Peppermint Eggnog Punch

INGREDIENTS
1.5 qt of peppermint ice cream (My favorite is Bryer’s)
1 qt. eggnog
6 cups of Vernor’s Ginger Ale

DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients in cold punch bowl. Stir until blended. It is okay if is a little lumpy. Yummy! Enjoy

I want to send a very special thank you to Delinda Sorrell for sharing her recipe with me.

Only the curious learn and only the resolute over come the obstacles to learning. The quest quotient has always excited me more than the intelligence quotient. ~ Eugene S. Wilson

 

Banana Bread

Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped pecans (opt)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon water
2 cups flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter & flour a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. In another bowl, mix together the flour, water, baking soda and salt; stir.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.

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I wanted to mention that my older sister Shirley always bakes her breads in clean soup cans.  Grease & flour them as you would the other way and fill them two thirds full. Place them on a cookie sheet to bake. Should bake in about 30 minutes, just keep checking on them.

She changes the way she does things every year. So if asked, she give you ten different ways to make the same thing. Sh… don’t tell her that I said that.

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Getting Ready for Thanksgiving

• Decide on a centerpiece, contact florist to order, or make one yourself.
• Purchase any needed supplies, such as table coverings, napkins, cups, etc.
• Plan your cooking timeline, so you know which dishes need to be cooked when on Thanksgiving Day.
• Take your non-perishable items shopping list to the grocery store and buy those items that won’t spoil.
• Make breads and rolls — freeze.
• Select the beverage/drinks to go with your meal.
• Involve your kids in helping to organize games for the younger guests.
• As you receive RSVPs, create place cards for each setting.
• Make Holiday hair & nail appointments.

To be desperate is to discover strength. We die of comfort and by conflict live. ~ May Sarton

 

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup cooked, pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned)
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup raisins

Icing:

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons whip cream
1/4 teaspoon rum extract (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla and mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir into butter mixture until well blended. Add nuts and raisins. Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment covered baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake about 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool.

Icing: Cream confectioners’ sugar and butter. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. (If icing is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar; if too thick, add more cream.) Drizzle over cookies.

November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.
~ Elizabeth Coatsworth

 

Persimmon Drop Cookies

Persimmon Drop Cookies. An English Dessert, that takes 12 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook with an Oven.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup persimmon pulp
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ cup butter
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 egg beaten
1 cup nuts (we use a mix of walnut & pecan)
½ tsp. salt
1 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS
Beat until creamy: pulp, soda, sugar & butter
Add: egg & beat well
Sift flour & spices
Add: flour, raisins & nuts to creamy mixture
Drop by spoonfuls on greased cookie sheet
Bake at 375° for 12-15 min.
Makes 3-4 dozen

We cannot hope to scale great moral heights by ignoring petty obligations. ~ Agnes Repplier

 

Family Dinner

Here’s a delightful way to serve strawberries.
MENU
Veal Chops
Mashed Potatoes
Snap Beans
Salad
Bread Tray
Strawberry Citrus Bowl
Beverage

Strawberry Citrus Bowl
INGREDIENTS
1 large grapefruit
1 large orange
1 pint strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
DIRECTIONS
Cut rind from grapefruit and orange so no white membrane remains. Cut sections away from dividing membranes. Do this over bowl so as to save the juices. Wash strawberries with cold water. If berries are small, leave whole: if the are large, cut in half. Mix berries with sugar; more or less sugar may be used according to taste. At serving time, put orange and grapefruit sections with juice in a glass serving bowl; carefully spoon sweetened strawberries over the top.
Serves: 4-6

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Snap Beans
INGREDIENTS
Fresh green beans, snapped
1/2 c. water
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 stick butter
3 small green onions, cut up
Garlic salt or 1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. rosemary

DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook on medium for 10-15 minutes.

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The greatest truths are the simplest: so likewise are the greatest men. ~ Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare

 

Marigold Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS
4 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
6 eggs, separated
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 cup ground almonds
2 teaspoons minced fresh marigold petals
2 tablespoons fresh lemon balm leaves
Additional marigold blossoms and fresh lemon balm leaves, optional

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in almonds, lemon balm, lemon peel and marigold petals.
In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into cream cheese mixture. Spoon into a greased 9-in. springform pan; place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until golden brown and the cheesecake pulls away from sides of pan. Cool for 1 hour; remove sides of pan and cool completely. Garnish with marigold blossoms and lemon balm if desired. Store in the refrigerator.

Yield: 12 servings.

RECIPE NOTE: Wash all flowers and leaves; pat dry before using.

The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed. ~
Richard Brinsley Sheridan