Christmas Cookies

We had a cookie exchange at our Foothills Christmas Party on Tuesday.  I took and brought home 3 dozen cookies.  I tried some new recipes this year so thought I'd post them in case you want to try them.  The the Snowballs were delicious (if you like coconut), the Chocolate Pudding Cookies were just okay, but the Cottage Cheese Cookies were especially wonderful.

Snowballs 

1/2 cup of icing sugar

1/2 cup of butter

1/2 cup of shortening

1/2 tsp. of almond, vanilla, or peppermint extract

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 container of store purchase icing*

Coconut

Cream the sugar, butter, shortening and extract thoroughly.

Measure flour onto a square of wax paper, add salt, stir well to blend.

Add blended dry ingredients to creamed mixture, mix well.  Shape into 1" balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 8 - 10 mins.   Cool on cookie rack.

Dip tops into thing icing, then into the coconut.  Makes 4 dozen. You can add food coloring to the icing for a more festive look! 

*make your own icing: ¼ c. butter, 1 c. powdered sugar, ¼ tsp vanilla or almond extract.  Makes ½ cup.  Can add up to 1 TB milk if too thick.

 Chocolate Pudding Cookies

4 oz. pkg. instant chocolate pudding and pie mix (1 box)

1 c. Bisquick baking mix (or Bisquick light)

¼ c oil

2 eggs

Chocolate type chips for decorating (any variety)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put pudding mix & baking mix in a bowl.  Mix together.  Add oil % eggs.  Mix until dough forms a large ball.  Shape into ½” balls (I made mine into 1” balls).  Roll in powdered sugar.  Place on ungreased or on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet – about 2” apart.  Press your thumb in the middle of each to make a thumbprint.  Put chocolate chip in the thumbprint.  Bake for 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned (I baked mine for about 15 minutes because they were larger).  Cool and put into a covered container.  May need to add a slice of bread to keep soft.

Cottage Cheese Cookies

1 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

¾ c. brown sugar

1 c. cottage cheese

3 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

½ c. walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine ingredients.  Roll into small balls and roll in white sugar combined with colored sprinkles.   Put on greased or parchment paper covered cookie sheet.  Bake for 11 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool and put into a covered container.  May need to add a slice of bread to keep moist.

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We had table favors at the Christmas Party.  My friend Laura makes homemade candies for them each year and this year decided to make fundge instead.  She made maple walnut fudge, and cinnamon fudge.  I said I'd help by making chocolate fudge.  Here's the easy recipe I used - easy  but delicious.

                Foolproof Chocolate Fudge

3 cups (18 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed MilkDash salt
1/2 to 1 cups chopped nuts (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

LINE 8- or 9-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan.
MELT chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
CHILL 2 hours or until firm. Remove from pan by lifting edges of foil. Cut into squares.

Berry Sour Cream Pie Recipe

I tried a new recipe over the weekend for a Berry Sour Cream Pie.  I had planned to take it to a sewing get-together.  I didn't feel well Saturday morning and had to miss the get-together.  So you guessed it, my husband and I have had to eat up the pie all by ourselves.  Pure bliss.  Reminds me of a really delicate cheesecake with berries in the middle.  Yum!  Here's the recipe if you want to try it, I even was able to make a low-fat version and sure couldn't tell it was low anything.

Berry Sour Cream Pie
1 egg, beaten
1 container (16 oz) sour cream (I used lite sour cream)
3 TB flour
1 Keebler Ready Graham Pie Curst (I made a homemade crust using Smart Balance)
1 cup mixed berries (I used frozen mixed berries [strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, & blackberries])
1 recipe of berry sauce (recipe below) 
(Canned blueberry pie filling could be substituted for the mixed berries and berry sauce.  That's usually too sweet for me - I  prefer to make my own sauce so I can control the amount of sugar and salt.)

To make Berry Sauce to mix in with the berries:  2 TB cornstarch, 2/3 cup water, 1/3 cup sugar, pinch of salt - combine sauce ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved and sauce is thickened and glossy.  Let cool slightly before mixing in berries.  Then mix in the berries.

In medium bowl whisk together egg, sour cream, sugar, and flour.  Place crust on a baking sheet.  Spread half of sour cream mixture into the crust.  Top with berry/sauce mixture.  Spread remaining sour cream mixture over filling.  Bake on baking sheet at 375 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until center is almost set and the pie gets golden around the edges.  It will split a little when it's set, just like cheesecake does.  Cool for 1 hour on a rack.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours.  Serve cold.  Store in refrigerator.  Good recipe to make ahead and serve the next day.

Red, White, & Green Lasagna Recipe

This week I made what is now our new favorite lasagna and thought I'd share the recipe just in case you're craving lasagna.  This recipe is pretty easy for a dish that usually takes quite a bit of time to prep.

Red, White, & Green Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles (cooked according to package directions - 10 minutes)
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese (or half ricotta and half cottage cheese)
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, partially thawed so clumps can be broken up
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
2 eggs
1 lb bulk Italian sausage or ground beef, cooked & drained
1 onion, chopped (cooked in with the sausage)
1 (26 oz, approx) jar marinara pasta sauce (we like Prego with mushrooms in this)
1 (16 oz, approx) jar alfredo pasta sauce
chopped fresh parsley or dried parsley
¼ tsp Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, spinach, half the mozzarella cheese, 2 TB of the Parmesan cheese, and the eggs. Mix well. Spray a 15 x 9” baking dish, spread 1 cup marinara sauce, layer 4 lasagna noodles over sauce. Top with half the cheese mixture, 1 cup marinara sauce, and all the cooked sausage. Layer 4 more lasagna noodles, remaining cheese mixture, and remaining marinara sauce. Top with 4 remaining lasagna noodles. Spread Alfredo sauce evenly on top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning. Cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Serves 10-12.

If this recipe looks familiar, it's a take off on the recipe I found on the back of American Beauty Lasagna Noodles.  I made some minor adjustments and we just loved it.  It would also be good without the turkey Italian sausage and even the eggs as a vegetarian dish.  

Baked Egg Cups

I decided to make my husband a special breakfast this morning so I made him Baked Egg Cups.  He's been moving his commercial insurance business office to our home.  What a time of it he's had.  Both his computer and his business email wouldn't work.  It's taken him days and days and several hundred dollars to the geeks to finally get everything up and running.  So, needless to say, he's been stressed,  I thought he ought to have a special breakfast as a celebration, now that everything's finally working.  Here's a picture and the recipe I used for the Baked Egg Cups.

Baked Egg Cups
6 slices bread (any type-I used whole wheat)
Butter (I used Smart Balance)
6 TB ham, diced
6 eggs
6 TB cheese (I used grated mild cheddar)
Butter both sides of bread.  Remove crusts.  Cut a small slit in each corner.  Spray muffin tins with Pam and arrange bread in 6 of the cups.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes to crisp the bread.  Remove. Place 1Tb of diced ham on the bread in the bottom of each cup, top with an egg, sprinkle 1 TB of cheese on top of each filled cup.  Bake for an additional 15 minutes. 

Rick said the special breakfast made his day. 

Since my muffin tin is a 12 cupper - I mixed up a box of Jiffy cornbread mix and filled the other 6 cups for tonight's dinner.  Wouldn't want those extra 6 muffin cups to just sit there unfilled, would I?

Some yummy casserole recipes and cheesecake too

I've had a busy couple of weeks trying to get my Baltimore Album Quilt completed (hopefully only one more week to go) so decided to prepare a few casseroles to graze on so that I wouldn't have to stop and cook.  Thought I'd share the recipes because they're some of our favorites. 

Here are the recipes for the dishes I made:  Popover Chicken, Spaghetti Pie, Boned Chicken Casserole, and one dessert too - Cheesecake.

Popover Chicken
Boneless pieces of 1 cooked chicken (I use rotisserie chicken)
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 can milk or fat free half & half
Vegetables of choice such as, sauted onion, celery, carrot, peas (pot pie type vegetables - maybe even sliced water chestnuts for crunch)
Popover batter
3 eggs, well beaten
1 TB oil
1 ½ cup flour
1 ½ cup milk
1 tsp salt
Put meat, soup, milk, & vegetables in the bottom of a sprayed 9 x 13” pan. Mix eggs, oil, milk, flour, & salt until smooth. Pour over chicken mixture (it makes a popover topping). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Spaghetti Pie
2 cups cooked spaghetti
2 eggs (egg substitute can be used)
¼ cup Parmesan cheese (I use Kraft shredded Parm)
½ cup mushrooms (fresh or canned)
Optional – other fresh vegetables can be added, such as broccoli, asparagus, peppers, onions, etc.
Italian sausage
1 cup cottage cheese (low fat can be used)
1 cup spaghetti sauce
½ cup grated, part-skim mozzarella cheese
Mix spaghetti, eggs, and Parmesan cheese. Spread in the bottom and up sides of large greased pie or quiche pan. Layer the following on top of this crust: vegetables, Italian sausage, then cottage cheese, spaghetti sauce, and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for about ½ hour or until cheese is golden and pie is bubbling. Faster than lasagna and really good.





Boned Chicken Casserole
2 flat cans boned chicken or turkey (I often substitute rotisserie chicken instead)
1/3 cup melted margarine (I use Smart Balance)
1 cup uncooked rice cooked according to package directions or 1 cup cooked pasta such as elbows
1 (4 oz) can mushrooms
4 oz baby peas (optional)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can evaporated skim milk or 1 cup fat free half and half
2 TB slivered almonds
Mix melted margarine, chicken, soup, milk, vegetables, and rice or pasta and mix well. Pour into sprayed 9” baking dish. Sprinkle slivered almonds on top and place ina 325 degree oven for 30-45 minutes until browned on top.  Serves 6.
My version is low fat but could also use regular evaporated milk or half and half.

Very rich tasting and quick to prepare.

I have to share a story about the Boned Chicken Casserole recipe and the Almond Cheesecake below.  Many years ago a friend of mine and her husband lived with me for awhile when he went to culinary school.  I would come home from work in the evening to the great smells of some of the dishes he had prepared.  He was such a good cook!  And it was such a treat to have someone else cook for me.  These are two of his recipes that I saved and have used over the years because we liked them so much.

Almond Cheesecake-crustless
2 8 oz pkgs. low fat cream cheese
½ tsp almond extract
3 eggs or egg substitute to equal 3 eggs
2/3 cups sugar
Topping
1 cup low fat sour cream
3 TB sugar
½ tsp vanilla
½ tsp almond extract
Beat first four ingredients until thick. Put in a 9” sprayed pie plate and bake for 25-35 minutes at 350 degrees until firm. Cool 10 minutes. Meanwhile beat topping ingredients together. Pour over the top of the cheesecake and bake another 10 minutes. Can sprinkle sliced almonds on top if desired. I prefer it as is, but some of my family like it with a dollop of blueberry, cherry, or strawberry pie filling. Great no matter how you serve it.

Recipes from Mini-Quilting Retreat in Payson

Some of you who attended the mini-retreat in Payson asked for recipes for the meals I served.  I think I have most of them typed already so will paste them here for you.

Taco Soup (this recipe originally came from PamF)
1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey, browned and drained (I use ground turkey)
1 onion, chopped
1 can kidney beans, undrained (or other beans such as black beans, pinto beans, etc.)
(I usually use both black beans and kidney beans - I drain and rinse the black beans due to color)
1 can chili beans, undrained
1 can whole corn, undrained
2 cans chopped tomatoes (fire roasted are good in this)
1 pkg. ranch salad dressing mix
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups water (can use ½ cup chicken broth for part of liquid)
salt and pepper to taste

Brown meat and onion together. Mix all ingredients together in stew pot and bring to a boil then simmer until ready to serve - can be simmered for two hours or longer. (To use crock pot.....cook for three hours on low). Serve with Fritos or corn bread. Makes 12 cups.













Scalloped Corn Bread/Pudding
1 can whole kernel corn (frozen corn can be used instead)
1 can creamed corn
2 eggs
½ cup melted butter (Smart Balance can be used)
1 cup sour cream (can use light sour cream)
1 (8 ½ oz.) pkg. corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy)

Mix all ingredients and put into a greased 9 x 13” pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.











Easy Chicken Pot Pie
1 cup cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup each chopped and sauted onion and celery
1 cup vegetables of choice (I use frozen mixed vegetables)
1 can cream of chicken soup (or cream of potato soup)
1/8 tsp each ground poultry seasoning, garlic powder, and salt
3/4 cup skim milk, divided (or 3/4 cup water and 1/3 cup instant non-fat dry milk, divided)
1 egg (or egg substitute to equal 1 egg)
1 cup Bisquick  (or 1 cup reduced fat Bisquick)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  In sprayed 9"x 13" pan, mix chicken, vegetables, soup, spices and 1/4 cup of the milk.  Mix remaining milk, egg, and Bisquick.  Pour over chicken mixture.  Bake 30-40 minutes until golden.










Extra Good Vegetable Salad
1 can shoe peg whole kernel white corn (reserve juice)
1 can early young green peas (drained)
1 can French style green beans or green or wax beans (drained)
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained (or other canned beans of choice such as black beans, chickpeas, etc.)
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 cup celery, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
Marinade: ½ cup of the reserved juice, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup white vinegar, ½ cup canola oil, 1 tsp salt. ( I substitute Splenda for half of the sugar and use about half the amount of oil).

Mix vegetable ingredients together. Make marinade by heating the reserved juice and sugar until sugar is dissolved.  Add the vinegar, oil, and salt. This will cool it sufficiently to serve or you may refrigerate before serving.  I like to refrigerate it so it has a chance to marinate a little while.  Can keep it in the refrigerator and eat on it for a week or more.  It gets even better as it marinates.  Use a slotted spoon to dish it up so it is somewhat drained when served.

Impossible Coconut Custard Pie
4 eggs, or egg substitute to equal 4 eggs, or half of each
½ cup sugar
¾ cup Bisquick (I use reduced fat Bisquick) [or instead you can use ¾ cup flour and ½ tsp baking powder)
2 cups milk (I use skim milk)
½ stick/1/4 cup margarine -softened (I use Smart Balance)
1 tsp vanilla
½ of a 7 oz pkg of flaked coconut

Mix all ingredients together and put into a sprayed 9” pie pan. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Makes it’s own crust. Good hot or cold.

Hashbrown Breakfast Quiche (this recipe originally came from JanM)
24-27 oz pkg hashbrown potatoes
1/3 cup melted butter (I use Smart Balance)
2 cups cheddar or montery jack cheese
1 cup crumbled bacon (or other breakfast meat of choice)
4 eggs (or egg substitute to equal 4 eggs)
1/2 cup half & half (I use fat free half & half from Shamrock Farms)

Spray 9" pie plate or 9"x13" pan.  Put hashbrowns into the bottom and slightly up the sides of pan.  Drizzle with the melted butter.  Bake for 25 minutes at 425 degrees.  Layer with cheese and bacon.  Mix the eggs and half & half, pour over cheese/bacon layer.  Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

 
 
 
The pictures are from cooking sites on the internet, not from the actual dishes I cooked, but look the same or are very similar.

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies (and Spicy Nuts too)

Christmas just wouldn't feel the same without some home baked cookies - so both yesterday and today were cookie baking days at my house.  This year I tried several recipies that are new to me.  Both Cinnamon Thumbs and "Mom's" Best Cookies........and they both turned out delicious.  I found the recipe for Cinnamon Thumbs while doing a search on the internet.  The "Mom's" Best are from Margie on the About.com Quilting Forum.  She thinks her Mom must have really loved these - she found the recipe hand-written 3 different times in her Mom's cookie book.  Sounds like a good endorsement to me.  After I made them I can tell why - they're light as a feather and very yummy!

Cinnamon Thumbs

5 TB sugar

1 cup margarine, softened

2 cups flour

1 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon/Sugar mixture for coating:

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup sugar

Cream sugar and butter together.  Pour remaining ingredients (except coating ingredients) into a large bowl.  Mix.  Form into long snake-like logs as thick as your thumb.  Using a butter-type knife, cut pieces about the length of your thumb.  Place on a greased cookie sheet (I used Pam cooking spray) and bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes.  While still warm, roll in coating mixture (cinnamon/sugar mixture).

"Mom's" Best

1 lemon cake mix (or try other flavor - I used yellow cake)

1 egg

4 1/2 oz Cool Whip

Mix ingredients together.  Drop tsps of dough into powdered sugar and roll to coat. 

I used 2 spoons to scoop with and release with.  Worked out pretty well - these are sticky until they get rolled in the powdered sugar.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until light brown. 

I also did the first steps for making Chocolate Coconut Balls, then put them in the refrigerator overnight, and dipped them in chocolate this morning. 

This recipe is from Hilda on the About.com Quilting Forum.  When I was looking over the recipe it reminded me of Almond Joy candy bars so I decided to put an almond in the center of each ball.  Oh my - these are decadent!   I think I'm going to have to give all of these away or I'm going to be in trouble.

Chocolate Coconut Balls

1 stick melted butter or margarine

14 oz. flaked coconut

1 can sweetened condensed milk

4 cups chopped walnuts or pecans (this is where I made the substitution to an almond in the center instead)

4 tsp vanilla

Mix together in a large bowl, stirring well.

Add and mix thoroughly:

2 boxes (2 lbs) powdered sugar

Form into small balls. Chill so it holds together when dipping in melted chocolate.

2 packages chocolate chips

1/4 square parafin

Melt in a double boiler.  Dip each ball and set on wax paper for the chocolate to set up.  If you refrigerate at this point, it will get freckles.

Today I'm still in the kitchen and having a great time.  I made spiced nuts and also made cookies with my granddaughter.  I know, more cookies..........but I just had to make some traditional Christmas cookies too.  You know.......the kind that are cut out with cookie cutters and decorated.  My granddaughter is getting all grown up, she's 16 now, but we still had fun decorating them together.  Here are the recipes we used.

Zesty Spiced Nuts

2 TB butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 TB water
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
dash ground thyme
1/2 tsp salt (slightly less if nuts are salted)
2 - 2 1/2 cups mixed nuts or nuts of your choice

1. Mix spices together and reserve.
2. Heat nuts in dry skillet and cook, stirring often, until they begin to toast (about 4 min on med high). (I found this enhances the flavor of the nuts but this step could be omitted, if desired - I eliminated it today). Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Put remaining ingredients, including reserved spices) in a large sauce pan and cook on med high, stirring until glaze forms, about 1 minute.
4. Return nuts to pan and toss to combine with glaze.
5. Cook for 2-3 minutes until nuts are glazed and are golden brown.
6. Remove and cool for about 10 minutes on a foil lined baking sheet - separate with a fork when cool.
7. At the end I also coated the nuts with a sprinkling of a cinnamon sugar mixture to dry them out more. Mine seemed a little too sticky.  I prefer to add the sprinkling of the cinnamon sugar mixture even if they weren't sticky.
8. Store in an airtight container or put in snack bags for just the right size snack.

The cayenne pepper that makes these a little bit "hot" is optional so you can leave that out if you prefer - this is an Emeril recipe and you know he likes to add the bam.  Here's a picture of how ours turned out.  This recipe only made a small bowl and they go very fast so you might want to think about doubling the recipe if you decide to make them.

Traditional Christmas Cookies (aka Sand Tarts)

2 lbs butter (4 cups)
4 cups sugar
3 small eggs
8 cups flour
Egg wash:  1 egg white & 1 tsp water

Cream butter and sugar with mixer.  Beat in eggs, blend in flour, then roll out real thin.  Cut with decorative cookie cutters.  Put on ungreased cookie sheet and brush top with egg wash.  Sprinkle with colored sugars and sprinkles.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Also good for frosting with powdered sugar frosting, with or without tint.  Cinnamon & sugar and a half an almond are also good.  We used the cutting left overs and made Snickerdoodles with a sprinkling of cinnamon & sugar on them.

We also made Russian Tea Cakes (I think another name for them is Mexican Wedding Cakes) but I think everyone already has that recipe or one that's similar.  They're the ball cookies with nuts that get rolled in powdered sugar.  Here's a picture:

I guess that wraps up the baking I'm going to do this year.  My counters are full and goodie packages are in process of being assembled for family and neighbors.  My husband's office workers have already had a  sampling of some of the holiday goodies but now they'll get cookies too.  I may try to catch the mailman tomorrow and give him a little bag of goodies too.  I better save a few cookies for Santa and his reindeer too.  Don't you love this time of year! 

Cooking for the Holidays

I had so much fun this weekend.  I spent the whole weekend cooking - and I love to cook!  My grandchildren like homemade goodies; well, so does my husband, so I decided to contribute to their sweet tooths and make some holiday goodies.  I got onto the Chex website and made regular Chex Party Mix (without Worchestershire sauce, which we're not too fond of), added other things to it (M&Ms, cho chips, mixed nuts, and semi-sweet Puppy Chow) to make it a sweet & savory snack. 

That meant I also made Puppy Chow - they call it something else on the Chex site (Chex Muddie Buddies) but it's essentially the same recipe.  I made 2 batches, one that  used semi-sweet cho chips and one that used milk cho chips.  In the above mix, I used the semi-sweet Puppy Chow.  I packaged the milk chocolate Puppy Chow in individual snack sized packages.  We like that Puppy Chow the best.

I also made the Cheesy Ranch Mix.  I have to take it easy on sugar so this mix is one I really enjoy - I'm saving a lot of it for myself to snack on.  I'm having some for a snack while I type this - got to keep my strength up, ya know.

I also used some Chex cereal and some Crispix to make a Caramel Christmas Mix.  This is absolutely delicious.  A friend shared where to find the recipe on-line.  To find it go to Google Books and type in:  Patrick Lose Christmas Mix.  The first item will be an icon for one of his books.  Click on it and it will open right to the recipe.

I only made half the recipe which still made a huge amount. The whole recipe called for 3 boxes of cereal. Yikes! We loved the taste of this recipe but I'll do a few things differently when I make it again.  Namely, the Crispix broke apart badly, the Chex held up well, so I think I'll only use the Chex next time.  The recipe called for cooking the sugar/butter mixture for 5 minutes.  I think that was too long because it got too thick.   I wish the recipe would have had a temperature listed for my candy thermometer and I would have stopped cooking it when it got to that temperature. Next time I think I'll cook it somewhere between 230-250F so it will pour easier instead of setting up so fast.  I also think I'll put the nuts in a separate container and pour the cooked sugar mixture over them separately before mixing them into the other ingredients.  They didn't seem to get coated at all well doing it the way the recipe suggested.  The final result looked broken up and kind of messy but it sure was gooooooooooood. 

I also made Graham Cracker Toffee and Microwave Peanut Brittle.  They're both soooo good and favorites of both my husband and son.

Both Recipes are easy to make.  Here they are if you want to try them.

Graham Cracker Toffee

1 1/2 pkg graham crackers

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 cup chopped pecans

Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with Pam or similar baking spray.  Line with graham crackers.  Heat butter & sugar on low to melt together, stirring to combine.  Raise heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.  Boil for 3 minutes.  Add nuts and bring to a boil again.  Pour mixture over crackers in the prepared pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes on a high rack in the oven.  Cool and break into pieces.

Microwave Peanut Brittle

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanuts

1 tsp butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

To prepare the pan - line a baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with Pam or similar cooking spray (also spray your bowl and spoon).  Mix sugars in a 1 to 1 1/2 quart glass container (preferable Pyrex or Corning with some kind of handles).  Cook in microwave for 4 minutes on high.  Add the peanuts, don't stir.  Cook on high for 4 more minutes.  Stir in butter and vanilla.  Add baking soda and stir quickly before it sets up.  Pour out onto your prepared pan and spread out a little bit.  To get off the candy that has hardened onto your bowl and spoon, soak in hot water.

The final thing I made this weekend was Fantasy Fudge.  It's the recipe from the side of the Marshmallow Cream jar.  It's my son's absolute favorite.  Every Christmas for as long as I can remember, I make some for him without nuts, and some for the rest of his family with nuts.  It's kind of a family tradition around here.

I've started some big bags for my son and his family and for my granddaughter, who doesn't live at home, and her friends.  I'm also making some for some of the neighbors and sending some to work with my husband, for he and his co-workers to snack on. 

The big bags are filled with individual snack sized bags, like the picture above with the Puppy Chow.  The big bags are starting to fill up nicely.  This afternoon I hope to make 2 kinds of cookies to help round them out.  Sometime this week my granddaughter is coming over.  She said she wants to cook with me - fun!  I think we'll make some of the traditional Christmas cookies that use cookie cutters and get decorated with sprinkles.   *:-)

Turkey (or Chicken) Casserole Recipe

Here's a recipe that would be great for that leftover turkey.  I used it when I had leftovers from a rotisserie chicken, so it works good with chicken too.

Turkey (or Chicken) Casserole
1 cup rice, cooked according to package directions
10 oz broccoli florets
10 oz cauliflower florets
1/2 cup butter (I use Smart Balance)
1 onion, chopped
1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can (5 oz) milk (low-fat milk also works) & remaining cooking water (from broccoli)
2-4 cups chicken (cooked & chopped)
1 cup grated cheese (I use mild cheddar)
1 1/2 cups crushed buttery round crackers (I use Ritz)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook rice according to package directions.  Simmer broccoli & cauliflower in about a cup of water for 10 minutes, then drain and reserve cooking water.  In large saucepan, melt butter and saute onion.  Stir in vegetables and cooked rice.  Once they're coated, stir in soup, milk, and reserved cooking water.  Pour about half the mixture into a 9 x 13" baking dish (you've sprayed with Pam or similar), top with turkey pieces, top with remaining mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese and then crushed crackers.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Note:  other vegetables you have on hand could be subsituted for the broccoli & cauliflower - such as carrots, peas, celery or even sliced water chestnuts if you like a little crunch.

Side note:  I got this recipe by putting "chicken" in the recipe finder at the end of my posts.  It took me to that recipe site where I also checked off rice and broccoli.  It gave me a list of recipes to choose from; this one sounded good, so we tried it the other day.  It was so good.  Give the recipe finder, below, a try especially if you know what food items you have in the house but can't decide what to make with them.  The search by ingredients layout is really helpful.

Best Ever Roast Turkey

For more than 20 years now I've been making our Thanksgiving turkey using a wonderful slow-roast recipe I found in "Let's Cook It Right" by Adelle Davis.  She says that in 100 % of taste tests, slow roast meats are preferred.  By cooking it this way, the meat is amazingly delicious, juicy, and tender.  In slow roasting, following an hour of preheating the meat, the oven temperature is set at the approximate temperature you want the meat when it's done.

Please note:  Don't stuff the turkey - cook your stuffing in a separate pan.

Calculation:  Length of time to roast the meat:  number of pounds of the meat x 25 minutes x 3 + 1 hour for preheating the meat.  Oven temp for the hour of preheating is 325 degrees.  Oven temp for the remaining time is the "done" temp of the type of meat - for turkey it's 180-185 degrees.  And don't open the oven while it's cooking - you'll let all the heat out.

Here's an example of how to do it:
This year we got a 16 lb. turkey.  I began thawing the turkey in the refrigerator about 4 days ago.  This afternoon I'll wash it, take out the giblets, salt it (plus add other herbs if desired), put it in a turkey sized roasting bag (follow bag directions).  I place mine BREAST DOWN in the bag, then put that on a rack in my roasting pan (it doesn't need a cover because of the roasting bag - if you aren't using a roasting bag, cover your pan - placing it breast down allows the cooking juices to flow into the breasts and makes even the breasts very good and juicy).   Put it in the oven for 1 hour at 325 degrees (to kill any surface bacteria), then turn the oven down to somewhere between 180-200 degrees.  The "done" temperature for turkey is 180-185 degrees - my oven's lowest temp is somewhere close to 200 degrees so I use that.  Since cooking time is 25 minutes per pound X 3, if I put it in at approx. 4pm today, my 16 lb. turkey will be ready at around 1pm tomorrow.  The calculations are as follows:  25 (minutes per lb.) x 16 (my 16 lb. turkey) x 3 = 1200 minutes (or 20 hours when it's divided by 60 minutes in an hour).  So that's 1 hour for preheating the turkey at 325 degrees plus 20 hours at the low temp = 21 hours. 

After that the turkey can be held in the oven a little longer until I'm ready to eat (for up to 24 hours of total cooking and holding time).  I want the turkey to be ready about 1pm* tomorrow.  To give it 21 hours, I'll get it in the oven by 4pm today. 
This is a no fail recipe.  If the meal is delayed, it can wait in the low temp oven, if the meal needs to be earlier, then the oven can be turned up to finish cooking it the tradtional way.  It's still just as wonderful.

In the morning you'll wake up to a delightful smell in your house.  With this recipe you don't need to learn how to carve a turkey either - it just falls off the bones.  Of course that means it won't be a turkey that you can put whole on a platter and carve at the table either.  You'll serve it in juicy pieces on a platter - but afterall, what do we want, pretty or delicious?
*I take my turkey out of the oven about an hour before we plan to eat so that I'll have the oven available to bake my various side dishes.  I will stick the turkey back in to warm it after that, if I feel I need to.  This year I think I'll serve it a little differently.  I have an electric fry pan that has a low setting.  I think I'll let the turkey cool enough to handle and then put the pieces in the electric pan, cover it, and keep it warm for the hour or so until it's time to eat.

Baked Coconut Tilapia Recipe

I'm always on the lookout for fish recipes - especially those using Tilapia.  It's such a nice mild fish and the price is right on it too.  I buy the large box in the freezer section - each fillet is individually wrapped inside the box so it stays nice and fresh in my freezer.  Here's a recipe we love at my house...........

Baked Coconut Tilapia
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup bread crumbs (fresh or in the round box - Progresso I think)
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
4-5 Tilapia fillets (about 4-6 oz each) (other mild fish could be substituted, such as orange roughy)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Combine half the coconut (1/4 cup) and the bread crumgs in a food processor (a blender might also work??) and process until fine crumbs form.  Pour into a shallow dish and stir in remaining coconut and salt.  Beat egg in a separate shallow bowl.  Dip the fish in the egg, then in the coconut mixture.  Place on a small, ungreased baking sheet.  Bake, turning once, until crust is light golden brown and fish is flaky - about 7 minutes per side.

In restaurants I usually see a dipping sauce served with it's cousin, coconut shrimp.  Something like orange marmalade warmed in a pan over low heat and thinned with rum might fill the bill, if you'd like a dipping sauce (per Paula Deen).  It's also good without using a dipping sauce.

The first picture below is breading the tilapia.  The second is where it is on the baking sheet and ready to go into the oven.  I've used parchment paper for easy clean-up but that's not really necessary.

                    

Pumpkin Dump Cake Recipe

I made this recipe for dessert for my husband's Birthday last week.  He loves pumpkin pie; it's his favorite.  He said this seemed kind like a pumpkin cobbler.  It was sooooo good.  It would be good to serve at Thanksgiving or Christmas too, in place of pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Dump Cake
1 (29 oz) can pumpkin puree (not pumpking pie filling)
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk (I used evaporated skim milk)
3 eggs
1 TB cinnamon
1 cup sugar (or 3/4 cup Splenda & 1/4 cup sugar)
1/2 tsp salt
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)
3/4 cup butter (I used Smart Balance), melted

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix first 6 items until well blended.  Pour into greased 9 x 13" pan.  Sprinkle cake mix over blended mixture and smoothout.  Sprinkle on nuts, if using.  Drizzle melted butter over the top of everything.  Bake for 50 minutes.  Serve with whip cream, if desired.