Holiday Recipes to Share...

Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years, and lots of gatherings and parties are coming up. If you have any favorite holiday recipes to share, please email them to me and I will be glad to post them on this blog for all to enjoy. I will post some as well.

Enjoy the holidays!

#####

Here is a recipe that I make during the holidays that is so easy and people love it...

Cranberry Meatballs

• 1 14 oz. can jellied or whole berry cranberry sauce
• 1 12 oz. bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
• 1 2 lb. bag frozen, pre-cooked, cocktail-size meatballs
Combine the cranberry sauce and chili sauce in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Add the meatballs. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally.
Note: I put the meatballs in a crock-pot and pour the heated sauces on top. I cook on low heat for at least 2 hours, or you can cook on high until the meatballs are heated through.
Enjoy!

#####

Here is a yummy recipe from my good friend, Karen Thompson in Washington, DC...

Candy Cane Cookies

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
½ tsp. baking soda
(1/2 tsp salt)
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz candy canes or hard peppermint candies, finely crushed (use the small canes if available. – Use rolling pin to crush them while they are still wrapped)
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chip-sized bits* (use nut chopper)

*For best chocolate flavor, look for good quality dark or bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate with a minimum of 70% cocoa solids.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or lightly buttered sheet.
2. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Whisk to combine.
3. Combine butter and sugars in medium bowl, cream together until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl, add egg and vanilla; beat to combine.
4. With mixer on low, spoon in dry ingredients; mix to combine. Add crushed candy and chocolate bits; mix until incorporated.
5. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 3 inches apart on the baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake 10 – 12 minutes.
6. Remove sheet from oven and immediately use a metal spatula to neaten any edges where a piece of candy may have melted out. Let cookies cool for about 3-4 minutes on sheet. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Makes about 4 doz. cookies. Ho! Ho! Ho!

... and here's another great recipe from Karen....

Karen is from Denmark and here is what she says about this recipe...
"It is an easy variant of the northern European peppernut. We never seem to have enough...."

Pebernødder (Peppernuts)
(Great Scandinavian Cookbook, 1963, p. 509)

8 ½ oz (1 cup plus 1 Tbsp) butter, soft
6 ½ oz (1 cup less 2 tsp) sugar
1 Tbsp molasses
2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
13 ¼ oz (3 cups plus 5 Tbsp) flour

Baking: 300°, 12 – 15 minutes

Cream butter and molasses until fluffy.
Add the egg and beat well.
Add soda and spices to flour, stir to blend.
Fold in flour mixture and mix lightly, but completely mixed.

Roll dough into small walnut size balls. Place on greased baking sheets. Bake until light brown.

#####

My Bible Study group had a Christmas brunch last week and here are two winning recipes from a couple of ladies in the group…


Judy Nicolette's Blueberry Bars

1 stick butter or oleo
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
4 eggs
1 tsp. Almond extract
1 pint blueberries (don't use canned as they turn the batter purple. I freeze fresh berries in the summer and use them frozen)
There is no soda or baking powder in the recipe.

Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 350° in a greased 9 X 13 pan for about 45 minutes or until lightly brown on top and done in center. When serving, sift a light dusting of powdered sugar on top.

Pam Grubb’s Surprise Cookies

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg

1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 cups flour
24 Rolos
bowl of sugar

Mix first five ingredients. Add dry ingredients and mix together. Take a teaspoon of dough and flatten. Place Rolo in the middle and roll into a ball. Roll the ball in sugar. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8 to 9 minutes.

There are about 55 pieces of Rolos in the package. If you double the recipe, you will probably need more than one package. Also, my daughter Kim says they get hard to find around Christmas so, if you plan to make these, be sure you can find the candy. In my experience, each cookie requires MORE than a teaspoon of dough...since I ended up with 85 cookies for a double batch.