Christmas Cookie Recipes: # 8--Peanut Butter Blossoms

1 bag (8oz) Hershey's Kisses

1 egg

1/2 cup shortening

2 tablespoons milk

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt additional granulated sugar

Heat oven to 375F.

Remove candy wrappers.

In large bowl

Beat shortening and peanut butter until well blended.

Add the 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and all of the brown sugar; beat until light and fluffy.

Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well.

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls.

Roll in the additional granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Immediately place kiss on top of each cookie, pressing down so cookie cracks around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Cool completely.

Christmas Cookie Recipe: # 7--Thumbprint Cookies

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup margarine, room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
2 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups finely chopped pecans
jam or preserves

Preparation:Cream together brown sugar, margarine, and shortening;
beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
Beat egg white slightly; dip balls into egg white; roll in finely chopped pecans.
Place cookies about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet; press thumb deeply in center of each.
Bake until light brown, about 10 minutes.
Immediately remove from cookie sheet; cool thoroughly.
Fill thumbprints with jam or preserves.
Makes 5 to 6 dozen thumbprint cookies.

Christmas Cookie Recipe; #5--Fantasy Fudge

Yes, this is the original Fantasy Fudge recipe from the back of the Kraft Marshmallow Creme jar. We'll never know why they changed the recipe on us, but we've preserved the recipe for you right here.

Makes about 117

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup margarine

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 12-oz. (340 g) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 7-oz. (198 g) jar Kraft Marshmallow creme

1 cup chopped nuts

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Traditional method:

Combine sugar, margarine and milk in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan;

bring to full rolling bail, stirring constantly.

Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring.

Remove from heat, stir in chocolate till melted.

Add marshmallow creme, nuts & vanilla beat till blended.

Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

Let cool and cut into 1-inch squares.

Microwave method:

Microwave margarine in 4-quart microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) 1 minute or until melted.

Add sugar and milk; mix well.

Microwave on HIGH 5 minutes or until mixture begins to boil, stirring after 3 minutes. Mix well; scrape bowl.

Continue microwaving on HIGH 5-1/2 minutes; stir after 3 minutes.

Stir in chips until melted.

Add remaining ingredients; mix well.

Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

Cool at room temperature; cut into squares.

Makes 3 pounds.
Note: Can be made in a smaller pan for thicker squares (yield will be reduced).

Christmas Cookie Recipies: #4--Sugar Cookies

Here are two tried and true Recipies. Try them Both!

BEST SUGAR COOKIES EVER

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups Swans Down Cake Flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cream butter add brown sugar;

beat one minute.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Slowly add flour and baking soda, then vanilla.
Beat well for three minutes.

Bake 10 minutes.

WORLD'S BEST SUGAR COOKIES

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 c. butter
Cream together.

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond

2 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

Mix all in order given.

Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

Roll 3/16 inch.

Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 6 to 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

Check out this Demonstration Video on how Taste of Home makes Sugar cookies...

Christmas Cookie Recipe: #3--Chocolate Scotcheroos

Ingredients

6 cups rice krispies

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup chocolate chips (I use 1 3/4 cups chocolate chips)

1 cup butterscotch flavoured chips (I use 1/4 cup butterscotch chips)

Directions:

Cook corn syrup and sugar until it boils. Pull pan from the hot eye of the stove.

stir in peanut butter.

mix in 6 cups rice krispies.

Spread this mixture in a 9X13 pan and let cool completely.

melt cocolate chips and butterscotch chips over hot water, stir and spread over krispy rice mixure .

let cool and cut.

I suggest putting a piece of alumnium foil in the 9X13 pan with edges folding over the outside of the pan. Spray some pam on the foil.

When the cookies are all cooled, they can be very difficult to cut....so all you have to do is pull them all out in one big piece and put the whole thing on a cutting board. Use the big knife you use for chopping. Not sure what you call the knife.....but you know what I mean....
This make for much neater and easier cutting.

Enjoy, This one has been in our family for over 40 years!!

Christmas Cookie Recipies: #2 Butterscotch Chow Mein Drops

These easy drop candies get their crunch from fried chow mein noodles, and their sweet nutty taste from butterscotch chips mixed with a generous dollop of peanut butter.
Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 package (10 oz) butterscotch chips
1 can (5 oz) crispy chow mein noodles
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups chocolate chips

Preparation:
1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and set aside for now.

2. Combine the butterscotch chips and peanut butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the mixture in one-minute increments, stirring after every minute to prevent overheating. Stir until the mixture is smooth and well-combined.

3. Add the chow mein noodles to the melted butterscotch and stir until they noodles are evenly covered.

4. Drop small spoonfuls of the candy onto the prepared baking sheet. These candies are easiest to eat when they are small, so try to make the spoonfuls no larger than one tablespoon or so. Refrigerate the candy until it has firmed up, about 25 minutes.

5. While the candy is chilling, melt the chocolate chips. Place them in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave in one-minute increments, stirring after every minute to prevent overheating. Stir until the chocolate is entirely smooth.

6. Once the butterscotch noodles are firm, dip the bottoms in the melted chocolate, coming half an inch up the sides of the candy. Replace the dipped candies on the foil-covered baking sheet, and repeat with remaining candies and chocolate. If you have excess chocolate left over, you can drizzle it decoratively over the tops of the candies.

7. Refrigerate the candies once more to set the chocolate, for about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
User Reviews

Christmas Cookie Recipies: #1--Saltine Toffee

This easy Saltine Toffee recipe uses saltine crackers and a few common ingredients to make an uncommonly good candy that’s sweet, salty, crunchy, and chocolatey. You can make it more gourmet by adding chopped nuts or dried fruit to the top, or adding swirls of white or milk chocolate.
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1.5 sleeves of saltine crackers
1 stick (4 oz) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips

Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Arrange the crackers in a single layer on the baking sheet so that there are no empty spaces in between them. Crush any remaining crackers into small crumbs and set aside for now.

3. Place the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir while the butter melts, and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Once boiling, carefully pour the sugar-butter mixture over the crackers on the baking sheet in an even layer, trying to cover most of the crackers. If you miss some spots, don’t worry as the toffee will spread in the oven.

4. Bake the toffee crackers at 350 degrees for five minutes, until the toffee is bubbling all over. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for one minute.

5. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the hot toffee, and allow them to sit for one minute to soften and melt. Once softened, use an offset spatula or knife to spread the melted chocolate over the entire surface of the toffee in an even layer. While the chocolate is still sticky, sprinkle the top with the reserved crushed crackers.

6. Refrigerate the pan to set the toffee and chocolate for about 30 minutes. Once set, break into small uneven pieces by hand, and enjoy! Store uneaten saltine toffee in an airtight container for up to a week.

Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: Seriously!

I recently visited a good friend of mine and she had been telling me about making 2 loaves of bread a day for her family....fresh, homemade bread, everyday.
She said that it only took her 5 minutes a day, yeah right!

That day, she had used the basic recipe but made a rye loaf.....oh my stars...was it gooood!

She later showed me how easy it was.
You can view a video on how easy the process really is here

She had gotten the recipe for a new book out called :
Bread in Five Minutes a day.

The recipe she used was all white flour, so I wasn't very interested...but the new book that just came out is :
Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day!
Now were talking!

This would make a great Christmas gift for anyone in your family who loves to cook...
If you are interested in this book, check it out here.

The Best Banana Muffins You Ever Put In Your Mouth!

I have two daughters that go to our local community college. The whole day is basically on the run....and food is on the "Grab it and Go" basis.

I had come up with some things that had been working for the first several weeks...
Fruit, Cheese Sticks, Boiled Eggs, Grapes, granola bars... are some of them...
but they were getting tired of the same ole thing...so I was wracking my brain for something healthy and portable for them to take.

I came up with this Muffin Recipe that we really liked....It is full of stuff that is good for them.

I like to call them:
The Best Banana Muffins You EVER Put in Your Mouth!

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
(Fresh Ground is Best of course)

2 Cups Old Fashion Oats

1 Cup Brown Sugar
(You can cut this to 1/2 Cup is low sugar is your desire)

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 Tbs Pure Vanilla

In a separate Bowl Mix

1 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce

3 Ripe Bananas Mashed Well

2 Eggs

Mix Well

Add:

1/2 Cup Walnuts-Chopped

1/2 to 1 Cup of Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
(I added 1 cup, of course...lol)


Mix Wet Ingredients with Dry Ingredients.

Using a Mini Muffin Tin...
spray with cooking spray and fill each tin

Bake at 350 degrees for approx 10 min.

makes approx 36 mini muffins

makes approx 36 mini muffins

They turned out really good. They were moist and we put them in little snake size zip lock baggies and put them in the freezer.

The girls grabbed them with some other goodies and off to school they went.

Variations for this recipe are as follows:
(we tried them all in the past two weeks....:))

Applesauce Raisin Muffins

2 Cups Applesauce replaces the applesauce and bananas
1/2 Cup of Raisins replace the Chocolate Chips
2 tsp of Cinnamon replaces the Vanilla
Everything else the same

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

1 Cup Applesauce
1 Can Pumpkin Pie Filling replaces the Bananas
2 tsp of Cinnamon replaces the Vanilla
Everything else the same


Anyone have any recipes that might be useful for school "Grab it and Go" Food!
I'd LOVE to have some other recipes.
Leave them in the comments section so all can see.
Let me also know how you like these and
report back any changes you might make to the recipe and how it turned out.

Thanks

Being Frugal by Canning and Preserving

We have been busy storing nuts for the winter. Well, not really...But the comparison is just.

We have been freezing corn, making chow-chow, bread and butter pickles, freezing eggplant and green peppers and green beans.

Come winter, we are going to be sitting pretty.

I love the internet because you can just look up your recipes!
Its awesome!

Here are some of the web pages that helped me.

• Canning Green Beans
• Freezing Eggplant
• Bread and Butter Pickles
• Chow-Chow

You can find all kinds of canning helps-just google it!

Happy Canning!

Grannie's Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe

Ingredients

• 15 cups sliced pickling cucumbers
• 3 onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup coarse salt
• 4 cups cracked ice
• 2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds

Combine cucumbers, onions, salt and ice in a large bowl.

Mix well.

Put a weight on and allow to stand 3 hours. (For a weight, I use a plate with a gallon bottle of vinegar or water on top of it).

Drain thoroughly.

Combine vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seed and mustard seed in a large pot.

Add drained cucumbers.

Place pot on medium low heat.

ring almost to a boil, but DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.

Remove from heat.

Seal in sterilized jars, 10 minutes in a hot water bath.

Recipes From a Frugal Mom! Using Items From Recent Sales

Do you have any creations you have put together using your frugal finds.

I have been putting some recipes together and want to share some ideas with you.

I had gotten Pillsbury Pizza Dough on sale at Kroger....I have several things we have come up to do with it.

Of course you can make..
Pizza and we have done several versions...But what else....

1.Cinnamon Rolls....just spread the dough out...sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar-roll up and cut to size and bake. YUMMY!

2. Breakfast Roll ups....same concept but instead of cinnamon and sugar....go with scrambled eggs, sasuage , and cheese....roll up and bake in a log....pinch the ends to keep it closed and slice just before serving.....

3. Breakfast Pizza....Spread out the dough, use pepper gravy mix to make a gravy and spread it out instead of pizza sauce..sasauge, scrambled eggs, bacon...what ever you like ...cheese and bake...very, very good.

What ideas do you come up with?
Let us know!

Valentine's Day Cookie Recipe: Orange-Scented Chocolate Heart Macaroons

Orange-Scented Chocolate Heart Macaroons

These are sure to steal the heart of the coconut lover in your life.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 medium orange, peel grated
5 cups sweetened flaked coconut, divided
25 to 30 NESTLE CRUNCH Hearts, unwrapped
or NESTLE BUTTERFINGER Hearts

COMBINE flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.

BEAT sugar, butter and cream cheese in medium mixer bowl until creamy. Add egg yolk, vanilla extract, orange juice and grated orange peel; beat well. Add flour mixture; beat until well combined. Stir in 4 cups coconut. Cover; refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm enough to handle.

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F.

SHAPE dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; roll balls in remaining coconut. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; immediately press 1 Nestle Heart on top of each macaroon. Cool for 1 minute; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Serving size: 25

Layer Dessert----Yum--You have to try this easy recipe

1 1/2 Stick Butter
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup powdered sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
1 small container of cool whip
1 pkg. small instant chocolate pudding(I use the sugar free)
1 pkg. small instant vanilla pudding(I use the sugar free)
3 cups milk ( I use skim)

Mix together butter, flour and pecans
Press in a 9X13X12 inch pan for 20 minutes @ 350 degrees

Cool Crust Completely

Mix together powdered sugar, cream cheese and 1 cup of the Cool Whip.
Spread this mixture over the crust.

Mix together the puddings and the milk. Let is set slightly and pour over the previous mixture.

Spread the rest of the cool whip on top.

To top this off, you can use different thing.
The tiny chocolate chips are great
chopped chocolate chips
chopped heath bar

Use your imagination.
Refrigerate for several hours.

Ground Turkey Tortilla Casserole

I made this for my family and it is a hit for sure. I fixed it and took it to a mommie that just had a baby....they loved it and are asking for the recipe.

6 flour tortillias (Medium)
1 lb ground turkey
1 small onion
1 16 oz can Blackbeans (drained and rinsed)
1(1 1/4 oz) packet taco seasoning
8 oz sour cream
3/4 cup salsa(I use rotel)
2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)

Directions:

Brown turkey meat and a small onion until meat is completely done
Add taco seasoning packet
Cut(or tear) 3 flour tortillias into bite size pieces and layer them on the bottom of the sprayed casserole dish.
Layer
1 cup cheese
sour cream
black beans
meat mixture
salsa
Cheese
and top with
3 torn tortillias


Bake @ 350 degrees unto cheese is melted and bubbly.
When I remove the dish i sprinkle more cheese lightly over the top and cover so the heat of the dish melts the cheese.

Serve with shreaded head lettue and chips

Optional Ingredients:
Corn
Red or green peppers
japalenos

Valentine's Day Cookie Recipe: Layers of Love Chocolate Brownies

Cookie Recipes


Layers of Love Chocolate Brownies

A finalist in the 2000 Share The Very Best Recipe Contest, this recipe was entered by Alma Carey of Sarasota, FL. Made with a genuine love of chocolate, this decadent brownie features vanilla-flavored white and semi-sweet chocolate morsels, chopped pecans and caramel layered within a rich cocoa batter.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Cooling Time: 15 mins cooling

Servings: 16 brownies

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Baking Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut in pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Premier White Morsels
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 8-inch-square baking pan.

COMBINE flour, cocoa and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Reserve 3/4 cup batter. Spread remaining batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle nuts and white morsels over batter. Drizzle caramel topping over top. Beat remaining egg and reserved batter in same large bowl until light in color. Stir in semi-sweet morsels. Spread evenly over caramel topping.

BAKE for 30 to 35 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares.

Nutritional information: Calories: 310 Calories from Fat: 150 Total Fat: 17 g Saturated Fat: 8 g Cholesterol: 55 mg Sodium: 135 mg Carbohydrates: 38 g Dietary Fiber: 2 g Sugars: 22 g Protein: 4 g

Valentine's Day Cookie Recipe: Chocolate Linzer Hearts

Chocolate Linzer Hearts

Hazelnuts, cinnamon, raspberry and chocolate—incredible flavors in an incredible cookie!

Prep Time: 50 min
Start to Finish: 2 hr 30 min
Makes: 3 dozen cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and ground
1/2 ounce semisweet baking chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup rasberry jam
1 ounce semisweet baking chocolate, melted

1. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, or mix with spoon. Beat in vanilla and eggs until smooth. Add remaining ingredients except jam and melted chocolate. Beat until well blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour (dough will be sticky).

2. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll one-fourth of dough at a time between pieces of waxed paper until 1/8 inch thick. (Keep remaining dough refrigerated until ready to roll.) Cut with 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. Cut small heart shape from center of half of the 2-inch hearts if desired. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Spread about 1/2 teaspoon raspberry jam on bottom of whole heart cookies; top with cutout heart cookie. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Let stand until chocolate is firm.

Nutrition Information: 1 Serving: Calories 120 (Calories from Fat 65 ); Total Fat 7 g (Saturated Fat 4 g); Cholesterol 25 mg; Sodium 40 mg; Total Carbohydrate 13 g (Dietary Fiber 1 g); Protein 2 g

Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 4 %; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 1 %; Iron 0%

Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 Fat

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Did You Know...
The linzertorte is a rich, elegant tart from Linz, Austria. The original tart has a buttery crust of ground almonds, grated lemon rind and spices. The crust is spread with a sweet layer of raspberry jam and topped with a lattice crust.

Tennessee Caviar

I prepared this for a get together we had tonight for our church Missions Conference. Everyone was asking for the recipe..so I thought I'd post it here. I keep the ingredients on hand to make this at the last minute...its is fast and easy. Plus, everyone LOVES it. Really, try it on your family, you won't be sorry!

Tennessee Caviar
Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) cans black-eyed peas
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (10 ounce) can Ro-Tel tomatoes
• 1 (11 ounce) can shoe peg corn
• 2 chopped roma tomato
• 1 med onion chopped fairly fine
• 1 (16 ounce) bottle Zesty Italian salad dressing (I use Fat Free) any brand will do

Directions

Mix up and serve with tortillia chips or fritos scoops.

You can substitute to your liking; Some additions:
minced garlic
chopped green or red peppers
garbanzo beans
Use your imagination!

Baking For the Future

I had some very ripe bananas on my hands....so what do you do?

You make banana bread of course. Only problem is banana bread doesn't really tranport well. My husband doesn't like how it gets crumbs all over his van...so this time I made banana mini muffins. They are two or three bite size.

I made them up and then I put three in a baggie and froze them...ready for sack lunches or a quick breakfast.

Here is the recipe I use with my changes included. :)

Lynne's Banana Bread

7 Ripe Bananas, mashed

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups white all purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup (5 minute cook) Oats (uncooked)

2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

chopped nuts (optional)

Mix bananas, sugar, and eggs. Sift flour, salt, and baking soda. All to banana mixture. Add nuts.

Bake @ 325 degrees

I put mine in mini muffin tins...They cook more quickly..approx 20 minutes...but watch cause I didn't really time them, I am just guessing....;)

If you bake them in a loaf...bake 1 hour

This recipie is great because there is not butter or oil....just spray pam for the muffin tin...

Next time I am going to reduce the sugar....any ideas on what how much to reduce it?

Let me know any ideas you have on making this healthier.

Doing this type of baking and having theses yummy treats in snack size prepared in the freezer saves money.

When I am fixing lunches for everyone...I just pop on of these in the bag. If I have to grab something on the run, I grab one. These are GREAT frozen....really and they are great for breakfast...