Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
This week we have two easy party-friendly recipes and another for when you want something delicious, but without a lot of effort.
This snack mix recipe is from Gayle Marcks.
White Chocolate Party Mix
- 1 (10-ounce) package mini pretzels
- 5 cup Cheerios
- 5 cups corn Chex
- 2 cups salted peanuts
- 1 (16-ounce) package M&M's (Marcks likes to color coordinate for the occasion, so red and green for Christmas)
- 2 packages white chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
In a large bowl, combine the pretzels, Cheerios, Chex, peanuts and M&M's; set aside.
In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the white chocolate chips and vegetable oil on 50% power for 2 minutes, stirring once. Cook 10 seconds more and stir until smooth. Pour over cereal and mix well.
Spread mixture onto three baking sheets lined with foil. Cool until set. Break apart and serve.
Store in an airtight container.
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This festive and alcohol-free punch recipe is from Sally Goss.
Holiday Punch
- 3 cups pineapple juice, chilled
- 3 cups cranberry juice, chilled
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon almond extract
- 4 cups ginger ale, chilled
- Fresh or frozen cranberries, optional garnish
- Sliced limes, optional garnish
In a large punch bowl, combine pineapple and cranberry juices. Stir in sugar and almond extract stirring to dissolve sugar. Stir in ginger ale. Garnish with cranberries and lime slices, if desired.
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For a delicious no-fuss soup, this hearty stew from Rachel O'Neal (the paper's High Profile editor) is hard to beat.
"I like it because it doesn't require a lot of prep time and it is great on a chilly day," O'Neal says.
She tells me she got the recipe from Joe Stumpe, another name longtime readers may recognize. Stumpe was a reporter the Democrat-Gazette in the 1990s. He later was food editor at the Wichita (Kansas) Eagle.
Green Chili Stew
- 1 (12-ounce) package frozen sweet corn
- 1 (12-ounce) package frozen chopped onions
- 1 (30-ounce) package frozen hash browns
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 cups of green salsa such as Herdez Roasted Salsa Verde
- 1 tablespoon cumin or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons chili powder or more to taste
- Shredded rotisserie chicken (optional)
- Fresh cilantro
- Shredded cheese
Combine the corn, onion, hash browns, broth, salsa, cumin, chili powder and chicken (if using) in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. (I like to let it simmer for a few hours.)
Serve with cilantro and shredded cheese.
Email recipe contributions, requests and culinary questions to: kbrant@adgnewsroom.com