Category: Seasonal Sundays – holiday and seasonal recipes

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

A favorite cookie of mine that I love baking at Christmastime….I’m rhyming and not meaning to be…this comes by way of the great Ina Garten from her book Barefoot Contessa Family Style. These are sure to bring a smile….haha, yes, see there! Just wait until you eat one.

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 egg beaten with 1 T. water for egg wash
7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
Raspberry and/or apricot jam

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until they are just combined and then add the vanilla. Separately, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. (If you have a scale, they should each weight 1 ounce.) Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop 1/4 tsp. of jam into each indentation. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.

COOKING THE BOOKS, YA’LL!

Cranberry Pecan Cookies

This recipe is from Louise Hawkins of Lubbock, Texas. She’s just 60 miles away from me. I don’t know Louise, but she shared a recipe with Taste of Home magazine and I am so glad she did! You will be too. These start with prepared sugar cookie dough. Boom! 2/3 of the battle won and done!

1 tube (16-1/2 oz.) refrigerated sugar cookie dough, softened
1 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup vanilla or white chips
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp. vanilla

In a large bowl, combine the cookie dough, pecans, chips, cranberries and vanilla. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. (Y’all know how I feel about ungreased baking sheets. As my mama says, Pam your pan.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wired racks. Store in an airtight container.
Yield: about 3 1/2 dozen.

Slow-Cooker Beef Brisket

Brisket is one of my favorite cuts of beef. The flavor is… well, just so beefy! …I’m cracking myself up here! Anyway, what could be better than a nice cut of beef simmering away all day while you decorate for Christmas or are out shopping and know you have this to come home to? When it’s done, serve with simple ingredients like tortillas, shredded cheese and salsa. While this is easy to serve, it’s easy to pile on the couch with. My gift to you…Merry Christmas! Ps. Don’t be afraid of the cilantro here. My kids love this meat and they can sniff out cilantro with the best of them!

2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (2-3 lb.) beef brisket
2 tsp. table salt + an extra sprinkling of kosher salt if you have it
1 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper chile flakes or ground chipotle chile powder (original recipe calls for the chile powder)
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) fajita-size flour tortillas

Toppings: Shredded Pepper Jack cheese (I use Mozzarella), sour cream, salsa, additional chopped cilantro, lime wedges

Place first 3 ingredients in a 6-qt. slow cooker.

Trim fat from brisket; cut brisket into 3-inch pieces. Rub brisket pieces evenly with salt and chipotle chile powder or the red pepper flakes, and place on top of vegetables in the slow cooker. Top with 1 cup cilantro.

Cover and cook on HIGH 6 to 8 hours or until brisket pieces shred easily with a fork.

Remove brisket from slow cooker, and cool slightly. Using 2 forks, shred meat into bite-size pieces. Return mixture to slow cooker. Serve in flour-tortillas with desired toppings and lime wedges.

Note: I used red pepper flakes because it was what I had on hand and I loved how it turned out! Not too spicy and good flavor, but follow your gut on this. Use less pepper flakes or follow the original recipe. You can’t go wrong! Also, the book says to select a brisket that is uniform in thickness to make shredding the meat easier. (Somehow, I always forget that part, but I’ve never had a problem. Although, I’m sure it really would be helpful!)
Serves 6
Hands-On Time 15 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours, 15 minutes

COOKING THE BOOKS, YA’LL!

Ultimate Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies

This drop cookie recipe is delicious and so amazing dipped in coffee! While I’m writing this, we are just 1 day away from Thanksgiving, so since Christmas is around the corner, make a batch and put in your freezer. They truly do make a great addition to a holiday cookie tray or would be great to take to your next cookie swap, as they make so many. Along with dipping in coffee, the complete opposite end of the spectrum is that they taste fantastic enjoyed straight out of the freezer too! You may need to make two batches for the freezer now that I’m thinking about it…

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour plus 2 T.
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semisweet chocolate chips

Beat butter, peanut butter, and sugars at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until blended.

Combine flour, soda, and salt in a small bowl; gradually add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. (I personally can’t bake on ungreased baking sheets… sticking scares me! My mama always taught me to “Pam my pan!”)

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 14 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Yield: 5 dozen.

COOKING THE BOOKS, YA’LL!

Frito Pie

Garage sale time with my family was always a festive time in October. I couldn’t always count on making much money, but I knew I could count on my sister Julie’s Frito Pies! This recipe was a tradition that she always treated us with on that chilly fall day. This makes a nice big batch. Invite some friends over!

3 to 4 lbs. ground beef
1 lg. onion, chopped
2 (15-oz.) cans whole kernel corn
1 (26-oz.) can Ranch style beans
1 (18-oz.) can diced tomatoes
2 pkgs. dry ranch style dressing mix
3 pkgs. taco seasoning mix
Fritos
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Salsa

Julie also adds: guacamole,chopped ripe black olives,chopped onion, pretty green lettuce, and
shredded sweetened coconut

Brown ground beef and onion; drain. Add remaining ingredients, leaving all liquids in vegetables. Heat until warm and serve over Fritos with desired toppings.

Aunt Mattie’s Chocolate Crinkles

My Aunt Mattie, is hands down, the best baker I know! She treats us to the most wonderful cookies and pies when our family is blessed enough to all be together. These cookies are great for any gathering. And should you make them and take them somewhere, you just might walk away with a “best baker award” yourself!

4 squares unsweetened chocolate or 12 T. cocoa
1/2 cup Wesson oil
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup powdered sugar

Melt oil and unsweetened chocolate, if using, in a saucepan. Pour over the sugar in a mixing bowl and stir together. (If using the cocoa, skip the saucepan step and just mix it with the oil and sugar in your bowl.)

Mix in the eggs and then the remaining ingredients. Chill dough overnight.

Scoop out by tablespoons and roll in powdered sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Careful not to over bake!

Makes 6 dozen

Turkey Cheeseburgers with Cranberry Creme Fraiche

Sounds Novemberish, doesn’t it? This is Rachael Ray’s November 2017 burger of the month from her magazine, Everyday with Rachael Ray. The sauce is boss here! The chives with the creme fraiche and cranberries is so delicious. I love turkey burgers. I love Thanksgiving. I love Turkey burgers with Cranberry Creme Fraiche! This recipe only makes 3 burgers, so plan accordingly.

1/2 cup creme fraiche (see note)
1/2 cup whole-berry or homemade cranberry sauce
3 T. finely chopped fresh chives
salt and pepper
1 lb. ground turkey
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 T. olive or vegetable oil
6 slices deli cheddar cheese
3 split brioche rolls or regular hamburger buns
Burger toppings: sliced bread and butter pickles (Mt. Olive brand is my favorite.), green leaf lettuce, and thinly sliced red onion

In a medium bowl, mix the creme fraiche, cranberry sauce, and chives; season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Grab your grandmother’s cast iron skillet or griddle and heat over medium-high.

In another medium bowl, season the turkey with salt and pepper to your liking. Mix in the Worcestershire and poultry seasoning. Form 3 large patties. (Rach says thinner in the centers for even cooking). Add the oil, one turn of the pan, to the skillet and cook the patties, turning occasionally, until they are cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. During the last minute of cooking, top each patty with 2 slices of cheese. Tent the skillet loosely with foil to melt the cheese.

Build the burgers by layering the roll bottoms, pickles, lettuce, onion, cheeseburgers, sauce, and roll tops.

Note: Creme Fraiche can be made at home by combining 1 cup whipping cream and 2 T. buttermilk in a glass container. Cover and let stand at room temperature (about 70 degrees) from 8 to 24 hours, or until very thick. Stir well before covering and refrigerate up to 10 days.

Chocolate Sodas

I found this recipe at the check out line in the grocery store from a Pillsbury halloween magazine. So naturally, these turn into Mud Sodas on All Hallow’s Eve! But on regular days, when you need a little something to go with that grilled burger, these come highly recommended!

4 cups chocolate milk, chilled
4 cups rootbeer, chilled
1 pint (2 cups) chocolate ice-cream

In each of 8 tall glasses, place 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup root beer and stir gently to mix.

Top each serving with a 1/4 cup of ice cream.


And for the adults, a shot of chocolate vodka never hurt anything either!

White Chocolate Party Mix

This recipe was shared with me by my sweet sister, Julie! It is a favorite of ours! She always makes it for our camping trips to Colorado. Make sure you have a big mixing bowl for this one and match the M & M colors with the holiday or season, if you like!

1 (10-oz.) pkg. mini pretzels
5 cups plain cheerios
5 cups corn Chex or Crispex cereal
2 cups salted peanuts
1 (14-oz.) pkg. M & M’s
2 (12-oz.) pkgs. white chocolate chips
3 T. oil

Combine the pretzels, cereals, peanuts and M & M’s in a large bowl.

In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the white chocolate chips and oil on medium high for two minutes, stirring once. Microwave again for 10 seconds; stir until smooth.

Pour the melted chocolate over the pretzel mixture and gently mix well. Spread onto 3 to 4 wax paper-lined baking sheets.

Let cool and break apart. Store in airtight containers.
Makes 20 cups

Grilled Bratwurst with Special Mustard Sauce

Grilled Bratwurst is one of my favorite meats to just throw in a tortilla and top with plain ol’ yellow mustard! But when the mood strikes, or the World Series rolls around, this recipe is always fun for the “big” game. It makes lots of mustard sauce and veggies, so you might want to grab double the brats and buns. Or throw the leftovers in that tortilla!
I found this recipe in a July 2001 issue of Southern Living.

6 bratwurst links (about 1 1/2 lbs)
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
2 tsp. salt-free seasoning blend (I like Lawry’s brand)
2 T. butter or margarine
2 (12 oz.) bottles light beer
6 hoagie rolls split

Special Mustard Sauce, recipe follows

Grill bratwurst, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350-400 degrees) for 10 to 15 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, turning once. (On days that just don’t lend themselves to grilling, these can be cooked on the stove top according to the package directions. I like Johnsonville brand)

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion and bell peppers, and cook until tender.

Stir in the light beer and seasoning blend; add sausage, and simmer mixture for 20 minutes.

To serve, place a sausage link in each toasted roll that has been slathered in Special Mustard Sauce and top with the veggies. Enjoy the game!

Special Mustard Sauce

This little sauce is yummy! Serve the leftovers on ham sandwiches or thin it with a little water, add some olive oil, and make a simple dressing for a green salad.

1/2 cup butter or margarine
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard
1 tsp. salt
2 beef bouillon cubes
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar

Combine butter and bouillon cubes in top of a double boiler. Place over simmering water, and cook, whisking constantly, until butter melts and bouillon cubes dissolve. (be sure that your water is simmering gently before adding the egg yolks. They can start cooking too quickly and give some unfriendly lumps to your sauce.) Gradually whisk in beaten egg yolks. Add sugar and remaining ingredients; cook, whisking often, 20 minutes. Cover and chill.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups


Homemade double broiler