Tag Archives: homemaking

Christmas Cooky #5 – Candy Cane Cookies!

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These delightful cookies are the crown to my cooky trays. They have a nice texture and are almond flavored.

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 room temp. egg

1 & 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon sea salt

Red gel food coloring

1/2 cup crushed candy cane (use the “puff” peppermints for easy crushing. I get them at Dollar Tree)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Mix Crisco, butter, sugar, eggs, and flavorings until fluffy.  In another bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Blend the flour into the butter mixture. Divide dough in half.

Blend red gel food coloring into one half.

Cover your dough with a damp tea towel to keep it from drying out while you work.

Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper, and preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the crushed candy cane and sugar.

On a lightly floured board, roll small amounts of each dough into strips. Sprinkle with the candy cane mixture. Roll,  gently twist, and shape into a candy cane shape. Please be sure to use half Crisco or the rolling experience will not go smoothly.

Bake around 9 minutes, till just the lightest golden at the edges.

I always use and recommend sea salt for cooking and baking for a brighter flavor.

A silicone mat is very helpful too. These cookies look spectacular on top of the cooky trays, and they are quite delicious.

We topped each cooky tray with The Candy Cane Gospel tract  from Moments with the Book! 

Merry, joyous, peaceful Christmas to you!

sage

Saturday Supper!  Crock pot Kraut and Apples!

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This thrifty meal is perfect for busy, chilly, days. Many of us will have the ingredients on hand. I always keep apple juice and sausage in the freezer. And Granny Smith apples in the fridge.

We buy several gallons of apple cider when it is available in the fall, and store it. But apple juice works just fine.

1 lb. Sauerkraut (I only use ALDI German kraut in the glass jar)  If you use the ALDI kraut, it does not need rinsing, but rinse and squeeze out other kinds of kraut.

1 lb. Smoked Polish sausage

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced

1/2 c. Packed brown sugar

3/4 t. Sea salt

1/8 t. Black pepper

1/2 t. Caraway seeds (necessary IMO)

3/4 c. Apple juice or cider

Spray the inside of crock, and place half the kraut in the bottom, spreading it evenly.

Cut sausage into 2 in. pieces and place in crock. Add the rest of the ingredients, then cover everything with the rest of the kraut.

Do not stir!

Cook on high for 3 to 3 & 1/2 hours, or low, for 6-7 hours.

Normally, I serve rye bread with this savory dish. But since I had the cider…

If you have apple cider, serve your kraut dish with apple cider bread …

This yummy recipe came directly from

breadmachinediva.com

sage

Saturday Bake – Rustic Italian Bread

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In an effort to restore this blog to what it was before my blogging partner lost his mind, I will begin posting the Saturday Bake again.

Today’s Bake is rustic Italian bread, made in the bread machine. It is excellent spread with butter and garlic bread topping, then broiled or toasted.

1 & 1/4 c. warm water

2 T. Powdered milk or Nido

2 T. Olive oil

2 T. Sugar

1 t. Sea salt

3 & 1/3 c. Bread flour

1 t. Dried Marjoram

1 t. Dried basil

1 t. Dried thyme

1 & 3/4 t. Yeast for rapid Bake (or)

3/4 t. Yeast for regular Bake.

My bread in the picture is on a crumb saving breadboard. This simple yet ingenious contraption is a cutting board that catches the crumbs from the bread. Once finished, the crumbs can be saved and used in cooking, in meatloaf, or as a topping for Mac & cheese etc.  I just tip the crumbs into a large glass jar and put it in the freezer. There are many recipes that call for bread crumbs…

I got this crumb saving bread board from Amazon over 10 years ago and it is still in great condition. I wipe it clean with a damp cloth and that’s it. It is made from bamboo! 

Sage