Day 4 - Peppermint Puffs

(Day 4 of the 12 Days of Holiday cookies. Look for another recipe tomorrow.)

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup Butter Flavor Crisco Stick
2 tablespoons milk1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup crushed peppermint candies (about 25)

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Place sheets of foil on countertop for cooling cookies.
Combine brown sugar, shortening, milk and vanilla extract. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Beat in egg.

Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into creamed mixture at low speed until just blended. Stir in crushed candy. Refrigerate dough for a little while until firm enough to roll into balls. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased (or parchment paper lined) cookie sheets.

Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes for chewy or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp. DO NOT OVER-BAKE.

Cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet. Remove to foil and cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Day 3 - Mocha Treats

(Day 3 of the 12 Days of Holiday cookies. Look for another recipe tomorrow.)

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened and divided
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (or use instant coffee and grind with the back of a spoon until very fine)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 ounces white chocolate, chopped

Melt bittersweet chocolate and 2 tablespoons butter in small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring often. Add espresso powder; stir until dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Let cool to room temperature.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat remaining 1/2 cup butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in bittersweet chocolate mixture and egg. Gradually add flour mixture. Beat at low speed until well blended. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls; place 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten each ball into 1/2-inch-thick round with fork dipped in sugar. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until set (do not overbake or cookies will become dry). Immediately remove cookies to wire racks; cool completely.

Place white chocolate in small resealable food storage bag; seal bag. Microwave on MEDIUM (50%) 1 minute. Turn bag over; microwave on MEDIUM 1 minute or until melted. Knead bag until chocolate is smooth. Cut off very tiny corner of bag; pipe or drizzle white chocolate decoratively onto cooled cookies. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes or until set. Store tightly covered at room temperature or freeze up to 3 months.

Day 2 - Kolacky

(Day 2 of the 12 Days of Holiday cookies. Look for another recipe tomorrow.)

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
confectioners sugar
fruit preserves

Combine butter and cream cheese in large bowl; beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add flour to butter mixture, blending until mixture forms soft dough. Divide dough in half; cover and refrigerate until firm.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough, ½ a time, on floured surface (floured with 1/2 flour and 1/2 confectioners sugar) to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 3-inch squares. Spoon 1 teaspoon preserves in center of each square. Bring two opposite corners to center; pinch together lightly to seal. Fold sealed tip to one side; pinch to seal. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to cooling racks; cool completely.

Day 1 - Grandma Vasko's Butter Cookies

(Day 1 of the 12 Days of Holiday cookies. Look for another recipe tomorrow.)

1 c. sugar
1 c. butter
1 tsp. baking powder
3 egg yolks
3 c. flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and combine. Combine flower and baking powder. Add to butter mixture, one cup at a time, combining thoroughly after each addition. Roll out on floured board to approximately 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters. Bake on cookie sheets until lightly brown on bottom. Cool. Decorate with butter cream icing of your choice.

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

This is a great recipe. It would work great with leftover turkey, too. If you don't have any broth from the turkey, use canned turkey or chicken broth.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

1 (3 pound) whole chicken, boiled
8 ounces dry bread stuffing mix
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
1 1/4 cups chicken broth (from boiling the chicken)
1 cup evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Layer the deboned chicken meat in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle stuffing mix over the chicken layer.

In a large bowl mix together the soups, broth and evaporated milk. Stir well. Pour this mixture over the stuffing mix, making sure it gets to the bottom of the baking dish (poke around with a fork to let it saturate into the bottom layer). Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, until it starts to bubble in the center.

From allrecipes.com

Coming soon...

Twelve days of Holiday cookies are coming soon.

Perfect Roasted Turkey

1 (18 pound) whole turkey
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 quarts turkey stock
8 cups prepared stuffing

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place rack in the lowest position of the oven.
Remove the turkey neck and giblets, rinse the turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in the roasting pan. Loosely fill the body cavity with stuffing. Rub the skin with the softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Position an aluminum foil tent over the turkey.

Place turkey in the oven, and pour 2 cups turkey stock into the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste all over every 30 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan. Whenever the drippings evaporate, add stock to moisten them, about 1 to 2 cups at a time. Remove aluminum foil after 2 1/2 hours. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh reads 180 degrees F (80 degrees C), about 4 hours.

Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter, and let it stand for at least 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

From allrecipes.com

Pumpkin Pie

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk pumpkin, EAGLE BRAND®, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool. Garnish as desired. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.