Cheddar Muffins

Yield: 24 mini-muffins

2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 TBS baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 large egg
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tsp fresh chives

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease mini-muffin pans or line with paper muffin liners.

In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.

In small bowl, with wire whisk, combine milk, butter and egg.

Stir milk mixture into flour mixture just until flour is moistened. (Batter will be lumpy.) Fold in cheese and chives. Using small spoon, divide batter among muffin cups.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until centers spring back when lightly pressed with fingertip. Cool muffins on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and serve warm.

Submitted by: Lucy Galgano of The Farmer's Attic

Traditional Christmas Snowball Cookies from Irish Rose Creations

Ingredients:

1 cup butter softened

1 cup powdered sugar (plus more for topping)

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup finely chopped pecans

3/4 tsp. salt

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 . Mix butter, 1 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until set but not brown. Roll in powdered sugar while warm. Cool. Roll in powdered sugar again.

Chicken Waldorf Salad

Pictured is a serving of our Waldorf Chicken Salad, which can be eaten as a salad or spread on homemade breads as a sandwich. Yummm.

Ingredients:  Chicken, Apples, Grapes, Walnuts, Sweet Pickles, Boiled Eggs, Mayonnaise

This is the Firecrackerkid's version of a Chicken Salad. It's pretty quick and easy to fix, and pretty healthy also providing it's eaten in moderation. I don't normally follow a recipe. I so hope there are others  out there like me. Well, sometimes I do, depending on the circumstances, but mostly not. So here's, at best, my preparation of our Waldorf Chicken Salad.

Use canned chicken, drained and rinsed. Put the eggs on to boil. While those are cooking chop, slice, and/or dice other ingredients by hand. I don't have the fancy slap chop or any of those other infomercial products for the kitchen, so if you do, by all means use them. That's not to say I wouldn't mind having them. LOL. Anyhow, measure your ingredients according to how many people you will be serving.

After your boiled eggs have cooled some, peel the shells away, rinse and slice them. Get out your favorite serving bowl and pour everything in together, spoon in the mayonnaise, stir and mix until everything is mingled and "shazaam" you have your Waldorf Chicken Salad.

You can alternate or add ingredients to your need or preferences, i.e., sliced almonds, spices, etc. That's the fun of making this dish.

Oh, and yes, I did devour the serving in the photo:)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Cheese Cake

Crust:
1 1/2 cups gram cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter

Melt butter add to cracker and sugar mixture, press into spring form pan.

Three packages 8oz each cream cheese softened
1 can 14oz sweetened condensed milk
1 can 15oz. pure pumpkin
3 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoons salt

Beat cream cheese till fluffy, slowly add milk till smooth, add pumpkin, eggs, syrup, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg.  Beat well pour into crust.  Bake 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Amish Spoonbread

                                                                                  
1 c. yellow corn meal                                                  
1/2 tsp. salt                                                                
1/2 tsp. baking powder                                              
1 tsp. sugar                                                                
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 can cream style corn
1/4 c. oil
3/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350*. Combine everything except cheese . Pour half the batter into a greased 1 1/2 qt. baking dish or pan. Sprinkle the cheese over the batter, and top with remaining batter. Bake 40-45 min. or until a pick inserted in center comes out clean. Spoon into plate and top with butter or syrup.

Linda~~PrairieRose

Colonial Squash and Apples

This is a very old recipe for fixing Butternut Squash. It was requested to be served at the very first Thanksgiving Dinner in the White House and has been a staple for many of our Presidents Thanksgivings since.

I Butternut Squash, sliced into 1 in. pieces and then into bite size piecess
4-3 apples ( I like Gala), cut into quarters, then into bite size pieces
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar (more or less depending on taste. this is not real sweet)
2-3 tsp. cinnamon
pecans, broken into pieces , optional

Saute the squash and apples in the melted butter until juices start to flow, over med. heat.  Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over top and mix in.Cover, and lower heat a little and continue cooking and stiring occasionally, until squash is tender, for 25 min. Remove the lid and allow some of the juice to cook down for a few minutes. Add pecans now.This can also be baked in the oven at 350 deg. for 25-30 minutes if desired. Delicious! Perfect for a cold winter night's supper!

Linda--PrairieRose

Spicy Cranberry Apple Relish

This is an old Victorian recipe that has been handed down . It is wonderful for the holidays, as well as on  a hot summer day. Flavor and color are excellent!

1-1lb. pkg cranberries, sorted and rinsed
5 or 6 apples,cored and chunked
2 c. sugar
1 sm. pkg red hots (app. 1/2 cup)
1/2  tsp. mace
1 c. water

Combine in saucepan and cook till apples are soft. Mash with a potato masher and simmer till thick. Let cool a while and pour into a pretty dish.

Linda--PrairieRose