Christmas cooking, cleaning, knitting, painting..........

I have been up to my eyeballs in cleaning, painting, decorating for our annual Christmas Open House.

My house is clean.
My mantle is decorated.

My tree is decorated.

My kitchen has a new color.
My pantry, remember?

Now has doors.

Here is what I have been knitting, more houndstooth items in different colors. These are great to keep on needles. I may need to make myself a pair.

 This is a Headband/Ear and neck warmer.

 And the stocking cap.

 Working on my menu today. Making out my grocery list. I am sharing my recipes with you.

 

CHRISTMAS 2011 Menu List

Savory's
*BABR Spinach Pinwheels
Harry and David Sweet Relish Onion Dip w/tortilla chips
*Chipped Beef Dip w/bagel chips or pita chips

Cookies and Breads
*Sugar Cookies
*Oatmeal Cookies
*Banana Nut Bread

Meats and Cheeses
Sausage and cheese tray w/ritz crackers

Candies
*Peanut Butter Fudge
*Rollo Candy
*Pecan Brittle
* Divinty
*Coconut Bonbons

Veggies
Tomatoes, Carrots, and Broccli tray w/Ranch dip

BABR Spinach Pinwheels
8 ounces of cream cheese
1/2 cup of mayo
1/2 cup of ranch dip or 1/2 cup of sour cream w/1 oz of dry ranch dip
Bacon Bits
4 chopped green onions
2 10 oz pkgs of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
16 oz of flour tortillas

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, mayo; add ranch dip. Mix well. Stir in bacon bits, green onions and spinach. Heat tortillas until pliable; spread mix on tortillas to within 1/2 inch of edge. Roll up tightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill. Unwrap and cut into slices.

Chipped Beef Dip
2 8 oz cream cheese
1 bunch of green onions
1 jar of chipped beef
1 can of chopped black olives
1 tsp of accent

Soften cream cheese, chop beef and onions; mix and chill overnight to set flavors.

Sugar Cookies
1 cup of powder sugar
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of butter
1 cup of canola oil
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
5 cups of all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 375.
Cream sugars, oil and butter together; beat in eggs and vanilla; add salt and baking soda; mix well. Add flour slowly to creamed mixture; Chill overnight. Roll into small balls and press down with a flat bottomed glass dipped in sugar.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 10 minutes.

Oatmeal Cookies

1 Box of yellow cake mix (I use butter recipe kind)
2 cups of quick cooking oats
2/3 cup of Brown Sugar
3/4 cup of canola oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla flavoring
2 tsp of cinnamon
1 cup of chopped pecans
1 cup of cinnamon chips (http://www.preparedpantry.com/cinnamon-chips.aspx)

Mix all the liquid ingredients, add cinnamon, then remaining dry ingredients; mixing after each ingredient. Add pecans last.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. I take about a tablespoon of dough the size of a golf ball and flatten it onto an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes, until light brown. Remove to wire rack to cool, makes at least 5 dozen.

Banana Nut Bread
1/2 cup of butter
1 1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
2 large bananas
2 eggs
2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup of buttermilk
1/2 cup of walnuts

Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 10 minutes

Peanut Butter Fudge
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup of evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 16 oz box of powder sugar
1/2 cup of cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup of PB

Melt butter in a saucepan; remove from heat and add milk and vanilla.
Stir in pwd sugar, cocoa and salt into milk mixture; mix well. Stir in PB. Press into an 8" square pan. Cover and chill; cut into squares.

Rollo Candy
Pkg of Rollo candy
small pretzels
pecan halves

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Place pretzels onto cookie sheet, put a Rollo on each pretzel. Place in oven for 3 minutes; press a pecan half onto each Rollo and press down to smash Rollo.
Let cool.

Pecan Brittle
1/2 cup of light corn syrup
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of pecan halves
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

In a 2 quart microwave-proof casserole dish, combine syrup and sugar.
Microwave on high for 4 1/2 minutes. Stir in pecans. Microwave on high for 3 minutes.
Stir in salt, butter and vanilla. Microwave another minute. Stir in baking soda until mixture foams. Quickly pour onto a well oiled baking sheet. Cool and break into pieces.

Divinty
2 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of light corn syrup
1/2 cup of cold water
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
chopped pecans

In a medium saucepan over med heat, bring sugar, syrup, water and salt to a boil and cook until mixture reaches 265 degrees on a candy thermometer. Stir briefly at first, but don't stir any more.
In the meantime, in the bowl of a mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. With mixer running, pour hot mixture slowly into egg whites, rotating bowl as you pour. Add vanilla and mix until it reaches desired consistency. Stir in pecans and drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper.

Coconut Bonbons
1/2 cup of butter
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
5 cups of pwd sugar
3 cups of coconut
1 tbl of vanilla
1 bag of chocolate chips
1/4 bar of paraffin

Beat butter and milk until smooth. Stir in next 3 ingrds. Cover and chill until firm (about 1 hour). Form into 1 inch balls and chill again for 30 minutes. Melt chocolate chips with paraffin in a double boiler over low heat. Dip balls into chocolate mixture; place on waxed paper to harden.

Italian Cream Cake
Cake:
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of buttermilk
3 eggs
1 cup of oil (I use 1/2 cup of oil and 1/2 cup of natural applesauce)
1 cup of chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup of coconut

Mix first 4 ingred; add buttermilk, eggs, oil; mix well. Add pecans and coconut and mix well, again. Pour into a 9 x 13 cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees until firm. While letting it cool, make frosting.

Frosting:
1 stick of butter, softened
1 8 oz brick of cream cheese, softened
1 tbs of milk/ or heavy cream or 1/2 n 1/2
1 16 oz box of pwd sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup of chopped pecans

Mix first 3 ingred together; microwave for 30 seconds; add in powder sugar and vanilla. Mix well, add in pecans. Spread over cooled cake and store in fridge.