Choc-Oat-Chip Cookies

Candy Apple Pie

Aunt Audie’s English Toffee

You will find me in the kitchen a lot this time of year, because I love the winter holidays!  To help you with your holiday baking, I will be offering the 12 Days of Christmas Desserts.  I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as my family enjoys them.

Almond Tea Cakes

2 cups butter or margarine

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

4 teaspoons almond extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Filling:

1 egg white

½ cup sugar

½ ground almonds

½ teaspoon lemon juice

Milk

Sliced almonds

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and extract; mix well. Add flour and baking powder. Dough will be soft.  Chill.

For filling, stir egg white, sugar, almonds and lemon juice in a small bowl. Remove a portion of the dough at a time from the refrigerator. Place 1 inch balls of dough into miniature muffin cups, pressing slightly into side and bottom. Place ½ teaspoon of filling into each. Cover with quarter sized circles of dough. Brush with a little milk and top with an almond. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 5 dozen.

 Enjoy!

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup hot water
1 can (6 oz.) orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 quarts milk
1 pint orange sherbet

Combine cocoa, sugar, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Stir in hot water and simmer, stirring, over low heat, for two minutes. Blend in orange juice and milk. Warm over low heat but do not boil. This can be poured into a “witches cauldron” for a great effect. Ladle servings into mugs or cups and top with miniature scoops of orange sherbet.

Ingredients:
1 Stick Butter
2 (10 oz). Packages Marshmallows
12 C. Rice Crispy Cereal
1 tsp. Yellow Food Color
1/4 tsp. Red Food Color
Green Decorating Icing in Tube
Black Decorating Icing in Tube
12 C. Bowl (not plastic)

Preparation:
Melt butter on low heat and add marshmallows. Stir marshmallows frequently. When marshmallows have dissolved, add food colors and mix well. When the marshmallow mixture is uniform in orange color add cereal and stir and mix until rice crispies are completely coated.

Pour mixture into the bowl that has been well sprayed with a non-stick spray. Carefully press down cereal (spray the spoon or your hands when pressing the cereal, this helps so the cereal will not stick). Place into the refrigerator until completely chilled and firm. When the pumpkin is chilled remove from refrigerator and invert onto a plate. Remove bowl and decorate with leaves and stem. A great jack o lantern smile will be the finishing touch.

The Jack-o-lantern makes a great centerpiece and a delightful treat.

Fall is in the air and so is Halloween.  Are you planning a spook get together?  If so, you will want to serve this delicious punch.

Makes 16 servings

    1/4 cup lemon juice                                            
    1 teaspoon ginger ground                                       
    2 quarts apple cider or apple juice                            
    3 cups water                                                   
    1 12-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate                 
    1 frozen Hand “Ice Ring” (see below, optional)                 

In a large pitcher or glass gallon jar, stir lemon juice and ginger until blended. Add cider, water and orange juice concentrate; stir until well blended. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or until well chilled.

To serve cold, place punch in a large chilled punch bowl. Add ice ring. Serve in punch cups.

To serve hot, place mixture into a 4-quart sauce pot. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large insulated server, slow cooker or serving pitcher. Serve in heatproof cups or mugs.

Frozen Hand Ice Ring:  Take a plastic glove that you use in serving food, and wash several times.  Gently fill with water and tie closed tightly.  Place in freezer until hand is frozen completely.  When ready to put into punch bowl, take a sharp knife and cut glove off of ice.

Sunday Dinner Menu: Brown Sugar Glazed Ham By Brenda Hyde

This is a lovely spring or holiday menu for family and friends. If you have kids or adults who don’t like sweet potatoes add a dish of boiled new potatoes with minced parsley and butter to the menu.

Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze
Ingredients:
1 fully cooked, boneless ham half (4-5 pounds) ( I like bone-in hams best)
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
Grated peel of 1 orange or tsp. dried orange peel
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place ham on a rack in a roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes per pound or until a meat thermometer reaches 125 degrees F. Prepare the glaze: in a small saucepan combine brown sugar, orange juice, orange peel, cloves and allspice; simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Brush the glaze over the ham. Bake the ham for 20 to 30 minutes more or until it reaches 135 degrees F. Allow it to stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Makes 8 servings.

Sweet Potato Biscuits
Ingredients:
2 cups of self rising flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 stick of butter, melted
1 cup of cooked, sweet potatoes, mashed
1/3 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup of milk
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the butter, sweet potatoes, milk, juice and egg. Mix well. Sift the dry ingredients together and stir them into the sweet potato mixture, mixing well. Pour batter into an 8 x 8 inch pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes– spray the pan beforehand with cooking spray. Cool until warm, and cut into 8 squares. Serve with butter. Notes: Cook a large sweet potato in the microwave, like a potato, but about double the time, cool then mash for this recipe, or used leftover fresh or canned sweet potatoes.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
2 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
3 large cloves garlic,minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans
2 tablespoons fresh, minced parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In roasting pan, combine sweet potatoes, garlic, rosemary and oil. Toss to blend well. Roast at 375 degrees F for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, sprinkle with nuts, parsley, salt and pepper. Makes 6-8 servings.

Cabbage Stir Fry
Ingredients:
1 head green cabbage, cut into strips
2 cups red cabbage, cut into strips
1 large sweet onion, sliced thin and halved
2 Granny Smith apples, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (or wine vinegar)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large pan or skillet and sauté over medium heat until the cabbage and apples are tender. Season with salt and pepper again before serving as needed. Serves 8.

Baked Apples and Bananas
Ingredients:
4 apples, peeled,cored and thinly sliced
4 bananas, split lengthwise and cut in half
1 lemon
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 cups apple juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Vanilla Ice Cream or Pound Cake

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Combine the apples and bananas and put into a shallow baking dish. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze both halves over the fruit. Combine the remaining ingredients except vanilla in a saucepan and boil until the sugars are dissolved. Remove from heat, add vanilla, and pour over bananas and apples. Bake in 450 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Cool till warm, and serve over pound cake slices or vanilla ice cream. Top with whipped cream.

About the AuthorBrenda Hyde is a freelance writer and editor of Old Fashioned Living. She lives in the Midwest United States with her husband and three kids.

Every Easter meal features deviled eggs. My husband loves deviled eggs, so it is used a lot around our home. This recipe can be doubled or tripled to meet your needs.

Deviled Eggs

7 large hard boiled eggs
3/4 teaspoon mustard
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Salt and ground black pepper
Paprika
1 tablespoon dill relish
1 teaspoon sweet relish

Peel eggs and slice each in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to small bowl. Arrange whites on serving platter. Mash yolks with fork until no large lumps remain. Add mustard, mayonnaise, vinegar, relishes, salt and pepper to taste; mix well. Fill egg whites with yolk mixture, using a pastry bag or spoon. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Betty

Are you planning a special Valentine’s Day dinner for your family and/or that special someone in your life? Below you will fine a great sample of a great candlelight dinner menu. Treat your children to a candlelight dinner. It will be night they will never forget.

STUFFED MUSHROOMS

1/2 medium onion, minced
1 shallot, chopped (optional)
mushroom stems, chopped
mushroom caps (for stuffing)
onion and garlic powder
paprika
breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley (optional)
butter
Choose mushrooms with large caps. Brush mushrooms cleaning well. Remove caps from stems, reserving caps. Melt butter in sauté pan and add mushroom stems, onion, shallots, if using. Sauté until onions are transparent.
Remove from heat and stir together bread crumbs, onion and garlic powder and parsley. Add enough breadcrumb mixture so that mixture is no longer soupy. Stuff mushrooms caps and sprinkle pressed-in stuffing with paprika.

CHICKEN MARSALA
3 lg. chicken breasts
3 tbsp. flour (sprinkle with salt and pepper)
1 (10 or 13 oz.) can chicken broth
4 tbsp. butter or olive oil
3 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
8 oz. pkg. fresh mushrooms
1 c. Marsala cooking wine
Cut chicken breasts in half - (be sure all fat is removed). GENTLY pound with finger tips or meat pounder. Coat each piece with flour.
In large skillet, melt butter or olive oil on low. Brown chicken on each side about 2 minute (medium heat). Remove chicken from pan.
Add chicken broth, Marsala wine, parsley, and sliced mushrooms to skillet and simmer about 10 minutes. Add chicken and let cook on low about 15 minutes.
Serves 4-6.

GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
2 lb. peeled and diced potatoes
1/2 to 1 head garlic cloves, peeled and mashed
6 tbsp. butter
1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream, half&half or milk
Cover potatoes with water sufficient to cover in a heavy-bottomed pan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender.
Drain potatoes and set aside. Return empty pan to heat and add butter, leaving until butter melts. In a separate pan, bring cream or milk to boil (do not allow to curdle; remove from heat immediately when it starts to boil).
Mash the potatoes, beating in the butter and half&half, cream or milk, mashed garlic, and salt and pepper, until potatoes are smooth and fluffy.
NOTE: For milder garlic flavor, parboil garlic along with potatoes, then mash with potatoes.
HONEY GLAZED BABY CARROTS
2-3 cups small baby carrots (pre-peeled)
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
fresh minced parsley and/or chives
In a medium skillet, melt butter. Add brown sugar, honey, nutmeg and cinnamon; mix together. Add Carrots. Cover; cook on medium low to medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When finished cooking, the carrots should be firm, not mushy.
Remove from skillet and sprinkle with fresh parsley and/or chives. Serve.
STRAWBERRY CREAM-FILLED ANGEL CAKE
1 (15 oz.) pkg. angel food cake mix
1 1/3 c. (15 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 c. lemon juice
1 tsp. almond extract
2 pkgs. Dream Whip, prepared to pkg. directions
2 pts. fresh strawberries, washed & hulled or 2 boxes frozen berries, drained
Prepare and bake angel food cake according to package directions in a 10″x4″ tube pan. Invert cake on wire rack until cold, carefully remove from pan and place, top side down, on a serving plate.
In medium sized bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and almond extract. Blend well. Whip cream until cream forms stiff peaks. Gently fold into sweetened condensed milk mixture. Chill 10 to 15 minutes.
Slice a 1″ horizontal layer from top of cake. Carefully lift off and set aside. Measure an inch in from outer edge of cake and an inch from center hole and mark with toothpicks. With sharp knife, cut a pick mark down to within an inch from bottom.
Slowly cut around the entire cake. Start to cut an inch in from center hole and again cut down to within one inch from cake bottom and around entire cake. With fork carefully remove the center cut of cake.
This will leave a hollow shell of cake with inner and outer walls about one inch thick with a base of equal thickness. Tear or cut the removed portion of cake into 1″ cubes. Pour 1 1/2 cups of the chilled condensed milk-whipped cream mixture into a medium size bowl.
Stir in cake pieces until well blended. Gently fold in one pint of whole strawberries. Lightly spoon this mixture into the cake shell. Place layer cut for top over filling and press on gently. Use remaining whipped cream mixture to swirl over entire cake.
Place in freezer and chill about two hours or until frosting is firm. At serving time, garnish top and sides of cake with remaining strawberries.