Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 12

Day 12

Favorite Christmas cookie recipe

Gingersnaps

1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups self-rising flour
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 1/2 t. ginger

Cream sugar and shortening together until light and fluffy. Add molasses and beaten egg. Beat thoroughly. Sift flour and spices together and add to creamed mixture. Blend together carefully so that all ingredients are well mixed.


Roll small portions of dough between palms of hands into small balls, about the size of a small walnut. Roll balls in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, bake 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies flatten out as they bake. When they are baked, remove at once from cookie sheet and cool on wire cake rack. Makes about 5 dozen.

Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 9

Day 9

Favorite Christmas Party Snack

I love making and serving holiday snacks and goodies....

and here are a few favorites!

SAUSAGE BALLS

1 lb. hot Jimmy Dean sausage
8 oz. Cheddar cheese, grated

3 c. Bisquick



Mix with hands until smooth. Form into small balls, put on cookie sheet and bake 25 minutes at 325 degrees.

HOT ARTICHOKE DIP

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 cup chopped canned artichoke hearts



Combine all ingredients. Transfer to a baking and serving dish. Bake at 425°F until bubbly.

EASY CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOW FUDGE

4 c. sugar
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow cream

1 c. chopped walnuts; optional

Melt butter in large pan and stir in milk and sugar; bring to a boil (234 degrees for soft ball stage) and cook, while stirring constantly, for 10-12 minutes; remove from heat and pour mixture over combined chocolate chips, marshmallow cream, and nuts in large bowl. Stir thoroughly and pour into buttered 9 x 13 inch pan. Cool and keep refrigerated until cutting. Makes 3 pounds.

SUYL - Yummy Breakfast Rolls

I'm linking up with Kelly for this week's edition of

Show Us Your Life - Breakfast Recipes

A friend, Kim Pence, gave me this recipe years ago when we taught together at a small rural school.  I make these every Christmas morning....they are my husband's favorite!

YUMMY BREAKFAST ROLLS

2 cans crescent rolls

16 oz. cream cheese

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

1 t. cinnamon

1 stick melted margarine

Unroll 1 can of crescent rolls into the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan.  Don't press seams together!  Mix cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar and vanilla.  Spread over the rolls.  Place second can of rolls over top.  Pour melted margarine on top and then sprinkle with the rest of the sugar (1/4 c.) mixed with cinnamon.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Miscellany Monday

Welcome to another edition of

Miscellany Monday....

(one of my fav memes)

{one}

What a glorious Easter day we had yesterday!  Praise God that he stone was rolled back and our Savior, Jesus Christ, is alive!

{two}

I am very happy with the way our Easter pics turned out this year.  They are so colorful...and everyone cooperated!  We usually end up with at least one with arms crossed and a lip poked out by the end of the session....

{three}

This is the first official day of spring break.  There are lots of projects that I'd like to work on, but right now, my body, mind, and spirit are saying, "Let's rest a while...."

{four}

Lawren took a notion yesterday to make Puppy Chow.  She said that she'd had it on her mind for a while and decided to run to the store and pick up the ingredients.  The end product of her effort was DELICIOUS!!

(Go "here" for a link to the recipe she used...)

{five}

We have a big softball week in the making....

The girls have practice on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then the first play-off game is Thursday evening at 6:00 against Hilton Head.  They will also play on Saturday, but as of yet, we don't know the opponent.  Everybody wish the Lady Dawgs good luck....their team is certainly made up of state championship-quality athletes!

Be sure to go link up with Carissa....I did!

Holly Jolly Blog Hop

Here's the deal: Kristin, Amber, and Natalie are all co-hosting this awesome virtual open house.  If you're here reading this then you can link up at the bottom of one of their pages....and they are all sharing awesome party recipes.

Here's one of my favorite party recipes...

Graham Cracker Pralines

1 cup of butter - not margarine (2 sticks)

2 cups of light brown sugar (1 box)

Mix the above in a saucepan over medium heat.  Allow to boil for 3 minutes, stirring continuously. 

Place graham crackers on a foil lined cookie sheet.  Pour and spread the brown sugar mixture over the crackers and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 5 minutes.

Allow to cool and enjoy!  They are FANTASTIC!!

12 Days of Christmas Blog Challenge Day 13

Day 13

 Favorite Cookie Recipe

(I'm linking up with Aly and Molly over at Analyze This for the

12 Days of Christmas blog challenge..)

Of course, I could not choose just one recipe, so here are my two favorite cookie recipes.

Gingersnaps
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups self-rising flour
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 1/2 t. ginger

Cream sugar and shortening together until light and fluffy.  Add molasses and beaten egg.  Beat thoroughly.  Sift flour and spices together and add to creamed mixture.  Blend together carefully so that all ingredients are well mixed.
Roll small portions of dough between palms of hands into small balls, about the size of a small walnut.  Roll balls in granulated sugar.  Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees, bake 12 to 15 minutes.  The cookies flatten out as they bake.  When they are baked, remove at once from cookie sheet and cool on wire cake rack.  Makes about 5 dozen.

Praline Grahams
1 pkg. graham crackers (1/3 of a box)
3/4 c. butter or margarine
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. chopped pecans

Break crackers and put on a foiled-lined pan with edges touching.
Melt butter in saucepan; stir in sugar and pecans.  Bring to a boil, cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.  Spread mixture over crackers.  Bake at 300 degrees for 12 minutes.  Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack or waxed paper.  Makes 3 1/2 dozen.

Hope you will try and enjoy these cookie recipes!!

12 Days of Christmas Blog Challenge Day 9

Day 9

 Favorite Holiday Recipes
(I'm linking up with Aly and Molly over at Analyze This for the

12 Days of Christmas blog challenge..)

I have several recipes that mean that the Christmas season is here in our household.  I make the following casseroles for Christmas brunch every year....and both are so YUMMY!   I'd like to share them with you all....

Day Before Breakfast

6 eggs

2 cups milk

1 t. salt

1 t. dry mustard

2 slices bread, cubed

1 lb. sausage, cooked and drained

1 c. sharp cheese, grated

Beat eggs with milk, salt, and mustard.  Layer bread cubes, sausage, and cheese in 13X9 pan.  Pour egg mixture over layers.  Cover and chill overnight.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Casserole serves 6. 

Yummy Breakfast Rolls

2 cans crescent rolls

16 oz. cream cheese

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 t. cinnamon

1 stick melted margarine

Unroll 1 can of crescent rolls into the bottom of a 13X9 pan.  Don't press seams together!  Mix cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar and vanilla;  spread over rolls.  Place a second can of rolls over top.  Pour melted margarine on, and top with mixture of 1/4 cup sugar mixed with the cinnamon.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Texas Stew

Ingredients:

1 can hominy, drained

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can sliced carrots, drained

1 can sliced potatoes, drained

(I did not use canned carrots and potatoes. 

I used fresh, and parboiled them in salted water for about 10 minutes.)

1 can ranch-style beans, undrained

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup water

1 beef bouillon cube

1/2 t. garlic powder, or one clove garlic, minced

chili powder, to taste

dash of Worcestershire sauce

dash of hot sauce

1.5 pounds ground beef

(I used ground chicken)

1 medium onion, chopped

 

In a slow cooker, combine first 12 ingredients. 

In a skillet, cook ground meat and onion over medium heat.  Drain. 

Transfer meat and onions to slow cooker;  mix well.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8 hours.

Serve in bowls with crusty, toasted bread or cornbread.

So, so yummy and easy to put together in the morning.  It is ready when you come home on a cool night and you are looking forward to a hot, comforting meal.

Try it....I think you'll like it!

Miscellany Monday

Once again, I am linking up with Carissa at lowercase letters

for this week's edition of

Miscellany Monday.

We had a pretty low-key weekend.  Chuck and I were able to go out Friday night for supper because the kids had gone to the beach to the World Combat Challenge.  They had a good time, and we enjoyed each other's company.

Why does laundry multiply once it is put in the laundry room?  I really don't understand how a few days' worth of clothes can take all weekend to wash, dry, and fold...

I've been trying new recipes lately.  I think my Day Zero Project has inspired me to break away from the mundane and branch out a little.  Saturday night's supper was Texas Stew, and it was so warm and comforting on a cool evening.  (I'll share the recipe in a future posting...)

Have I mentioned lately that the group of first graders that I'm teaching are wonderfully refreshing??  I'm sure I have because they are always on my mind.  Since I teach special education in an inclusion setting, I have the opportunity to work with a whole class even though I officially serve only six of them.  They are all so wide-eyed and innocent....I really love them all!!

And lastly, I've said it before, and I'll say it again....I was born at night, but not last night!  As soon as my children learn this little saying and apply it to their lives (when dealing with their mama), they will find that their lives are a lot happier and less confrontational.  just saying...

Apple Cake

When trying to organize the recipe collection left to me by my mama, I came across this one for Apple Cake.  The cake is super moist and just perfect for fall!  This cake is not the prettiest I've ever seen, but it is surely one of the tastiest, especially with the caramel glaze!  YUM!!

Ingredients for cake:

1 1/4 cups veg, oil

3 eggs, thoroughly beaten

2 cups sugar

1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

3 or 4 medium apples, cut up

3 cups of self-rising flour

1 t. vanilla extract

Ingredients for glaze:

1 stick butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1 t. vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, put the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla.  Beat thoroughly.  Add the flour and mix well.  The batter will be stiff!

Remove bowl from the mixer and add the nuts and apples.  Mix by hand until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Divide batter into three 9-inch greased cake pans.  Place in cold oven.  Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes, or until cakes test done.

For glaze, melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan on low heat.  Add milk and let come to a boil, stirring continuously.  Remove from heat.  Add vanilla extract.  Cool and spread between layers and over top.

Sal's Cornbread

This recipe was given to me by my mama's dear friend Sal Stevenson.  We loved to make this delicious cornbread when we were having chili or soup for supper. 

The chili and beans was made with ground chicken
instead of ground beef.....still tasty though...

Sal's Cornbread

1 cup yellow corn meal

1 T baking powder

1 T sugar

1 t salt

1/2 cup veg. oil

2 eggs, slightly beaten

8 oz. sour cream

small size can of creamed corn

1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)

(I used self-rising yellow corn meal and omitted

the baking powder and salt.)

Mix all ingredients well.  Pour in greased 8" square pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes or until done.

I doubled the recipe when I made it last week and baked it in a 9 X 13 inch baking dish. 

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

This is the simpliest recipe for deliciously moist pumpkin muffins!  You've got to try them to believe how good they are!!

Ingredients:

1 box of cake mix

15 oz. can of pumpkin puree

1 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

1/4 t. ground cloves

Mix all ingredients together.

I added about 3/4 cup of raisins also....

 Divide the mixture into paper muffin cups, and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

 Cool on a wire rack, and then enjoy!

You can use spice cake mix instead of the yellow cake mix, just eliminate the dry spices.

They are so moist and yummy....I promise!!

Southern Potato Salad

Last week, the youth group at Christ United Methodist Church had a fundraising supper to help defray the costs of upcoming activities.  Parents of the youth were asked to prepare food to be served that evening.  I volunteered to make 10 pounds of potato salad...sounds like a big chore, but it's not really.  It's not much different from just making enough for a family.  Anyway, I thought that I'd try to write down the recipe since it was passed on to me by my sweet mama, and not in written form....I learned to make it by making it....so here goes...

Southern Potato Salad

(for a large group)

ingredients:

10 lb. white potatoes

1 dozen boiled eggs

Dukes mayonnaise

yellow mustard

pickle relish

onion powder

salt and pepper

paprika

Peel and wash 10 lb. of white potatoes.

Dice the potatoes into bite-size pieces.

Put potatoes in a large pot, and cover with cold, salted water.

Bring the water to a boil, and then allow the potatoes to gently simmer for about 15 minutes.

Drain potatoes in a colander.

When the potatoes are well drained, put them into a large bowl with chopped, boiled eggs.

Add the mayonnaise, mustard, pickle relish, onion powder, salt, and pepper.

Gently mix until all ingredients are incorporated.

Sprinkle with paprika.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.



Chili for Hot Dogs

Quick, Easy, and Delicious Chili for Hot Dogs

This recipe for chili is a tried and true recipe shared by my good friend, Elaine, many years ago.  She told me of her "secret ingredient," and that one change in the recipe makes all the difference in the world to the taste of the condiment!  Hope you'll enjoy as much as we do!

Ingredients:

1 to 1.5 lb. lean ground beef

1 can tomato soup (the secret ingredient)

ketchup (1/2 cup)

chili powder to taste

garlic and onion powder, if desired

red pepper, to taste

salt, to taste

water

1.  Brown about a pound to a pound and a half of good quality ground beef in a pot or skillet until it is thoroughly done.

2.  Drain off the fat and grease.  I usually drain the meat in a colander and then rinse it under warm water.

3.  Put the meat back into the pot and add other ingredients.

4.  Add a little water, if needed, to thin the chili.  Reduce heat, cover, and allow to simmer, stirring often, for at least 30 - 45 minutes.

5.  Spoon on hotdogs in buns, and ENJOY!!

Okra Pickles

The above recipe is written in my mama's handwriting.  (ILY and MY Mama...)

Over the summer, Charles worked at "Mary Gibson's Produce" and brought home baskets of okra on several different occasions.  We made Okra Pickles using my mama's recipe, and I gave away several jars to friends at school and elsewhere.  Well, that started an okra pickle frenzy!!!  Since I ended up making several batches of pickles, I thought I'd blog the process so others could make some if they wanted...

Wash and sterilize jars, rings, and new flaps (lids).   

Put a clove of garlic and a hot pepper in the bottom of each jar.  Add 1 teaspoon of dill seed to each jar.   


                         

Pack the jars with clean, crisp, young okra pods with the stem end cut open.

Boil together 1 quart of white vinegar, 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup salt. 

Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour the hot mixture over the jarred okra.

Seal the jars.