"To me, my recipes are priceless." ~ Colonel Sanders

It is BITE time again, and probably our last gathering till we are all back in the spring! As host, Ellen chose "Family Favorites" as the theme. This had me returning to a recipe that I have posted here in the past. Olive Tarts are a huge family favorite for appetizers any time of year, but especially during the holidays! Aside from loving how they taste - scrumptious - they are so easy to make and freeze way ahead of time. They go right from the freezer to the oven - perfect! All recipes can be found at the end of the post!

For side dishes, Tierney brought her mashed potatoes, and a dish that had sauteed brussels sprouts.

Well, I am a serious mashed potato fan, and these did not disappoint! Creamy, with a mixed of smooth and chunky. Add a bit of sauce from Ellen's chicken - oh my!

I confess to not being a brussels sprouts fan. This dish however, had just enough crispness and flavor to overcome my picky taste!

For our main dish, Ellen prepared Country Chicken Kiev. This was a recipe from her mother-in-law, a perfect dish for a cold winter's night. We agreed that the combination of herbs on top made it taste as though it was topped with stuffing - moist and wonderful!

Last up is Chris's Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie. This is close to the recipe that her caterer cousins used to make. Wonderful and not too sweet!

So - so long BITE - till the spring!

Olive Tarts

★★★★★

Appetizers

Cook 15 mins ∙ Makes 36ish ∙ Difficulty Easy

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• ½ cup softened butter
• 1 cup flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• One large jar of Spanish olives - drained and patted dry

DIRECTIONS

Make ahead of time and store in the freezer.
Blend cheese and butter together
Mix in flour, salt and paprika
Work one teaspoon of the mixture around an olive to coat completely. Arrange them on a baking sheet (I press them down a little to flatten the dough on the bottom so that they don't roll around when you go to bake them) - place them in the freezer till firm and then put them in a plastic bage in the freezer till you need them.
To bake, set oven at 400 ° , remove tarts from the freezer (do not thaw), and place them in an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or till they look done.
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Tierney's Awesome Mashed Potatoes!

Side dishes

Makes 8

INGREDIENTS

• 8 - 10 Large Red-Skinned Potatoes
• 6 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¾ cup milk as needed
• 1cup shredded Gruyere cheese

DIRECTIONS

Cut into 1" cubes with skin on. Boil until fork tender. In a large bowl mash potatoes (by hand or mixer) with 6 Tbsp. butter, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 3/4 cup milk (as needed), 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese, pinch of salt and pepper, to taste.

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Sauteed Shredded Brussels Sprouts

Side dishes

Prep 10 min ∙ Cook 5 min ∙ Makes 6 servings ∙ Difficulty Easy ∙ Source Foodnetwork.com

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (12-ounce) packages Brussels sprouts, ends and brown leaves trimmed
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon syrupy balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Place the Brussels sprouts in the feed tube of the food processor fitted with a large slicing disc. (There is no need to core them.) Process the Brussels sprouts until they're all sliced.
Place the butter and olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan and heat it over medium heat. Add the sliced Brussels sprouts, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and saute them, stirring frequently, for about 4 to 5 minutes, until tender but still bright green. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, season to taste, and serve hot.
Cook's Note: Because you're shredding the Brussels sprouts, there's no need to core them.
Place the shredded Brussels sprouts in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel for up to a day.

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Country Style Chicken Kiev

Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• ½ c butter
• ½ c fine bread crumbs
• 2 tsp parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp eachbasil and oregano
• ½ tsp garlic salt
• 2 chicken breasts split ( about 2lb)
• ¼ c white wine or apple juice
• ¼ c chopped green onion
• ⅛ c chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°
In a heavy 2 quart sauce pan, melt butter. On a piece of waxed paper mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, and garlic salt. Dip chicken into butter and then roll in crumbs to coat. Place skin side up in an ungreased baking dish. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until golden and chicken is tender.
Add wine, green onion and parsley to remaining butter. When chicken is done pour sauce over chicken. Return to oven for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve sauce spilled over chicken.

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Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie

Pies

Source MaryAnn Cohen via The Perry Family Cookbook (2009)

INGREDIENTS

• 1-quart vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¾ tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 baked pie shell or graham cracker shell

DIRECTIONS

Spread Ice Cream in cooled pie shell. Place in freezer until thoroughly hardened. Blend together pumpkin, sugar, salt and spices. Whip cream until stiff. Fold whipped cream into pumpkin mixture. Spoon into frozen shell covering ice cream. Return to freezer until time of service. Serve with fresh whipped cream.