APPLEWOOD JULEP

APPLEWOOD JULEP
If you are looking for a non-alcoholic way to toast in the new year, this drink is a winner.  The recipe comes for the Apple Barn Restaurant cookbook.  The Apple Barn Restaurant is a favorite of ours when we visit the Great Smoky Mountains.  Each meal there begins with a glass of this yummy  beverage.  It is a sweet yet slightly tart way to prepare your palette for a delicious meal ahead.  You can also use it as a breakfast juice if you like.  It is slightly different and really good.  We hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for sharing the year 2013 with us in our little corner of the world.  Olivia and I look forward to sharing more recipes and memories with you in 2014.  Feel free to contact us with recipes you think are worth sharing.  We love trying out new things and paying homage to tried and true favorites.  We wish you and yours a very happy new year!
-Nanette

APPLEWOOD JULEP

1 quart unsweetened apple juice, chilled
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice, chilled
1 cup orange juice, chilled
1/4 cup lemon juice, chilled

Combine all four ingredients with ice cubes; mix well.  Serve immediately.

Yield:  6 1/4 cups

Holiday Divinity

HOLIDAY DIVINITY
Several people have asked Olivia about  posting the divinity recipe.  We whipped up a batch to add to our candy and cookie trays we give away each year.  We received lots of positive feedback about the divinity.  I am convinced it is one of those holiday confections that is somewhat tied  to one's age.  Younger people tend to often not know what it is and older people, when they find it on the tray, smile and reminisce about eating it as a child.  Being on that older end of the spectrum, I have fond memories of making divinity when I was a child.

It is a simple recipe but one that requires close attention to detail.  You need to get it to the right temperature (hard ball stage), be sure to beat it long enough, and then work quickly and with another person if possible to spoon the delightful little clouds onto wax paper. I remember making it as a child.  Olivia remembers making it as a child.  Holiday memories taste oh so sweet!  Make a batch and make a memory!

Olivia and I wish you a very Merry Christmas.  Although we speak often of our holiday traditions and memories tied to food, we celebrate Christmas as the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We hope you will join us in celebrating God's greatest gift.
-Nanette

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a 2 quart saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup water.  Cook to a hard ball stage (260 degrees) stirring only till sugar dissolves.  Meanwhile, beat egg whites to stiff peaks.  Gradually pour syrup over egg whites, beating at high speed on your electric mixer.  Add vanilla and beat till candy holds its shape--about 4-5 minutes.  Act quickly dropping from a teaspoon onto waxed paper.  It works best to scoop with one spoon and push off the divinity with another.  Makes about 40 pieces.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

CHEDDAR BAY BISCUITS
Olivia made these outstanding biscuits for Thanksgiving instead of rolls.  They were not only delightful the first time around but made magnificent mini sandwiches or "sliders" days after.  I even used one as a breakfast sandwich one morning with a scrambled egg.  If you have ever had the cheddar biscuits served at a Red Lobster restaurant, these are very similar.  They have a wonderful depth of flavor and are very versatile.  I had one left when I used the last of the turkey to make turkey tetrazinni so I crumbled it on top for bread crumbs.  It was the crowning glory!  If you are looking for a dinner roll or biscuit alternative, you will want to give them a try.  They are scrumptious!
-Nanette

CHEDDAR BAY BISCUITS

INGREDIENTS:

For the Biscuits: 4 cups baking mix 3 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded 1 1/3 cups water

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

dash of Old Bay Seasoning

For the Buttery Topping:

1/2 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon onion powder 1/8 teaspoon dried parsley 1/8 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.	In a mixing bowl, combine all of the six first ingredients. Mix until dough is firm. Using a small scoop, place dough on the prepared pan.
3.	Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
4.	Combine the melted butter, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, Old Bay Seasoning, and parsley. Brush over baked biscuits immediately upon removing from oven.

VANILLA CHIP MAPLE COOKIES

VANILLA CHIP MAPLE COOKIES
Olivia's friend Deb is a fabulous cook and shares the greatest recipes.  This one was really a hit and comes to you just in time for your holiday baking.  While it is nice to use the traditional recipes your friends and families love, it is also great to mix it up a little with something new.

We hope all of you enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday weekend as much as we did.  Olivia and I made our annual shopping excursion to the mall and beyond on Black Friday.  I must say since stores have started their sales on Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday is not as crowded as it used to be.  I'm happy for the people who found bargains on Thanksgiving Day, but I am a purist.  Olivia and I still do our Black Friday thing.  This year we did something I have wanted to do for years. We had our picture taken with Santa and it turned out really well.  We laughed hard, shopped until we dropped, and had a jolly time.  We have fun but we never forget the reason for the season and the greatest gift of all!  We hope your holiday season is off to a great start!
-Nanette

VANILLA CHIP MAPLE COOKIES                                            

1 cup shortening  

2 t baking soda

1/2 c butter, softened           

3 c flour

2 eggs                  

1t maple flavor

2c brown sugar      

2 c vanilla chips

1 t vanilla              

1/2 c pecan pieces

Cream together shortening, butter, and brown sugar.  Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and maple flavoring.  Add baking soda and salt, mix well.  One cup at a time, add the flour, until all is incorporated.  Fold in pecan pieces and vanilla chips.

Drop them by spoonful and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Allow them to cool on the cookie sheet.

BISCUIT EGG CASSEROLE

BISCUIT EGG CASSEROLE
It has long been our Christmas morning tradition to put a breakfast casserole in the oven while we open our Christmas stockings.  The smell creates that heavenly Christmas scent of something wonderful baking in the oven.  This is not the usual casserole recipe we have used in the past, but Olivia has tried this and says it is great.  No doubt with busy days ahead, you might be looking for something easy and good for breakfast.  This is great for feeding a hungry family.  We hope you enjoy it!
-Nanette

BISCUIT EGG CASSEROLE

Ingredients

1 can of buttermilk biscuits (8 count)

1 pound of any breakfast sausage roll (browned, drained, and cooled)

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons dried onion flakes

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

7 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 °F. Crumble and cook sausage in a skillet over medium heat.  Add red bell pepper and onion flake.  Cook until browned. Drain.

Line bottom of greased 12 x 9 inch baking dish with biscuit dough, firmly pressing firmly to seal.

Sprinkle with sausage and cheese.

Whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a medium bowl until blended; pour over sausage and cheese.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake until set.  Let stand for five minutes before serving while warm.

Butternut Squash Pie

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PIE

Thanksgiving is on the horizon and we are getting ready.  The flavors of fall are all around us. Squash is one of our favorites.  My husband remembers fondly when he was a kid and his mother used to make Bird's Eye frozen squash in a double boiler.  She would heat that frozen block of deliciousness and serve it with a little butter.  Yum!  While reminiscing about that squash recently, he asked me if I could make a butternut squash pie.  I said sure!  I've made pumpkin pies and butternut is very similar so I knew I could do it.  Below is the resulting pie and the recipe.

Olivia and I went over our Thanksgiving lists today to review who is making what.  I can't wait to make the dishes I'm responsible for making.  We will be having turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetable casserole, broccoli casserole, green bean casserole, cheese biscuits, pie, etc.  I know it sounds like a lot of food, but the leftovers are wonderful and last for days.  If we come up with some new variations on our old themes we will share them with you.  If you have a simply wonderful holiday recipe you would like to share, we would love to hear from you.  Half the fun of the holidays is finding new foods, flavors, and ideas to share!
-Nanette

1 chilled unbaked 9 inch pie shell
1 medium to large butternut squash
1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
3 large eggs
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 T. flour
1 T. butter melted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cook the squash either in the oven the microwave, or peel and steam.  When it is soft, scoop out 1 1/2 cups of squash. Discard peel.   Place squash in large bowl and let it cool slightly.  Add milk, eggs, salt, flour, butter, spices, and vanilla.  Beat until it is smooth.  Pour the filling in the pie shell.  If you have too much filling, but the leftover filling in a ramekin and bake with the pie.  It is yummy even out the pie shell.  Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees and then pull it out and check it.  If a knife inserts and comes out clean, it is done.  If not, put some foil around the edges of the crust to keep it from burning and put the pie back in for about 10 minutes until it is done.  Serve warm or cold and with whipped cream if you like.  Enjoy!

Cheesy Bratwurst Stew

Cheesy Bratwurst Stew
This time of year there is always lots of outdoor work to do to get ready for the inevitable cold, winter weather.  It is always nice on a cool, fall day to have a warm and comforting hearty meal in the crock pot so when the day is over you have something good for dinner that requires nothing of you but to eat it.  Cheesy Bratwurst Stew is just such a dish.  Put the ingredients in the crock pot in the morning and about six hours later dinner is ready.  I originally saw this recipe a few years ago in Midwest Living magazine and it has since become a staple at our house.  We hope you enjoy it!
-Nanette

1 pkg. of 5 to 6 bratwursts (use any kind you like or you may even substitute smoked sausage if you prefer)
1 medium onion
4 medium potatoes
one can of green beans with liquid
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt, pepper and garlic salt
Slice meat and place in bottom of the crock pot.  Rough chop a medium onion and place it on top of the meat.  You may or may not peel your potatoes before cutting them into chunks and placing them on top of the onions.  Layer on the can of green beans and then place the condensed soup in dollops on top.  You may sprinkle the top with salt, pepper, and garlic salt if you like. Cook on low for six hours or until the potatoes are tender.  Just before serving, stir in the cheese.  Mix well and serve.  Makes 4-6 servings.