Denim jumper with a reversible bucket hat.
Plaid jumper.
Dress to match daughter's favorite dress.
And daughter's favorite - a flannel night shirt.
From our home to yours...
Have you any room for Jesus,
I've really fallen off on sharing bread recipes, but I just had to share our favorite sticky buns! My mom made these every Christmas morning, but, of course, they are treats any time of the year!First, cook and mash potatoes to make one cup of potatoes. Save the water from cooking your potatoes. For some reason, yeast loves potato water! (That is a tip to remember any time you are cooking potatoes.) Allow the water to cool until warm. 1 1/2 cup warm potato water 1 T yeast Mix together. 2/3 cup butter 2/3 cup sugar 1 cup mashed potatoes 2 eggs 1 1/2 tsp salt Mix together. Add yeast water. Mix. 7 to 8 cups flour Mix in flour one cup at time until you have a soft dough. Knead for several minutes. Place in greased bowl. Raise. Punch down.Roll out half the dough. Spread with melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar.
Roll up jelly roll style.
Slice in about 2 inch slices.
Place in greased pans.
Pour goo over the top. Allow to raise until doubled. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
While still warm, dump rolls onto a cookie sheet. This makes two 9x13 pans or four 9x9 pans. Goo - 2 cup brown sugar 1 cup water 4 T molasses 4 T butter Boil for one minute. Pour over rolls before raising. Variations - If you like nuts, sprinkle chopped nuts into the greased pans before placing rolls. If you prefer cinnamon rolls (not sticky buns) omit the goo. After baking you may add your favorite caramel icing. These rolls our awesome and truly the best I've tasted. (Though if you think you have a better recipe, I'd be glad to accept any rolls to do a taste test!) But sometimes, I just don't have the time this recipe requires.
So, if you want to make sticky buns the next day, mix up the above recipe. Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover tightly and place in refrigerator. About 2 hours before serving sticky buns, take the dough out of the refrigerator, form into rolls as written above, and bake.
I know some of you, maybe all, will look at this recipe and shudder at the thought of consuming raw eggs! I've done a bit of reading about raw eggs the past years and truly don't believe you are playing the Russian roulette by eating them! For centuries, raw eggs (and raw milk) were considered powerhouses of vitamins and the ideal nutrient dense food for good health. It is only the last number of years that we of the industrialized world have become fearful of anything that hasn't been sterilized, fumigated or processed beyond recognition of the God given food it originated as. Since eggs play such an important role in eggnog, I would seek out the best source possible. Ideal would be eggs you've raised yourself, or if you personally know the person who did. If that isn't an option then at least find free range, organic eggs. If you've only had factory farm eggs that have been in cold storage for weeks before arriving at the grocery store, you'll be amazed at the difference in the rich yellow yolks and superior flavor of a real farm fresh egg! Our thoughts on homemade eggnog? It certainly was different then bought eggnog. The flavor was more delicate and not as sickeningly sweet. The drink was foamy but not as thick. The over all flavor was similar and we greatly enjoyed it! And the children thought it was great!!! Eggnog 6 eggs 1/2 cup sugar 3 cup whole milk 1 cup heavy cream 1 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated if possible Place a large bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill. Separate your egg whites and yolks. Refrigerate the whites.In chilled bowl, beat egg yolks with electric hand mixer for several seconds. Add sugar and continue to mix for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add milk, heavy cream and nutmeg and beat until well mixed. Place bowl in refrigerator until ready to serve. (These steps can be done up to a day ahead.)
Immediately before serving, place egg white in a second bowl and beat with electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold whites into the yolk/milk mixture. Gently whisk until eggnog is smooth.
Serve immediately. Garnish with a little sprinkle of nutmeg.
This makes about 10 servings but you can easily make a smaller batch.
Shape dough into 1/2 inch rolls.
Cut each strip into pieces about 1/2 inch long. Arrange on ungreased cookie sheeet.
Make a small ball of dough. Flatten the ball onto the cookie sheet for a bear head.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool for one minute before removing from cookie sheet.
Stir jam and spread on dough. Roll up dough starting from the long side. Pinch edges to seal. Cover and chill for 1 hour, turning dough occasionally. Slice dough into 1/2 inch slices.
Bake on cookie sheet for 12 minutes at 375 degrees.
Frosting:
I thought I'd share a few of our favorite Christmas cookie recipes! It certainly would not be complete without my aunt's gingerbread boys!
Roll 1/2 inch thick. Cut. If you prefer a crispy cookie, roll out 1/4 inch thick.
I like to add chocolate chips or M&Ms for buttons before baking. I'm into simple decorations! And it is easy for children to help! If you prefer, you can decorate with icing after the cookies cool.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Unless you roll them out thinly then only bake for 8 minutes.
If you'd like to try it...here is what you need... graham crackers - you need 7 crackers per house but plan for extras for breakage! royal icing (recipe below) cereal, pretzels, sprinkles, and candy for decorations Royal Icing 1/4 cup butter 2 egg whites 1 tsp vanilla 1/4 cream tartar 1-2 tsp milk 4 cup 10x sugar Beat well. Add more sugar if needed. We placed the icing in a small bag and snipped off a corner to pipe onto the house.First we cut points on two crackers for the ends of the house, to hold the roof.
Then, using icing as glue, we attached the floor, sides and ends of the house, making a box. We allowed this to harden slightly before attaching the roof. Setting the house outside in the cold seemed to speed the process.
While we waited, we spread icing on two crackers for the roof and the children attached Cinnamonn Toast Crunch for shingles.
Then we attached the roof pieces to the house and again let it harden.
Then the real fun begins! Decorate the house however creativity and imagination dictates!
As promised, here is our favorite ways to use up all those turkey leftovers! All these recipes are favorites at our house. I usually put turkey leftovers in pint boxes for use in these recipes. When I my leftovers are gone, it is time to roast another turkey!Turkey Croquettes - Joanna
2 T. butter
2 1/2 T. flour
1 cup milk
2 cups minced cooked turkey
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 T. minced parsley or celery
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup dried bread crumbs
Make a white sauce of the butter, flour and milk. Add the finely chopped turkey and seasonings.
Cool thoroughly and then shape into croquettes (approx. 1/4-1/3 cup each).
Dip in crumbs, then beaten eggs and again into crumbs. (This part is messy, but you could freeze before doing this step to eliminate that, and then let thaw before baking.)
Fry in oil for 3-5 minutes. I prefer baking them at 400* for 25-30 min. Serves 6. Well, hope you understand a little why I love leftover turkey!
Hope you enjoy Thanksgiving with your family!
Here is the turkey, all ready to go in the oven.
This picture shows the turkey mid way through the roasting time. I took it out to remove some broth. While I was at it, I poured some broth over the turkey, then placed the lid on the pan for the remaining of the oven time. Sorry, I didn't get a picture of the final outcome before we began devouring it!
I just made this recipe for the first time and loved how they turned out! I thought it would be a good one to share for Thanksgiving week. The rolls are sweet and light. We prefer some whole wheat flour added. This is another winner recipe found at Tammy's Recipes!1 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 cup warm milk
¼ cup butter, softened or melted
2 cup mashed cooked pumpkin
2 teaspoons salt
10-12 cup all-purpose flour
7 teaspoons dry yeast
In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, water, milk, butter, pumpkin, and salt. Mix well. Add 7-8 cups of the flour, and yeast. Mix, and then continue adding flour and kneading until dough is elastic and not sticky.
Place dough in greased bowl. Roll dough to grease top of dough, cover with a towel, and set in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hour). Punch dough down and divide into thirds.
Shape dough into rolls. I usually roll out the dough and cut with a biscuit cutter. But you can form the rolls by whatever method you choose.
Place on greased baking sheets.
Cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, until tops are golden. Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.
Yield: About 4 dozen rolls - depending on how large of rolls you make. You can easily make half a batch if you'd prefer a smaller amount of dough to work with.
