Chewy Caramel Popcorn

Adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes. Really quick and easy to make, tried it for the first time this year and ended up making a ton of batches! 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 bag of microwave popcorn, popped

PREPARATION:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. 
2. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt.
3.  Bring to a boil stirring constantly. As soon as first bubbles appear, allow mixture to boil for 3 minutes without stirring. 
4. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat. 
5. Spread out on lined cookie sheet, breaking apart into smaller pieces as you go and allow to cool. Enjoy!

Ginger Snaps

I'm pretty sure these are the cookies that Mom used to make. I found this in my random recipe binder and it was on a sheet entitled 'Mom's Holiday Recipes' - so I can't really imagine it being anything else! :0) It was during the time when I asked Mom one year when I came for Christmas all the recipes she used and she pulled out all those index cards and we went through them. Little bit of Christmas from home!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
  

PREPARATION:

1. Beat butter, sugar, salt, and egg until nice and creamy
2. Add the remaining ingredients
3. Form into balls and roll in sugar
4. Bake at 350 for 10 min.

Candy Cane Frosting Cake

Mom's Note: I usually mix the gelatin into the crushed candy canes and do not use the water. As you know there is no chocolate syrup in our cake. It's kind of expensive! :0)

INGREDIENTS:

• Angel Food Cake
• 3 tsp gelatin
• 3 tsp water
• 6 candy canes crushed in blender
• 1/2 cup milk
• 500 ml whipping cream
• 1/2 cup chocolate syrup

PREPARATION:

1. In small bowl mix gelatin and water.
2. Melt candy canes in milk. Be careful--too much heat curdles milk.
3. Mix water and milk. Let gel in fridge until just slight set.
4. Whip cream until stiff and gently fold gelatin mixture in.
5. Slice cake in 3 layers, drizzle syrup over layers and reassemble.
6. Frost the cake.

Butter Tart Bars

INGREDIENTS:

• 11/2 cups flour
• 2 Tbp icing sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 11/2 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup butter melted
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup chopped nuts
  
• 1 cup raisins
  

PREPARATION:

• Combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter.
• Press into 9” square pan. Bake 10 min. at 350.
• Beat eggs, add sugar, butter, vinegar, vanilla, raisins and nuts.
• Spread over base.
• Bake for 30-35 min. or until set.

Mom's Note: For nuts I use pecans and put more than 1/2 cup in. One and a half batches will fill a 9x13 pan

Christmas Breakfast Casserole

So something entirely out of season, but you know you'll use it eventually! :0) Okay, so a little story about the next recipe...When I was home recently I started looking for the Christmas Breakfast Casserole thing that mom makes. I know for sure that it's one I'll end up using over and over again and would be incredibly convenient to have access to wherever Christmas ends up taking me. So I started looking and I lucked out, but didn't at the same time.

I found the recipe all right, but instead of finding just one I found not two, not three but four different recipes. Mom was already asleep and I wasn't quite sure what her answer would be about which recipe she uses. Well, that's not entirely true either, I figured she would say she didn't know and probably something like an amalgamation of all four. So after reading through all of them I figured this was the closest to what I remembered having (with notes where I wasn't sure). FYI I do have copies of the other 3 recipes, so if you remember something else let me know and I can send the other versions of the recipe to you. Anyhow, enjoy! A little bit of family tradition to share with your families for years to come...

INGREDIENTS:

• 16 slices of white bread (crusts removed)
• Slices of ham (Mom usually ended up doing one casserole with cubed up ham and the other with sausage bits)
• Slices of sharp cheddar (though I figure you could use shredded cheese as well)
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk (you can add more, up to a cup, depends on how spongey you like your bread...I think with the butter though you don't need as much milk)
• Dash of Tabasco sauce (Don't think Mom uses this)
• 1/4 lb butter (this ends up being 1 stick of butter, so 1/2 cup butter)
  
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper (Not sure whether or not mom uses this either)
• 1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (Ditto for this ingredient)
  
• Special K or Cornflakes, crushed (I think Mom has been leaving this bit out for the last couple years)

PREPARATION:

1. Butter a 9"x13" glass dish
2. Put 8 slices of bread in pan, cover dish entirely
3. Cover bread with ham, cheese and then remaining bread
4. Beat egg, salt, pepper and mustard--add milk etc to mixture
5. Pour over bread and cover, put in fridge overnight
6. In the morning melt butter, pour over top and cover with crushed cornflakes. (We just put extra cheese on top. Maybe don't add this last bit until the last 10-15 min)
7. Bake at 350F for 1 hour. Let stand for 10 min. before serving.

Whipped Short Bread

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb butter (2 cups)
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• red and green maraschino cherries (optional)
  

PREPARATION:

• Whip butter for 10 min.
• Add icing sugar and mix well.
• Cream mixture together with cornstarch and flour. Then add salt.
• Mix well.
• Roll out dough and form into desired cookie shape.
• Top cookies with little piece of maraschino cherries for festive decoration.
  
• Bake at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 min.

Mom's Note: I usually do not whip the butter that long and I don't add any salt. I also bake it at 350 for about 10-15 min. I use a small cup to cut the cookies after rolling it out; you can use a small cookie cutter.