Christmas Recipes
I have included a few of our family favorites. Use them as you like but take the time to write down some of your family favorites so they do not become lost in time. My family always had a dark fruit cake laced with good brandy. There was just enough cake to hold all the fruits and nuts together. When I moved away from home, baking the fruitcake became my task every year, just before Thanksgiving, until my mother died. I don't like fruitcake so I quit making them. A few years later a cousin asked for the recipe and in order to write it down for her I had to make them once again. It seems the hands remembered in the doing but the brain didn't remember to write without the doing. Now I don't even see the candied fruits needed to make this fruitcake in the stores so I didn't include the recipe. Mrs. Patty's Pumpkin Cake This is a moist not too sweet cake that keeps well if you can hide it, otherwise at my house it disappears swiftly. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Grease and flour a tube pan well. Cream the sugar and shortening add the pumpkin. Gradually add in the dry ingredients and eggs one at a time. Mix well. Pour into the prepared pan and shake or spread dough evenly. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 1 and 1/2 hours. Turn cake out onto a plate and while still hot drizzle with a glaze of one cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons hot water. You can add a little vanilla to the glaze if you wish.  Banana Blueberry Pie The original version of this pie was served at our local Wyatt's Cafeteria many years ago. Being a favorite of mine I talked the pastry chef out of the recipe. He told me he only had the ingredients list to make 6 pies. I made all six the first time, much to the enjoyment of my neighbors, in order to calculate the amount of each ingredient required for one pie. Because of the fresh bananas this pie does not keep well but that has never been a problem anytime I have made one. When I became a diabetic I again changed the recipe to the present form. I have been making this since before the advent of Splenda, Equal etc but you may use them if you wish a sweeter pie. Non diabetics still add the whipped cream but I will often make and eat just the filling to make it fit into my diet more easily. Fresh blueberries are best but not always available so in order I prefer one quart fresh or one pound frozen or two cans drained blueberries
Rinse or drain blueberries. Simmer 2/3 cup water in a saucepan adding a scant 1/4 cup blueberries, mash these berries to get a rich color to the water. Blend the remaining 1/3 cup water with the sugar and cornstarch and add to the simmering mixture. boil for about one minute stirring constantly until it thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Slice bananas into cooled pie shell making a single layer covering the complete bottom of the pie shell. Add the blueberries and any remaining banana slices to the warm, thickened mixture and stir gently to distribute the fruit evenly. Pour into the pie shell and refrigerate to set filling. About 2 hours May be served with whipped cream or ice cream as your diet allows. Chocolate Covered Spoons
Prepare the cookie sheets with waxed paper and set aside. Place the vanilla chips into the freezer bag and microwave on high one minute. Add the Semi sweet chips, then the milk chocolate and finally the peanut butte chips processing for 30 seconds after each addition. Remove the bag and knead lightly to see if all the chips have softened. Because of the differences in Microwave ovens, continue to process the chocolate chips for 20 to 30 seconds at a time until when you knead the bag they are soft enough to blend completely. You want the chips in thick liquid form. Dip the bowl of each spoon into the chocolate chip mixture and then into the decorating candy or nuts while still hot and place on the wax paper covered cookie sheets to firm. You can place the cookie sheets in the refrigerator until the chocolate on the spoons has hardened. Place each spoon in a lollipop bag and tie with the curling ribbon. Makes about 100 spoons. These are great as additions to a mug with coffee or hot chocolate mix as gifts or keep a supply on hand to serve your guests. Don't waste any, when you are finished dipping the spoons place the freezer bag flat in the freezer for a few minutes and rap the frozen bag on the counter. The left over chocolate will break into many pieces that can be shaved and used to decorate other goodies or sprinkled into hot chocolate or just eaten as is. |
Christmas Memories Christmas Decorating Ideas Christmas Traditions Christmas Gift Ideas Christmas Tree Decorating Decorating Christmas Trees Christmas Songs Christmas Stories Site Map  Quick and Easy No Fail Fudge Ingredients: Mix and bring to a boil in heavy saucepan. Boil 4 to 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add: Stir until chocolate and marshmallows melt and blend in smoothly. Pour into a greased 8" square pan and allow to cool. Cut into squares. Peanut Brittle Ingredients: Add 2 teaspoons baking soda and stir hard. Not too long the syrup will foam and while still foaming pour onto a greased platter and cool. When the candy is cold break into pieces. Store in an air tight container. When making this peanut brittle I found that an empty half pound plastic margarine dish of ice water held in the palm of your hand made a definite crack against your palm when the correct hard crack stage was reached. My family loves this made with extra peanuts. I used foil covered grease cookie sheets to pour the candy onto and then set it in the service porch to cool. Around the Holiday season it was cold enough to cool the candy in about 20 minutes. Another recipe I talked the chef at Wyatt's into sharing with me in 1978. This was a favorite of a dear friend. Pecan Delight Pie Ingredients: Beat egg whites until stiff while adding sugar and baking powder a bit at a time. Fold in the crushed crackers, chopped pecans and the vanilla. Pour into a greased 9" pie pan and bake at 325 degrees about thirty minutes. When cool frost the top with sweetened whipped cream and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Hummingbird Cake Ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 greased and floured cake pans. Sift the flour, sugar, salt, soda and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients stirring to blend as you go. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Serve warm or cool and add whipped topping if you like but it is good as is. |
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