food and being thankful for everything we have. It's just a nice, comforting holiday. I'm bringing a few sides and a variation of pumpkin pie for dessert.

Monday - Kicked Up Sausage Alfredo
Tuesday - Grilled Salsa Verde Chicken
Wednesday - Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes // Cheesy Ground Beef Enchilada Chili
Thursday - Thanksgiving - Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts Au Gratin, Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars
Friday - Copycat Guberburgers
Weekend -x

What are you having for dinner this week?
Feel free to leave a link to the recipe in the comments!

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Mutti's Sauerbraten

This German-style red wine and clove marinated beef roast is absolute perfection with gravy on top!

When we were introduced to German food, my family fell in love. I've been trying to find authentic German recipes online and I believe this pot roast is pretty authentic. Sauerbraten is a marinated roast and I have to say that it turned out so tender and the spice mix was incredible. I will also say that as a child, I really didn't eat gravy and I still really don't care for it. However, for some reason, the recipes I've been making lately with gravy that goes on the meat have really won me over. This one in particular was rich but really brought out the flavors of the marinade - which by the way has red wine in it. So it's really the best. You can serve this up with sauerkraut or red cabbage or potato dumplings. We did buttered gnocchi, which is Italian, but that's what I wanted with it. :)

Chocolate Pecan Pie #FantasticalFoodFight

Welcome to another Food Fight! Fantastical Food Fight is a group of food bloggers who will get a theme or ingredient each month and make some sort of variation for it. It could be traditional or nontraditional and can be found in a cookbook, on a blog, or be a blogger's own creation! For more details, check out this page.

This month's Fantastical Food Fight theme is PECAN PIE. November is Georgia Pecan Month and although I could have gone the easy route and just picked pecans for the ingredient, I decided to make it all about pecan pie with the big holidays coming up in the US where pecan pie is the major dessert. No time like the present, right?! Here's the thing...this is definitely not my month. I don't like pie very much and pecan pie is probably my least favorite pie. But here we are...it's Pecan Pie Food Fight month!

With all that being said, this is the second pecan pie recipe to hit the blog and again, I did try it to see if my mind could be changed by a different recipe. The first pecan pie was a butterscotch pecan pie and I thought maybe I would enjoy that but it was a bust for me - Nick loved it. This go-around I figured I would have more of a chance of enjoying the pie because it's chocolate-based. It was still a bust. However, I get to post this with the approval of Nick and my daughter, Cami. Both of them gladly taste-tested and split the pie between the two of them (over the next week - not in one night haha). They said it tasted like rich chocolate pudding and pecan pie had a baby. So I'm just going to take their word for it. It was an easy recipe to make and it looks beautiful!

Menu Plan Monday - November 18, 2019

This week should be lots of yummy yummy veggies and I cannot wait. It's my kinda week! :)

Monday - Chicken, Bacon, and Brussels Sprout Mac and Cheese
Tuesday - Easy Grilled Steak Burrito Bowls
Wednesday - Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins // Mexican Street Corn Soup
Thursday - Chinese Green Beans with Ground Turkey over Rice
Friday - Cheeseburger Pizza
Weekend - Quick Easy Cinnamon Twists // Chicken Alfredo Zucchini Roll Ups // Butterscotch Pie

What are you having for dinner this week?
Feel free to leave a link to the recipe in the comments!

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Cream Cheese Sausage Balls

This classic appetizer is easy peasy with only four ingredients!

I don't remember when I came across this recipe but I was so excited because it had been so long since I had had this little appetizer. I remembered them fondly from my childhood. I feel like they were a staple at every holiday. I didn't realize they were made with pancake mix nor did I realize they were made with only four ingredients!

Spicy Pepperoncini Chicken Noodle Soup

This chicken noodle soup will knock your socks off with its little kick from the pepperoncinis!

Since I figured out that I liked chicken noodle soup as long as it is homemade, I've been more willing to try out new recipes. We really enjoy pepperoncinis as a family, so I figured this recipe would be a keeper for sure. We all really enjoyed the heat and the little bit of pickley flavor to chicken noodle soup :)

Menu Plan Monday - November 11, 2019

One Pot Spaghetti is one of the most popular recipes I've posted on my blog and I don't make it enough when it's spaghetti night but I had to do it this month. Just had to! I've been on a Greek food kick lately too and just want tzatziki sauce all the time.

Monday - One Pot Spaghetti
Tuesday - Queso Smothered Chicken Fajitas
Wednesday - Mini Pumpkin Cinnamon Sugar Muffins // Wendy's Chili
Thursday - One Pot Baked Greek Chicken Risotto
Friday - Crunch Burgers
Weekend - Graham Streusel Coffee Cake // Turkey Parmesan Meatballs // Soft Baked Reese's Pieces Butterscotch Cookies

What are you having for dinner this week?
Feel free to leave a link to the recipe in the comments!

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White Chicken Chili Dip

There is nothing better than chili except chili in dip form! Dip vegetables, crackers, pretzels, and more into this delicious appetizer.

When I was first out on my own, I learned how to make white chicken chili from my mother-in-law and we had it ALL. THE. TIME. We don't eat it much anymore but I saved this recipe because I knew we would love it and chili in dip form sounded amazing! This is a little different than the white chicken chili I make - I don't do bell peppers or corn in it, but I think that's what makes this so darn good and obviously different enough to be a dip and not the actual chili. But I'm not gonna lie, I kinda want to add corn and bell peppers to the chili recipe because this kinda blew my mind and the two ingredients really just fit with the white chicken chili flavors!

White Bean and Collards Soup

This soup has greens and beans...and barbecue sauce - it's a little sweet with a smoky flavor and oh so good!

I was all over this recipe when I found it because ham/bacon and bean soup is my favorite soup and this one has COLLARD GREENS. I was born and raised in Minnesota. So I did not grow up eating Southern food at all. The first time I had greens was in New York when we did a Thanksgiving dinner with my husband's battles from his unit and I'm obsessed. I love collard greens so much. I was intrigued by the barbecue sauce and I believe I used the spicy kind from Sweet Baby Rays. It adds a little sweetness and some smokiness to the soup which I found to be very satisfying. All-in-all this soup was definitely a keeper!

Menu Plan Monday - November 4, 2019

This week is exciting because I'm looking forward to making a little copycat that my husband had in the San Diego airport in October. He had a flatbread with beef and chimichurri but he sent me the menu with another flatbread that had goat cheese on it and I'm dying to try it!

Monday - Creamy Chicken Pasta
Tuesday - Turkey Taco Salad
Wednesday - PB&J Muffins // One Pot Cauliflower Chowder
Thursday - Asian Turkey Meatballs over Easy Thai Noodles
Friday - The Plato's Flatbread Copycats
Weekend - Blueberry Cornbread Muffins // Baked Chicken with Tomatoes, Basil, and Red Chillies // Caramel Drizzled Pumpkin Poke Cake

What are you having for dinner this week?
Feel free to leave a link to the recipe in the comments!

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One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta with Baked Parmesan Chicken

Crunchy baked parmesan chicken over a bed of one pot garlic parmesan pasta for a divine dinner!

I adore one pot meals and was so gung ho about trying the One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta because I love pasta and it's rare that a main dish doesn't have garlic in it. This is in my wheelhouse. I decided to double up and try another recipe I had hoarded that I thought would fit really well with this pasta. I was totally right and if you time it correctly, your chicken finishes baking as soon as you finish the pasta. The crunchy baked chicken is fabulous with the pasta. Really happy with the combination and if you try it, please let me know how you like it!