Christmas Surprises

24 Servings

3/4 c Shortening
3/4 c Light brown sugar
1 Egg
1 3/4 c Flour
1 t Baking soda
1/2 t Salt
1/2 t Vanilla
3/4 c Coconut
2 t Cream of tartar
Any flavor jam (or jelly)

Cream shortening and sugar together. Add egg and mix well. Sift dry
ingredients together and add. Add vanilla, and drop by
teaspoons-full onto ungreased cookie sheet. With your finger or a
spoon, make an indentation in the center of the cookie ball and
fill with jam or jelly. Sprinkle coconut over all and bake at 375F
for 10-12 min.

Christmas Tree Cake

16 Servings

1 pk Cake Mix (any flavor)
5 c Confectioners’ Sugar
3/4 c Crisco Shortening
1/2 c Water
1/3 c Non-dairy Creamer
2 t Vanilla Extract
1/2 t Salt
1 T Green Food Coloring
Peppermint Candies
Pretzel Rods
Large Gumdrops

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 13×9
pan. Prepare, bake and cool cake following package directions.

For decorator frosting: Combine confectioner’s sugar,
shortening, water, non-dairy creamer, vanilla and salt
in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric
mixer for 3 minutes. Beat at high speed for 5 min. Add
more confectioners sugar to thicken or more water to
thin as needed. Reserve 1 c frosting. Tint remaining
frosting w/ green food coloring. Cut cooled cake
diagonally and invert one piece so that the cake takes
on a tree shape with a wide base. Spread green
frosting over cake. Decorate tree with reserved white
frosting and peppermint candies. Make trunk from
pretzel rods. Roll out large gumdrop and cut with star
cookie cutter. Top tree with gumdrop star.

Cinnamon Ribbon Bread

6 Servings

2 3/4 c All-purpose flour
2 1/2 t Baking powder
1/2 t Salt
3/4 c Butter (or margarine)
1 1/4 c Sugar,divided
3 Eggs
1 1/2 t Vanilla extract
1 c Dairy sour cream
2 t Cinnamon,ground
1/2 c Pecans,chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, balking powder, and
salt in a small bowl until well blended. In a large bowl, beat
butter and 1 cup of the sugar until creamy and light. Beat in eggs,
one at a time and vanilla until well blended. Beat in flour mixture
and sour cream, alternately, beginning and ending with the dry
ingredients.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon.
Spoon about one third of the batter into greased and floured 9 x
5-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with one third of the cinnamon mixture.
Repeat with remaining batter and cinnamon mixture until all is used
up.

Sprinkle the top of the bread with pecans, pressing them in
slightly with your fingers. Bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a
wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool bread 10
minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan and cool
completely on rack.

Cioppino

24 Clams (or mussels*)
1 T Corn starch
3 Small lobsters,or
3 Dungeness crabs,cracked
1/2 c Olive oil
2 Cloves
garlic,Minced
2 onions,Chopped
6 green onions,Chopped
3 ribs of celery,Chopped
1 green bell pepper,Chopped
1 t fresh thyme,Chopped
1 Bay leaf
2 c fresh tomatoes,Chopped
1 cn Plum tomatoes
2 c Red (or white wine)
1 t fennel seed,Crushed
Good sized pinch saffron
1/4 c parsley,Chopped
Salt and pepper,To Taste
32 Small shrimp,Cleaned
2 lb Red snapper,cut into pieces
1 Clove garlic
1 t Anchovy paste

* cleaned and scrubbed

Soak clams or mussels in a large pot of cold water with corn starch.
Drain several times in cold water. Clean and cut into pieces
lobsters or crabs. Crack as needed. Heat olive oil in a large pot
and add cloves; garlic, onions, celery, bell pepper, thyme, bay
leaf, tomatoes, wine, fennel seed, saffron, parsley and salt and
pepper.

Cook 5 minutes. Add shrimp and snapper, cook, covered, stirring
once, for 5 minutes. Mash in 1 clove garlic with anchovy paste and
stir into stew. Cook 5 more minutes

Coating For Your Thanksgiving Turkey

1 Servings

1/3 c Paprika
Salt
Garlic powder
Onion, dried
Pepper
Water to make paste

This will do about a 13-15lb turkey. Seasonings are to taste.
Basically you make a paste of the above ingredients. It should be
the consistency of finger paint–thick and not runny.

The skin cooks nice and crisp. Remember to baste during cooking.

Coconut-Peanut Brittle

1 Servings

1/2 c Water
1 c Corn syrup
2 c Sugar
2 lb Spanish peanuts (raw)
1 t Salt
1 t Soda
1/2 lb Coconut

Combine water, corn syrup, sugar, peanuts and salt in a heavy
4-quart saucepan. Put in the candy thermometer and cook over high
heat.

Stir frequently until temperature reaches 290 degrees. Remove from
heat and add the soda. Stir thoroughly, then gradually stir in
coconut.

Stretch with well buttered forks on a well buttered surface such as
cookie sheets. To stretch, spoon out into piles and gently pull
apart.

Coffee Nog

2 Servings

8 oz Fresh brewed coffee
1/2 c Cream
1 Egg yolk
1 T Brown sugar
Nutmeg

Combine sugar and egg yolk, beat well. In a small saucepan heat cream. Slowly whisk in egg/sugar mixture and when blended, remove from heat. Do not boil. Pour coffee into your favorite cups and top with cream mixture.

Cold Pumpkin Souffle

8 Servings

2 c Heavy (whipping) cream
1 can (30 ounces) pumpkin-pie
-filling
2 Envelopes plus 1 teaspoon
-unflavored gelatin
1/4 c Bourbon whiskey (or 1)
-Tablespoon vanilla extract

For garnish: lightly sweetened whipped cream, chopped pistachio nuts, ground cinnamon.

1. Have a 1 1/2-quart souffle dish or 2- to 3- quart serving bowl ready.

2. IF USING SOUFFLE DISH: Tear off a piece of foil or waxed
paper 4 inches longer than the circumference of the souffle dish. Fold in thirds lengthwise. Fit around outside of dish with 2-inch collar extending above the dish. Fasten over lapping ends to each other with cellophane tape or paper clips.

3. Beat cream in a large bowl with electric mixer just until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted.

4. Put 1/2 cup pumpkin-pie filling in a small saucepan. Stir in gelatin. Place over low heat and stir 3 to 4 minutes until almost boiling and gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.

5. Put remaining pumpkin-pie filling in a large bowl. Stir in hot gelatin mixture then bourbon and 1/2-cup whipped cream. Fold in remaining whipped cream until blended.
6. Pour into prepared dish or serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.

7. BEFORE SERVING: Remove collar. Spread top of soufflé with whipped cream. Score lightly with knife and sprinkle with cinnamon. Press nuts into sides of souffle or if serving from a bowl, sprinkle over whipped cream.

Makes 8 cups, 12 servings.

Corn Bread Stuffing

12 Servings

2 pk Corn bread mix (10 oz)
1/2 c Celery,chopped
1 Onion,medium,minced
1/2 c Butter
2 Egg yolks
Salt
Pepper

1. Prepare corn bread, following label directions, or use your own favorite recipe. Cool. Crumble enough to make 7 cups and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

2. Saute celery and onion in butter in a large skillet until soft. Spoon vegetables and butter over corn bread crumbs.

3. Beat egg yolks in a medium-sized bowl; stir in stock and pour mixture over corn bread. Stir lightly to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes approximately 3 quarts, or 12 cups.

Cranberry Applesauce Bread

1 1/4 c Cranapple sauce
1 T Powdered buttermilk(saco)
2 T Margarine
1 T Sugar
1/2 t Salt
3 c Bread flour
2 1/2 t Yeast

CRANAPPLE SAUCE
=================
1 1/4 c Cranberries
4 md Golden delicious apples*
1 t Ginger root
1/4 t Cinnamom
1/2 t zest of lemon,Grated
1/2 c Sugar +
2 T Water

Put all in machine sweet bread cycle if you have it.

CRANAPPlE SAUCE *peeled and diced (1/2 inch) put water and sugar in a lg heavy saucepan and place over high heat. Cook stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add apples cover stir frequently cook 5 minutes then add cranberries cook 15 to 20 minutes till cranberries pop and apples are soft then mash with potato masher will still be slightly lumpy add
spices and zest cook another 5 minutes for flavor to blend. Cool for putting in the bread, sauce will keep in fridge for 3 days makes 3 cups also can be served warm with dinner