Long Time No Blog... :o) Merry Christmas in July

Its been almost a year since I last posted on my blog... Ive had so many things going on over the last year that blogging kind of got away from me even though my love for Christmas did not.... But I'm back and plan to blog away....

I recently moved into a new home and have been working on getting things together for Christmas in July....

I now have one of my trees up for Christmas in July... its located on my kitchen table...I placed the base of the tree in a large velvet lined basket and then added a faux milk bottle and filled with pine cones. To decorate I added lil red bells that I got from Dollar Tree and spray painted red, lil cream colored dollies and more pine cones... then I topped it all off with a small rusty star.....

More Christmas Cookies.... :o)

Well its getting to be that time of year when I start baking and trying out new cookie recipes on my family...

I got this recipe from a friend and it was a hit with my kids... so I thought I would share...

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup pecans, chopped


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream butter in large bowl. Add sugar, cream until light. Stir in vanilla. Mix in flour and salt. Stir in nuts.
Shape into balls.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Roll in additional powdered sugar straight out of oven. Roll again when cool.
Yeilds: About 36 cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Yield:
48 servings

1/2 c Butter or Margarine; softened
1/2 c Shortening
1 c Light Brown sugar, packed
1/2 c Sugar
2 Eggs
2 T Water
2 T Light Corn syrup
2 t Vanilla
2 t Cinnamon
1/4 t Nutmeg
1/8 t Ginger
1 1/2 c Flour; unsifted
1 t Baking soda
1 t Salt
3 c Oats, old fashioned
1 c Raisins

Cream butter, shortening, sugars, eggs, corn syrup, water, and
vanilla; beat well. Combine flour baking soda and salt; add to
creamed mixture. Beat well; stir in oats and raisins.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet.
Using a melon baller also works well

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min.

Cool slightly on sheet before removing.

Some Wonderful Pictures from my Moms Trip to the Christmas Place

Christmas

Rudolph Day

Happy Rudolph Day & Merry Christmas in July

Its been a wonderful month full of Christmas for my family and I. Ive tried to do something Christmassy everyday even if it was only a little something. Ive gotten a lot of this acomploished this month.


Today is going to be a more relaxing day for us. The kids and I are going to spend the day watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music and baking cookies and doing a few crafts.

Then this evening Im going to fix a big dinner~ Were having Three meat baked pasta, salad, breadsticks. Then we will be having cookies and hot cocoa and watching a Christmas movie together as a family.


I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas in July and Rudolph Day today.


Three Meat Baked Pasta
1 Box bow tie pasta

1 Jar sweet pepper marinara sauce

1/2 lb hamburger

1/2 lb hot sausage (or mild if you prefer)

2 cups of dinced polish sausage

1 cup diced onion

1~ 8oz pkg of Kraft Italian Shredded Cheese


Start by preheating over to 350

In large pot cook bow tie pasta to box directions and drain

Combine hamburger, both sausages and onion in a large skillet cook over med-high heat. Drain

In large pot with pasta add meat and sauce, stir until well mixed, then pour into an ungreased 13x9 baking dish. cover with cheese and bake until warm and cheese is melted.

Serve with salad and Bread.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas In July~

Im just getting around to posting. I have been enjoying Christmas in July this month. Ive been trying to do something Christmassy everyday (even if its only a little something.... :o)
Ive watched lots of Christmas movies this month. Worked on a few crafts and tried a few Christmas recipes that Im considering using for holiday get togethers this year.

Ive been working a lot on my Holiday Notebook ( I would be lost without it)

A recipe Im going to try out this week is a gift in a jar recipe. Its one Im considering giving to family and friends if I like the way it turns out. I will be sure to let you know what I think of them.... Heres the recipe...

Ginger Spice Muffin Mix
1 3/4 cups flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Store the mixture in an airtight container.Attach these written instructions to the Jar.

Ginger Spice Muffins Makes 1 dozen
1 pkg. Ginger Spice Muffin Mix
1/4 cup butter, melted 1 egg1 tsp. vanilla, 1 cup milk Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and grease 12 muffin tins. In a large bowl, combine the muffin mix with the butter, egg, vanilla and milk Stir the mixture until the ingredients are blended. Do not overmix. The batter will be lumpy. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full, and bake for 15 minutes.

Recipe of the Day~

Coconut Pineapple Cookies (Makes about 36)

Basic Cookie Dough Recipe Ingredients: 1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter (or margarine) at room temperature 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions: In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the flour. Beat with an electric mixer, scraping the sides of the bowl several times, until the mixture is light and fluffy. With mixer at a low speed, add the flour gradually, beating just until everything is well blended.
Place the mixture on a baking sheet using a tablespoon measure and press down with a spoon to flatten a bit. Or roll our and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Bake at 350 F for about 12 to 15 minutes, until golden.
This basic cookie mixture is also the base for the following cookie recipes (all baked in a preheated oven at 350 F).


In addition to the basic dough you will need:

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut 1/3 cup pineapple preserves (use raspberry or apricot if you prefer)
Directions: Add 1 cup of the flaked coconut to the basic dough mixture and mix well. Shape the dough into 1 1/2″ balls and roll in the remaining coconut to coat them. Place the balls 1″ apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie with your fingertip.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookie is firm and the coconut is lightly toasted. When cooled, fill each hole in the center of the cookies with the preserves.
You can vary this basic dough to make a wide variety of Christmas cookie recipes. Add other flavorings like maple, ginger or cinnamon. Add chopped dried fruits like apricots or dates. Or bake them plain in holiday shapes and decorate with colored icing.
Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. Here's hoping these quick and easy Christmas cookie recipes help keep the pressure off the cook!