Classic Thumbprint Cookies

I like making a variety of Christmas cookies.  I stick to the same ones most years, but occasionally something new sounds worthy of trying.  I like this one so much (first year to make), that I'm making them again this week to force on my family.  I doubt they'll mind.  I made a few changes, one because of what I had on hand, and also because I really wanted some almond taste.  I will note my changes.


Posted by Anjanette S., From "Smucker's" recipe website.

Ingredients:

•	Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
•	1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
•	1 Crisco® Butter Shortening Sticks, cut into slices
OR	1 cup Crisco® Butter Shortening (1/4 c. crisco, and 3/4 c. butter, unsalted).
•	3 large eggs, separated
•	2 tablespoons water
•	1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (3/4 tsp REAL vanilla extract, and 3/4 tsp almond extract)
•	1/4 teaspoon salt
•	2 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
•	2 cups finely chopped pecans (use your food processor)
•	1 cup Smucker's® Strawberry Preserves, or any Smucker's® Preserves, Jam or Jelly of your choice (I used Hallam's just fruit Cherry jam.  It tastes like cherry pie filling, with no added sugar!  It's made in the Ozarks, so if you're in MO or near a Food Pyramid in OK, you might find it, and it is sooo worth it!  And only 6 carbs per serving, not bad for a diabetic child, who's quite enjoying it on PBJ this week.  Also, Cherry and Almond extract go together).

Directions:

1	HEAT oven to 350°F. Adjust rack to middle position. Coat two cookie sheets lightly with no-stick cooking spray.
2	BEAT brown sugar and shortening in medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes or until fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add egg yolks, water, vanilla and salt. Beat until well combined. Add flour on low speed until well blended.
3	BEAT egg whites in a shallow bowl until foamy. Place pecans in a separate shallow bowl. Measure about 2 teaspoons dough for each cookie. Form into balls by rolling between your palms. Dip each dough ball into egg whites, then roll into pecans. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Using the back of a teaspoon or your thumb, make a rounded indentation in the top of each cookie. (I did half as stated, and the other half, I skipped the egg and nuts and rolled them in powdered sugar instead).
4	BAKE 10 minutes. Remove from oven. It may be necessary to create the indentation once again with a spoon. Place about 1 teaspoon preserves into the indentation of each cookie. Bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven. Cool on baking sheet for several minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Cheese Ball

Andrea made this the other night, and I just had to have the recipe.  It's so flavorful, I could have eaten way too much! Thanks for sharing!


Posted by Andrea L.


Ingredients:

16 oz cream cheese (room temp)

1/4 c green pepper (chopped finely)

2 Tbsp chopped green onion

1 Tbsp Lawrys seasoned salt

1 small can crushed pineapple (drained)

1 cup chopped pecans

Mix 3/4 cup pecans in cheese ball. Roll cheese ball in remaining 1/4 cup pecans. Refridgerate. Serve with Ritz crackers. 

Apricot Chicken with Poppyseeds

I was inspired by two similar recipes and formed my own.  Now, Jossie won't touch anything that has an orange vegetable in it...silly girl, but Norah ate it all, which is amazing since she doesn't eat much of anything I give her.  Sophie and Joe loved it too.  


Posted by Anjanette S., inspired by Crockpot Lady and Rachael Ray


Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts or other boneless/skinless chicken parts, raw and cut into chunks
1/2 onion thinly sliced
1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into cubes.
1 jar Apricot jelly (I used no sugar added)
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 TB soy sauce
1 1/2 TB poppyseeds
1 TB agave nectar or honey (or brown sugar if you have neither)
1/4 tsp ginger (I used powdered, use more if fresh)
Cooked rice for serving

Directions:

Cut chicken into cubes and put on bottom of crockpot.  Put potatoes and onions on top.

Mix remaining ingredients (sans rice) and pour over mixture.  Heat in crockpot for 3-4 hours on high, or longer on low.  Serve over hot cooked rice.

Stuffed Turkey Roll

Posted by Shaina S.


Shaina was talking about how she prepares turkey (after I told her I yet again cooked one with the giblets inside, ugh!)  It sounded so delicious, so I asked for her to pass on the recipe.  "It seems like a lot of work but it isn’t bad.  Dinner will be breeze to serve and it really is beautiful on a platter! Then afterward there is no turkey to mess with cleaning off!  We love it, it has definitely become our family tradition.  Enjoy…"


Ingredients:
1 whole fresh turkey or  1 whole fresh turkey breast.( If you use the breast only make sure it is the whole breast with the skin on)
Strong kitchen shears and deboning or filet knife is best.
Upholstry needle
Butchers Twine
Stuffing mixture of your choice, you family favorite will work fine.
Cheese cloth
Dry white wine
Butter
This is really more of an instruction sheet for assembling a turkey roll rather than a recipe.
I really like this best with a whole turkey but it works fine with the breast as well or if you family only likes white meat.
There is always a little meat ‘wasted’ or left on the bone.  Save it and roast it with the bones, onions and seasoning and make your gravy with it.  All of this prep is done a day or two ahead so Thanksgiving Day is really easy!

Take your whole turkey and lay it breast side down.  Cut with strong kitchen shears all the way down the middle of the back.  Pull the turkey in half until you can see the back side of the breast bone.  Using a strong butcher knife and or your shears cut the breast bone down the middle. This is the hardest part.  Don’t cut all the way into the meat.  After the breast bone is in half you can take a filet knife and start to separate the bone from the meat.  I just work the filet knife in and around the bone separating it from the meat.  It’s not pretty and doesn’t have to perfectly preserve the turkey in its shape.  It will appear to be a mess from the inside.  The important part is to perfectly preserve the skin with meat attached when possible. I trim away the knuckles after removing the leg meat and wings as well.  When you are done you will have a mostly flat turkey.  If the breast is too thick compared to the other areas you will want to filet it and lay the extra piece somewhere else on the turkey.  Remember that the skin will serve as your ‘case’ to sew the whole thing up in. Once all of the bones and unwanted parts are removed you can take a mallet to it and flatten out any areas if necessary.  I season the meat with salt and pepper and cover to with saran wrap and refrigerate it.  Then make your stuffing.  When you are ready to assemble it; have your needle and twine already threaded and ready using about 20 inches of twine or more if you like, lay it out flat and pile the stuffing down the middle, start with your needle at one end of the turkey and pull the sides up making a stitch as you go alternating each side.  I use a twisted running stitch but you will get a feel for what you like.  Work your way all the way down drawing the sides up around the stuffing and sewing the ends of the meat with the skin together.  This seam will be underneath so it doesn’t have to be pretty.  When I was first trying this technique years ago I would tie it off with the twine like a roast.  But as I got better at it I wanted the roll to be really smooth and pretty so it has evolved for me.  


After it’s all sewn up I put it in the roasting pan and cover it with a cheesecloth.  I leave the cheese cloth on during the baking and baste often with melted butter and white wine.  The cheese cloth keeps the skin wet and doesn’t let it brown too early but it will let the skin get crisp.  Roast for about 2 ½ hours or until a meat thermometer inserted is 165-170 deg.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies III

My kids love these.  I think they're a little cakey, so they're probably best refrigerated.  They are yummiest warm, but aren't all cookies?  

Posted by Anjanette from Allrecipes.com

"If you like pumpkin pie and chocolate, you'll love these cookies. I think they taste best when they are cold from the refrigerator."

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup canned pumpkin 1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 egg 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon milk 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
2.	Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
3.	Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Autumn Potato Gratin

This is a depart from mashed potatoes...maybe better for Christmas for those of us who hate change.  It's warm, comforting, and delicious.  I use half and half instead of heavy cream.  I also add about 5 pieces of bacon crisped, and some extra parmesan.  


Posted by Anjanette, Recipe from Rachael Ray 

Ingredients

• 4 pounds mixed baby potatoes, such as Red Bliss, Peruvian Purples, and Fingerlings
• 2 cups heavy cream, plus some to cover
• 4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
• 2 sprigs each fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Halve the potatoes and toss them into a large baking dish and season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, put the cream, butter, herbs, and garlic in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, to infuse the cream with flavor. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the hot cream mixture over the potatoes, if there is not enough cream to go 3/4 of the way up the potatoes then pour some additional cream on top to make up the difference. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and top begins to brown. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

Sausage Stuffing

We can't eat boxed stuffing anymore.  This is so delicious.  You can make it with normal toasted bread, or I've used stale cornbread muffins, or toasted pumpkin bread.  You can add extras as you like them too...it's also good with a chopped up apple in the veggie mix.  


Posted by Anjanette S., Recipe by Rachael Ray


Ingredients:

• 2 slices whole grain bread
• Butter
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 1 pound maple sausage, bulk or removed from large link casing
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock or turkey broth
• I use extra sage too.

Toast 2 slices whole grain bread and butter heavily, 1/2 tablespoon per slice. Chop into small cubes and reserve.(Skip this step if you're using the other stale or toasted breads)

Add extra-virgin olive oil and sausage meat to hot skillet. Brown and crumble the sausage with a wooden spoon or heat safe spatula. Add onions and celery to the skillet then season with poultry seasoning and salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add bread to the skillet and stir to combine. Dampen the stuffing with chicken stock and turn to combine. (Have extra chicken stock on hand in case you had extra bread and it needs the moisture).  Turn off heat and cover pan loosely with foil to hold heat.  (Some people like their stuffing with that toasted crust from the oven, so you can brown this in the oven too).