Mexican Spirals

I wanted to post this before Christmas, but when I didn't get to it, I realized that it could be quite timely with New Year's Eve parties coming up and using up the leftover turkey. These are great little appetizers that can be made ahead, frozen and heated when you need them. We love them served with a little dollop of salsa! I got this recipe from my friend Herta, whom I talked to today, and she laughed when I told her I still make these every Christmas! I think she's probably found some wonderful new recipes I have yet to find out about. =) But when it comes to our family . . . well there are some traditions you just don't change!

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg (250 g) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken
• 1 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh hot jalapeno pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 4 10-inch tortillas

1. Combine all the filling ingredients. 
2. Divide mixture between tortillas, spread evenly and roll up tightly. 
3. Wrap and chill at least 2 hours. 
4. Cut into 1/2 inch slices. Unbaked slices freeze well. (Layer with wax paper and place in sealed container.)
5. Bake at 350 F for 12 - 20 minutes, until you can see the cheese bubble slightly on top. Serve with salsa.

You will find the ends kind of "loose", but I fix those slices by filling in with other ends ... they'll never know once they're baked. Enjoy!

Honey Dijon Vinegrette

In our home we prefer homemade dressings to bottled. I like to know what ingredients are put into my food and try to avoid ingredients that I can't pronounce.
This is a lightly sweet and tangy dressing all at the same time. My oldest daughter signature dressing that she often makes. We really enjoy it.

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 4 tablespoons of oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Shake all ingredients together in a well sealed jar until it thickens and everything is emulisfied. 
2. Keeps in the refridgerator for a week or two. 

Eggs Benedict

This has been a family tradition for many a year now and the brunch crowd just keeps getting bigger. It really is an easy and delicious recipe. 

This recipe comes from a Safeway cookbook called "The Easy Gourmet".
Serve with steamed asparagus and a fresh fruit salad. This recipe serves four.
I however used 5 dozen eggs and two dozen English muffins to feed our crowd. Even the pickiest eaters had more than two helpings.

• 4 English muffins, split and toasted
• 8 large eggs
• 8 round slices of back bacon or ham
• Hollandiase sauce

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. One at a time, break the eggs and slip then into the water, Cook the eggs for 4-5 minutes. 
2. Place the eggs on top of a toasted english muffin with a slice of back bacon or ham. 
3. Top with the following Hollandiase sauce. 

Blender Hollandiase Sauce (my favorite version)

• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• cayenne pepper
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 c. butter melting and bubbling hot.

1. Mix together in a blender the egg yolks, lemon juice and seasoning. 
2. With the machine running, slowly pour in the butter. 
3. Run the machine a little longer until the sauce thickens. 
4. Spoon it over the eggs and serve any extra sauce on the side.

Alternative 

Hollaindaise Sauce (my brother's favorite)

• 1/4 c. butter
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 c. cream
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. In a double boiler over simmering water, melt butter, add cream, dry mustard and salt. 
2. In a seperate bowl temper the eggs with some of the warm cream mixture and add eggs to the remaining warm mixture and stir and cook until thickened.
3. Add lemon juice. 
4. Also a very tasty sauce as well.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

This is my mother in law's recipe. I used to make them for Christmas but now my daughter Brenda makes them. She was so kind as to send me this photo and allow me to share it here. These are great to pack in a small festive tin, add a ribbon and surprise someone with a delicious treat.

• 1 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 cups rice crispies
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 1 cup chocolate wafers or rosebuds
• 3 tablespoons paraffin (optional)

1. Mix together peanut butter, icing sugar, butter, rice crispies, and peanuts in a bowl.
2. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll into approximately 1 inch balls. Place on pan and freeze.
3. Melt chocolate wafers or rosebuds with 3 tbsp paraffin. (optional)
4. Keep melted chocolate in a bowl over hot water while dipping frozen peanut butter balls.
5. Place them on a parchment lined pan without touching until firm. 
6. Store in a cool place.

Green Bean Casserole

It seems there is always a green bean casserole at the holiday table, most often using Campbell's cream of mushroom soup as the sauce. This is a slightly different variation, one which we prefer.

• 3 cans green beans, drained (French or regular cut)
• 1 can sliced mushrooms
• 1 can water chestnuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ¼ cup finely chopped onions
• 1 teaspoon salt dash of pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can French-fried onions

1. Melt butter in saucepan.
2. Stir in flour and cook over medium heat about 1 minute.
3. Add milk and cook until thickened, while whisking.
4. Stir in salt, sugar, pepper, onions, and sour cream; heat through. 
5. Add green beans, mushrooms and water chestnuts; stir to coat.
6. Transfer to casserole dish. (Can be made the previous day and refrigerated at this point.)
7. Spread cheese over top and sprinkle with french-fried onions.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. 

If the casserole has been refrigerated, allow about 30 minutes more cooking time.

Shortbread Cookies

This recipe was from my Mom's friend Esther Moore. Her and her husband John were our pastor couple when I was growing up in Victoria. He was a musician as well and afew of his songs are published in church Hymnals. One of my favorites of his is Burdens are Lifted at Calvary.

These cookies are easy, and they melt in your mouth.

1 cup softened butter

4 tbsp white sugar

2 1/2 -3 cups flour

Whip together butter and sugar. Add 2 cups of flour and continue to add flour until dough comes together in a soft ball. It will be soft but manageable to roll out on a floured counter. Roll out to 1/4 " thick and cut with cookie cutters. Leave plain or decorate with colored sugar sprinkles.

Bake @ 325 for 12 minutes. Let rest on pan for one minute and remove to a cooling rack.

Greek Veggie Pizzas

My niece, Pauline, made these for a shower a number of years back and I was very happy to scribble down the recipe. These little pizza wedges also go over well as appetizers or a quick lunch. They are so simple to make, but very tasty.

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg Kraft Greek Salad crumbled feta cheese
• 1 each: small red and yellow peppers, cut into thin strips
• 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup Kraft Sundried Tomato and Oregano dressing
• 4 - 6 inch (pre-baked) flatbreads or Greek pitas (Olafsons)

1. Sprinkle 1/3 cup feta cheese on each crust. 
2. Mix peppers, zucchini and dressing. 
3. Spoon over cheese, dividing evenly. 
4. Bake at 425 F, 10 minutes. Cut into wedges.

Oatmeal Shortbread

Here is a shortbread that's a little different than most.

The recipe comes from the yellow Gals With God cookbook

that our ladies Bible study group put together back in 1980.

I've been making them every Christmas since.

• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 2/3 cup oatmeal
• 1 cup butter softened
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup fine unsweetened coconut

1. Mix dry ingredients and work in butter as you would for regular shortbread. Do not over mix.
2. Dough will be slightly sticky.
3. Pat or roll out on lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.
4. Using your handy dandy bench scraper, mark dough into sections and cut into logs about 1/2 inch by 2 inches. 
5. Using bench scraper or metal spatula, transfer to ungreased cookie sheets.
6. Bake at 275 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until cookies are set. Remove from oven and let cool.
7. Dip one or both ends of each cookie into chocolate dip (melt 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips with 3 tablespoons milk or cream over hot water until melted, stirring until smooth. If chocolate is still too thick, add a bit more hot milk.) 
8. Place on waxed paper and refrigerate until chocolate is set.
9. These cookies keep very well in a tightly covered container kept in a cool place. (I usually store all of my Christmas cookies and bars in the garage.)

Minnesota Munchers

Another cookie I bake at Christmas time, of course it can be baked at any other time which I do. I have baked this recipe numerous times and it always turns out. I found it at Christmas-cookies.com and after the first time I tried it it was marked as a winner! I've changed up the recipe a wee bit.

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 3/4 cups toffee bits
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 º. Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. In a medium sized bowl cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and stir in vanilla.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and stir into creamed mixture. Fold in chocolate chips, toffee bits and pecans. Drop by tablespoons on cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes till slightly golden in color. I found that I had to bake them a bit longer in my oven.
5. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on rack.
6. Yield: approx 3 dozen.

Wranglers

This way of doing bacon and eggs originates from the year I met my husband.

That summer, I was a counselor at Columbia Bible Camp (now Stillwood Camp) here in BC. 

We took our girls on an overnight hike and made these for breakfast - fried up on the bottom of one of those large juice cans tipped over a fire.

 It's much easier to make them in a frying pan!

They are great for camping trips because you get bacon, eggs and toast in one handy package 

and you only need one pan.

Wranglers are now a family favourite and hardly a week goes by without making them at least once or twice for breakfast or for a quick lunch.

For each wrangler you will need:

• 1 piece of bread
• 1 slice of bacon
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper

1. Cut a circle out of the middle of the bread slice.
2. Cut strip of bacon in half.
3. Place bacon halves side by side in frying pan and fry until brown.
4. Turn bacon pieces over and lay bread over the bacon.
5. Crack egg into the hole and sprinkle with salt and pepper.Turn heat down and cook until egg white begins to turn cloudy. You can cover the pan if you like.
6. Flip the wrangler over and continue to cook uncovered until desired doneness.

Voilá - bacon eggs and toast and only 1 pan to wash.