Yule Recipe

Wassail

The traditional, classic Yuletide hot mulled cider drink.

* 4 litres apple cider or juice (fresh milled organic is excellent!)
* 1 orange, chopped
* 1 lime, chopped
* 1 lemon, chopped
* 4 cinnamon sticks or 1 t. ground cinnamon
* 1 inch-square piece of fresh ginger or 1/4 t. ground ginger
* 1 t. cloves, allspice and/or star anise
heat all and simmer in an enamel pot (aluminum can impart a metallic flavor) on low for an hour, then serve to cold, caroling folks.
* brandy or rum for adults, optional

Morning Julegroed

4 cups milk
A couple of almonds, finely chopped
1 rounded teaspoon of butter/margarine
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup washed white rice
A pinch of cinnamon powder
1/2 cup thick cream

In a large saucepan, heat the milk until boiling. Add butter/margarine, then add the rice and turn down the heat. Cover with lid, and let rice simmer slowly for about one hour or until the milk is absorbed. Transfer to a non-metal bowl and fold in the cream and almonds. Serve in small bowls with sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Acorn Squash and sweet potatoe soup

1 large Onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed (5 cups)
1 small Acorn Squash, seeded and cubed
13 3/4 ounces Chicken Broth
4 Tablespoons Milk
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon White Pepper
1/4 cup Sour Cream
2 Tablespoons Sliced Almonds; toasted

Ground Nutmeg. Bake onion in oil in large saucepan over med. heat until onion is golden, about 8 minutes. Add potatoes, squash and broth. Simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 25 min. Cool slightly. Working in small batches, place the vegetables with the liquid in a blender or food processor. Whirl until pureed. Return the puree to the saucepan. Stir in the milk to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Heat over low heat. Remove to heated bowls.
Top each serving with dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of almonds and nutmeg.

Apple Dumplings
2 cups Flour
4 teaspoons Baking powder
1 teaspoon Salt
4 Tablespoons Shortening
1 cup Milk
6 each Apple
Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Pare and core apples. Sift flour, baking powder and salt; cut in shortening, add milk and mix to smooth dough. Turn onto floured board and divide into six portions. Roll each portion large enough to cover one apple. Place an apple on each piece of dough; fill with cinnamon and sugar; wet edges of dough and fold over apple. Place on greased baking sheet, and bake at 350-F until apples are tender (about 40 minutes).
Almond Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar

Cream together butter and sugar, then add egg, then flavorings

1 well beaten egg
1/2 t. almond, 1/2 t. vanilla flavoring
2 cups flour

Mix together all dry ingredients, then add to creamed mixture. Stir in nuts.

3/8 teaspoon salt
1 t. soda
1 t. cream of tartar
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts

Drop onto a plain cookie sheet and criss-cross with fork tines. Remove cookies before the bottoms darken: should have a golden yellow color, not dark at sides.

Cocoa Snowballs
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered cocoa
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 containers of white frosting
2 3/4 cups flaked coconut Beat eggs, gradually beat 1/2 cup sugar into the eggs and set aside. Combine remaining sugar, cocoa, milk and butter in a pan and cook on low heat until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted. Remove from heat and add vanilla and salt. Pour egg mixture into that. In a bowl, put remaining dry ingredients and slowly add the cocoa mixture, beating all the while.... fill 30 , 2 1/2" muffin cups about 1/2 full and bake 20-25 mins at 325 degrees. Cool completely and frost bottom, top and sides. Then roll them in the coconut. Let them stand at room temperature until the frosting is firm, then serve or store in a container.

Danish Gingerbread Recipe

1 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup honey
1 teasp grated lemon rind
1 teasp vanilla extract
1 teasp ground ginger
1/2 teasp ground cloves
1 teasp ground cinnamon
1 teasp salt
1 teasp baking soda
4 1/2 cups flour
Cream butter and sugar. Add syrup, honey, lemon rind & vanilla, spices, salt & soda. Add enough flour to make soft dough. Chill until firm enough to roll.

Set oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour baking sheets. On floured cloth roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Bake 8 min or until puffed and dry. Cool on a rack and decorate with colored icing.

Icing for Gingerbread
1 1/2 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
1 egg white
1 teasp lemon juice
a few drops of vanilla extract various food colorings
(Collect flavored extracts and food colorings and get creative)

Beat everything but the colors and extracts until the icing peaks. If necessary add more sugan and egg white. Divide into separate bowls for each of the different colors and extracts...have fun!

Ginger Cakes
1 cup Shortening
1 cup Brown sugar
2 each Egg, well beaten
1 cup Molasses
4 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Soda
1 Tablespoon boiling Water
1 teaspoon Ginger
1 pinch Salt

Use a mixture of butter and lard for the shortening. Cream the shortening and sugar together. Add eggs and beat thoroughly. Add the molasses and baking soda which has been dissolved in the boiling water. Sift the flour and ginger together and combine with other ingredients. Mix well. Pour into well-greased muffin pans and bake at 350-F about 20 minutes.

 Samhain Recipes

BeWitching Apple Pancakes

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tbs. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1tsp. salt
2 well beaten egg yolks
2 cups milk
2 tbs. butter/margarine, melted
1 cup finely chopped apple, peeled and cored
2 stiffly beaten egg whites.

In a large non-metal bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, combine the milk and egg yolks. Pour mixture into the dry ingredients and stir well. Stir in the butter/margarine and apple. Fold in the egg whites. Let the batter set up for a few minutes. Cook on a hot griddle or in a large frying pan, using 1/3 cup of batter per pancake. Use a spatula or spoon to spread batter evenly. Remove from heat, dot with butter, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and roll up into log. Top with slightly heated applesauce and a dash of cinnamon.

Makes 12 pancakes.

Sun God Sausage and Eggs

1 lb. Bulk pork sausage
4 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup butter/margarine
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups milk
1- 16oz bag frozen fresh corn
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 cup coarsely ground turnip
1 zucchini squash sliced
1/2 tsp. salt

In a frying pan, cook sausage and turnip, drain. In a sauce pan boil zucchini slices until tender, drain. Slice two of the eggs and line the bottom of a 1 1/2 qt casserole dish. For second layer, top eggs with 1/2 of the zucchini slices, put other half aside. In the sauce pan melt butter/margarine, blend in flour, salt, and a dash of pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and bubbles. Stir in sausage mixture and corn. Pour 1/2 mixture over eggs, arrange the rest of the zucchini slices, pour in rest of mixture. Slice the remaining two eggs and arrange on top of mixture. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated all the way through.

Makes 6 servings.

Spirited Cheese Stuffed Apples

1- 3oz package softened cream cheese
4 medium apples
1 1/3oz Apple Cheddar Cheese
1 tablespoon dry white wine

Beat together both cheeses and the wine, with an electric or rotary mixer, until smooth. Core the apples and hollow out, leaving apple shells about 1/2 inch thick. Fill the apples with the cheese mixture and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Cut apples into 8 wedges.

Pumpkin Bread

2 cups pumpkin, canned or cooked
1 cup melted butter or margarine, lightly salted
3/4 cup water
4 eggs
3 2/3 cups flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Blend pumpkin, butter, water, and eggs until mixed. Add flour, sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and baking soda. Then add raisins and nuts. Form loaf in greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until top is golden brown.

Samhain Cakes

Makes about 3 dozen, dough must be chilled several hours to overnight.

1/2 c veg. oil
4 sq unsweetened chocolate (4 oz) melted
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups pastry flour (not hard, sifted or cake flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup confectioner's sugar

Mix oil, chocolate, and granulated sugar. Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed. Add vanilla. Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt into oil mixture. Chill several hours to overnight.

Heat oven to 350 deg F [175 deg C]. Roll about a tablespoon of dough into a ball (yes, it's messy). Drop balls into confectioner's sugar & roll around until coated. Place about 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 min. They will be a little soft but should not be mushy. Edges should be firm.

Don't overbake---these burn easily.

Obviously, these are not the low-fat weight-watcher recipes. These are the Grandma recipes, and Grandma cooks with real butter.

::::FUN HALLOWEEN RECIPES:::: to be taken with a light heart

Witches Brew

Ingredients:
2 cups orange juice
1 cup lemon juice
5 cups apple cider
1 cup confectioner's sugar

Mix all the ingredients together and serve chilled.

Serves about 8.

Witches Fingers
author unknown

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup whole blanched almonds
1 tube red decorator gel

In bowl beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla; beat in flour; baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Working with one-quarter of the dough at a time and keeping remaining dough refrigerated, roll heaping teaspoons full of dough into finger shape for each cookie. Press almond firmly into one end for nail.

Squeeze in centre to create knuckle shape. Using a paring knife make slashes in several places to form knuckle. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet in 325 degree over for 20-25 minutes or until pale or golden. Let cool for three minutes.

Lift up almond; squeeze red decorator gel onto nail bed and press almond back in place so gel oozes out from underneath.

Remove from cookie sheet and let cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Makes about 5 doz fingers!

Halloween Witches' Hats

1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate squares, melted
1 cup miniature marshmallows, melted
3 tbsp corn syrup
4 cups puffed rice cereal
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 350. In a saucepan, melt unsweetened chocolate and marshmallows. Add corn syrup. While chocolate is melting, place puffed cereal in a shallow pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Then, place in prepared bowl.

Pour chocolate mixture over puffed cereal. Stir to coat cereal evenly. Form into 8 cones, flattening large end to make brim. In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips. Dip cones into melted chocolate to coat. Place on waxed paper to cool and harden.