GPS Holiday Recipes ~ Bacon Crisp

12/29/2016 |

GPS Holiday Recipes ~ Bacon Crisp

This recipe is courtesy of Paula Deen and submitted by Karen Smith at GPS Corporate.  And it is easy to make!

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Total Time:  2 hr 10 min  *  Prep:  10 minutes  Cook:  2 hours

Yield:  24 bacon crisps  *  Level:  Easy

 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (I use the package kind – works fine)

1 sleeve buttery rectangular crackers (recommended: Waverly Wafers)

1 pound sliced bacon cut in 1/2

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Place 1 teaspoon of the cheese on each cracker and wrap tightly with a strip of bacon. Place the wrapped crackers on a broiler rack on a baking sheet and put the baking sheets on the oven rack. Bake for 2 hours, or until the bacon is done. Do not turn. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Cook’s note: You can also bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes if you’re in a hurry! (this works better in my oven and I’m always in a hurry!)

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen

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GPS Holiday Recipes ~ Cinnamon Pecan Quick Bread

12/28/2016 |

GPS Holiday Recipes ~ Cinnamon Pecan Quick Bread

Weight Watchers recipe submitted by Rea Parrish at GPS Columbia.

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Just sweet enough, this cake is heavenly with a cup of coffee or tea. It’s a healthy alternative to dense breads and cakes.

…

2 sprays cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp table salt
1 cup pureed winter squash
2 large eggs
2/3 cups unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp chopped pecans, toastedInstructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9- x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt.
3. In a large bowl, combine squash puree, eggs, applesauce, sugar, oil and vanilla extract. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed, until well combined, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined; pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth into an even layer; sprinkle with pecans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool; remove from pan and slice into 16 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.Notes
You can use any variety of winter squash here (acorn, butternut, delicata, hubbard, etc.) cooked any way you like (steamed, microwaved, roasted, etc.) Or keep frozen, precooked winter squash handy to make this recipe anytime! Winter squash works just like pumpkin in baked goods. Use it in cheesecakes, muffins or loaf cakes. Its slightly sweet flavor and rich color are a natural fit with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
#gpsrecipes

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GPS Holiday Recipes ~ Black-Eyed Pea Salsa

12/27/2016 |

GPS Holiday Recipes ~ Black-Eyed Pea Salsa

by Debbie St. Mark at GPS Corporate

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This recipe is great all year long!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans black-eyed peas drained and rinsed
  • 6-8 roma tomatoes seeded and chopped
  • 2 medium cucumbers seeded and chopped
  • 1 jalapeño seeded and finely diced
  • 1/2 white onion finely diced
  • 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • salt and pepper

Whisk together white wine vinegar, olive oil, basil, sugar, garlic, salt and pepper until well blended. Combine with all other ingredients and serve with tortilla chips!  Delish!

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GPS Holiday Recipes ~ Pumpkin Cheesecake

12/26/2016 |

GPS Holiday Recipes ~ Pumpkin Cheesecake

Submitted by Karen Taylor at GPS Charleston

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Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 30 mins
This pumpkin cheesecake recipe is easy and has just the right amount of pumpkin flavor. It tastes exactly like a cheesecake that crossed paths with a pumpkin pie – the best of both worlds. This pumpkin cheesecake is delicious by itself but is just over-the-top impressive when you add some of that caramel sauce and rum-infused whipped cream. This is the perfect holiday dessert.
Serving: 8-10 slices

Ingredients

The Crust:

  • 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 12 whole graham crackers)
  • 6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) melted, unsalted butter
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • ½ tsp cinnamon

The Filling:

  • 3 (8-ounces each) packages cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1½ cups (about 9 oz by weight) packed light brown sugar
  • 15 oz can pumpkin pie mix or puree (or well drained homemade puree)
  • 4 large eggs
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp real vanilla extract

Optional Toppings:

  • 1 cup of cold heavy cream beat with 1 Tbsp sugar and ½ tsp rum or vanilla
  • Pumpkin pie spice to dust
  • Toasted pecans
  • Caramel sauce

Instructions

How to Make the Crust: Preheat Oven to 350˚F.

  1. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs, 1 Tbsp sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon and 6 Tbsp melted butter. Transfer into a 9-inch springform pan with 3″ tall walls and use a large spoon to press crumbs into the bottom of your springform pan, and going about ½” up the sides of the pan. Bake at 350˚F for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temp.

How to make the Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling: Preheat Oven to 350˚F.

  1. In the bowl of your mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the 3 packages of softened cream cheese and 1½ cups brown sugar on med speed until light and fluffy and without lumps (5 min), scraping down the bowl once to make sure you don’t have chunks of cream cheese. Tip: brown sugar is considered “packed” when it holds it’s shape as it comes out of the measuring cup.
  2. Have a taste of this cream cheese frosting. It would make a super yummy frosting actually! Just don’t eat too much. You need it for your cheesecake.
  3. In a separate bowl, using a whisk, stir together 15 oz pumpkin puree, 4 large eggs, ¼ cup sour cream, 2 Tbsp flour, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, ¼ tsp salt and 1 Tbsp vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Add this mixture to the cheesecake filling and continue mixing on low speed just until well combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
  4. Transfer filling into pre-baked crust and bake on the middle rack at 350˚F for 1 hour. Turn off heat, prop the oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon and let cheesecake sit in the oven another 45 min. Then remove from the oven and let cool to room temp before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating. Serve when fully chilled (at least 4 hours in the refrigerator, or overnight).
  5. Before serving, carefully remove cheesecake from springform pan by running a blunt knife along the sides of the cheesecake to release from the springform mold. Add desired toppings (see list above) and serve.

To Make the Whipped Cream:

  1. Tip: Freeze mixing bowl for 10 minutes to get the best whipped cream results.
  2. In a cold mixing bowl, add 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream, 1 Tbsp sugar and ½ tsp rum or vanilla. Beat on high speed until fluffy and spreadable. Don’t over-beat or it will turn buttery. It only takes less than 2 min to make fresh whipped cream.
Copyright © 2015 Natasha’s Kitchen
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GPS Holiday Recipes ~ Sweet Potato Casserole

12/25/2016 |

GPS Holiday Recipes ~ Sweet Potato Casserole

by Laura Garland at GPS Newberry

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Ingredients:

  • 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes, cooled
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup melted butter

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Heat the oven to 350 F.  Butter a 2-quart casserole or baking dish.

In a large bowl combine the mashed sweet potatoes with 1 cup of brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, and 1/2 cup of melted butter. Blend thoroughly; spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

In another bowl combine the 1/2 cup of brown sugar, flour, 1/3 cup of melted butter, and the chopped pecans; blend well. Sprinkle the pecan mixture over the top of the sweet potato mixture.

Bake the casserole for 35-40 minutes, until the filling is hot and the topping has browned.

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GPS Holiday Recipes ~ Cranberry Dream Salad

12/24/2016 |

GPS Holiday Recipes ~ Cranberry Dream Salad

by Mary Jane Sorrell at GPS Corporate
6-8 servings

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1 cup whipping cream or 4-ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 cup crushed pineapple, well drained
16-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce, cut up
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sugar
2 3-ounce packages cream cheese, quartered
3/4 cups nuts

Whip cream in large mixer bowl, add pineapple. Blend cranberry sauce with mayonnaise, sugar and cream cheese.  Add nuts and fold in whipped cream and pineapple. Pour into tray or mold; freeze.  To serve, let stand at room temperature 15 minutes; slice and serve on lettuce.

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GPS Holiday Recipes ~ Tia’s Apple Dumplings

12/20/2016 |

We here at GPS would like to share with all of you our favorite holiday recipes for you to try and share with your family and friends during the holidays!  We will post at least one recipe each day here on our Blog and social media through New Year’s Day!  Our first recipe is…Tia’s Apple Dumplings!  Enjoy!

Holiday Recipes ~ Tia’s Apple Dumplings

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by Debbie St. Mark (GPS Corporate) aka “Tia” to her nieces and nephews
Serves 8

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8 halves
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 sticks butter
2 8-ounce cans of crescent rolls
12-ounces of Mountain Dew

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a microwave bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Melt in microwave. Two cans of crescent rolls will make 8 dumplings. Wrap each piece of apple sealing the top and sides with a square/rectangle of crescent roll and place in a 9x13x2-inch baking dish. Spoon sugar mixture over tops of dumplings and pour Mountain Dew around the base of the dumplings. Bake 45 minutes.

Tia says everyone LOVES these…best Apple Dumplings EVER!!

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