Christmas Cookies are finally done!

I finished my Christmas cookies the other day. I made my traditional cut-out cookies, chocolate truffles, and the Caramel Pecan cookies (recipe posted a few posts ago.) They are all so yummy- not the neatest looking cookies in the world but I had two little helpers helping to make them!

Here is the recipe for the truffles:

Ingredients:

2-1/2 pkg. (20 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
decorations: chopped PLANTERS COCKTAIL Peanuts, multi-colored sprinkles

Directions:

MELT 8 chocolate squares. Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Blend in melted chocolate. Refrigerate until firm.

SHAPE into 36 balls. Place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet.

MELT remaining chocolate. Use fork to dip truffles; return to baking sheet. Decorate, then refrigerate 1 hour.

Turkey Cookie Treats

How cute are these??

My son's preschool is having a Thanksgiving celebration on the Monday before Thanksgiving and I think that these Turkey Cookie Treats from the Betty Crocker website would be the perfect treat to bring!

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 min
Total Time: 1 hour 15 min
Makes: 2 dozen cookies

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 container (12 oz) Betty Crocker® Whipped chocolate frosting
Candy corn
1 tube (4.25 oz) Betty Crocker® yellow decorating icing
Miniature candy-coated semisweet chocolate baking bits
1 tube (0.68 oz) Betty Crocker® black decorating gel

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart.

2.Bake 11 to 14 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

3. Frost and decorate 1 cookie at a time. After spreading frosting on cookie, add candy corn for feathers. Pipe yellow icing for beak and feet. Add baking bits for eyes; pipe black gel for center of each eye.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Decrease butter to 1/3 cup.

Fruit & Rice Cereal

Other than baby food rice cereal when they were infants, I have never fed my children rice for breakfast. They love eating rice at dinner so I figure why not try it in the morning to give them a little variety? It has been super cold here lately so what better than a nice, warm breakfast to start our day!

Tomorrow morning this is what we are going to try-

I found this recipe at Meatless Monday for Fruit & Rice Cereal:
(Makes 2 servings)

1 1/2 cups water

1/8 tsp. salt

1 cup quick-cooking brown rice

1/2 cup lowfat milk or soymilk

1/2 cup mixed dried fruit bits or raisins

3 tbsp. brown sugar

Dash of ground nutmeg


In a large saucepan bring water and the salt to the boiling point. Add rice and dried fruit.


Cover and simmer 12-14 minutes or until the rice is tender and liquid is nearly all absorbed. Stir in milk and nutmeg.


Serve with brown sugar.


Nutritional Info per Serving520 calories, 3g total fat, less than 1g saturated, 0 mg cholesterol, 115g carbohydrate, 9g protein, 5g fiber, 180mg sodium

Philadelphia Caramel Pecan Cheesecake

In the Kraft Food & Family newsletter that I just received there was a delicious looking recipe that I am definitely going to have to try! It has excellent reviews :)

PHILADELPHIA Caramel Pecan Cheesecake

Prep Time:
15 min

Total Time:
5 hr Makes:

16 servings

What You Need:

50 NILLA Wafers, crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 cup chopped PLANTERS Pecans, divided
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
3 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

Make It:

HEAT oven to 325°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends extending over sides. Mix crumbs, 1/2 cup nuts and butter; press onto bottom of pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

BEAT cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add sour cream, flour and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

BAKE 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 4 hours. Use foil handles to lift cheesecake from pan. Drizzle with topping; top with remaining nuts. Let stand until topping is set.

Bloggy Giveaway time again!

I love cooking with my slow cooker and my absolute FAVORITE slow cooker recipe is this one that I found awhile ago on Recipezaar:

Crockpot Roast:

1 beef roast, any kind
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package brown gravy mix, dry
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package dried Italian salad dressing mix
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package ranch dressing mix, dry
1/2 cup water

Directions
1 Place beef roast in crock pot.
2 Mix the dried mixes together in a bowl and sprinkle over the roast.
3 Pour the water around the roast.
4 Cook on low for 7-9 hours.

I also add carrots, potatoes, and onions to it.

It is so easy and so good!!


To go along with this theme, one of the best slow cooker cookbooks that I have found is:

Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: Feasting with Your Slow Cooker



For this giveaway I am giving away a brand new copy of this book!

Here are the rules:

1. Leave a comment posting your best recipe (doesn't have to be a slow cooker recipe)

2. One entry per preson

3. Leave a valid email address so I am able to contact you if you win (if your profile is private or you do not have a blog)

4. US only

5. Ends November 1st, 2008 at 4:00PM CST

6. Winner will be selected at random and will have 48 hours to respond with shipping information

Crab Casserole

I had a package of imitation crab in the freezer that I wanted to use up so I went in search of a recipe online for dinner tonight and here is what I came up with:
I found a recipe for
Pasta Crab Casserole on Recipezaar and modified it a little:


Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked shells pasta
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup butter or margarine
16 ounces imitation crabmeat, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1 Cook pasta according to package directions.
2 Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute onions, mushrooms, green pepper and garlic in butter until crisp-tender.
3 Remove from heat.
4 Drain the pasta and add to the vegetable mix.
5 Stir in remaining ingredients.
6 Transfer into 13 x 9 inch greased baking dish
7 Sprinkle with cheese
8 Cover and bake at 350º for about 35 minutes or until warm through.
9 Uncover and bake for 5 minutes more.


My husband who doesn't normally like casseroles actually liked it! I thought it was pretty good but I think I would add more green peppers or veggies next time.

French Honey Bread

Colder weather again today so I decided to make a nice, warm loaf of bread with dinner tonight. This time I tried the "French Honey Bread" and it was very yummy! It was slighty sweet but not too sweet!

Here is the breadmaker recipe for a medium loaf:

3/4 C water
2 tsp honey
2 tsp olive oil

2/3 tsp salt
2/3 tsp sugar
2 C bread flour (I used 1 1/2 C bread flour and 1/2 C whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 tsp yeast

Chicken Casserole

Looking through my recipes and trying to come up with meal ideas I just realized that I haven't made my favorite Chicken Casserole in forever! With his chilly weather that we have been having lately it would be the perfect meal! It is SO good!

Chicken Casserole

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T lemon juice
2 C cooked chicken
1 sm onion, chopped
1/4 C green pepper, chopped
1/4 C red pepper, chopped
1 C shredded Monterey Jack, divided
1 C shredded Cheddar, divided
12 oz egg noodles, cooked and drained

Combine soup, mayo, lemon juice.
Add chicken, onion, peppers, 1/2 C Monterey Jack, 1/2 C cheddar.
Mix well.
Add noodles and toss to coat.
Transfer to greased baking dish.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
Sprinkle with remaining cheeses.
Bake 10 minutes longer or until veggies are tender and cheese is melted.

Grape Nut (Nutty Nuggets) Bread

My husband requests Grape Nuts cereal. I do not buy cereal unless it is on sale so instead I bought Roundy's store brand version called Nutty Nuggets. My husband decides after a bowl of them that he does not like Nutty Nuggets. Wonderful - so now I have a nearly full box of Nutty Nuggets and what do I do with them??

While I was going through "The Bread Machine Cookbook" what do I come across but noneother than a recipe for "Grape Nut Bread!"

Not sure if I, or anyone in the family, will like it, I decide to make it. Actually I let my 4 year old make it :) My husband, while he didn't like the Nutty Nuggets plain, LOVED them in the bread! My children both gobbled it right down too!

For a medium loaf, the recipe is:

1 C water
2 T vegetable oil
1 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C Grape Nuts cereal (as stated I used Nutty Nuggets! :) )
2 C bread flour
1 1/2 tsp yeast

Lots of great vitamins and minerals in the cereal!

Dill Bread

I pulled the breadmaker out of the crawlspace and have been on a breadmaking kick lately! My oldest son loves fresh, homemade bread and would probably eat just that if I would let him!

Yesterday I had some cottage cheese in the fridge that I wanted to use up so I found a recipe in "The Bread Machine Cookbook" for Dill Bread which used cottage cheese and it was delicious!!

I would have taken a picture but the whole loaf was eaten up at dinner before I had a chance :)

The breadmaker recipe for a Medium loaf is:

1 C cottage cheese
2 eggs
2 T sugar
1 T dill weed
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 C bread flour
1 1/2 tsp yeast


Throw it all in and let the bread machine do it's thing! So good!!!

Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce Review

Country Bob's contacted me and asked me if I would be interested in trying their All-Purpose Sauce and reviewing it for them. Since I have tried Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce in the past and absolutely loved it, I jumped at the chance to "officially" review this great product!

For those of you who have never heard of Country Bob's, here is a brief history taken from their website:

"In 1968 Country Bob perfected the sauce of his dreams. After years of giving the sauce to friends and family he began to sell it in 1977. The reaction was overwhelming just as it is today. Almost everyone who tries Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce becomes a lifelong user. And why not, it is the perfect complement to practically any meal set on your table.

It was actually October of 1982 when Country Bob, Inc. became the company, which remains today. Bob Edson, Terry Edson, Al Malekovic and Reed Malekovic formed a corporation with equal ownership. Since that time Country Bob's distribution has magnified regionally in all directions from our corporate office located in Centralia, Illinois. Even with the tremendous growth we have not forgotten where we came from, continuing in our relentless pursuit of product excellence. "

"It would be nice if we could claim responsibility for the success of the company, however, credit must be given where credit is due. Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." We have placed true ownership of Country Bob, Inc. in the hands of God. "Christ is our CEO" and He is an Awesome Boss!"

When my family had used Country Bob's in the past, we had never tried it in an actual recipe. The only way that we had used it was a dipping sauce for steak and pork chops. Until receiving my review bottles and the accompanying recipe brochure I really had never thought of other uses for the sauce.

According to their website:

"Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce is in a class by itself. It is more than a steak sauce, because of its unique flavor and the variety of uses. You can grill, cook, and marinate with it, or put it in your soups, stews, baked beans, and your other favorite dishes. Experience the Taste!
Use our All Purpose Sauce on:

•Steak
•Chicken
•Barbeque
•Fries
•Hamburger
•Fish"


Their website also lists tons of recipes to use the sauce in. I chose to prepare the Country Bob's Meatloaf. It is basically the same meatloaf recipe that I normally use, but instead of using ketchup you use Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce. The sauce added a great, unique flavor to what is normally a somewhat bland meatloaf. The flavor was great!

I also see that on the website that Country Bob's has expanded their line of products to include Spicy All-Purpose Sauce, Seasoning Salt, and Barbeque Sauce. They say that Country Bob's Spicy Hot can also be used in the meatloaf which I bet would give it an incredible taste as well! I think for my children though the original Country Bob's sauce is probably better suited to their palates but the Spicy version is definitely one that I would love to try. I bet the barbeque sauce is excellent as well!

They said in the quote above that most who try the sauce will become lifelong users and I can attest that this is true in our case! Before I reviewed the product we were already loyal users but after reading the materials that came with it and reading the website I found so many more uses than I ever imagined! We will definitely be using more Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce in the future!

For those wondering where to buy the product, it is available at most Wal-mart SuperCenters. You can input your zip code at http://countrybobs.com/locator/ to find the store nearest you.

ALSO, just for visiting their website you can get a free bottle of Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce of your own to try!