Joy in the Kitchen!

Home made Christmas goodies are half the fun of Christmas!  By the end of November I'm thinking about which candies and cookies I'll make THIS year.  Some tried before aren't favorites so we won't bother with them... some are so much tradition they're hard to get out of. :)   Like FUDGE!    My husband makes the best fudge!  I don't even attempt it... that's his territory & I just stay out of the way. LOL   Personally, one of my favorite verses in the Bible is Ecclesiastes 3:1....   it says "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."   In my own twisted interpretation of that, I figure we are just heading into the Season for Chocolate.   :) The photo above is from goody trays made 2 years ago.  (last year I had a 6 month old who loved to be held so not as much time to cook!... this year he'll just hang on my leg while I cook. lol )   We have on that t...

I blended recipes from both of Dave's Grandmothers for this.  In one I liked the spices better. :)  My Mom uses the recipe off of the can of Libby's pumpkin and that is my next favorite.  Mmmm!  This makes 2 9 inch pies with a little to spare.  Usually I have a small pie tin with extra pie dough rolled into it - and I fill that with the left over filling. Pumpkin Pie Filling 3 C. cooked pumpkin pureed (or winter squash) or 1 large can of pumpkin 1 1/2 C. sugar 4 eggs 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. cloves 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp ginger 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 2 12 oz. cans of evaporated milk Mix all but the milk until well blended.  Slowly mix in milk and pour into unbaked pie crusts.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, or until a knife inserted into the middle of the pie comes out clean. Joy's Notes :  I was forever pouring the filling into the crust and then spilling it as I placed it in the oven.  I've found it works easiest, to...

This crust is a different taste, texture and color than a Crisco crust.  I like that it makes enough dough for 4 single or 2 double crusts. (plus usually enough to roll out 1 more small crust from the trimmings)  The dough is easy to work with, and comes out tender and flaky.  If you don't need 4 crusts worth of dough, divide dough into 4 pieces, gently press each into a ball, and flatten to about 1 inch thick.  Wrap this well in plastic wrap and freeze.  To use later, thaw on counter for an hour or so and roll out as usual. This year I recruited help from the kids with food prep and McKay, my 14 year old son, chose to do the pie crusts.  He did a terrific job!  It helps to have 2 people once you get to the point of adding the liquid, but you can work it out with one person as well. My Favorite Pie Crust 4 C. flour 1 lb. all vegetable margarine 1/4 C. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt Put dry ingredients in large bowl, mix together with ...

Wow!  I got an email from Betty Crocker (I'm sure she wrote it herself - what a thoughtful woman! lol ) with Thanksgiving recipes.  The one that caught my eye was this Impossibly Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake.  I LOVE cheesecake!  I LOVE pumpkin!  (I LOVE easy!)  I had all the ingredients on hand, so I gave it a try last night. When you cut and dish this up, you're going to think pumpkin pie, but the texture is heavier, and the cream cheese flavor really does hold its own.  I think I baked mine a few minutes too long as the top cracked and the edges were drier than I think they should be.  We served ours with whipped cream.  Very satisfying.  If you're looking for a Thanksgiving dessert that LOOKS like it took some work but doesn't, you might want to give this a try.  I'm definitely making it again.  Two Thumbs Up!  :) Follow this link straight to the Betty Crocker website and this recipe.  I'll post it here as well,...

These showy little cookies are actually pretty easy to make.  Even better, the dough can be frozen in rolls for a quick and easy treat.  Christmas baking is coming up and having this dough in the freezer will make for some quick additions to cookie and candy plates for friends and neighbors.  These cookies are not too sweet and turn out fairly thin and crisp.  My 14 year old son says to be sure and mention how good they are dipped in milk!  Yummy! The original recipe is from an old Betty Crocker Cookbook.  The basic recipe is chocolate, but to make pinwheels or other contrasting creations, you'll mix up the batch without the cocoa first, take out half, and then add the cocoa to the second half.  Honestly, I find it easiest to just make 2 batches.  One chocolate and one vanilla.  Refrigerator Pinwheel Cookies 1 3/4 C. powdered sugar 1 1/4 C. margarine or butter, softened 1 egg 1/2 tsp. vanilla 3 C. flour 1/4 C. cocoa...

I am pretty sure these enchilada's are not an authentic ethnic recipe.  LOL  Regardless, they are so good!  I don't stick hard and fast to any recipe but I'll give some direction and approximate amounts.  My family loves chicken enchilada's... only one out of ten of us doesn't care for it. (and she's 6 years old, so I just keep telling her when she's bigger she'll probably like it. )  Tonight I actually used turkey in my filling since I roasted a turkey Sunday.  We also used whole wheat tortilla's and 2 of the 3 cans of cream soup were Healthy Request 98% fat free.  I didn't notice much difference at all in taste or texture with these healthy changes!  Chicken Enchilada's Filling: 3-4 C. chicken, cooked and diced or shredded 1 C. cooked rice 1 onion, chopped 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped 1 T. oil, butter or margarine 1 tsp. chili powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 can cream of chicken soup 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese Sauce: 2 cans...

My family loves No-Bake Cookies .  I have recipes for both chocolate and peanut butter.  They prefer chocolate, but we love both.  (I have seen recipes out there for cookies that are chocolate with peanut butter in them - I haven't tried those yet but I'll bet they're great!) The chocolate cookies can be a little finicky about heat.  If they're overcooked, they crumble (chocolate granola! lol ) and if they are undercooked they will stay sticky.  Have all of your ingredients ready when you begin, and have that timer handy as well. Chocolate No-Bake Cookies 2 C. sugar 2 T. baking cocoa 1/4 C. margarine 1/2 C. water pinch of salt Mix the above in a 3 quart pan.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly and boil 3 minutes. (use the timer!)  Quickly remove from heat and add: 3 C. quick oats 2 tsp. vanilla Quickly drop by heaped spoonfuls onto waxed paper.  Cool.  Makes about 2 dozen smallish cookies. Joy's Notes:   IF your pa...