Wassail

1 c. sugar
3 c. water
1 T whole cloves
1 T whole allspice
3 whole nutmegs
3 cinnamon sticks
1 gal. apple juice
1 6 oz orange juice concentrate
1 6 oz lemonade concentrate

put spices in cheesecloth bag and put in crockpot with all liquids.  cook low 4-5 hours

Rolls

In a saucepan combine:
2 c. milk
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. sugar
Bring to a boil, then cool

In a small bowl, combine:
1 c. lukewarm water
2 heaping T yeast
2 tsp sugar
set aside and let dissolve.

When the milk mixture has cooled to lukewarm, pour into mixer.  Add 1 cup of flour, all of the yeast mixture, 2 1/2 tsp. salt and 3 beaten eggs.  Beat until smooth.  Add 7 cups of flour, a little at a time until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl but is not stiff.
Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray, and let rise in a warm place until dough has doubled in size.  Punch down, cover, and let rise again until doubled in size.

After dough has risen a second time, divide in halr.  Place on a floured board or counter.  Roll out until 1/2 inch thick and cut into circles.  Place on a greased cookie sheet so rolls are almost touching.  Let rise about 30 min.  Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

If you'd like to make crescent rolls.  Divide dough into 3 or 4 balls, roll out, cut each circle into 8 triangles with a pizza cutter.  Roll each triangle up starting from the large end, shape into crescents.

Chocolate Beet Cake

3 eggs
1 1/2 c Sucanat
3/4 c. consisting of 50% coconut oil, and 50% applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups steamed beets (water drained before pureeing in Blenter) this is about 2 medium beets, skin cut off
4 T baking cocoa
2 c. ww flour, or GF flour mix
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Puree beats in blender, then add eggs,k sugar, oil, and vanilla.  Add chocolate and other ingredients.  Bake in 9 x 13 oiled pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until done.

Frosting
Cream togher
1/4 c. cocoa
1/2 c. butter, or oil
1/2 c. powdered sucanat.  (blend sucanat in blender to make it powdered)

Jello (SF)

4 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 12 oz can frozen 100% fruit juice with three cans filtered water mixed in
Ice cubes
2 T agave or maple syrup , or 1 tsp stevia

Put one cup cold juice in a bowl with sweetener, and sprinkle gelatin over it.; let stand one minute.  Add three cups hot juice heated to boiling and stir until gelatin completely dissolves, about five minutes.  Pour into pan or cups and chill.  Stir in fruit after 20 minutes in friege, if desired.  Optionally top with whipped cream.  This makes  "jiggler" type jello, so if you like it softer, add more juice.

Vanilla Ice Cream (GF, DF, SF)

I use my Cuisnart ice cream maker for this recipe

3 cups coconut milk
3/4 c. agave
1-2 tsp. vanilla

milk together and pour into ice cream maker.

White Bean Chili

2 cans of white beans, drained and rinsed
1 onion, chopped
2 apples, cut in tiny chunks, no need to peel
3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
3 T butter
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1/2 c. plain yogurt or kefir
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Put the butter into the bottom of your crockpot.  Dump in the drained and rinsed beans.  Chop up the onion adn the apple.  Add the spices, and pour in the broth:  Stir in yogurt.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  Stif in cheese just before serving.

Zucchini Casserole

2 lbs of zucchini-shred but do not peel
1 c. shreeded colby jack cheese
1 c. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 onion chopped
1/2 c. butter
1 box of chicken flavor stove top stuffing
Directions:  Sautee onion and zucchini until tender.  Add cheese, sour cream, and soup.  In another bowl melt butter and then add it to the stuffing until coated.  In a greased 9 x 13 dish-layer 1/2 zucchini mixture, 1/2 stuffing, rest of zucchini, and then finish the top with stuffing mixture.  Bake on 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Pears

2 lb Sweet Potatoes, peeled cut 1-inch
1/4 c. vinegar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
2 pears, cut into 1-inch chunks
Mix all except pears, and spread onto baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, add pears, lightly toss, and bake 25 additional minutes.

Mini chocoalte chip pumpkin pies

1 c. pumpkin puree
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. evaporated milk
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
2 rolls pillsbury pie rust, thawed or make own pie crust
1/4 c. chocolate chips
1/4 c. mini marshmallows
1 egg, 1 tsp water, beaten for egg wash
1/4 c. powdered sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl mix together pumpkin, sugar, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and egg.
2.  Roll out pie crust.  Use a 3-in round cookie cutter or glass and cut out circles.  Place crust onto cookie sheet (greased).  Place 1 tsp. pumpkin pie filling then fold crust over filling and press edges w/ tines of a fork to seal.  Poke each crust w/ fork for steam to escape.  Brush top w/ egg wash and bake 20-22 min.
3.  Let cool 5 min. then dust with powdered sugar
makes 26 pies

Thanksgiving Menu

Here is my Thanksgiving Menu:  * indicate gluten/dairy/sugar free for Joseph and Samuel
Sugar cookies shaped like turkeys for name tags on the table

*Turkey
*Ham
Rolls-make day before
*Biscuits-make day before
Zucchini Stuffing
Sweet Potato w/ marshmallows-make day before, except baking
Green Bean Casserole
*Jello-make day before
*Mashed Potatoes
*Wassail
*Sauteed green beans

Dessert
Apple Pie-make day before
*Raw pumpkin Pie-make day before
Carmel Cheesecake-make day before
Pear Pastry-make day before
*Vanilla Ice Cream-make day before

Peanut Butter Cake

2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. peanut butter
7 T butter
Mix together until crumbly, and reserve 1 cup for the topping
Add 2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
Beat together with a mixer for 3 minutes.  Pour into 9 x 13 pan and sprinkle topping evenly over it.  Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.
This is our favorite breakfast cake!!

Sweet Potato-Marshmallow Casserole

3 1/2 to 4 lb fresh sweet potatoes, scrubbed well
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. evaporated milk or heavy cream
2 T butter, at room temperature
2 T orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
3 cups miniature marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with foil.
Bake the sweet potatoes on the foil-lined baking sheet until a think, pointy knife inserted in the center meets no resistance, 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Once cooled, remove the skins and mash until smooth.  In a large bowl combine all ingredients except marshmallows and beat until smooth.  Spoon the mixture into the prepare pan and sprinkle with marshmallows.  Bake until marshmallows are lightly browned, 35 to 45 minutes.  This can be made a day ahead, covered, and refrigerated, then returned to room temperature and baked 35 to 45 minutes before serving. 

crock pot terriyaki chicken

My kids love this recipe and it is so easy, I also use it as a freezer meal, and dump all ingredients in a plastic ziploc bag, and freeze.

3-4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 can pineapple, including the juice
1/2 c. braggs amino acids
1-2 tsp. montreal chicken seasoning.

cook in crockpot on low 6-8 hours.  Chicken turns out very juicy and moist.  Yum!!

Better Butter

Better Butter, is a blend of butter, olive oil, and coconut oil, to make a butter spread that is healthier for you.
In the blender I put
1 1b. soft butter
3/4 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. olive oil

Blend it together until smooth, and put in your container of choice in the refrigerator.
variations:
honey butter: add 1/2-1 cup honey
cinnamon honey butter: add 1/2-1 cup honey, and 1-2 tsp cinnamon
herb butter:  add 1-2 tsp italian herb seasoning

Giant pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Giant Salted Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This recipe is from picky-palate.com   I love her recipes, so yummy
 Ingredients

• 1 stick/8 tablespoons unsalted butter, salted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose Gold Medal Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• one 10 ounce bag chocolate chunks or 2 cups
• A few pinches Fleur de sel salt or sea salt for sprinkling on top of cookies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper.
2. Place butter and sugars into stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add molasses, pumpkin, egg and vanilla, beating until well combined. Add flour, salt and baking soda, mixing to combine then add in chocolate chunks. Using a large scoop (I used my ice cream scoop, holds about 1/4 cup) scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet. Flatten cookies with hands then sprinkle lightly with salt if desired.
3. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until baked through. Please keep in mind if you bake smaller cookies cooking time will be much less. Bake accordingly to size. Let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to cooling rack.

Makes 6 Large cookies

Mug Brownies

That’s one-minute for mixing, another for microwaving – the eating part likely won’t take much longer. There are a ton of microwave mug cakes floating around the internet — a common comment though is that they’re not chocolatey enough, and too spongy — likely a result of using a whole egg in a single-serving cake. It’s not ideal to use part of an egg though (what do you do with the rest) and so it occurred to me that leaving it out would result in a denser, more brownie-like chocolate creation. Give me a brownie over cake any day — especially a warm one I can scoop ice cream on top of. This ultra-simple brownie for one is totally divine.

Use unsweetened cocoa powder — it has much more chocolate flavor than sweetened drink mixes like powdered Quick.

Stir together your flour, brown sugar, cocoa and a pinch of salt. A fork works.

Stir in the oil and milk or coffee — I use the dregs of my morning cup.

Stir it together — you’ll have a thick, chocolatey paste.

Microwave it for a minute — if you have a powerful microwave check it after 30 seconds, but 60 should do it. It’ll be done when it’s puffed and springy to the touch, but still a little gooey when you stick your fork in it — like any good brownie should be.

One of these is technically enough for two, but you don’t have to share.

Two-Minute Mug Brownie
Adapted from Instructables.com
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch salt
2 Tbsp canola or other mild vegetable oil
2 Tbsp milk, coffee or water
In a heatproof mug or ramekin, stir together the dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Stir in the oil and milk until you have a thick paste.
Microwave on high for a minute, checking it after 30 seconds (microwaves vary) – it will be done when it’s springy on top but still a bit gooey – like the very best brownie. Eat warm.

Maple Bars and GF Maple Bars

Maple Bars

I am re-posting this recipe as I have tweaked it just a bit. I decided adding the cinnamon to the milk isn't the best thing to do, it clumps. Instead, whisk into the flour and then add to the yeast mixture. Also I'm increasing the flour to 5 cups... seems I always have to add more. And I'm adding 1/8 teaspoon salt to the frosting.... Salt enhances flavors and takes that "too sweet" out of the frosting just a bit. I made these for work yesterday and added diced cooked bacon to the top! Delicious!

I was snowed in yesterday morning and couldn't go to work!! So I thought 'why not bake?' And one of my favorite things when I worked at the Bakery was Maple Bars! MMMMMM... I ran across this recipe on http://www.recipezaar.com/. So I thought I would give it a try!! It was yummo ! I think next time I make them I will cut the dough into 3 strips and then in six pieces for a little smaller bar but they were good, and not too heavy. I also like the fact that these are baked, not fried! I suggest eating with hot chocolate or a tall glass of milk. mmmmmmmmmmmm!!

Gluten Free/dairy free version *

Maple Bars   
1 1/2 cups milk      *half coconut/half almond milk
1/3 cup shortening (I used butter flavored Crisco)  *I'm going to use coconut oil
4 Tablespoons granulated Sugar *Agave or Raw honey
2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup lukewarm water

2 (1/4 ounce) envelopes yeast
2 large eggs, beaten
5 cups flour (might need a bit more)  *GF flour mix I buy from Costco
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Maple Icing 1/3 cup butter     *coconut oil
1 cup packed brown sugar        * sucanat

1/4 cup milk                              *coconut milk

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar       *powdered sucanat (I blend mine in my blender

2 teaspoons mapleine (found by the flavor extracts and seasonings)
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the dough:
In a medium saucepan scald milk; add shortening, 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar, and salt. Stir to combine and set aside to cool to lukewarm.

In a large mixer bowl, add the lukewarm water and the yeast (remember the water should be just lukewarm, too hot and it will kill the yeast) Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of sugar to the yeast and water and whisk to combine. Let sit for about 5 minutes until it starts to bubble and become foamy.

After the yeast is foamy and the milk mixture is luke warm. Add the eggs to the yeast and stir to combine, then add the milk mixture to the yeast mixture. Whisk the cinnamon into the flour and gradually add to the yeast mixture. You may need to add more, you want the dough slightly sticky but not too sticky. Knead for 3 to 5 minutes. I let my kitchen aid do the kneading for about 5 minutes.
Spray another large bowl with non-stick spray, place dough in the bowl and let raise for an hour or until double in size.

Punch down and roll out into a large rectangle about 1 inch thick.

Cut into rectangles, I cut the rectangle in half, and then each half into 6 pieces to make 12 bars, then place on a greased baking sheet. Let raise for about 30 minutes.

While bars are raising, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Bake the bars for 7 to 8 minutes or until light golden brown, Watch carefully. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before icing.

Make the icing while the bars are raising:

In a small saucepan mix butter, brown sugar and milk. Bring to boil for medium heat and simmer 3 minutes.l Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes. Add the mapleine and powdered sugar and blend well with a hand mixer. Add a little more powdered sugar if needed (I added about 1/4 cup more)

Spread on maple bars and enjoy!