Holiday Favorites

JELLO POPCORN BALLS


1 cup Sugar

1 cup Karo

3 oz. package of your favorite Jello


Combine all ingredients and bring to a rolling boil. Pour over popped pop corn.

Stir until well coated. Store in an airtight container.

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CRACKER JACKS


2 gallons of popped popcorn.

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup white Karo syrup

2 sticks oleo

1 cup raw peanuts

Bring all to a rolling boil. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon

soda and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour syrup over the popped corn. Stir until the

corn is well coated. Bake in a 250 degree oven for 1 hour, stirring every

15 minutes

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MARSHMELLOW POPCORN BALLS

6 cups popped popcorn

32 large marshmellows

1/4 cup butter

Melt butter and marshmellows over low heat. Add food coloring if desired.

Pour over popped popcorn and press into balls. I spray Pam on my hands

to keep them from sticking to me. They are pretty sticky at first, but let them

set for a few hours and they will be just right..

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COCONUT-POTATO DROPS


1 medium potato, peeled

1 teaspoon butter

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 pkg (1#) powdered sugar

1 package flaked coconut (7 oz)

Cherries and Nuts


In a small saucepan, cook the potato in water to cover until tender.

Drain and mash. Measure 1/2 cup into bowl and stir in butter and

almond extract. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar (mixture will

be thin at first). Mix until smooth. Then stir in coconut. Drop by

teaspoons onto waxed paper. Top each with a cut candied cherry

or nut. When cold, pack into airtight containers. Makes about 45

pieces of candy.

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Graham Cracker Cookies

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 sticks oleo

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup coconut

1 TBSP Vanilla

Mix all ingredients together and bring to a boil. Spoon over graham crackers lined up

in a rimmed cookie sheet.(about 24 graham crackers) Bake 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cut into squares while still warm. So easy, and so good. Make great gifts. I sometimes

omit the coconut. and add extra nuts.

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Jan Baker's German Fruitcake



3/4 cup margerine

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon of Allspice,Nutmeg,and Cinnamon



1 cup buttermilk

3/4 teaspoon soda

2/3 cup cherry preserves

2/3 cup apricot preserves

2/3 cup pineapple preserves

1 2/3 cups pecans

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix in order. Grease and flour 10" tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees

for 1 1/2 hours.

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Brandied Fruit Cake

To begin the fruit:
Week one.....1 cup pineapple, drained. Add one cup sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon.
Week two....1 cup drained peaches,add 1 cup sugar
Week three...1 cup drained apricots, add 1 cup sugar
Week four......1 cup marischino cherries, drained, add 1 cup sugar
I keep all this in a big glass jar, stir every day with a wooden spoon, leave on a shelf, covered with some saran wrap.
Week five......the recipe:

Brandied Fruit Cake
1 1/2 cups oil
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
3 cups brandied fruit
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups pecans
Mix oil and eggs, beat well. Add flour,soda,vanilla, etc. and mix well.
Add the brandied fruit and nuts by hand last.
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

This is an old,old recipe, have had it for years. It is also good on ice cream.

I always love to sneak pieces out of the pineapple...it is soooo goood.

Be sure to check out the appetizer recipes for other Holiday favorites...

Granny Lois's Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Granny Lois was one of the best cooks in town. Everyone loved this recipe and she always made it for the church suppers. Everytime we talk about this recipe we laugh. The first time my daughter Karen made this, she did not know you had to bake the cornbread first, so you can imagine the mess she ended up with...we laugh every Thanksgiving over Karen's special dressing. Granny Lois wrote the recipe down for me before she passed away, but her writing was so hard to read, age had made her hands tremble and shake, but luckily, Karen still had the recipe written in younger days, so it is with joy that I share her wonderful recipe. Eat and enjoy !

Granny Lois's Cornbread Dressing

4 pkgs. corn bread...bake it first....
8 slices of white bread
8 boiled eggs,chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
3 sticks of celery chopped
3 cans of cream of chicken
1 can of cream of celery
1 boiled chicken,skin removed, cut into bite size pieces
sage
poultry seasoning
pepper
curry powder
1/2 cup cooking oil
save broth from whole chicken

prepare cornbread, crumble into foil pan.
crumble bread. add chopped up eggs,onions,bell pepper, celery and

cooking oil.
2 cans of cream of chilcken and 1 can of cream of celery
add chicken pieces
season to taste
add broth if thick
put last can of cream of chicken on top
bake 350 for 30 mins

Cranberry Relish

Thanksgiving day is almost here.....I am lazy when it comes to this recipe...Just open a can of whole cranberry sauce, add a jar of orange marmalade, and stir it together. No fuss, quick and easy...you can add some chopped pecans to it as well...what is left over makes great topping for hot biscuits in the morning...

Corn Tortilla and Mixed Bean Lasagna

CORN TORTILLA AND MIXED BEAN LASAGNA

Start to finish: 1 hour 5 minutes (30 minutes active). Servings: 8

ingredients

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, chopped (2 cups)

2 medium bell peppers, cored and chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

- 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

- 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

- 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (with juice)

- 4-ounce can mild or hot chopped green chilies

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

12 white corn tortillas

2 cups grated reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese

directions

1 Heat the oven to 350 F.

2 Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions, bell peppers and garlic. Saute until the vegetables are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in both beans, tomatoes, chilies and spices. Heat and set aside.

3 In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish (or other 3-quart shallow baking dish) spread 1/2 cup of bean mixture. Arrange 6 of the tortillas over the bean mixture, overlapping them slightly and having them come about 1 inch up the sides of the dish.

4 Spread half of the remaining bean mixture over the tortillas. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese, then arrange the remaining 6 tortillas on top. Cover with the remaining bean mixture.

5 Coat one side of a piece of foil with cooking spray, then tightly cover the dish. Bake until the lasagna is bubbling and heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 5 minutes more, or until the cheeses is melted

Grape Trifle

My cousin David sent me this recipe . I know how good this is, as it is served often at our third Sunday dinners at church. I prefer to use the red grapes in it, as it seems to be sweeter. I just love red grapes. I also use them in chicken salad, but anyway, here it is, and it is a blue winner. I have recently discovered seedless black grapes which are really wonderful......


Grape Trifle

Cream together:



1 cup sour cream (I prefer reduced fat.)

8-ounce cream cheese (ditto)

½ cup sugar or Splenda

1 tsp. vanilla

Fold in 4 cups washed and dried grapes, removed from the stems. Spread in 8x8" dish.

For topping, grind 1 cup of pecans to fine crumbs. Mix with ¾ cup brown sugar. Spread over grape mixture and refrigerate. Can be doubled for use in a 13x9" dish.
I sometimes sprinkle about a Tablespoon of cinnamon sugar over this as well, this
is such a great dish.Sometimes, I just chop the pecans. Luckily, we have our pecan trees. I love the native ones the best, tiny, but so tasty.

Pumpkins

Pumpkin Recipes

I love pumpkins...I have to smile every time I look across the street at my pumpkin on a table, so big and orange in color...

Years ago my father wrote a song for me...I wish I had listened more carefully... I can remember some of the words. He was a western singer and guitar player, his band went all over Arizona playing, and he wrote a song for me...some of the words I can remember were:

Daddy's Little Punkin'
Time to go to sleep,
Close your eyes,
And sleep and dream in Peace.
Sadly, that is all that I can remember to the song...My Mom can't remember all the words either.


I have been thinking about Pumpkin Recipes, and hope this will be good for cold fall days...

Pumpkin Fudge
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 Tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 (12 oz) package white chocolate morsels
1 (7 oz) jar marshmellow creme
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir together the first six ingredients in a 3 1/2 quartsaucepan over medium high heat, cook and stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil.Cook stirring constantly until candy thermometerreads 234 degrees (soft ball stage) or for about12 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir in remainingingredients until well blended. Pour into a greasedaluminum foil-lined pan (9 inch square) and let itstand 2 hours or until completely cool. Cut fudge intosquares...makes about three pounds.
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Pumpkin Pie Dip
1 (8 oz) package of Cream Cheese, softened
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 (15 oz) can of Pumpkin Pie Filling
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1` teaspoon ground ginger

Beat Cream Cheese and sugar at medium speed with electric mixer until
smooth. Add pie filling, cinnamon, and ginger, Beat well. Cover and chill
for 8 hours. Serve with gingersnaps, sliced apples, and sliced pears.
You can make the bowl look pretty by putting in some cinnamon sticks and sprinkling a little cinnamon on top of the mixture.
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Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
2 cups of fresh Pumpkin Seeds
2 Tablespoons ground Rosemary (dried)
2 Tablespoons Oilve Oil
1 Tablespoons coarse ground Sea Salt
Rinse pumpkin seeds in water and drain on paper towels. Toss
with remaining ingredients and spread on a baking sheet. Bake
at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until crisp. Cool and store
in an airtight container. Makes 2 cups.

------And my favorite pumpkin recipe.........

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie
4 oz. (1/2 of an 8 oz. pkg) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1 TBSP Milk
1 TBSP Sugar
1 Tub (8 oz) Cool Whip Whipped Topping, thawed and divided
1 Honey Maid Graham Pie Crust (6 oz)
1 Cup Milk
1 can (16 oz) Pumpkin
2 Pkg (4 serving size each) Jello Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding and Pie Filling
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
Mix Cream Cheese, 1 TBSP milk and sugar in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended.
Gently stir in 1/2 of the whipped topping. Spread into the crust.
Pour 1 cup milk into large bowl. Add Pumpkin,pudding mixes and spices. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended (Mixture will be thick)
Spread over the cream cheese layer.Refrigerate 4 hours or until set. Garnish with remaining whipped topping. Store any left over pie in the refrigerator.

Appetizers

Jalapeno Ham Spread

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 can (5 oz.) canned chunk ham, drained
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup (4 oz.) grated Cheddar cheese
1 TBSP dried parsley flakes
1-2 TBSP finely chopped pickled jalapeno
2 TBSP minced onion
1TBSP spicy brown mustard

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Blend smooth with electric
mixer. Serve with assorted crackers or breads.
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Chicken Cheese Ball

1 can (5 oz.) chunk chicken, drained
1 envelope (.4 oz.) original Ranch salad dressing mix
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup chopped pecans
Combine all ingredients in bowl except pecans and blend well
with electric mixer. Mix well. Shape into a ball and roll in pecans.
Cover and refrigerate. Serve with crackers or bread.
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Cheese Ball

12 0z. cream cheese
4 oz. grated cheddar cheese
4 1/2 oz. can of crushed pineapple
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper (mixed red and green is pretty)
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 1/2 TBSP grated onion
Dash of Parsley and Dash of Paprika
Mix all together and form into a ball. Roll in chopped pecans and dried
Parsley flakes. Wrap in foil and refrigerate. Serve with crackers.
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Christmas Appetizers
Cube chicken breasts into small squares. Wrap with a piece of bacon and
secure with a toothpick. Roll in a mixture of 2/3 cup of brown sugar and
2 TBSP Chili Powder. Bake at 250 degrees on a cookie sheet until the
chicken is baked and the bacon crispy. YUMMY!
Also:
Tater tots wrapped with bacon, secure with toothpick, and bake in oven on
a cookie sheet till bacon is crisp at 250 degrees.
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Bacon Roll-Ups

1/4 cup butter or margerine
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups packaged herb-seasoned stuffing mix
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup hot or mild, bulk pork sausage
1/2 to 3/4 lb. sliced bacon

Melt butter in water in saucepan. Remove from heat; stir into stuffing mix and add
egg and sausage. Blend thoroughly. Chill about an hour for easier handling. Shape
into small oblongs about the size of pecans. Cut bacon strips into thirds and wrap
once piece around stuffing mixture and secure with a toothpick. Place on rack in
shallow pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes, or until brown and crisp.
Turn halfway point in the baking. Drain on paper towel and serve hot. These may
be made the day before baking; also freeze well before baking. Makes about 36
appetizers.