Holiday Countdown: Last Minute Tidbits

It's always hard to know what to share in this last post before Christmas, so I really had to mull it over. Today instead of sharing more recipes I thought I would go over some things that have been on my mind.

1. Take a minute and think about the people you know. Is there someone that just went through a break-up? Did anyone lose a family member during the last year? Is anyone you know sick?

When life is busy, and the holidays are in full swing, it's so easy to forget what those around us are going through. You can make a difference in someone's life by bringing them a basket of homemade treats. Bake an extra loaf of bread, or another batch of cookies, and bring it over to that person or family. Maybe you have room to include another person at your Christmas dinner. Invite someone that may be alone this year.

2. Do you still need a gift for a teen? Teens LOVE gift cards of ANY amount. I have a lot of experience buying for teens and gift cards to these places never fail: local coffee shop, video/game rental store, used game store such as Game Stop, Best Buy, fast food restaurants or movie theaters. There are a lot of gift cards out there but these are no fail because any teen can use them no matter where they live or what electronic devices they own.

3. The fastest way to get stressed during the holidays is to expect children to act like adults. They aren't big people. They are small people with short attention spans that look at life nothing like we do. This is a good thing as long as you keep it in mind. Set them at a card table with safety scissors, non-toxic glue, old Christmas cards and crayons and they will create masterpieces if you let them. They will also be messy and loud. Expect this, and it will be okay. That's what being a kid is all about. Send them outside to play afterwards and smile when you look over what they created. Always have crayons and paper on hand when kids are around. Those two things will help you keep your sanity.

4. Take time out to relax and have fun. We bake, shop, cook, clean and try to do everything we can to make the holidays perfect. This is fine unless you are strung so tight that the littlest thing going wrong makes your head explode. Relax. Laugh. Enjoy. If this means something doesn't get done, then so be it. You may have to bake one less batch of cookies, or put up a couple less decorations, but it will be okay.

These are my tips for a nice Christmas. Sharing them with you is also a reminder to myself as I finish up my writing, baking and shopping. I always want to do more for people, and sometimes I get frustrated that I need to sleep more than four hours when I'm in the midst of the holiday preparations, but I make myself get the sleep I need and I take time to reflect and relax. I hope you will too.

Merry Christmas,

Brenda

Holiday Countdown: Breakfast or Brunch

Christmas and New Year's are wonderful times to get together with family and friends for brunch or breakfast. We all have our favorite recipes, but I thought I'd share a few more that would be lovely for this time of year.

Easy Blintzes

Ingredients:

2 cups cottage cheese

8 ounce block cream cheese

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

8 flour tortillas (8 inch size)

Beat cheeses, cinnamon and vanilla in small bowl until well blended. Heat lightly oiled nonstick skillet on low. Spray with butter flavored spray or brush with melted butter. Briefly heat one tortilla over medium heat until just soft. Remove tortilla and spoon 1/4 of cheese mixture in center. Fold two sides in , partially covering filling. Roll up to enclose filling and form a rectangle. Repeat with other tortillas. At this point they can be microwaved for 20-30 seconds to warm the filling, a few at a time, right before serving. Serves 8.

These are wonderful served with fresh fruit, fruit syrup, or fruit sauce and whipped cream.

The following two recipes are for fruit that can be eaten alone or served with yogurt, cream, cottage cheese or beside pancakes or French toast.

Note: This works best with tortillas that are on the thin side rather than the thick type.

Spiced Oranges

Ingredients:

8 oranges

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup lemon juice

6 tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

Peel and section oranges, reserving 2 inch long piece of peel. Cut orange sections into thirds.

Combine the remaining ingredients with 1/2 cup orange pieces and reserved peel in a non-aluminum pan. Bring to boil over medium high heat; reduce to low. Simmer 2 minutes. Place remaining orange pieces in a medium bowl. Strain syrup mixture and pour over the orange pieces. Chill for one hour and serve.

Maple Pears

Ingredients:

1 can (16 ounces) canned pear halves or slices

2 tbsp. maple syrup, or maple flavored syrup

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp. butter

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Drain pears and reserve juice. Place in a microwave safe dish. Drizzle syrup and lemon juice over pears. Dot with butter and sprinkle with nutmeg. Cover and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Baste with some of the reserved juice. Serve warm with oatmeal, yogurt, pancakes, waffles or French Toast.

Notes: I also add cinnamon-- sprinkled over the pears lightly.

Praline Baked French Toast

Ingredients:
8 slices Italian bread, 3/4-inch thick
4 large eggs
1 c. milk
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp. butter, melted

Place bread in a single layer, in a 13x9x2 baking dish. Whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, juice, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Pour over the bread,then flip the pieces over, so they are coated on both sides. Refrigerate this overnight, covered with foil or plastic wrap. In the morning, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the 1/3 cup butter in a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan. Place in the oven to melt. Arrange the egg soaked bread in single layer on the jelly roll pan. Bake uncovered about 25 minutes or until firm and golden brown.

Meanwhile, combine the pecans, brown sugar and melted butter in small bowl. Sprinkle over the baked French toast. Broil about 5 inches from heat, watching carefully, for about 1 minute or until topping begins to bubble. Serve warm.

Western Style Ham Quiche

Ingredients:
9-inch prepared pie crust in pan, room temperature
8 large eggs
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup diced cooked ham
1 green pepper, diced
1/4 cup onion, minced
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
ground black pepper

Remove pie crust from refrigerator, allow 45 minutes to warm up to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Saute the green pepper and onion in butter over medium heat until onions are clear and peppers are soft. In the prepared pie crust, add 3/4 of the cheese evenly across the bottom of the pan. Add the diced ham in an even layer. In a bowl, beat the eggs well, then add the remaining cheese, and onion-pepper mixture. Season with pepper and stir well. Pour evenly over the layered ham and cheese. Gently shake the pie pan to settle the eggs into the crust. Bake 45 minutes, then gently remove to cooling rack for Cool 10 minutes before serving.

On OFL we have more brunch recipes:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/brunch.html

Holiday Countdown: Party Food!

Every Christmas Eve we set up a small buffet with party food, and spend the night playing board games and listening to Christmas music with our kids. As they've gotten older (they are now 18, 17 and 11) I've been able to expand their tastes with different foods rather than the standard popcorn shrimp and chicken, chips and dip. BBQ meatballs and anything taco related is also a big hit, but here are a few other recipes I thought I'd share today.

Hot Crab Dip

Ingredients:

8 ounce cream cheese

2 tbsp. sour cream

6 1/2 ounces crab meat (canned or cooked fresh)

2 tbsp. prepared horseradish

2 tbsp. fresh minced parsley

1 tsp. fresh minced dill

Blend the above and place in a small baking dish. Bake at 350 F. for 20 minutes. Serve warm with crackers.

Savory Dill Dip

1 cup mayonnaise, light or regular

1 cup sour cream, light or regular

1 1/2 tsp. seasoning salt (like Lawry's)

1 tsp. dried dill weed

1 tsp. minced dried onion

3 tsp. Tabasco sauce

3/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Blend all of the ingredients together, and chill for about 4 hours or overnight. Serve with crackers and raw vegetables.

Polynesian Meatballs

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork sausage

1 1/2 cups quick rice

1 egg, beaten

1/2 medium sweet onion, minced

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tbsp. soy sauce

Mix all ingredients together. Shape into 2 inch meatballs. Arrange in shallow pan sprayed with pan spray. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes. Turn 2-3 times while baking. Drain any fat. Makes 75-80 meatballs.

Sauce for Meatballs

20 ounce can pineapple chunks *see note

2 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 green pepper, seeded and chopped

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp. soy sauce

Place all ingredients in saucepan and cook on medium heat until it thickened. Place the meatballs in a crock pot and pour over the sauce. Heat on low until heated through and ready to serve.

Artichoke Squares

Ingredients:

2 (6 ounce jars) marinated artichokes, drained-liquid reserved

1/2 medium sweet onion, minced

4 large eggs

6 saltine crackers, crushed

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. oregano

2 cups finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

2 tbsp. freshly minced celery

Preheat oven to 325 F. Pat the artichokes dry with paper towel. Drizzle some of the reserved oil from the artichoke jars into a pan. Heat and saute the onion until softened and slightly caramelized. Chop the artichokes. In a medium bowl beat the eggs, crushed crackers and seasonings. Stir in the cheese, artichokes and onion. Pour into a 7x11 baking sheet. Bake at 325 F. for 30 minutes or until set. Cool and cut into squares to serve.

Italian Sausage Bread

Ingredients:

1 loaf frozen white bread, thawed

1 pound cooked hot or mild Italian sausage

2 eggs, beaten separately

2 cups Italian blend shredded cheese (or Mozzarella)

Parmesan cheese

Roll the thawed bread dough into a rectangle. Drain the cooked, cooled sausage with one egg. Spread on the bread dough evenly. Top with the shredded cheese. Roll up the dough slowly in jelly roll fashion from one end to the other. Carefully place on a greased cookie sheet. Brush with the other beaten egg on the top of the roll and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes. Cool, then slice and move to a platter for servings.

Notes: You can also make this with the edition of pepperoni. If you like olives they can be added also. Add these ingredients to the cooled sausage before the egg is mixed in. I also like to brush with garlic butter when it comes out of the oven.

On OFL we have recipes for herb appetizers that are delicious too:

http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/appetizers2.html

~Brenda

Holiday Countdown: Gifts from the Kitchen

When my husband and I were first married, money was tight because I ended up getting laid off five weeks before our wedding. I either baked or made crafts for our Christmas gifts that year and many other years as well. I found out people love gifts from the kitchen whether it's cookies, candy, bread or anything they know was made and given with care and love.

The recipes I'm sharing today can be made according to directions and placed in clean jars with lids. IF you want to process and seal the jars please do it according to the latest safe methods from the USDA: http://nchfp.uga.edu/ . Otherwise keep the jar refrigerated and give instructions with your gifts so everyone knows how they should be stored too.

The candy recipes are pretty straight forward, but a candy thermometer is something you can't really do without. Fortunately they are available in most grocery stores and will come in handy for a very long time.

Pear Chips

Home Comfort Cook Book

8 pounds firm pears

4 pounds sugar

1/4 pound chopped ginger root

4 lemons

Peels pears, remove stems, quarter and core. Cut into small pieces. Add sugar and ginger and allow to stand overnight. In the morning, quarter lemons, remove seeds and cut into small pieces. Add lemons to pears and cook very slowly for 3 hours. Pack in jars and seal. Peaches may also be used.

Note: I would peel the ginger root before using.

Apricot and Pineapple Marmalade

Home Comfort Cook Book

1 pound dried apricots

2 1/2 cups crushed pineapple

3 tbsp. lemon juice

sugar

Was apricots, soak 12 hours in water to cover. Bring slowly to boiling point. Strain. Reserve juice. Press apricots through ricer or coarse sieve. Add juice and pineapple. Measure fruit and add 3/4 cup sugar to each cup of pulp and juice. Add lemon juice. Bring to boil and cook slowly about 20 minutes or until mixture thickens. Seal in jars.

Pralines

Rumford Complete Cookbook

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup cream

2 cups nut meats

Boil the sugar, maple syrup and cream together till a little dropped in cold water forms a soft ball (238 F.) Cool and beat till creamy; add the nuts and drop the mixture by spoonfuls on greased paper or plates.

January Thaw

Rumford Complete Cookbook

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 cup nuts, chopped

butter size of a walnut

Put sugar and milk in a saucepan and let it dissolve slowly; add butter and let boil until it forms a ball when dropped into cold water (238 F.) Remove from stove, add the chopped nuts and beat well. Turn into a buttered pan, and when cool, cut in squares.

Butterscotch

American Woman's Cookbook

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 cup water

1/3 cup butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Put sugar, syrup and water into a saucepan and set over direct heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then cook without stirring to the stiff ball stage (250 F.). Add butter and cook to the medium-crack stage (280 F.) for soft butterscotch, or to the hard-crack stage (300 F.) for brittle candy. Remove from heat, add the flavoring and pour on a greased slab. Mark while still warm and when cold break into pieces.

On OFL we have some great ideas for gifts from the kitchen!

Favorite Fudge Recipes

http://oldfashionedliving.com/fudge.html

Savory Gifts from the Kitchen

http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/savory.html

Muffin Mixes to Give as Gifts

http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/muffinmixes.html

~Brenda

Holiday Countdown: Cookies to Give

Christmas cookies are a tradition for a reason-- everyone loves cookies, they are for the most part inexpensive and easy to bake, plus they make lovely homemade gifts. This year I'm making special gift bags for the friends of my teens. I've been giving cookies as gifts for over 20 years now, and have learned a few things along the way.

1.Don't mix soft cookies with crispy cookies in the same container or they will make all of the cookies soft. Store crispy with crispy, etc.

2. Don't store cookies together that have completely different tastes. For instance, if you store a peanut cookie with something that doesn't have a nutty taste, it soon will. The flavors will meld somewhat.

3. Don't store fudge or candy with crispy cookies or bars. Again, it will soften the cookies.

4. Any cookie with confectioners' sugar will spread its white goodness to all the other cookies if packaged together.

5 .As a general rule, store cookies for up to a week in a container with waxed paper between the layers at room temperature.

What I'm going to do is make a selection of cookies that can be stored together, and make them smaller in size-about the size of a gingersnap. The recipes below have instructions for larger cookies, so it's important to watch the baking time. Smaller cookies WILL take less time to bake. Watch the first baking sheet of cookies carefully, and take note of how long you bake until they are done. Be sure to preheat the oven first, or this won't be accurate.

Microwave Melting: Place chocolate in a glass measuring cup or bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

Mocha Cookies

Ingredients:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, chopped
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. coffee or espresso powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a double boiler or a metal/glass/ceramic bowl set over a pan of hot water, melt the unsweetened chocolate and 1 1/2 cups of the chocolate chips, and the butter. (this can be done carefully in the microwave as well)Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In another, larger bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until creamed. Beat in the coffee/espresso powder and the vanilla. Fold in the melted chocolate mixture. Mix in the dry ingredients, and finally stir in the remaining chocolate chips.

Allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes or so. Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake on middle rack for 8-10 minutes or until cracked on top. Cool on pan, transfer to baking rack.

Oatmeal Brownie Cookies

Ingredients:
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup/1 stick margarine or butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 cups oatmeal, quick or old fashioned

Beat together cream cheese, margarine and sugars until creamed. Add the eggs and vanilla beat until creamed. Add the melted chocolate, mix well. Combine the flour and baking soda. Add to the creamed mixture. Mix well. Stir in oatmeal. Cover and chill for about an hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes. The center of the cookies will be slightly moist yet. Cool for about a minute on the pan, then remove to a wire rack.

Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups oatmeal
1 12 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix together the sugar, butter, egg, water and vanilla until light. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Drop by tsp. on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10-12 minutes. Cool on racks.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 pound butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups flour
5 cups quick oats
2 12 ounce bags semi sweet chocolate chips

Cream the butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs together. Add the dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Add last. Stir with a sturdy wooden spoon until everything is mixed well. Drop by teaspoonfuls on parchment lined sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes.

On OFL we have more cookie goodness!

Cookie Baking, Storage and Shipping:

http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/cookietips.html

Christmas Cookie Swap Tips:

http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/cookieswap.html

~Brenda

Holiday Countdown: Old Fashioned Menus

December is almost here, and I've been looking through all my cookbooks, trying to decide menus and baked items to give as gifts this year. I came across two menu suggestions from 1933, and thought it would be interesting to see how tastes have changed. I'm also sharing some of the recipes below the menus. Both are from the 1933 edition of Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking. Many of the recipes for similar dishes can be found on OFL in the recipe section: http://oldfashionedliving.com/recipes.html .

Christmas Dinner No. 1

Broiled Grapefruit

Olives, Celery

Roast Turkey

Oyster Dressing

Cranberry Relish

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

Butter Brussels Sprouts

Harvard Beets

Swedish Tea Bread

Sunshine Salad

Ambrosia

Fruit Cake

Coffee

Candied Orange Peel

Candied Grapefruit Peel

Christmas Dinner No. 2

Tomato Juice

Roast Loin of Pork

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

Baked Winter Squash

Buttered Greens

Spoon Cornbread

Waldorf Salad

Mince Pie

Hard Sauce

Coffee

Oyster Dressing

3 1/2 quart coarse bread crumbs

1 tsp. each salt and poultry seasoning

1/2 tsp. white pepper

1/4 pound butter

3/4 finely chopped celery

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped oysters

Measure crumbs. Add salt, poultry seasoning and pepper, and toss well. Melt butter in saucepan, add celery and onion and saute until onions are softened, then stir in oysters. Pour over bread crumbs and mix lightly with a fork. Stuff lightly in to turkey. Enough for a 12 pound bird.

Sunshine Salad

1 package lemon-flavored gelatin

1 1/4 cups hot water

1 tbsp. cider vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt

9 ounces crushed pineapple

1 cup grated raw carrot

lettuce or romaine

mayonnaise

Dissolve gelatin by stirring into the hot water. Add vinegar and salt, stirring to mix well, and chill until mixture becomes syrupy. Add the crushed pineapple with it's juice and the raw carrot. Pour mixture into a 4 cup mold that has been rinsed with cold water, and chill until firm. Unmold onto chilled serving plate. Surround with lettuce and serve with mayonnaise. 5 servings.

Mustard Greens and Spinach With Bacon

2 pounds fresh, tender mustard greens

1/4 pound bacon

1 quart boiling water

1/2 tsp. salt

black pepper to taste

1/2 pound spinach

Wash mustard greens very thoroughly, trimming off roots and tough stems; trim and wash spinach. Put mustard greens into pan with bacon, add water, cover and boil gently for 45 minutes. Add salt and pepper, and put spinach into pan, pressing down well. Again cover and cook until spinach is tender, from 10 -15 minutes. More water may be added as needed, but amount of pot liquor should be just right to serve greens when they are done. Serve piping hot.

Happy Thanksgiving

We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving full of love and laughter. Drive safely and don't eat too much:) We are, as always, thankful for all of our readers.

~Brenda and all the OFL staff