I filled mason jars with a chai tea mix for Christmas gifts this year. I’ve been asked for the recipe, so I thought I’d share it on here for anyone�else who may be�interested. It has a bizzillion five star reviews on All Recipes.

�CHAI TEA MIX

Ingredients:

1 cup nonfat dry milk

1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer

1 cup French vanilla flavored powdered non-dairy creamer

2 1/2 cups white sugar (or substitute Splenda)

1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Additional spices for even more flavor:

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon allspice

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine milk powder, non-dairy creamer, vanilla flavored creamer, sugar and instant tea. Stir in spices. In a food processor (or coffee grinder), blend 1 cup at a time until mixture is the consistency of fine powder.

2. To serve. Stir 2 heaping tablespoons Chai tea mixture into a mug of hot water.

You may choose to omit the French vanilla creamer, and use 2 teaspoons vanilla extract instead. To do so, mix the vanilla into the sugar, let it dry, then break the sugar into small lumps. Follow the same procedure as above.

I am so excited! I have found my new Christmas cookie for our annual Christmas Cookie Exchange! I did a test run of this recipe last night and my family’s eyes lit up with delight as they nibbled away. They are delicious! I have to make seven dozen for our exchange, but I get to bring home seven dozen different yummy cookies. It’s so fun!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (10 oz.) jar maraschino cherries

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Beat butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add dry ingredients and stir until smooth.

3. Roll into 1 – inch balls about the size of a walnut (larger if desired). Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Drain cherries and reserve juice. Press center of each ball with thumb. Place a cherry in indentation.

5. In a saucepan, heat condensed milk and chocolate chips until chips are melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of cherry juice. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of mixture over each cherry and spread to cover cherry. (More cherry juice may be addeed to keep frosting of spreading consisitency.)

6. Bake for 10 minutes.

“Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.”

I love this yummy quiche recipe. Aunt Marilyn asked for the recipe so I thought I’d share it here.

Ingredients:

Pastry for 9-inch one crust pie (I use the Pillsbury pie crusts in the refrigerated section)
12 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded natural Swiss cheese (4 ounces)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
4 eggs
2 cups whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pastry. Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion in pastry-lined pie plate. Beat eggs slightly; beat in remaining ingredients. Pour into pie plate. Bake uncovered 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Do-ahead Tip:

After sprinkling pastry with bacon, cheese and onion, cover and refrigerate. Beat remaining ingredients; cover and refrigerate. Store no longer than 24 hours. Stir egg mixture before pouring into pie plate. Continue as directed except–increase second bake time to about 45 minutes.

Grandma Cobb’s Butter Cookies

from Kandis

6-7 dozen

3 cups sugar
3/4 pound (3 sticks) butter
2 egg YOLKS
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups BREAD flour

Gradually cream 1 cup sugar into soft butter. Add egg YOLKS and vanilla. Mix well. Add flowr, gradually. Decide whether you want to use the dough in a ookie press, or roll it out and use cookie cutter or slice cookes. Shape the dough accordingly. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until ready to bake. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Form dough into cookies, using whatever method you chose, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Do not let them get brown. Use spatula to remove and place on rack to cool. When cool, dip in remaining sugar or powderd sugar…..
She would make this cookie as crust for my strawberry shortcake.

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Kandi’s Jam Thumb Print Cookies
Yields 5 dozen

3/4 pound (3 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 egg YOLKS
3& 3/4 cups all-pourpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Any tart preserves ( red plum, strawberry, gooseberry)… Nothing with seeds…..

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg YOLKS. Sift flour and salt; blend into butter mixture. Add vanilla. Chill dough thoroughly. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Make indentation in center of each with thumb; fill with preserves (jelly will also work, but preserves tastes better).

Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove to rack to finish cooling.
These keep well in a tightly closed container.
Plum and gooseberry taste best for me. Ian likes the tart red plum preserves in his…..

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Kandi’s Lemon Snow Bars

Stir together:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture clings together. Press into 8×8 pan ungreased. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

In mixer bowl:
Beat 2 eggs
Then add 3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs Minute Maid Lemon Juice,
Beat until thick and smooth.

Stir together:
2 Tbs flour 1/4 tsp. Baking powder then
Add to egg/lemon mixture. Blend, pour over baked layer. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Sift sugar over top. Cool and cut into bars.
Yields 20 bars.

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Aunt Tootsies bestest Peanut Butter cookies.

Everyone including my 3 grandkids love them. The mail man always gets a sack too!

Stir:
1 C. brown sugar
2 lg. Eggs
Add:
1/2C. Margarine
1/2C. Lard (Shortening don’t give it the flavor)
3/4C. Peanut Butter
1C. White Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 Teaspoons Soda, in 1 Tablespoon hot water
(mix in jigger glass)
Mix well the above ingredients and add:
3 C Flour
Drop by teaspoon fulls on cookie sheet and press with fork or bottom of glass with sugar.
Bake 350 degrees till golden

Don’t forget to put about 8 in a zip lock and put in the box for the mailman.

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Aunt Marilyn’s Green Christmas Holly Cookie

1 stick butter
40 large marshmallows
1 t. vanilla
3 t. green food coloring (not the gel)
4 1/2 cups of corn flakes
bag of redhots

melt butter, marshmallows ~ add vanilla & food color (I add more for a darker green) Then add 1 cup at a time the cornflakes & stir. Drop onto wax paper and add redhots immediately so they will stick, just 2or3 to the top of each cookie.
Stack in a circle wreath shape when cooled.

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Tassie Cups with Lemon Curd Filling Recipe

Show: Paula’s Home Cooking
Episode: Paula’s Sweet Shop

Tassie Cups:
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Lemon Curd Filling:
3 large lemons, zested and juiced
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the Tassie Cups: Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Form the pastry into 24 small balls; press with fingers into the bottom and up the sides of ungreased miniature muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

For the Filling: Place the zest and sugar in a food processor and process until combined. Add the lemon juice and eggs and process until smooth. Slowly add the butter to the mixture, pulsing as you go.

Place the mixture in the top of a double boiler and cook over simmering water for about 5 minutes, until thick and sugar has dissolved.

Remove tassie cups from muffin tins, spoon lemon curd in the center and serve.
PAULA DEAN

Cook’s Note: Lemon curd will keep in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks

Julie
I tasted these at work a few weeks ago and could not quit eating them. They are tiny but AWESOME. If anyone likes lemon they should try this recipe.

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Whenever we went to the Farm for Christmas, my Grandma always had these in a pretty glass candy dish in her living room. We LOVED them! You might consider this more a candy than a cookie, but they are awesome!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Drops made by Karen’s Grandma

2 C Peanut Butter
1 Stick butter
1 lb Powdered Sugar
3 C. Rice Krispies

Mix all ingredients together and form into balls.

Melt:
1 bag of milk chocolate chips
1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 bar of paraffin (optional, the paraffin makes them harden a little better and not be so sticky if you leave them out.)

Dip balls into the chocolate and put on wax paper.

I’m not sure how many these make.

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This is a delicious recipe I recently tried at my ladies bible study. The lady who brought them shared the recipe. I can’t wait to try them. They are a must have with coffee or milk. ~Jules

OREO BALLS

1 package Oreos
12 ounces cream cheese
1 package vanilla almond bark

Crush oreos with food processor or put in plastic bag and crush with rolling pin.

Mix with softened cream cheese. Roll into one inch balls and freeze until very firm.

Melt vanilla almond bark in microwave oven or use double boiler.

Dip oreo balls in almond bark using toothpicks or skewers to help hold — put them on waxed paper or foil.

Cool to set firmly in refrigerator or freezer.

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Here is Nita’s (my mom’s) recipe for Persimmon Cookies. We used to put a blanket on the ground under a neighbor’s tree. We’d shake the branches and collect all the persimmons for Mom’s cookies.

1 c. melted oleo
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 c. mashed persimmons
2c. flour, 1/2 t. bk. soda, 1/2 t. salt, 1 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. cloves or nutmeg, & nuts to taste. Cream: oleo, sugar, eggs. Then add persimmon, flour, soda, salt cinnamon, cloves, nuts. Mix. If mix seems to dry add 1/2 c. milk. Drop on greased cookie sheet Bake 10 min. 350

I thought I’d share a yummy burrito recipe. I used to make this a lot and I decided to dig it out of my recipe archives and fix it for dinner last night. This is soooooooo yummy. I just had some leftovers for breakfast!! It’s a crowd pleaser and my ENTIRE family cleaned their plates!!! Yes, you heard me right! It’s always a miracle when that happens!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. hamburger
1 can refried beans
1 pkg. taco mix
2 jars Heinze Homestyle Savory Beef gravy
2 cans Campbell’s Fiesta Chili Beef with Beans soup
tortillas
mozzarella and cheddar cheese
green onions
tomatos
sour cream
shredded lettuce

Directions:

In large fry pan brown 2 lbs ground beef, drain and add 1 can refried beans and 1 pkg. taco mix.

In large sauce pan add 2 jars Heinze Homestyle brown gravy and 2 cans chili beef soup. Fill (almost full) gravy jar with water and add to soup mix. Heat and mix well.

Spoon meat and bean mixture into shells (I made eight burritos). Top with shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Roll and place in pam sprayed pan. Pour gravy over top and sprinkle on more cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly.

Serve with shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, green onions, sour cream, taco sauce, etc.

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Here is a bonus picture. I grabbed my camera last night to get a shot of this. James is so spoiled. As soon as he gets home from work and sits down, his lap is immediately full of little girls. He looks a little exhausted doesn’t he?

“With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks. Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?” Jay Leno