CORN PUDDING OR CORN CUSTARD

Simple - easy and VERY GOOD!!! -- Angel Lucas/Advertising

• 1 12-16 oz. can of regular corn with liquid

• 1 12-16 oz. can of cream style corn

• 1 box of jiffy corn bread mix

• 2 eggs (slightly beaten)

• 1/2 C margarine (melted)

• 3/4 C sour cream

Mix all ingredients together and put into an uncovered casserole dish (un-greased). Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes to 1 hr. Pudding should be "shaky" - not overdone!

If the casserole dish is not deep, then bake for 30 -45 minutes.

WALNUT COOKIES

Here is a recipe that stays consistent with the tone of my column….I got it a few years ago out of Dr. Kenneth Weil’s book ‘Eating Well For Optimal Health’. I’ve made them quite a few times and believe it or not they ended up being a favorite of the kids. -- Jacqueline Smith, PFT/Fitness

• ¾ cup whole wheat flour

•  ¾ cup unbleached white flour

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1/8 tsp. salt

• ½ cup chopped walnuts

•  4 oz. silken tofu

•  ½ cup olive oil

•  ½ cup brown sugar

•  ¼ cup maple syrup

• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Sift together flours, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the walnuts. In another bowl mash the tofu and combine with the oil, brown sugar, syrup, and vanilla. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry.

Drop the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls onto un-greased baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes until edges begin to brown. Makes about 4 dozen.

Optional: Add dark chocolate chips

JELLO PASTEL COOKIES
 

You can make (the cookies) whatever Jello color you want, and I've put one (Jello flavor) in the cookie dough and topped with a different flavor. To cut down on the calories you can also use sugar free gelatin. I love these cookies because they have a bit of sweet/sour flavor. -- Karen E. Viereck, Editor/Publisher

•  3 ½ cup flour

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1 ½ cup butter or margarine, softened (3 sticks)

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 pkg. (4-serving size each) gelatin, any flavor, divided; no-cal is fine

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix flour and baking powder; set aside. Beat butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, until creamy. Gradually add sugar and 1 pkg. of the dry gelatin, beating until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well blended after each addition.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls Place 2 inches apart on un-greased baking sheets. Flatten with bottom of clean glass. Sprinkle with remaining dry gelatin.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from baking sheets to wire racks. Cool completely. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature. Makes about 3-4 dozen.

CINNAMON ROLLS

This recipe is so old and SO good! It's easy and it's great for Christmas morning! -- Angel Lucas/Advertising

• 2 dozen frozen dough balls
    (called frozen dinner rolls or Rich's dough balls)

• Raisins (desired amount)

• Crushed walnuts or pecans (desired amount)

• cinnamon, about 3 Tbls.

• 1 cup  light brown sugar

• 1  3.4 oz box of vanilla pudding mix
     (the cook and serve kind, NOT INSTANT)

• 1 stick of butter (1/2 C)

Butter the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 inch pan generously or use a Tube Pan (grease the pan and sides)

Place raisins and nuts on bottom of pan. Shake dough balls in a ziploc bag of cinnamon.

Place dough balls on top of the raisins and nuts and then if any cinnamon is left over in the bag, sprinkle some on top of the dough balls. Take brown sugar and sprinkle over and between dough balls. Sprinkle "cook and serve" pudding over the dough balls. Melt the butter over low heat in a saucepan, or in a microwave-safe bowl, and drizzle it all over the dough balls.

Cover with wax paper or a tea towel and let it rise over night. Next morning - Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes. After  removing from oven, invert onto a cookie sheet or dish and serve warm. Makes 24 rolls.

Note: Try craisins instead  of, or as well as, the raisins in the recipe.

SUGAR CAKES

This recipe is my great-grandmother’s – it’s a large, soft, cake-like cookie. -- Beth S. Biermann/Mom's Musings

• 2 cups sugar

• 1 cup shortening
     (you can also use ½ butter and ½ margarine or all butter)

• 3 eggs (beaten)

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 3 ½ to 4 cups flour (start with 3 ½ and if it looks too thin, add more – you want a thick cake batter consistency)

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling.

Preheat oven to 350^o. Cream the shortening and sugar and then add beaten eggs. Dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk. Add the baking powder to the flour. Add the buttermilk and the flour, alternating between them, to the shortening/sugar/egg mixture.

Drop by heaping tablespoons on a non-stick cookie sheet (leave plenty of room – they will spread) and sprinkle the tops with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes – the cookies should still be a little underdone in the middle. Cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes to allow them to set and then remove to a cooling rack.  Makes 2 to 3 dozen large cookies.

PEANUT BLOSSOM COOKIES

These are a family favorite!  It’s a soft peanut butter cookie with a Hershey Kiss on top!  How does that jingle go??? “Two great tastes that taste great together!” -- Eric Bennett/Reporter

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Coating:
1/3 cup granulated white sugar

Garnish:
48 milk chocolate Kisses, unwrapped from foil covering

Line 3-4 baking sheets with parchment paper (depends on the size of your sheets). If you don’t have parchment paper – hit the pans hard with vegetable shortening cooking spray. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter. Add the peanut butter and sugars and beat until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. Beat in the milk.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture and beat until incorporated. Cover and chill the batter for about an hour, or until firm enough to roll into balls.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place rack in the center of the oven. Roll the batter into 1 inch round balls. Place the granulated white sugar in a shallow bowl and roll each ball in the sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies for about 8 - 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned. Immediately upon removing the cookies from the oven, place a chocolate Hershey Kiss in the center of each cookie, pressing down until the cookie just starts to crack. Cool completely on a wire rack. Makes about 4 dozen.

CHOCOLATE COVERED
CHERRY COOKIES

These chocolate covered cherry cookies are DELICIOUS! They are like moist brownies with a cherry and frosting. -- Karen E. Viereck, Editor/Publisher

• 1 ½ cup flour

• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• ¼ tsp. salt

• ¼ tsp. baking powder

• ¼ tsp. baking soda

• ½ cup butter, softened

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 ½ tsp vanilla

• 1 10 oz. jar  maraschino cherries

Frosting:

• 1 6 oz. pkg semisweet chocolate pieces

• ½ cup sweetened condensed milk

In  a large bowl stir together flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and soda. In electric mixer bowl beat butter and sugar on low speed until fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, beat until blended. Shape dough into one-inch  balls. Place on un-greased cookie sheet. Press down center of each ball with your thumb. Drain cherries, reserving juice. Place a cherry in the center of each cookie.

To make frosting, combine chocolate pieces and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan and  heat slowly until chocolate is melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of  reserved cherry juice.  Spoon about 1 teaspoon frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover cherry. (Frosting may be thinned with additional cherry juice if necessary.)

Bake in 350 degree oven about 10 minutes or until done. Remove to wire rack and cool. Makes 48 cookies.

Simply Easy Butter Cookies

This is a recipe that my grandmother and my great aunt used to make and let me and my brother help.  When we were really small we were the decorators and then when we were older and could master the cookie press we could chose what shapes the cookies would be.  My mom still makes a ton every Christmas and every year with the first bite I remember those days spent in the kitchen with my Mom-Mom and my Aunt Mary.– Michelle Wallin

• 1 cup butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large bowl mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla.  Combine the flour and salt, stir into the sugar mixture.  Cover dough, and chill for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Press dough out onto un-greased cookie sheets using a cookie press.  They have many shapes to choose from.  After pressing your cookies out put on the sprinkles or whatever decorations you choose.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly golden at the edges. 

PLUM PUDDING
WITH HARD SAUCE

This has been a tradition in our family for generations. The pudding serves about 4, but is so rich, we use smaller servings and can please 6 people with one pudding. Buying a pudding is a time-saving alternative to the 3-5 days making  your own pudding would take. The hard sauce most frequently served in England is made with vanilla or rum flavoring, but we think our version, with almond,  tastes particularly festive. -- Jean Redstone/Cooking

1 container of plum pudding from the store. (Our family uses Crosse and Blackwell brand but many delicious  puddings are available.)

• Hard sauce:

• 1 cup confectioners sugar

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) softened

• 1/2 tsp. almond  flavoring; or vanilla, or  rum
      (some European recipes call for whiskey to flavor)

During your holiday dinner, set the plum pudding in a pan of water to steam or in the oven, according to package directions. Time the  pudding so it will be ready by meal's end. Or if you do as my family does, put the pudding to heat after the meal so that dessert can be offered when diners have room for the treat.

Thoroughly cream softened butter. Gradually add 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Adjust ingredients to spreadable consistency, not runny, if necessary.  Can be made ahead and kept a week or more in refrigerator (but hide it. This sauce is really good and family members will be tempted to "sample" it frequently.)

Makes a cup and a half. Serve slightly warmed at the side or drizzled atop the plum pudding.

Note: where to buy plum pudding on the net:
onlinestore.smucker.com / englishteastore.com  / mybrands.com