Red Velvet Punch

As you can probably tell by the measurements, this is a GIGANTIC recipe. I have a very large punch bowl and it filled this completely. That said, we only had about 12 people at the party and it was all gone. So it must be good! You could definitely also make this an adult beverage with champagne instead of ginger ale, if you want. 

• 2 quarts cranberry juice
• 6 6-oz cans pineapple juice
• 1 6-oz can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 6-oz can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1 quart ginger ale

Mix all ingredients except ginger ale in a large container. Chill, covered, for 8-10 hours. Pour into a punch bowl. Stir in the ginger ale. Ladle into punch cups.

Serves 24

Total Time: 5 minutes plus chilling

NOTES: Not sure why you need to mix most of the ingredients ahead of time and have them take up a ton of space in your fridge. The second time I made this, I chilled all the ingredients separately and then mixed them right before I needed the punch. My punch bowl was just too large to be taking up all that space in my fridge for a day!

Also, after making the recipe again, Doug made ice cubes out of the leftovers. He has one of those ice ball trays. He put one in a glass, poured a little Squirt soda over it and said it was delicious.

Recipe from The Pampered Chef The Kitchen is the Heart of the Home cookbook 

Chicken Piccata Meatballs - People magazine edition

The original recipe was too lemony. I know, something you never thought you'd hear me say. But it was too much. So I adjusted the recipe down from 2 Tbsp to 1. We also served ours over Pasta Roni to add a little something. 

• 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1-2 soft white bread slices, crusts removed, slices torn into small pieces
• 1 large egg
• 2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (1/2 cup), plus more for serving
• 2 Tbsp whole milk
• 2 small shallots, finely chopped, divided
• 3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 2 Tbsp drained capers, chopped, plus 1 1/2 Tbsp drained whole capers, divided
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups lower sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 450 degrees with rack in upper third position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; drizzle with 1 Tbsp of the oil and set aside. 

Stir together bread, egg, cheese, and milk in a large bowl using a fork until thoroughly combined. Set aside for 5 minutes, allowing bread to absorb liquid. Add 1/4 cup of the shallots, 2 Tbsp of the parsley, 2 Tbsp of the chopped capers, lemon zest, and 1/2 tsp salt; stir together using a rubber spatula until mixture is smooth. Add chicken, breaking up into chunks. Using your fingertips, gently combine chicken with bread mixture just until blended. With damp hands, form mixture into 16 balls (about 1 1/2 Tbsp each); arrange 1 inch apart on baking sheet. 

Bake meatballs until tops are golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 Tbsp oil in a large deep skillet over medium. Add remaining shallots and 1/2 tsp salt; cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Add flour, whisking until smooth. Continue to whisk, adding chicken broth and lemon juice; whisk until smooth. When sauce begins to bubble, reduce heat to low, and add 1 1/2 Tbsp whole capers; simmer for 5 minutes.

Add meatballs to skillet; cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 Tbsp parsley. Serve with additional cheese.

Serves 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Jalapenos

If you know me, you know I'm not a spicy foods person. I really like the flavor of jalapeno, but if it's spicy, I die. I saw this item on a menu in Orlando and it just sounded too amazing so I had to try it and it did not disappoint (though it was, in fact, spicy). My variation turned out pretty well though it has been so long since I tried the original that I don't remember how close they tasted. What I can say is that their plating was way prettier than mine. 

• 1/4 cup tequila
• 4 slices uncooked bacon
• 4 jalapenos
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 1/3 cup cilantro 
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 5 cloves garlic
• Balsamic vinegar for drizzle

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, soak the slices of bacon in the tequila. Meanwhile, rinse the jalapenos and split in half lengthwise. Remove stem and seeds, taking care not to touch your face after handling the pepper.

Divide the cheese among half the slices of jalapenos and stuff it down the center as best you can. If needed, you can stuff all halves of jalapeno to use all the cheese. Place the halves of jalapenos back together, wrapping in bacon to hold in place.

Arrange jalapenos on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. While baking, assemble the cilantro garlic salsa. Using a blender, mix cilantro, mayonnaise, and garlic until smooth. Drizzle over cooked jalapenos with a little balsamic. Serve warm.

Serves 2

Total Time: 25 minutes

Recipe from Agave Azul Cocina

Macaroni and Cheese with Caramelized Onions

Ooooo cheese, bacon, and caramelized onion? What more could you ask for? Well, a little more flavor is what we found we could ask for. Doug added some crushed red pepper and said it was a lot better after that (I would also add garlic). There wasn't a massive amount of flavor but still, we both went back for seconds so there must be something there!

• 4 strips bacon
• 1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups regular or multigrain dried elbow macaroni (6 oz)
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
• 4 oz processed Gruyere cheese, shredded, or bleu cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup half and half or light cream
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

In a large skillet cook bacon on medium heat until crisp, turning once. Drain bacon on paper towels; crumble. Reserve bacon drippings in skillet. In a large saucepan, cook macaroni according to package directions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Cook onion in reserved bacon drippings over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, or until onion is tender and golden brown. Set aside. Drain pasta and return to saucepan. Stir in the crumbled bacon, onion, and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, the Gruyere cheese, half and half, and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Spoon into 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.

Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir gently. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake about 10 minutes more or until top of casserole is brown and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes. 

Serves 4

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

2026 Oscars Bingo

For those of you who like to watch the Academy Awards, here's my annual Bingo cards you can use with your friends. There are 40 unique pages. Have fun!

2026 Oscars Bingo

Rigatoni Amatriciana

You can't really go wrong with pasta, tomato, cheese, and pancetta. Fairly simple recipe, but a little elevated from your normal spaghetti and meatballs. The name "Amatriciana" is from a town in Italy called Amatrice. Here is a little history of the sauce I found online.

• 8 oz diced guanciale or pancetta
• 1 lb uncooked rigatoni pasta
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) dry white wine
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes, pureed in a blender
• 2 oz pecorino Romano cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
• freshly ground black pepper

Place guanciale in a large skillet, and heat over medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crispy, about 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta in boiling water until just under al dente, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain water, reserving 1 cup pasta water.

Add wine to the guanciale in skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until evaporated, 3-4 minutes. Add crushed red pepper and tomatoes; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce starts to thicken, 3-4 minutes.

Transfer cooked pasta to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until pasta is warmed through, 3-4 minutes, adding up to 2/3 cup cooking water to reach desired consistency. Divide pasta among bowls; top with cheese and black pepper to taste.

NOTES: we used diced tomatoes because the cans of crushed tomatoes at WinCo were MASSIVE. We didn't want to use/waste that much.

Also, there was a lot of fat that cooked off the pancetta we used. We ended up pouring off about 1 Tbsp of oil/fat before adding the wine. We left about 1 Tbsp in the pan.

Serves 4

Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe from People Magazine

Fajita-Style Shrimp and Grits

We all know I'm white-girl spicy over here. This definitely could have been toned down for me. I think the only thing it could have been was the fajita seasoning (or I suppose it combined with the salsa?) so if I made this again, I'd do a smidgen less of the seasoning. Other than that, great flavor and easy to make. 

• 1 lb uncooked shrimp (16-20 per lb), peeled and deveined
• 2 Tbsp fajita seasoning mix
• 1 cup quick-cooking grits
• 4 cups boiling water
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 3 Tbsp 2% milk
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 3 medium sweet peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch strips
• 1 medium sweet onion, cut into 1-inch strips
• 1 jar (15.5-16 oz) medium chunky salsa
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, divided

Sprinkle shrimp with fajita seasoning; toss to coat. Set aside.

Slowly stir grits into boiling water. Reduce heat to medium; cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese until melted; stir in milk. Cover to keep warm.

In a large skillet, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add peppers and onion; cook and stir until tender and pepper edges are slightly charred. Add salsa, orange juice, and shrimp. Cook, stirring constantly, until shrimp turn pink, 4-6 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup cilantro. remove from heat. 

Spoon grits into serving bowls; top with shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro.

Serves 4

Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe from Taste of Home