Sweet Interruptions For the Holidays

OMG, the good food! Lynn, my mother made a different version of the overnight cookies every Christmas. They were called Surprise Meringues and were baked at a low temp but not left overnight. I love them! Also, it's hard to beat a sour cream or cream cheese pound cake. Yum!

Fleurs: Yep, they are like little melt in your mouth Meringues. Do you have your Mom's recipe to share? I would love to have it!

I only did the overnight thing once, now I do the Alternative baking method. They really are great, seems to me I made some mint ones once too.

I used to have a recipe for Surprise Muffin/Cupcakes ... where you put a hershey's kiss or cherries or something good inside the cupcake.
Lin

Why didn't someone tell me we would be having all these desserts tonight. I wouldn't have eaten so much dinner. What ever will I do. Shucks, forget it pass the cookies please.

Welcome PlantladyLin--where in central Florida?

Abbisgranma: ^_^

What a great idea ... time for dessert! I have some cookies in the freezer from those I made at Thanksgiving so it's Milk and Cookies for me! mmmm, now should I have Snickerdoodles, Chocolate Chunk/Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Raisin or the Pumpkin Chip, decisions, decisions ...

Oh, I live in Daytona Beach.

Those little wreaths are so cute! Thanks for sharing!

Brenda

Wow Ladies! I don't have to ask what to bake anymore, now the question is Where do I start? LOL Everything looks so good and nice! I love the wreath

Ok, my recipe for Gingerbread cookies is not the one on the back of Grandma's Molasses! Where did my recipe go! Now I have to search for it. Poo.

Wecome Plantladylin! Great to see you!

Thanks for the welcome y'all and Thanks to Dimmer/Kim for inviting me over! This is a fun thread!

We are glad you joined us. Well the east coast of the state is now represented. I hold the area just before the Georgia line.

Here is an update on my peanut brittle and Pretzel

Yummy, I will take a pound of each please??? LOL
Looks good
LK

mmmm, even though it's only 8:45 in the morning I could eat that for breakfast! Great job Kim!

What a way to start the day!! Flamingo Kim I am soooo glad you aren't working but baking instead. I think I need you down here!!!!

Well I was talking with LK over in Sweet Interruption#69 this AM and she had asked what was on the Menue so here it is I am going to my Dads and thought I make a shephard Pie so here is the Recipe
Shephard Pie
1 Lb ground beef, Small chop onion , 2 chop garlic clove
2 cups instand potatoes ( I use Hungy Jack)
4 oz cream cheese with chive 4 tbls sour cream, Cheddar cheese
Mix vegatable I use green gaint corn green beans muchroomcan)
1 jar beef gravy
Brown the meat than drain, Cook the potatoe when ready I add the cream cheese with chives and the sour cream ( chop green onions) cheddar cheese spread in pan. Cover mixture sprinkle remainning cheese
bake at 350 for 20 minutes until heated though
Thought I take a picture

I am passing my plate!!!! It sounds so good and looks yummy!!!!!

Sounds and looks good!!! On a cold day, like today, that would be real good!!!
LK

I love Shepherd's Pie. This is a recipe I found while googling that I've used:

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000216easy_shepherds_pie.php


But, I like your recipe Kim, it is so much easier!

Oh, Kim, thanks for posting that recipe! My DH loves Shepherd's Pie. He lived in Australia when he was a kid and ate it there.

This only takes a few mintues I had gotten out Of Kraft Family and Food Mag and just added stuff to it To make it better

Ruby over on the Best/Worse Thread has the most fantastic Applesauce Cake Recipe, you really should try it!!


Applesauce Cake -This recipe is for one cake.

1/2 cup of butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Allspice
1 1/2 cups applesauce
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs beating well after each one. Sift dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture, alternating with applesauce. Turn batter into greased and lightly floured pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until done. Use a toothpick to determine if done. Cool in pan.

Can't you just smell that cake now???? OMG!

Oooh, another one to write down! I love Applesauce cake ... haven't made one in years or tasted one in years! Now I will have to make one over the holidays! Thanks for the recipe, zhinusmom and Ruby!

Great recipes and craft ideas! All the recipes sound yummy.

We are going to a Pot Luck this weekend and I'm making a Chicken Casserole as well as the Cherry Delight dessert! The recipe for the casserole came from my sister. I do a short cut version when pressed for time, use a store bought rotisserie chicken instead of cooking chicken myself.

CHICKEN POPPY SEED CASSEROLE

5 or 6 seasoned, cooked chicken breasts, chopped (or store bought rotisserie chicken, cut up)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1- 8 oz container sour cream
1 1/2 - 2 sleeves Ritz crackers crushed (I put them in a gal. size zip lok bag and crush by hand)
1 stick melted butter
Poppy Seeds

Season and cook the chicken breasts. Chop when cooled. Stir soup and sour cream together in large bowl. Stir in cooked, chopped chicken.

Spray a 9"x13" casserole dish with non stick spray. Spread chicken mixture in the prepared pan. Sprinkle crushed Ritz crackers over top. Pour melted butter evenly over top. Generously sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until top is lightly browned and heated through.

Hey y'all! I'm here, I just can't get my pix sent, or my printer to work! I have a receipe to put on here when I can get my printer to work!

Keep trying Audrey, you will get it...
LK

We will wait But Hurry Now ^_^
I am home now it was long but I had a great time with my Dad and sisters did alot of shovling. Here is a picture at my Dads than I come home and No one shovloed for me OH i'm the only one that lives here I will do it Sunday
I took the picture about 7 am today. This might be better Cindy we had to shovle 2 driveways

I just learnning to use this This is so of the decoration we put up today

This is one of the trees were you put each branch that matches the color Lucky we didn't have to hang on the wall

Looks like you had a good time........beautiful tree....and love the snow!!!!

Where's the family picture, Kim?

This is from Pillsbury email. It looks easy. Maybe you'll try it Kim!

Banana Split Bark

INGREDIENTS
16 oz chocolate-flavored candy coating, chopped
2 dried pineapple rings, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
3/4 cup dried sweetened banana chips, broken into large pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted*
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup white vanilla baking chips

DIRECTIONS
1. Line large cookie sheet with waxed paper. In 2-quart saucepan, melt candy coating over low heat, stirring constantly.
2. In medium bowl mix pineapple, banana chips, pecans and cherries; reserve 1/2 cup. Add remaining fruit mixture to melted candy coating; toss to coat. Cool 5 minutes at room temperature. Gently fold in baking chips. Spread mixture evenly into 12x9-inch rectangle on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet; sprinkle with reserved fruit mixture. Cool until set, about 30 minutes.
3. Break into 1 1/2x1 1/2-inch pieces. Store in airtight container.

For us that collect birdhouses, how about these edible Gingerbread Birdhouse Cookies.. also from Pillsbury.

INGREDIENTS
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated gingerbread cookies
Vanilla ready-to-spread frosting (from 16-oz container)
Thin pretzel sticks
3 Tootsie Roll Midgees® candies, unwrapped
White decorator icing
Assorted colors of decorating gels
Miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Remove half of cookie dough from wrapper; refrigerate remaining dough until needed. On lightly floured surface with rolling pin, roll half of dough to 1/4-inch thickness.
2. With 3 to 3 1/2-inch cookie cutters such as diamond, heart or star, cut out dough shapes for birdhouses (or cut desired shapes from dough with knife). Use 1-inch canapé cutter or sharp knife to make "door" in bottom half of each. If desired, use drinking straw to make hole in top of cookie for hanging. Place 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining half of dough.
3. For decorations on birdhouses, roll scraps of dough and cut miniature shapes such as trees, stars and other small shapes; do not attach to birdhouses. Place miniature shapes on cookie sheets.
4. Bake 7 to 11 minutes or until set (bake small shapes about 7 minutes). Carefully remove from cookie sheet; place on cooling racks. If necessary, re-poke holes for hanging. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
5. To decorate cookies, use vanilla frosting to attach small baked shapes to birdhouses. Attach pretzels for roofs. Cut each unwrapped candy into 4 lengthwise pieces; attach 1 piece with frosting below door to look like perch. Use vanilla frosting or decorator icing to make snow on roofs. Use decorating gels and baking bits to add decorations or words to birdhouses.

Great birdhouses Jaye
ok he is a picture of my 2 sisters not good They were working fast as they look like Blurs(SP)
They wood kill me if they new I have for the world to see

I won't tell!! Looks like they're working at warp speed!!

Kim, thanks for the snow pix.So pretty. Here is a pix for. It lights up and it's head goes up and down. This was a gag gift to Rick from his stepdaughter, she also got him some boxers and a neon light (it got broke ooppss)

Kim, would you send your speedy sisters down here - I have some projects they could finish for me in minutes! LOL! Nice photos of the snow.

Jaye, your birdhouse cookie recipe went into my recipe file immediately! too cute. I copy/paste recipes into a Word doc then 'save' to a folder I have for recipes. So many recipes have been added recently. It will be hard to try them all.

Debra
Love the Flamingo I just orderd a few thing and got them. Like the snow in the back ground

And here is the other Its a hook

Kim, It was me Cindy that posted the flamingo picture. Last night at the Festival of Lights parade there was this float. It's hard to see, but it was palm trees and flamingos

Found my installation cd's for my camera and printer, so pix will follow, AND a receipe!