Candy Chippers

A minty chocolate chip cookie warm from the oven and the smell of baking is a memory I have of these Christmas Cookies. I usually make a variety of cookies and put them on a plate.

1/2  cup shortening
1/4  cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp soda
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp Salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy

Cream together shortening and sugars. Add egg and vanilla. Sift flour, salt and soda, add add and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts and peppermint candy. Drop by teaspoonfuls on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 375 10-15 minutes. Let cool slightly then remove from pan.

Ginger Snaps

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses

Cream the first three ingredients together. Add and cream together:

1 egg

Then add:

2 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon

Form into balls and roll in sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

Ginger Creams

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup water
2 cups flour
1 tsp. Ginger
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Vanilla Butter Frosting

Mix sugar, shortening, egg, molasses and water. Stir in remaining ingredients except frosting. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 400. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until almost no indentation remains when touched, about 8 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Cool, frost with Vanilla Butter Frosting.

Vanilla Butter Frosting

1/4 cup margarine or Butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
About 1 TBS milk

Mix margarine and powdered sugar. Beat in vanilla and milk until smooth and of spreading consistency.

Raspberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam

6 cups rhubarb, finely chopped
1cup raspberries
4 cups sugar
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 3 oz. pkg. raspberry Jello

Mix rhubarb, raspberries, lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan. Stir on low heat until juice forms,  then heat to boiling. When the mixture is at full boil, cook for 15 minutes.Then dissolve gelatin into mixture.

Put into hot jars that have been washed in soapy water and then rinsed. Seal with lid and ring, then cool and place into freezer.

You can also make this with strawberries by substituting strawberries for the raspberries and strawberry gelatin for the raspberry gelatin.

Mexican Wedding Cakes

1 cup margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBS powdered sugar
2 cups sifted flour
1 cup chopped nuts
Powdered sugar to roll cookies in, at least 1 cup

Mix margarine, vanilla and water together, add 2 Tbs powdered sugar, flour and nuts. Mix thoroughly. Roll dough into oblongs. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet, 300 degree until lightly browned.  Roll immediately, while still hot in powdered sugar.

Avocado Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

6 cups baby spinach
1 pt Strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 avocado, diced
4 oz. Gorgonzola cheese
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Half small red onion

Poppy Seed Dressing

1/2 c. oil
3 Tbs. Apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs. Honey
1 Tbs. Poppy Seeds
Pinch of ground dry mustard
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients and toss with salad.

Pastel Divinity

This is my favorite Divinity recipe which I got a long time ago in a magazine. It is Kerry's favorite.
3 cups sugar
3/4 cups light corn syrup
3/4 cup water
2 egg whites
1 pkg flavored gelatin
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup grated coconut

Mix the sugar, syrup and water until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook to medium hard ball stage. Beat the egg whites until fluffy while cooking the sugar mixture then add gelatin gradually, beating until the mixture forms peaks that hold shape and it loses it's gloss. Add the coconut and nuts. Drop onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet. 48 pieces.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Yesterday I asked my son Kent who was visiting us what he would like me to make him while he was in town. He came up with the idea of me making pumpkin bread with Chocolate Chips. Although I have had this bread at Great Harvest, I was wondering if I could make something that tasted just as good. I did. Here is the recipe that I adapted from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

3 cups sugar
1 cup cooking oil
4 eggs
3 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2/3 cup water
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of two 9x5x3 inch loaf pans or 4 7-1/2x3-1/2x2 inch pans. In a large mixing bowl beat sugar, eggs, and oil with an electric mixer. Combine flour, solda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Alternately add flour, mixture and water to sugar mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat in pumpkin and then add chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.