Winter Warm-Up Recipes

Boy, it has been cold out. What else does one do when temperatures are sub-zero? Well, cook, of course. Here are a few of the dishes cooked up over the weekend by The Drummer “Test Kitchen.” We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

If you have a favorite dish, that you would like to share, we would love to hear from you! Recipes, with photo (and a short story/history), if available, can be submitted to ads@thedrummer.com.

Pepperoni Pizza Sliders

Yield: 12 Sliders

Prep Time: 15 Min

Cook Time: 12 Min

Total Time: 27 Min

12 Hawaiian dinner rolls (don’t separate the rolls)

3/4 c. pizza or marinara sauce

12 slices of mozzarella cheese

6 oz. package of sliced pepperoni

1/2 c. butter, melted

3 T. grated parmesan

1-1/2 T. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly spray an 11 x 8-inch pan with cooking spray.

Using a bread knife cut sheet of rolls through the middle to make them into buns (separating tops from bottoms), being careful to try to keep rolls connected. Place the bottom half of the rolls in a baking dish.

Spread the marinara sauce on the bottom layer of buns, layer on 6 slices of the cheese and half the pepperoni. Layer remaining cheese and pepperoni then replace top half of the rolls to close sandwiches.

In a small bowl combine butter, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and crushed red pepper. Brush evenly over sliders.

Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Take foil off and cook an additional two minutes. Remove from the oven. Slice them apart and serve warm.

Cheeseburger Tots

Servings: 16

 Prep Time: 20 Mins

Cook Time: 35 Mins

Total Time: 55 Mins

Cheeseburger Tots:

48 tater tots, frozen

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 c. onion, finely diced

Salt and pepper to taste

2 T. mayonnaise

2 T. Yellow mustard

2 T. Ketchup

2 T. Pickle relish

1 c. Cheddar cheese, shredded

Note: You can use more or less of any of these condiments

Mini Pickles for garnish

Special Sauce:

1/2 c. Mayonnaise

4 T. Pickle relish

2 T. Yellow mustard

1 tsp. White wine vinegar

1 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Onion powder

1 tsp. Garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat. Once meat has browned drain the grease then add beef and onions back to the skillet and cook until softened. Add mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, and pickle relish to the ground beef and stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste.

Grease a mini muffin pan and place three tater tots in each cup. Bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove the muffin pan from the oven and use a tamper to press the tater tots down into each cup. This will create a tater tot cup.

Fill the tater tots with the ground beef mixture and top with cheddar cheese. Place the tater tots back in the oven and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove the cheeseburger tots from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin pan.

While the cheeseburger tots cool mix together all of the special sauce ingredients.

Drizzle the special sauce over the cheeseburger tots and top with mini pickle slices. Enjoy!

Pulled Pork Pastry Puffs

Yield: 18 puffs

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

1 (17.3-oz.) pkg. puff pastry, defrosted

3/4 lb. pulled pork

3/4 c. BBQ sauce

1-1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 T. water

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. Unfold pastry sheets. Cut each sheet into 9 squares.

Toss pulled pork with BBQ sauce. Arrange pulled pork and cheese down center of the pastry squares. Fold two opposite corners of each square over the filling and press edges to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet.

Combine egg and water. Brush each pastry with egg wash. Bake 15-18 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Roasted Potatoes and Kielbasa

(One-Pan Recipe)

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 50 min

Total Time: 55 min

Yield: 4 servings

3 lbs. small red potatoes cut into 1/3” to 1/2” thick rings

2 T. extra light olive oil or any high heat cooking oil

2 T. minced fresh parsley or 1/2 T. dried parsley

1 tsp. sea salt

2 garlic cloves pressed

1 lb. kielbasa or sausage cut into 3/4” thick rings (we used Polish kielbasa)

Preheat Oven to 400˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, or Silpat.

Cut potatoes into rings no larger than 1/2” thick. If potatoes are tiny baby red potatoes, you can half or quarter them so they are no larger than 1/2” thick. Slice Kielbasa into 3/4” thick rings. Place potatoes and kielbasa in a large mixing bowl.

Add parsley, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp olive oil and toss to combine. Spread onto baking sheet and bake at 400˚F for 45-50 min or until potatoes are browned an crisp. Stir halfway through baking to ensure even browning. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

Cherry-Almond Vanilla Cupcakes

Prep Time: 45 min

Stand Time: 30 min

Bake Time: 15 to 18 min

Cool Time: 45 min

Yield: 24 cupcakes

1/2 c. butter

4 egg whites

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 c. buttermilk or sour milk*

1/3 c. maraschino cherry juice

1-1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond extract

12 maraschino cherries, halved

1 recipe Cherry-Almond Butter Frosting

Maraschino cherries with stems (optional)

Allow butter and egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line twenty-four 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups (or coat with cooking spray). In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup combine buttermilk and cherry juice; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, vanilla, and almond extract; beat until combined. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups. Press a cherry half into batter in each cup.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups. Cool completely on wire racks.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip, pipe Cherry-Almond Butter Frosting over tops of cupcakes. If desired, top with cherries. Makes 24 (2-1/2-inch) cupcakes.

*Test Kitchen Tip: To make 3/4 cup sour milk, place 2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 3/4 cup liquid; stir. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes before using.

Make-Ahead Directions: Place unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container; cover. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw cupcakes, if frozen. Frost as directed.

Cherry-Almond Butter Frosting

1/2 c. butter, softened

4 c. powdered sugar

3 T. maraschino cherry juice or milk

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Milk

In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup of the powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in maraschino cherry juice and almond extract. Gradually beat in additional powdered sugar. If necessary, beat in additional juice or milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until frosting reaches spreading consistency.

*Test Kitchen Tip: If milk is used instead of cherry juice, use red food coloring to tint the frosting pink.

Salted Caramel Cheesecake Squares

Total: 4 hr 45 min (includes cooling and setting times)

Active: 40 min

Yield: 24 squares

Crust:

Cooking spray, for spraying the foil

2 sleeves (10 oz.) graham crackers

1/2 c. pecans

8 T. (1 stick) salted butter, melted

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:

3 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened

1-1/2 c. granulated sugar

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 large eggs

1/2 c. sour cream

Caramel Topping:

1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar

6 T. salted butter

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

2 T. dark corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Flaky sea salt, for garnish

For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch rectangular baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Place the graham crackers and pecans into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture becomes crumbs. Add the butter and vanilla and pulse again until combined. Pour into the prepared pan and press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. If they come up the sides, that’s okay!

For the filling: Beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add the sour cream and mix again.

Pour the mixture into the crust, smooth the top and bake for 50 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the door, leaving the cheesecake to sit in the oven with the door open for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool for an hour.

For the caramel topping: Add the brown sugar and butter to a pan, set over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Add the condensed milk, corn syrup and vanilla and bring to a boil, stirring continuously.

Place a candy thermometer in the caramel mixture and continue to boil until the caramel reaches 225 degrees F. Turn off the heat and let the caramel cool for about 5 minutes before pouring over the cheesecake.

Allow to set for 2 hours, then cut into squares with a sharp knife. Arrange on a plate and garnish each square with a pinch of sea salt.

Quote of the Week:

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”

~ Charles M. Schulz