♫ Attn: Secret Sisters ~ Now nagging for - Holiday Menus w/ Recipes for SS Cookbook #4 ♫

Fourth place: Molasses Cookies
Beat together:
1 egg
1 cup Crisco
11/2 cups sugar
1 cup molasses
1 cup strong cold coffee
1 tablespoon anise extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
In a separate bowl mix:
51/2 cups flour with:
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
Add enough of the flour mixture to the top mixture to make a relatively stiff dough. Chill. Cut into shapes and bake at 350 for about 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the cookie. Cool, frost if desired and decorate.
Fifth place: Super Holiday Cookies
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1/4 teaspoon baking soda
11/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
-3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
2 tablespoons boiled cider (for great flavor, or substitute maple syrup or dark corn syrup, if desired.)
1 cup shredded fresh carrots
1/2 cup dried cranberries, packed
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds, toasted in a 350 oven until golden (about 8-10 minutes)
1 cup white whole wheat flour (organic preferred)
11/2 cups quick rolled oats
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets. In a large mixing bowl combine oil, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt, vanilla and egg, beating until smooth. Add the boiled cider or syrup. Stir in carrots, cranberries, chips and almonds, then the flour, beating gently until well combined. Add the oats last, making sure they are thoroughly distributed throughout the bowl.
Drop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the cookie sheets, leaving about 1 1/2 inch between each. Bake until just barely set on top, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in baking sheets. These will be very soft so do not try to transfer them to a rack. Once cool, store in a covered container with waxed paper between layers to keep cookies from sticking to one another.

Here are my favorite things to bake at Christmas time. I give breads for gifts. These include,
Zucchini Pineapple Bread
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup Brownies
Banana Pineapple Bread
Pumpkin Bread

Banana-Pineapple Bread
1 cup chopped nuts
2-1/2 cups sugar
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
Mix together dry ingredients. Mix together liquid ingredients, combine. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

PUMPKIN BREAD

3 1/2 cups sifted flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 (16 oz.) can Libby's solid packed pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup water
1 to 2 cup raisins, dredged in flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 medium sized loaf pans and one small loaf pan.

Sift all dry ingredients together, including spices.

Mix pumpkin, oil, water and eggs together. Combine with dry ingredients. Do not over mix. Stir in raisins. Divide between prepared loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or longer until bread tests done.

Zucchini Pineapple Bread

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1 (8 oz) can pineapple
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl mix oil, eggs, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Blend in pineapple and zucchini. Stir flour mixture into the other mixture. Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 9x5 loaf pans. Baker at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour. Cool on wire racks.

Hersheys Chocolate Syrup Brownies

1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 stick margarine
1 can Hersheys Chocolate Syrup (1 lb)
1 cup + 2 Tbsp flour
1 cup black walnuts after mixing the rest.

Mix ingredients at medium speed for about 1 minute. Pun in jelly roll pan that is sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Frosting

3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp milk
3 Tbsp margarings. Boil for 30 seconds and then add 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Stir until melted and pour over brownies warm. So good and very rich.

To finish off our holiday baking effort, we make

Never fail Divinity
Aunt Belle's Candy
Mamie Eisenhouer Fudge

Never Fail Divinity
4 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup water
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
Opptional are nuts, coconut, or other items. I prefer the coconut. My mother used to use peppermint and tinting pink.

Bring sugar, syrup, and water to a boil; boil until hard ball stage. Add boiled mixture to egg whites very slowly-my mom used a glass bowl as it works the best when beating. Beat continually until it loses its gloss. Add vanilla and the coconut. Also you can use food coloring. Use a tsp to drop candy to waxed paper. This has to be done quickly as it sets up fast.

Aunt Belle's Candy.

3 cups sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 stick butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Heat 2 ups of sugar with milk in a sacepan, just enough to warm. Melt remaining sugar in a heavy frypan, I prefer cast iron over low heat. Do not stir. Pour slowly into warm milk mixture. Turn heat to medium; stir constantly until all sugar crystals are gone. Cook to soft ball stage, remove from heat.

Add soda, vanilla, and better. Beat until cool. Add pecans. pour into a buttered pan )9x13) and ut into squares. It so good but very rich.

Mamie Eisenhour Fudge

1 (12 oz) package semisweet chips
1 (11 1/2 oz) milk chocolate chips
1 (7oz jar) marshmallow creme
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups sugar
1 can (12 oz) evaporated skimmed milk
2 tbsp butter

Line a 13x9 pan with foil extending the foil over the edges. Lightly butter the foil and set aside; In a large bowl place all the chips, marshjmallow creme, walnuts and vanilla.
In a large, heavy saucepan stir together the sugar, evaporated milk and the butter. Bring to a boil over moderate heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Do not splash on sides of the pan. Lower heat to moderate low and boil for about 12 minutes to soft boil stage. Remove from heat.
Carefully pour the boiling mixture over the chocolate mixture. Stir until all the chocolate is melted and mixture is very creamy and well combined. Quickly turn fudge into the prepared pan. While still warm use a knife to score the pieces. Makes about 5 pounds of fudge.

These are all recipes my mother and I used to make and I still carry on the tradition.

As for dinner to follow we always had a simple casserole and a taste of all the goodies above.

Tater Tot Casserole

Brown 1 1/2 pounds hamburger, 1 chopped onion, 1 celery rib. Salt and pepper to taste.

1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can of cream of celery soup.

Line a casserole dish with the hamburger mixture and cover with half a 32 oz package of tater tots arranging evenly over the hamburger mixture. Bake 30 to 40 minutes uncovered.

I always use a lettuce salad with this. Use the bag of salad mix. and then enjoy the Christmas treats that are left after making packages for friends.

Mix the soups together with half cup milk and then pour over all.

This one goes on the dessert buffet, for sure!
I couldn't find my recipe and wanted to make sure I found it before the boards changed..
This is awesome!

Subject: REC-REV: TazziRN’s Eggnog Pound Cake~Wonderful~
Posted by: cllw Replies: 4 Posted on: 1/9/2006 4:50:06 AM
#T623150
This cake is another really good recipe you don’t want to miss for the Christmas season! I made it last year, so wasn’t going to make this year. BUT-Yesterday we had notice that some friends were stopping by and I hurried up and put this in the oven! Since I had a little over a cup of eggnog left this week, this worked out perfectly!

I want you to know that the custard alone is enough to make this cake! It is a lovely addition to a good cake recipe! It isn't a heavy dessert and certainly compliments the holiday season. I grate some fresh nutmeg into the custard(my preference with custard)and use the half tsp. in the cake. It is just wonderful.
Thanks Tazzi!

Eggnog Pound Cake - TazziRN
1 package yellow cake mix
1 cup eggnog
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 to 1 tsp ground nutmeg
Mix together and pour into greased and floured 12-cup bundt or tube pan. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, invert on wire rack and remove to cool completely.
Custard Sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 tsp butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan; gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Blend a small amount into egg yolk. Return all to saucepan, mix well. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla. Cool for 15 minutes. Fold in whipped cream. Store in refrigerator, serve with pound cake.

Since most of us agree we don't eat our gingerbread houses, here is my 'idiot proof' recipe for gingerbread houses and the frosting.

Gingerbread House Dough
5 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 t powdered ginger
1 t baking soda
1 t nutmeg
1 t salt
1 cup shortening like Crisco
1 cup unsluphured Molasses(Grandma's)
Melt shortening in saucepan. Add sugar and molasses and mix well. Make sure the sugar is fully dissolved. Sift all the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, salt and ginger together in a mixing bowl. (I just put it in a bowl and use a whisk to mix it all)

Gradually stir 4 cups of the dry ingredients into the melted shortening mixture. Mix thouroughly. Then put this dough on your countertop or pastry board. Mix in remaining 1 cup of dry ingredients by hand.
After it's thouroughly mixed, divide the dough in to three equal parts and shape each part into a ball. Put each ball on to an ungreased cookie sheet. Roll each dough ball into a rectangle 1/4" thick. After cutting your pattern, remove excess dough and bake right on the cookie sheets.
Bake at 375 for 13-15 minutes or until lightly brown.

Hints:

(I slightly cool the shortening mixture, then put in the Kitchen Aid, then slowly add flour-it is crumbly, but I keep wetting my hands and adding a bit of water, kneading the dough until it comes together)

I use my heavy stainless steel rolling pin and put the dough between two pieces of parchment paper to roll. Remove top piece of paper, flip piece of dough onto the cookie sheet and remove the other piece of parchment. Use cutters or your pattern on top of the dough, cutting into desired house.
Very little mess~and the dough handles easily.

If cutting windows, use a cookie cutter of desired shape. Spray the cutter lightly and press into dough~leave the cutter in the dough during baking time and remove when it comes out of the oven.

Use old spices past their prime since you aren't really going to eat it~and save your old eggs(whites) for the frosting.

This icing can be used for assembling the gingerbread house and colored for the decorations and snow. It gets very hard but it is easy to work with.
Icing
1 large egg white
1 2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 t Cream of tarter
Mix together~this will be thick, but use drops of water to thin as necessary.
Make in small batches as needed until house is completed.

keeping bumped up for others!

To the top again.

again

 I know this is not a menu.. maybe add it to my brunch menu!  lol.. but these are good and easy to make. :)  

 

This is from my sister in law. Was given to her by her mother in law and must be over 50 years old.

Cheese/Egg celery Stuffing

3 hard boild eggs, chopped finely
1/2 to 3/4 lb cheddar cheese, grated fine
1/2 C mayo, diluted a bit with either milk or cream
2 T vinegar
3 or 4 green onions, chopped finely
touch of salt and pepper (to taste)
sprinkle with paprika

Mix all ingredients except Paprika. Spread into trimmed, cleaned celery. Place on serving dish and sprinkle with paprika. This is very good. Even my grand kids eat this! lol